At church today...
Candy is hosting a share-your-church day on her blog today. So...here's our day (and yes, that handsome priest is my husband!):
~all clean, combed, and dressed, ready for church (except that Chloe's shoes are in the car, not on her feet!)
Our church is an Anglican church. It is similar in many ways to a Roman Catholic church.
~We go to Sunday School:
Chloe & Kievan's class studies:
2Samuel 2-7
Allie & Ben's class studies:
The Old Testament and New Testament promises of God fulfilled in Christ.
Adult study:
Controversy series:
today's topic: women's ordination- right or wrong?
(wrong, according to scripture and tradition)
~We visit with others in the narthex
~We are quiet and worshipful when we enter the nave (sanctuary). Some people kneel as they prepare their hearts for worship. There is kneeling, bowing, crossing, etc at our church. God designed humans with both a soul and physical body, and the two parts affect each other. When we show honor or submission through kneeling, for example, our physical movements reinforce our mind's intent.
~There are crosses and symbols in the nave to help us focus our minds on the reason we're here: to worship God. If a non-churched person were to walk through our doors, he would immediately know that there was something very important about "the cross" because everywhere his eyes would rest, there would be another cross. Because of the way our liturgy is constructed, in each service a person will hear the gospel message. It is central to our worship.
~It is full of beautiful things, we want to offer our best in the honor of the God of heaven, for this is his house. (The painting on the reredos is a depiction of a scene from Revelation- the majestic Christ, the Lamb, flanked by angels, one holding the scrolls and the other the censer.)
Processional~ We stand and watch the acolytes and torch-bearers enter, the Gospel book held high, the banners, priests, and choir members moving towards the front.
Everyone wears vestments.
Each color symbolizes something. For example, the white vestments symbolize the white robes of heaven.
The vestments also serve to deemphasize the individual person- no fashion statements here :-). This is a service for worshiping God, not for self-promotion.
~The scripture readings
Each Sunday we have readings from the Old Testament, the Epistles, the Psalms, and the Gospels. We hold God's Word in the highest of esteem, and to make that obvious have an especially beautiful Bible (made in England) made for reading from a church lectern. It is beautiful with gold gilding, special paper, leather covers, large print, and contains the beautiful poetic language of the Authorized (King James) Version.
The candles on either side of the lectern symbolize that God's Word is a light unto the world.
Today's Reading: The Prophet Jeremiah 23:23-32
"Can any hide himself in secret places?"
The priest leads us in reading a Psalm. We read it responsively, the priest reading one verse and the congregation responding with the next verse.
Today's Reading: Psalm 73:1-10
"Truly God is good to Israel"
Then there is always a reading from one of the New Testament Epistles
Today's Reading: 1 John 4:7-21
"Beloved, let us love one another."
Jesus came into our midst to give us the good news of salvation to all people. To symbolize this the priest enters into the congregation's midst to read the Gospel. To honor the Gospel all the people stand when it is read.
Today's reading: St. Luke 16:19-31
"Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham."
~The priest gives the homily.
Our priests are very careful to preach God's will, rather than their own opinion.
~We say the Nicene Creed
~We pray the prayers for the people
~We confess our sins
~We partake of Holy Communion
~Throughout the service we sing hymns, focusing on God and His character, rather than man.
~Do you wonder why ancient churches call the sanctuary a "nave"? Nave has the same root as "navy". We consider the church to be our "ark", a refuge on our journey home. Many churches are designed to have ribbed A-frame ceilings to mimic the shape of an ark, reminding us that we are not of this world, but on a journey homeward.
After the recessional, the priest gives us an exhortation:
"Let us go forth rejoicing in the power of the Holy Ghost!"
We respond, "Thanks be to God. Alleluia!"
~all clean, combed, and dressed, ready for church (except that Chloe's shoes are in the car, not on her feet!)
Our church is an Anglican church. It is similar in many ways to a Roman Catholic church.
~We go to Sunday School:
Chloe & Kievan's class studies:
2Samuel 2-7
Allie & Ben's class studies:
The Old Testament and New Testament promises of God fulfilled in Christ.
Adult study:
Controversy series:
today's topic: women's ordination- right or wrong?
(wrong, according to scripture and tradition)
~We visit with others in the narthex
~We are quiet and worshipful when we enter the nave (sanctuary). Some people kneel as they prepare their hearts for worship. There is kneeling, bowing, crossing, etc at our church. God designed humans with both a soul and physical body, and the two parts affect each other. When we show honor or submission through kneeling, for example, our physical movements reinforce our mind's intent.
~There are crosses and symbols in the nave to help us focus our minds on the reason we're here: to worship God. If a non-churched person were to walk through our doors, he would immediately know that there was something very important about "the cross" because everywhere his eyes would rest, there would be another cross. Because of the way our liturgy is constructed, in each service a person will hear the gospel message. It is central to our worship.
~It is full of beautiful things, we want to offer our best in the honor of the God of heaven, for this is his house. (The painting on the reredos is a depiction of a scene from Revelation- the majestic Christ, the Lamb, flanked by angels, one holding the scrolls and the other the censer.)
Processional~ We stand and watch the acolytes and torch-bearers enter, the Gospel book held high, the banners, priests, and choir members moving towards the front.
Everyone wears vestments.
Each color symbolizes something. For example, the white vestments symbolize the white robes of heaven.
The vestments also serve to deemphasize the individual person- no fashion statements here :-). This is a service for worshiping God, not for self-promotion.
~The scripture readings
Each Sunday we have readings from the Old Testament, the Epistles, the Psalms, and the Gospels. We hold God's Word in the highest of esteem, and to make that obvious have an especially beautiful Bible (made in England) made for reading from a church lectern. It is beautiful with gold gilding, special paper, leather covers, large print, and contains the beautiful poetic language of the Authorized (King James) Version.
The candles on either side of the lectern symbolize that God's Word is a light unto the world.
Today's Reading: The Prophet Jeremiah 23:23-32
"Can any hide himself in secret places?"
The priest leads us in reading a Psalm. We read it responsively, the priest reading one verse and the congregation responding with the next verse.
Today's Reading: Psalm 73:1-10
"Truly God is good to Israel"
Then there is always a reading from one of the New Testament Epistles
Today's Reading: 1 John 4:7-21
"Beloved, let us love one another."
Jesus came into our midst to give us the good news of salvation to all people. To symbolize this the priest enters into the congregation's midst to read the Gospel. To honor the Gospel all the people stand when it is read.
Today's reading: St. Luke 16:19-31
"Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham."
~The priest gives the homily.
Our priests are very careful to preach God's will, rather than their own opinion.
~We say the Nicene Creed
~We pray the prayers for the people
~We confess our sins
~We partake of Holy Communion
~Throughout the service we sing hymns, focusing on God and His character, rather than man.
~Do you wonder why ancient churches call the sanctuary a "nave"? Nave has the same root as "navy". We consider the church to be our "ark", a refuge on our journey home. Many churches are designed to have ribbed A-frame ceilings to mimic the shape of an ark, reminding us that we are not of this world, but on a journey homeward.
After the recessional, the priest gives us an exhortation:
"Let us go forth rejoicing in the power of the Holy Ghost!"
We respond, "Thanks be to God. Alleluia!"
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