An Episcopal Church Primer. A resource for those preparing for Confirmation and Baptism as an adult.

Transcription

1 An Episcopal Church Primer A resource for those preparing for Confirmation and Baptism as an adult.

2 Sixth Edition Summer 2018

3 Contents Preface Episcopal Church History The Apostolic Succession Christian Church History Worship, Episcopal-Style The Prayer Book The Sacraments The Holy Eucharist Holy Baptism An Instructed Eucharist The Holy Scriptures What We Believe Church Government The Christian Life Christian Stewardship Postscript

4 Preface On Saturday, May 12, 2007, a quarter-page advertisement appeared in the Op-Ed section of the New York Times. At the time it appeared, the Episcopal Church was preparing to celebrate the 400 th anniversary of the first Prayer Book service in the New World. But it was also a time of great controversy within the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, when people were debating what it meant to be an Episcopalian in the 21 st century. I loved what the ad said about the Episcopal Church, and I include it here: The Episcopal Church: Marking a Milestone, Moving Forward Somewhere near you, there s a blue-and-white sign bearing the familiar slogan: The Episcopal Church Welcomes You. It represents some 7,400 congregations that trace their beginnings in North America to a small but hopeful group of English Christians who arrived May 14, 1607 at a place they called Jamestown the first permanent English settlement in the New World. You may know us as Washington s monumental National Cathedral, site of historic services and ceremonies, or the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, still unfinished, but already the largest cathedral in the world. But the Episcopal Church is also Boston s Old North Church, founded in 1723 and made famous by serving as the beacon for Paul Revere s revolution-spurring midnight ride. And Philadelphia s Christ Church, home parish of 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence, host to the first General Convention of the Episcopal Church in It s Trinity Parish on Wall Street in New York, formed in 1698, and St. Paul s Chapel just down the street, frequented by George Washington and the spiritual healing center of Ground Zero since September 11, It s also Epiphany Church in Los Angeles, where Cesar Chavez rallied the United Farmworkers. And Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Cumberland, Maryland, whose basement was a major stop on the Underground Railroad to freedom for enslaved African-Americans. And St. John s Church in Greenwich Village, a meeting place for gay and lesbian action following the 1969 Stonewall uprising. 4

5 It s a parish in Iowa. A campus ministry in Georgia. A mission in Dinétah the Navajo Reservation. A cathedral in Utah. Even a house church in Vermont. Wherever you find us, you ll find the Book of Common Prayer and a Christian faith that honors and engages the Bible, the tradition of the Church, and God-given human reason. Joined in prayer, you ll find people with many points of view Christians who are progressive, moderate, and conservative yet who value the diversity of their faith community. That s a heritage drawn from our deep roots in nearly 2,000 years of English Christianity, and shared by a worldwide Anglican Communion that unites nearly 80 million people in 164 countries through prayer and ministries committed to caring for the least of these, as Jesus commanded, by reducing poverty, disease, and oppression. Episcopalians struggle with the same issues that trouble all people of faith: how to interpret an ancient faith for today... how to maintain the integrity of tradition while reaching out to a hurting world... how to disagree and yet love and respect one another. Occasionally those struggles make the news. People find they can no longer walk with us on their journey, and may be called to a different spiritual home. Some later make their way back, and find they are welcomed with open arms. Despite the headlines, the Episcopal Church keeps moving forward in mission in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as congregations in Belgium, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guam, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Taiwan, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands. We re committed to a transformed world, as Jesus taught: a world of justice, peace, wholeness, and holy living. We ve grown a lot in 400 years, since that 1607 worship service from the Book of Common Prayer was held in Jamestown inside and out. Come see for yourself. Come and visit... come and explore... come and grow. 5

6 Episcopal Church History Beginnings The first community of Christians devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). We are the descendants of those first Christians, and we identify with them because we continue to practice what they preached. We are the Episcopal Church. Episcopal comes from the Greek word episcopos, or overseer, and means that we are ruled by overseers, or bishops. The Apostles were the first overseers (bishops) of the early church. We see ourselves as continuing the Apostolic Tradition because the leaders of our church are bishops as well. Our bishops, as the successors to the Apostles, are a vital aspect of our common life. (See the Apostolic Succession pages which follow this chapter.) Since the earliest days of the church, there have been three distinct orders of ordained ministry: bishops, priests and deacons. The fact that we still have these three orders is another link to the first Christians, and to the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches of present day. Many Christian churches today aren t like us. To understand why that is so, we must look at the Middle Ages and at the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation When the Roman Empire collapsed in c. 395 CE, the Christian Church was the main civilizing force in Western Europe for nearly one thousand years. In a chaotic and savage world, the church was the source of light and learning, teaching faithfulness and compassion. To maintain its position, the church had to resist change from outside itself, and exert its authority over every aspect of life. Tensions between a church that resisted change, and the inevitability of change in a human culture, resulted in an explosion called the Protestant Reformation. To understand why the Reformation took place, we need to understand the tensions that were in place. For example: 6

7 The Church maintained its unity by employing Latin as a common language, whereas in the Culture, the common languages of the people were French, English, Spanish, German, etc. The Church trained its clergy as an elite educated class, whereas in the Culture, growing commercial opportunities required an educated laity. The Church employed the clergy only to teach the faith, whereas in the Culture, the printing press and an educated laity enabled many to read the Bible for themselves and draw their own conclusions. The Church channeled money from the people through the Bishops to Rome to support the church, whereas in the Culture, national rulers wanted that same money for their own purposes. Under the leadership of men such as Martin Luther and Jean Calvin, the church was called upon to reform itself, and adapt its practices to the changing times. Thus, the Protestant Reformation was about enabling change to take place in the church, about the changing economic order in the world, about the role of educated lay people, and about the clash between secular rule and church rule. When the church resisted any change, those who called for reform created their own churches. The English Reformation Because it was an island, and because it had a strong ruler in King Henry VIII, England was fairly insulated from the full force of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. In the mid-1500s, the church in England separated from Roman rule for purely political reasons and not theological to give King Henry total authority over the people of England. Through this process, Henry became the spiritual ruler of the people, as well as the secular ruler. A reformation of the church in England did, however, take place. It was not as extensive as that in Europe, and it took place more gradually. Under Henry, the following reforms took place: 7

8 Worship was offered in the language of the people, instead of in Latin; Holy Communion was offered in both kinds ; that is, both the consecrated bread and wine were offered to the people; The faith of the individual was affirmed; Participation of an educated laity was encouraged; and A salvation by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:5, etc.) was embraced. The church in England became defined more by a common Prayer Book and pattern of worship, rather than by a Pope or an explicit statement of doctrine. And as England began to colonize the world, this reformed church was carried into the colonies as well. The Church in the Colonies: Virginia On December 19, 1606, the Virginia Company of London, formed by charter of King James I, dispatched to the New World three ships the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery for purposes of colonization, and in pursuit of trade routes to Asia. With some 105 people aboard, the ships entered Chesapeake Bay and made landfall on April 26, 1607, at a coastal point the settlers named Cape Henry, near what is now Virginia Beach. Among the settlers was Robert Hunt ( ), priest of the Church of England. When the settlers reached the point they would call Jamestowne, they established the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, located about 60 miles inland along the James River. On May 13, 1607, Fr. Hunt led the settlers in the first prayer book service in the New World. Anglicanism in the new world was different than in England. With no King, no Parliament, and no Bishops looking over their shoulders, their various roles were taken up by the Virginia House of Burgesses, the first representative government in the colonies. Over time, each new settlement formed itself as a parish, elected a vestry to administer the parish, voted for taxes to support a church, and imported clergy from England. In doing all this, and perhaps without meaning to, the Anglican 8

9 church in Virginia developed a democratic, congregational style of church government. They still thought of themselves as Anglicans, even though the nearest bishop was an ocean s distance away. But that was fine with them, for they saw the bishops as an arm of the English government, and the colonists were beginning to enjoy their more democratic form of life. The Church in the Colonies: New England New England was settled mostly by the Puritans who, though opposed to the Church of England, still had a charter from the king that kept them a part of England. In their settlements, they formed churches without bishops or prayer books. New England was also settled by merchants who were looking for new opportunities. And because many of those merchants were not a part of any Puritan group, England sent clergy to New England to provide for their spiritual needs. Thus, the Church of England established a minority presence in New England. The local governments in New England supported the puritan congregationalist parishes financially, but not so the Anglican parishes. So, the Church of England, and principally through missionary societies, raised the money to support the Anglican churches in New England, and sent them priests. Therefore, the Anglican clergy in New England had much stronger ties to England and its church, than did the colonists in Virginia. And it is ironic that the Puritans, who fled the established church in England, became the established church in New England. While the Anglicans in Virginia, who still considered themselves part of the Church of England, became congregationalists in all but name. Following the American Revolution The American Revolution tested the identity of the churches in the colonies. The southern colonial Anglican churches envisioned an American Church controlled entirely by laity, without bishops or complicated creeds, and whose clergy simply exhorted the people to behave themselves and maintain their own relationship to God. 9

10 The Anglican churches in New England were different. They had generally supported England during the war, and after the war had ended, they knew that they had to adapt to survive. The new church they envisioned included bishops, and they elected Samuel Seabury to be their new bishop. The biggest challenge was how all of the Anglican churches could come together to form one national church. The Virginia churches were accustomed to lay leadership in the absence of bishops. The New England churches were accustomed to being governed by clergy and church missionary societies, without the participation of the laity. Eventually, through much debate, William White, who would eventually become the first bishop from the southern colonies, proposed a constitution for the new church that provided for a separate House of Bishops and a House of Deputies. Thus, leadership over the new church was shared by the priests and laity on the one side, and the bishops on the other. The New Church Grows From a shaky start in 1789, the new Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA) grew until, in 1835, it began to send missionaries to the western territories. The new church spread, as the nation spread. And in the latter part of that same century, Episcopal missionaries were sent into the Far East and Africa. Thus, within a century, the Church of England had gone from being a unique national church to being, in effect, the mother church of a world wide family of churches with a common pattern of worship and episcopal ministry. 10

11 The Apostolic Succession Strictly speaking, the Apostolic Succession is the unbroken line of succession of bishops which stretches all the way back in history to the original Apostles and Jesus. Thus, the Apostolic Succession is understood to be the basis of the authority of modern day bishops. In the list that follows, the number in front of each name denotes the year in which that person ascended to office. Jesus Peter Bishops of the Church of Rome (i.e., Pope) 66 Linus 79 Anacletus 91 Clement 100 Evaristus 109 Alexander 116 Sixtus I 125 Telesphorus 136 Hyginus 142 Pius I 155 Anicetus 166 Soter 174 Eleutherius 189 Victor I 198 Zephyrinus 217 Callistus I 222 Urban I 230 Pontian 235 Anterus 236 Fabian 250 Cornelius 253 Lucius 254 Stephen I 257 Sixtus II 260 Dionysius 269 Felix I 275 Eutychian 283 Caius 296 Marcellinus 306 Marcellus I 319 Eusebius 311 Miltiades 314 Sylvester I 336 Mark 337 Julius I 352 Liberius 366 Damasus I 384 Siricius 399 Anastasius I 401 Innocent I 417 Zosimus 418 Boniface I 422 Celestine I 432 Sixtus III 440 Leo I 461 Hilarus 468 Simplicius 483 Felix II 492 Gelasius I 496 Anastasius II 498 Symmachus 514 Hormisdas 523 John I 526 Felix III 530 Boniface II 532 John II 535 Agapitus 11

12 536 Silverius 537 Vigilius 556 Pelagius I 561 John III 575 Benedict I 579 Pelagius II 590 Gregory I Bishops of the Catholic Church in England 597 Augustine 604 Laurentius 619 Mellitus 624 Justus 627 Honorius 655 Deusdedit 668 Theodore 693 Brithwald 731 Tatwine 735 Nothelm 742 Cuthbert 759 Bregwine 763 Lambrith 793 Aethelhard 804 Wulfred 830 Theolgild 833 Ceolnoth 870 Ethelred Archbishops of Canterbury 604 Sabinian 607 Boniface III 608 Boniface IV 615 Adeodatus I 619 Boniface V 625 Honorius I 638 Severinus 640 John IV 642 Theodore I 649 Martin I 654 Eugene I 657 Vitalian 672 Adeodatus II 676 Donus 678 Agatho 681 Leo II 683 Benedict II 685 John V 686 Conon 687 Sergius I 701 John VI 705 John VII 708 Sisinnius 709 Constantine 715 Gregory II 731 Gregory III 741 Zacharius 752 Stephen II 752 Stephen III 757 Paul I 768 Stephen IV 772 Hadrian I 795 Leo II 816 Stephen V 817 Paschal I 824 Eugene II 827 Valentine 827 Gregory IV 844 Sergius II 847 Leo IV 855 Benedict III 858 Nicholas I 867 Hadrian II 872 John VIII 882 Marinus I 884 Hadrian III 885 Stephen VI 891 Formosus 923 Athelm 928 Wulfhelm 12

13 941 Odo Severus 954 Dunstan 988 Aethelgar 989 Siricius 996 Aelfric 1005 Alphege 1013 Leovingus 1020 Aethelnot 1038 Eadsige 1050 Robert De Jumieges 1052 Stigand 1070 Lanfranc 1093 Anselm 1114 Rodulph D escutures 1122 William Corbeuil 1138 Theobald 1162 Thomas À Becket 1171 Richard 1184 Baldwin 1191 Reginald Fitzjocelyn 1193 Hubert Walter 1207 Stephen Langton 1229 Robert Wethershed 1234 Edmund Rich 1245 Boniface of Savoy 1272 Robert Kilwarby 1278 John Peckham 1294 Robert Winchelsey 1313 Walter Reynold 1328 Robert Mepeham 1333 Joseph Stratford 1349 Thomas Bradwardine 1349 Simon Islip 1366 Simon Langham 1386 William Wittlesly 1375 Simon Sudbury 1381 William Courtney 1396 Thomas Arundle 1414 Henry Chicheley 1443 John Stafford 1452 Joseph Kemp 1454 Thomas Bouchier 1486 John Morton 1501 Henry Dean 1503 William Wareham Bishops of the Church of England 1533 Thomas Cranmer 1556 Reginald Pole 1559 Matthew Parker 1575 Edmund Grindal 1583 John Witgift 1604 Richard Bancroft 1611 George Abbot 1633 William Laud 1660 William Juxon 1663 Gilbert Sheldon 1678 William Sancroft 1691 John Tilotson 1694 Thomas Tenison 1715 William Wake 1737 John Potter 1747 Thomas Herring 1757 Matthew Hutton 1758 Thomas Secker 1768 Frederick Cornwallis 1783 John Moore Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church The number in italics, to the right of each name, indicates the order in which they were consecrated as bishops. Thus, Samuel Seabury was the first Episcopal bishop, but the second Presiding Bishop William White Samuel Seabury Samuel Provoost William White Alexander Griswold

14 1843 Philander Chase Thomas Brownell John Hopkins Benjamin Smith Alfred Lee John Williams Thomas Clark Daniel Tuttle Alexander Garrett Ethelbert Talbot John Murray Charles Anderson James Perry Henry Tucker Henry Sherrill Arthur Lichtenberger John Hines John Allin Edmond Browning Frank Griswold Katharine Schori Michael Currie A couple of final thought are in order. First, this list represents a tangible connection between each and every Episcopalian alive today and the earliest followers of Jesus. Obviously, one could argue about how accurate this list actually is, especially the further back one goes in time. Nevertheless, it still stands as a reminder of how deep our roots extend, and of our sense of connection to the earliest Christians. Second, it is very much worth noting that Katharine Schori (2006) is not only the first female Presiding Bishop for the Episcopal Church, but she is also the first female Primate for any branch of the Anglican Communion, and, perhaps, of any major Christian denomination. And, that Michael Curry (2015) is the first African American Presiding Bishop for the Episcopal Church. 14

15 Christian Church History In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded his disciples to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. This is known as the Great Commission, and it constitutes the marching orders for the Church. Shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, the Disciples (now called Apostles, which means sent ) were gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit came upon them and empowered them to fulfill the Great Commission. Even at that early state in the life of the Church, they realized that it was only by the power of the Holy spirit that they would be able to fulfill their work. The earliest Christians were also practicing Jews. On Saturdays they would attend the synagogue, and on Sunday mornings they would gather together to read scripture, to hear the teachings of the Apostles, and to share the bread and wine, as Jesus had commanded. Around the year 70 CE, persecution of the Christians by the civil governments began. This forced many Christians to gather in secret. However those that were still practicing Jews could still attend their synagogues openly. However, a problem arose. While the Jews were officially still waiting for their messiah to come, the Christians among them were proclaiming that the messiah had already come, and it was Jesus of Nazareth. Naturally, this generated some tension. So, in the year 90 CE, the Jewish leaders decided that they could no longer tolerate those Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and so forced them out of the synagogues. It was at this point that the Christians began the long process of forming into a separate religious group. The persecutions against the Christians continued until 313 CE, when the Emperor Constantine legalized the practice of Christianity. Given this new freedom, Christianity began to flourish and grow rapidly, making use of the extensive Roman roadways and seaways to spread the gospel. Eventually, officials in the churches began to be invited to hold civic offices, which gave them more influence and power. As Christianity gained in popularity and influence, the Bishops of the various cities competed for prominence. Initially each Bishop was given absolute 15

16 authority over their respective areas of influence. But a question arose: When bishops disagree over questions of orthodoxy or practice, which bishop was ultimately right? Often Bishops backed up their claims of authority with the fact that certain prominent apostles began churches in their city. This was a game that the Bishop of Rome was more than willing to play, because he could lay claim to Sts. Peter and Paul being in Rome during their lives. Eventually the Bishop of Rome was given prominence over all of the other Bishops and, to recognize this unique position, the Bishop of Rome began to be called Pope. It was in the third century that Pope Gregory the Great decided to evangelize what is now England. He selected a man named Augustine to lead that mission. Not long after arriving, they discovered that the Christian faith was already in place, but divided and disorganized. Augustine established his official residence (i.e., See) in Canterbury, and began the process of reorganizing the Church in England. The first great threat to Christianity since it s legalization was the increase of the Islamic religion. The followers of Islam, in their attempts to spread their religion, and generally by way of holy wars, nearly obliterated Christianity. However their expansion was checked at the Battle of Tours in 732 CE. During the Middles Ages (i.e., the 5 th 15 th centuries CE), Europe was fragmented into dozens of tiny, feudal principalities. The only common denominator across the board was the Christian religion, and so the Church leaders found themselves with more and more secular power. This was because the civic leadership realized that the average person had a stronger allegiance to the church than to the secular governor. (I m sure this stronger allegiance to the church was fueled, at least in part, by certain passages of the Bible, such as Matthew 10:28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ) So in order to gain more influence over their people, civic authorities gave more and more power to Church leadership in exchange for the allegiance of their people. Many Christians were revolted by what they saw as Church leaders selling out for secular power, and so between the years CE, we find some of them retreating into isolated areas, setting up religious communities. These were the founders of monasticism, and they did much to hold up the level of religion and education during the Medieval periods. The larger monasteries often held the largest libraries, and had the best educated men in their orders. Much of our Christian theology was clarified in these monasteries. 16

17 In the year 1054 CE, there occurred what we know as the Great Schism. Centuries earlier, Constantine had his center of government in Rome, which also did much to elevate the Bishop of Rome across the board. But when Constantine moved his capital to Constantinople, the Bishop of Constantinople found himself in that enviable position of having Constantine s ear. Suddenly the Bishop of Rome found himself vying with the Bishop of Constantinople for prominence. Tensions were fueled between the two bishops by political and cultural differences, and by a language barrier. Finally these two bishops excommunicated each other and the Catholic found itself split into two. The one Church became known as the Roman Catholic Church, the other as the Orthodox Church. Following the Great Schism, there were three centuries of crusades. The crusades were military movements, aided by the Bishop of Rome, whose aim was to recapture the Holy Land back from the Turks. The crusader movement brought back an interest in the classics of literature and in the ancient cultures. The crusades were not bright moments in our history, as much of what they gained was at the expense of many, many lives. The 14 th through 16 th centuries saw a reawakening of interest in humanism, and in classical art and science. During this period, the Renaissance, world exploration increased, resulting in, among other things, the discovery of America. The invention of the printing press allowed widespread circulation of printed materials, resulting in an increase of literacy. The Bible was also able to be printed in large numbers and came into the hands of many who had never seen one. This paved the way for a reformation of the Church. Sometime around 1517, a number of men decided that, because of the abuses of authority which they witnessed at the hands of Church leaders, the Catholic Church needed reforming. In Germany it was Martin Luther who led the call for reform; in Switzerland it was Ulrich Zwingli; in France it was Jean Calvin. These men, and others like them, intended only to protest some of the Church s actions and suggest reforms. But when the Church opposed their protests, these men eventually formed their own separate organizations. The older Protestant movements such as the Lutherans, the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Congregationalist (UCC) date from this period. In 1534, the English parliament rejected the authority of the Pope over the Catholic Church in England, and gave that authority to King Henry VIII. Much of the reasoning for this was purely political, however many abuses in teaching and practice of the Church were also reformed. This English Reformation of the Church restored authority to the local bishops, allowed the celebration of mass in 17

18 the language of the people (as opposed to Latin), allowed clergy to marry, eliminated compulsory private confession and the sale of indulgences. No new church was created the essentials of the Catholic Church life were kept but the existing church was reformed theologically, and was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Pope. When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne, she sought a way to unify England, which had been split by the differences between the Puritans and Catholics. She believed that a common religion could heal the fragmented country, and so she instituted a national religion which was neither exclusively Puritan nor Catholic. This was the Anglican Church, or, the Church of England. Elizabeth s attempts are known as the Elizabethan Settlement and her methods are known as the via media (i.e., the middle way ). The via media has characterized the Anglican church s practices of trying to find a means of religious expression that would appeal to, and meets the faith-needs of, as many people as possible, without diluting or compromising the basic tenets of the Christian faith. The Episcopal Church, a descendent of the Anglican Church, still holds to this method. When England became a world power, and began to expand her borders to include other nations all across the world, the Church followed it to meet the spiritual needs of those Englishmen separated from their country and church, as well as to take advantage of the missionary opportunities. This expansionism brought the Anglican Church to America where it established itself, along with other Protestant groups. The Church of England had its beginning in America with the colonization of Jamestown, Virginia. It was there, in 1607, that the Rev. Robert Hunt celebrated the first service of Holy Communion. The Church of England followed the English trading companies into the new world, setting up Anglican parishes as the land was settled. The bishop for these churches was the Bishop of London, who resided in London. In much the same way that the colonists felt that their best interests were not being served by the English government, so too the churches began to feel that the church leadership in England was not doing as much for them as they needed. As America began to be settled, and the populations grew and spread out, the need for more priests became evident. 18

19 The churches in America could not get enough clergy to fill their need; not enough were coming over from England, and those men in the colonies who felt the call to the ministry often could not be ordained because the bishop who could ordain them was in England, and they could not afford the expense of a journey to England. To add to the problem, bishops were reluctant to make the journey to the new world because of the hardships involved in making the journey by ship, as well as the hardship of living in the colonies. In England the bishops were members of the parliamentary House of Lords, and as such were men of position and power, living comfortable lives. Going over to the colonies meant giving up their creature comforts, and this they were apparently not willing to do. After the war for American independence resulted in the separation of the colonies from English rule, many of the Anglican churches in America decided to separate from the rule of the English church and establish themselves as independent churches. There were a number of American Anglican Churches in the colonies which operated independently of each other. At a meeting in Maryland in 1783, the Anglican clergy in that area met to form a new church. They received legislative permission to incorporate as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. In 1784, the Rev. Samuel Seabury was elected to be their first bishop, and thus the American Episcopate had its beginning. Samuel Seabury, from Connecticut, was consecrated as the first Episcopal bishop in the United States by bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Seabury had first tried to be consecrated by bishops of the Church of England, but this was not possible because of existing English statues that required the swearing of allegiance to, and acknowledgment of the supremacy of, the king. In 1787, after the passage of an act of English Parliament repealing the previously mentioned law, the Rev. William White of Pennsylvania and, the Rev. Samuel Provoost of New York were consecrated bishops for the United States by English bishops. Thus, with three bishops in the colonies and a minimum of three bishops must be present at the consecration of any new bishop an American episcopate, capable of sustaining its own existence, was born. The first General Convention of the Episcopal Church was held in 1789 in Philadelphia. Its major achievements were the unification of all of the Episcopal dioceses, the authorization of a Book of Common Prayer, and the adoption of a constitution and canons. 19

20 The dates of the four American Books of Common Prayer are 1789, 1892, 1928, and These books were all authorized by the General Convention with the hopes that they would achieve, among other things, more use of contemporary language, more participation by the laity, more liturgical flexibility and adaptability, a more comprehensive book of worship, and wider usage of biblical readings. Today the Episcopal Church of the United States of America is only part of a world wide Anglican communion one of may independent sister churches serving a common tradition. There are over 80 million Anglicans world wide; most are non-white, and non-english speaking. All of this is our story; we are part of this current chapter in the life of our church, and there will be many more chapters to come. 20

21 Worship, Episcopal-Style Why Do We Worship? God, according to the Bible, exists in paradox. That is, on the one hand, he is the unknown and the unknowable, and yet, on the other hand, and at the same time, God is an intimate personal friend. It s a mystery how this can be, and the human response to mystery is... worship. Worship is the response of the created and limited human mind and heart to the unlimited Creator, who is sensed but never fully known. Worship is a response to beauty, to love, to human need, to our deepest fears, to our greatest joys. (Welcome to the Episcopal Church, page 25, by Christopher L. Webber) Done well, worship involves all five human senses through language, music, art, dance, and so forth. Although worship can be done individually, and in private, the church worships corporately, joining many voices, many hearts, many minds. We worship because we are human, and worship fulfills our human nature by drawing us closer to God. It is as St. Augustine of Hippo wrote: You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. Confessions, chapter 1. Worship in the Episcopal Church is shaped by the books we use. In any Episcopal Church, you will almost certainly find the following two books: the Book of Common Prayer, and the Hymnal. Nothing is more central to the life and unity of the Episcopal Church than worship using the Prayer Book. During the Reformation, while Christians in most of Europe were defining their positions by drawing up statements of belief, the Church of England was drafting a Prayer Book. After the American Revolution, although there were great differences between the churches in the south and those in New England, one of the first orders of business was to adopt a Book of Common Prayer. Episcopalians find their unity in worship. 21

22 Why We Need a Prayer Book For Episcopalians, the Book of Common Prayer prescribes the forms for our worship of God. We think of it as second in importance only to the Bible. Like the Bible, the Prayer Book is a living book that draws us into the presence of the One who created us and who sustains us. Worship is most meaningful when it is an act of people who come together as God s family. Today, whenever people come together for a specific purpose, it may be that the members of this group will select leaders, and agree upon procedures for enacting their decisions, as a way to bring about order and prevent confusion. The Prayer Book provides all that for our worship. By its use, the members of any congregation are delivered from the temptation to follow individual whims. In addition, the Book of Common Prayer acts as an agent to bind together Episcopalians across the world. All Episcopal churches are required by Canon Law to use the Prayer Book and its Lectionary of Sunday readings in their Sunday services. When we worship on Sunday mornings, we know that Episcopalians all over the world are hearing the same passages of scripture, they are hearing a sermon preached on the same Bible readings, and the same prayers are being said. By this we know that we are not alone, but are part of a much larger body of believers. Also, this assures you that where ever you find yourself on a Sunday morning, you can go into any Episcopal church and feel right at home. A Brief History of Our Form of Worship The set forms of worship contained in the Book of Common Prayer have developed through the centuries for the purpose of making our worship more meaningful. This was a perfectly natural development. The history of the Prayer Book reflects the growth and development of the Church through the ages. Its roots reach back into both Jewish and pagan worship. In its beginning, the Christian church gathered in the homes of its followers, because it was under persecution from the Romans. Much of the form of early worship had come from the Jews who were the first followers of our Lord. The influence of the synagogue was strong. By the end of the first century the Christians began to separate themselves from Judaism. They began to meet together in a fashion similar to that of our families: We gather at mealtime, and are one family. The Christians had a holy meal, 22

23 known as an Agapé, or Love Feast. At that meal they broke bread in thankful remembrance of the blessings they had received from Christ s death, and in fulfillment of our Lord s command that they do this in remembrance of him. Following this proto-eucharist, the company shared a meal together. Later, the proto-eucharist portion of this meal was separated from the evening Agapé, moved to the morning hour, given a form, and offered as a symbol of the unity of all Christians. It became what we now know as the Holy Eucharist. Two factors brought about the regularized worship of Christians. First, synagogue worship, to which many early Christians had been exposed, was an ordered form. Second, synagogue services were very similar the Morning Prayer service in our Prayer Book. The order consisted of prayers for others and themselves, statements of faith, readings from Scripture, a sermon, and a blessing by the leader on behalf of God. Generation upon generation, as people came together to worship God, they realized their need for settling upon some agreed-upon order of procedure, so that all things may be done decently and in order. Towards this end our Prayer Book has been developed. The Seasons of the Church Year The Church year is divided into seasons, each representing a specific focus in the worship of the Church. Unlike the normal calendar year to which we re accustomed, the Church Year begins with the Season of Advent (during late November or early December each year) and ends during the Season after Pentecost (also referred to as Ordinary Time). The seasons of the Church Year, which also generally have corresponding colors (for vestments, altar dressings etc.), are as follows in order: The Season of Advent Theme: Anticipating the Coming of the Lord Liturgical Color: Purple or Blue Dates: Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on the day before Christmas. The Season of Christmas 23

24 Theme: Celebrating the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ Liturgical Color: White Dates: Christmas Season begins at sundown on December 24 th and ends at sundown on January 5 th. The Season after the Epiphany Theme: Jesus Manifests Himself as God Liturgical Color: Green, though the day itself is white Dates: Epiphany lasts from January 6 th through the day before Lent. The Season of Lent Theme: Retreating Into the Wilderness with Jesus Liturgical Color: Purple Dates: Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Thus, the period in which we celebrate Lent is longer than 40 calendar days. Holy Week Strictly speaking, Holy Week is not a separate season; it takes place at the end of the Season of Lent. But so much takes place during Holy Week, I think it deserves special attention. Theme: Reenacting the Passion of Our Lord Liturgical Colors: In most churches, the decorations are red to symbolize the blood of martyrdom. Some churches remove all decorations on Good Friday, veiling anything that can t be removed in black. Dates: Holy Week is the last week of Lent. 24

25 Special Days: Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday: commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday: commemorates the institution of Communion and the betrayal by Judas. Good Friday: commemorates the arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. Holy Saturday: commemorates the Sabbath on which Jesus rested in the grave. The time from sundown on Holy Thursday to sundown on Easter Day is also known as the Triduum, which is Latin for three days. The Season of Easter Theme: Celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord Liturgical Color: White Dates: Easter Season begins on Easter Day and lasts 50 days, ending on Pentecost. The Season After Pentecost Theme: The Church fulfills the Great Commission Liturgical Color: Green Dates: The Season After Pentecost lasts from the day after Pentecost to the day before Advent. Liturgical Colors The church uses various colors (for clergy vestments, altar dressing, church decor, etc.) at different church seasons and occasions. The historic Church has long used color to set the theme of worship. Color usage was more diverse in the past, mainly because dyes were expensive and it wasn t as easy as it is today to get 25

26 fabric in any color. In modern times, a consensus has developed about the use of colors in the western Church: green, purple, white, and red, with gold or ivory being alternatives to white. Protestant churches sometimes also use blue. Green: Green is the color of vegetation, therefore it is the color of life. Green is the color for the Season of Epiphany and the Season After Pentecost. These two seasons are also called Ordinary Time because the Sundays have no names, just ordinal numbers. Purple: In antiquity, purple dye was very expensive, so purple came to signify wealth, power, and royalty. Therefore purple is the color for the seasons of Advent and Lent, which celebrate the coming of the King (although Blue is often used for Advent in many churches). Since as Christians we prepare for our King through reflection and repentance, purple has also become a penitential color. White: The New Testament consistently uses white to describe angels and the risen Lord. In the ancient Church, people were given white robes as soon as they emerged from the waters of baptism. Therefore, white is the color for the seasons of Easter and Christmas. White is the color for funerals, since it is the color of the Resurrection, for weddings, regardless of the season, and sometimes for secular holidays that are observed in the church. Gold (special color): Gold or ivory are alternatives to white. Red: Red is the color of blood, and therefore also of martyrdom. Red is the color for any service that commemorates the death of a martyr. It is also an alternative color for the last week of Lent, which is called. Red is the color for Pentecost Sunday and for ordinations and installations, because it is the color of fire and therefore also of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:3). Blue: Blue is an alternative to purple during Advent. Blue represents the Virgin Mary, because she is known as the Queen of Heaven and the sky is blue. Some Protestant churches just use blue during Advent to avoid the penitential connotation of purple. Black (special color): Black is the color of standard clerical dress, such as clergy clothing, cassocks, etc. Before the advent of modern dyes, all dress clothes were black just look at any photograph taken in the 19 th century. The main historical connotation of black is formality. Because black is not worn as often today, it has survived as a formal color only at extremely solemn occasions, such as funerals. For some people today, black immediately connotes a funeral. Black 26

27 is sometimes, but rarely, the color for funeral services, Good Friday, and All Souls Day (2 November). Rose (special color): Rose (that is, a shade of pink) is sometimes used on the third Sunday in Advent and the fourth Sunday in Lent. The use of the color rose has a strange origin. Long ago a custom was developed where some of the faithful were given roses on the fourth Sunday in Lent. Some clergy then began to wear rose-colored vestments on that Sunday. The effect was to give some relief to the solemnity of Lent, so this was a very popular custom. Originally, Advent was a solemn fast in preparation for Christmas, so the custom was extended to the third Sunday in Advent to liven it up a little bit, too. (Somewhere along the way the third candle of the Advent wreath turned pink as well.) Rose is an alternative color for the fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday) and the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday). 27

28 The Prayer Book The Preface If you were to turn to page nine of the Prayer Book, you would find the preface to the very first American prayer book, published in In the first paragraph, we find the following: It is a most invaluable part of that blessed liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, that in his worship different forms and usages may without offense be allowed, provided the substance of the Faith be kept entire; and that, in every Church, what cannot be clearly determined to belong to Doctrine must be referred to Discipline; and therefore, by common consent and authority, may be altered, abridged, enlarged, amended, or otherwise disposed of, as may seem most convenient for the edification of the people, according to the various exigency of times and occasions. (Emphasis mine.) In other words, our Prayer Book may be changed. The only stipulations to such changes are that the substance of the Faith be kept entire, and that such changes take place by common consent and authority. And the purpose of such changes are for the edification of the people. Although the Book of Common Prayer is extremely important to Episcopalians, we leave open the possibility of changing it for many reasons, not the least of which is so that we might not make of it (as many have with the Bible) an idol. Concerning the Service of the Church Now turn to page 13 of the Prayer Book, to the section entitled Concerning the Service of the Church. There, in the first paragraph, we find these words: The Holy Eucharist, the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord s Day and other major Feasts, and Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, as set forth in this Book, are the regular services appointed for public worship in the Church. 28

29 There are three regular services appointed for public worship : Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and the Holy Eucharist; the latter being the principal act of Christian worship on Sundays. This tells us, since corporate worship usually takes place on Sundays (i.e., the Lord s day ), that our worship together is centered around the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. That is, when we most often worship together, we are setting our minds upon what God did for us in Christ. We are, all things considered, a Christcentered church. What follows is something of an aside, but I think it s important. If you were to go to the top of page 873 of the Prayer Book, you find Article 26 of the Articles of Religion. Even the title of this article is important. XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacraments. Although in the visible Church the evil be ever mingled with the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority in the Ministration of the Word and Sacraments, yet forasmuch as they do not the same in their own name, but in Christ s, and do minister by his commission and authority, we may use their Ministry, both in hearing the Word of God, and in receiving the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ s ordinance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God s gifts diminished from such as by faith, and rightly, do receive the Sacraments ministered unto them; which be effectual, because of Christ s institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men. What this Article assures us of is that the validity of the sacraments are not compromised in any way by a perceived defect in the minister administering those sacraments. The sacrament is God s gift to us and, as such, cannot be altered or invalidated by the officiating minister. The Calendar Pages 15 through 33 of the Prayer Book concern themselves with the Calendar of the church. What does it show us? That we mark closely the days and seasons of each year. 29

30 That we mark the important events in the life of Jesus. That we remember the example of godly people who have lived before us. What you should get from the calendar is the notion that we hold as being very important how people live their lives and, not least of which, how we live our life. It is not simply enough to believe; we must somehow translate our godly beliefs into godly actions. The Daily Offices The Daily Offices occupy pages 35 through 135 of the Prayer Book. If we flip through these pages, we should become aware of a few things: Public worship is not limited to celebrations of the Eucharist. Public worship is not limited to Sundays. A large amount of Scripture makes up our corporate worship. Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families On page 136 of the Prayer Book we come to a section entitled Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families. Here we find four services of prayer and worship that can be used quickly and easily by individuals and families. We learn from this that: Worship is not confined to Sundays; Worship is not limited to times and places where ordained ministers are available; Worship can be done by anyone at any time in any place. The Collects Pages 157 through 261 contain the Collects of the Day for every Sunday, and every major feast day and day of observance. Collects are thematic prayers. They were 30