What is Liturgy?
Liturgy gives our worship form and structure. The roots of Christian liturgy can be traced back 3000 years to the earliest records of Jewish worship. Many of the specific prayers and phrases date back to just a few generations after Christ. Liturgy is literally defined as “the work of the people” and is congregational and participatory in nature. We do not come together in the pursuit of an experience, though exalted feelings may be experienced; our primary focus is bringing a sacrifice of honor and praise to the Most High God.
Liturgy assists us when we are weary in the spirit and worship seems difficult. It is like a stream of life-giving water flowing toward the throne of God, carrying us in its current when we’ve exhausted all our strength.
Sacrament and Symbolism
One distinctive of Anglicanism is the sacramental nature of its worship. Every action, gesture, and element is significant and ripe with symbolism. Humans naturally gravitate toward tangible symbols and ceremonial rituals to commemorate and celebrate important milestones or abstract truths and covenants. Just as Christ used the everyday stuff of life (bread, wine, oil, etc.) to convey his kingdom in a tangible way, so we believe that the physical elements of life enhance our worship and can act as vehicles of his grace.
The Opening Acclamation
The opening acclamation quickens our hearts, reminding us of the inauguration of the Kingdom of God here “on earth as it is in heaven.” The celebrant declares, “Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” to which the people respond, “And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.”
The Collect
The collect (pronounced cah-lect) is a prayer that is intended to collect or sum up the prayers of the people. Each Sunday's collect reflects the contents of the readings and the themes of the season.
The Readings
Anglican worship is heavily focused on scripture and incorporates a passage from the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the New Testament epistle during this portion of the service. The people corporately respond to the readings by declaring, “Thanks be to God.” The celebrant or leader then comes out among the people and reads from one of the four Gospels. The people stand during the Gospel reading and respond in unison, “Praise to you, Lord Christ.”
The Creed
We affirm the foundations of our faith as we recite the Nicene Creed, joining with believers all over the world and throughout the ages.
The Prayers of the People
We share in the priesthood of all believers by interceding on behalf of the needs of the local church (or parish), the broader needs of the universal church, and the world. Many of these prayers are in written form though spontaneous requests are incorporated as well.
Written prayers help guide us away from our often self-centered petitions and direct our thoughts toward the needs of others. Believers often struggle with feelings of defeat in their prayer life; liturgical prayers take the focus off of human effort by equipping us with language as we bring our requests and praises to God.
The Confession and Absolution
We bring our faults before God in a corporate prayer of confession and are reminded by the priest of the mercy and forgiveness that reaches us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The Passing of the Peace
Having received the peace of Christ through the remembrance of our absolution, we extend a greeting of Christ's peace to those around us.
The Holy Eucharist (also called Holy Communion)
Anglican worship culminates in the communing of our hearts with Christ at his table in a Great Thanksgiving for all that he has done for us. He invites us to come in remembrance of him, and he in turn reveals himself to us in the breaking of the bread, just as he did with the disciples. The Eucharist not only serves as a memorial but a time in which our souls are nourished by the body and blood of Christ.
At the beginning of the liturgy of the Eucharist, the offering is brought forward along with gifts of bread and wine as we offer to God the first fruits of the work of our hands. The priest says a prayer of concretion over the elements and then elevates the bread and wine and declares, “The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.” The term “Eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving”.
The Blessing and Sending Forth
At the end of an Anglican service we are not dismissed from the presence of God but commissioned as ones who have been nourished by God's Word and Sacraments to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord” empowered to take his presence into the world as his sent-ones - his Apostles.
Adapted with permission from Holy Family Anglican Church in Hendersonville, TN.
Liturgy assists us when we are weary in the spirit and worship seems difficult. It is like a stream of life-giving water flowing toward the throne of God, carrying us in its current when we’ve exhausted all our strength.
Sacrament and Symbolism
One distinctive of Anglicanism is the sacramental nature of its worship. Every action, gesture, and element is significant and ripe with symbolism. Humans naturally gravitate toward tangible symbols and ceremonial rituals to commemorate and celebrate important milestones or abstract truths and covenants. Just as Christ used the everyday stuff of life (bread, wine, oil, etc.) to convey his kingdom in a tangible way, so we believe that the physical elements of life enhance our worship and can act as vehicles of his grace.
The Opening Acclamation
The opening acclamation quickens our hearts, reminding us of the inauguration of the Kingdom of God here “on earth as it is in heaven.” The celebrant declares, “Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” to which the people respond, “And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.”
The Collect
The collect (pronounced cah-lect) is a prayer that is intended to collect or sum up the prayers of the people. Each Sunday's collect reflects the contents of the readings and the themes of the season.
The Readings
Anglican worship is heavily focused on scripture and incorporates a passage from the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the New Testament epistle during this portion of the service. The people corporately respond to the readings by declaring, “Thanks be to God.” The celebrant or leader then comes out among the people and reads from one of the four Gospels. The people stand during the Gospel reading and respond in unison, “Praise to you, Lord Christ.”
The Creed
We affirm the foundations of our faith as we recite the Nicene Creed, joining with believers all over the world and throughout the ages.
The Prayers of the People
We share in the priesthood of all believers by interceding on behalf of the needs of the local church (or parish), the broader needs of the universal church, and the world. Many of these prayers are in written form though spontaneous requests are incorporated as well.
Written prayers help guide us away from our often self-centered petitions and direct our thoughts toward the needs of others. Believers often struggle with feelings of defeat in their prayer life; liturgical prayers take the focus off of human effort by equipping us with language as we bring our requests and praises to God.
The Confession and Absolution
We bring our faults before God in a corporate prayer of confession and are reminded by the priest of the mercy and forgiveness that reaches us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The Passing of the Peace
Having received the peace of Christ through the remembrance of our absolution, we extend a greeting of Christ's peace to those around us.
The Holy Eucharist (also called Holy Communion)
Anglican worship culminates in the communing of our hearts with Christ at his table in a Great Thanksgiving for all that he has done for us. He invites us to come in remembrance of him, and he in turn reveals himself to us in the breaking of the bread, just as he did with the disciples. The Eucharist not only serves as a memorial but a time in which our souls are nourished by the body and blood of Christ.
At the beginning of the liturgy of the Eucharist, the offering is brought forward along with gifts of bread and wine as we offer to God the first fruits of the work of our hands. The priest says a prayer of concretion over the elements and then elevates the bread and wine and declares, “The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.” The term “Eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving”.
The Blessing and Sending Forth
At the end of an Anglican service we are not dismissed from the presence of God but commissioned as ones who have been nourished by God's Word and Sacraments to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord” empowered to take his presence into the world as his sent-ones - his Apostles.
Adapted with permission from Holy Family Anglican Church in Hendersonville, TN.
