An Introduction…
Worship: We come together as a community to worship God. It is easy in our culture to focus on ourselves. But Anglican worship directs our focus toward God from the very beginning (“Blessed be God…”). Anglican worship takes the question “What am I getting out of this?” and turns it around to “What have I offered to God today”?
Liturgy: Every church has a specific order to its worship, known as liturgy ("the work of the people"). Some are more formal, some less so. But even the most “spontaneous” churches still have a pattern to their worship. You can tell what a church values by examining its worship. In the Anglican liturgy, you will find these values:
Biblical Faith: We believe in the authority of scripture. Our worship is filled with scripture, not just in the readings from the Old and New Testaments, but in the use of scripture that fills every part of our service. As we worship, week by week, God’s word becomes more and more a part of us.
Global Faith: We belong to a global church community - the worldwide Anglican Communion. Amidst a wonderful diversity of languages and cultures, millions of Anglican Christians gather to worship each Sunday utilizing a shared pattern that is recognizable from Africa to Asia to America. Our worship has been shaped by the historic practices utilized by Christians for thousands of years - since the first days of the church! Therefore, our worship not only connects us to Christians around the world, it also connects us through the ages!
Embodied Faith: We use our bodies as well as our hearts and minds when we worship God. We bow out of reverence for Christ. We make the sign of the cross as a reminder of his sacrifice. We wear robes that symbolize believers' purity through God's forgiveness. We break bread at the communion table. Over time, we are formed in Christ not only by the power of what we say and think, but of what we do.
Participatory Faith: We believe worship is something we do together. Although we need people to lead us in worship, we are not meant to be spectators: liturgy means "the work of the people," after all! Throughout our worship we are expected to respond in word and deed: to proclaim, to kneel, to come forward, to eat and drink. We don’t just watch. We get involved in the action.
The pattern of our worship
Our liturgy has two main parts: Word & Table. Each part leads us to see our sin, receive God's grace, and respond in faith. We gather for worship and we are sent for mission.
Word
Entrance: As we sing a song of praise, the cross is carried forward, followed by the worship leaders. This reminds us that we are entering into God’s Presence together. Some may bow as the cross goes forward or as they approach the altar. This signifies our reverence for Jesus, our King.
Acclamation: (“Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit..."). The primary reason we come together is to worship God for who he is and what he has done. Throughout the church year this greeting may change to reflect the season, but it is always centered on God.
Collect for Purity: (“Almighty God, to you all hearts are open...") A “collect” is a “gathering” prayer. Through this prayer, based on Psalm 51, we acknowledge that we can’t love or worship God without His grace.
Summary of the Law: We are reminded that we are called to obey God in his command to love Him and to love our neighbor.
Kyrie: Hearing what God has called us to do, and knowing that we cannot do it on our own, the only possible response is to cry out for God’s mercy upon us.
Gloria: Having heard the law, and asked for God’s mercy, our natural response is to praise him in song. This song dates back to around the third century.
Collect: The leader prays a prayer which “gathers” the theme of this week’s scripture readings. This prayer also allows us to “collect” our hearts and minds as we prepare to hear God’s word.
Scripture Reading: Each week we read from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the New Testament letters, and the Gospels. We proclaim our thankfulness for the Word ("The Word of the Lord // Thanks be to God") after each reading. The gospel passage is read in the middle of the congregation to represent the truth that God came among us in Jesus Christ, and that his presence is among us still!
Sermon: The preacher helps us to understand the Bible and apply God’s word to the realities of life today. You can find recordings of past sermons at hsacbillings.org/sermons, but sermons are best received in the context of community worship. Sermons help us understand the word read before, and prepare us for the communion table coming after.
Creed: After the sermon, we respond to God’s word by reaffirming our faith in who God is and what he has done for us. The Nicene Creed, developed by the third century church, keeps us grounded in the core truths of who we are and what we believe.
Prayers of the People: As we have come into the Presence of God as a community, we take time to recite prayers together. We pray for the global church, the nation, the world, and all who suffer. We also pray for the specific concerns of our local neighborhood and pray for our own needs and thanksgivings either silently or out loud.
Confession and Absolution of Sin: We all fall short of doing what God commands us to do. Here, we pause to remember and confess our sins together because we need his mercy. One of the pastors then pronounces the reality of God’s forgiveness to us through Christ’s work on the cross.
The Comfortable Words: We hear God’s comforting words of assurance that remove any doubt we may have about God’s mercy toward those who sincerely repent and ask his forgiveness.
Passing of the Peace: Having received the forgiveness of God for our sins, and knowing that we are at peace with Him, we share God’s peace with one another. This also reminds us that we are not to approach God’s table while retaining bitterness or unforgiveness towards anyone.
Offering: As we sing a song in appreciation for God’s grace, we also express our gratitude by giving our lives and our resources to God. We give financially, but this is part of a deeper call to offer our entire lives to God with thanksgiving.
Table
Communion: Each week, we gather around the Lord’s Table. Jesus called us to do this in remembrance of his sacrifice for us. It is also a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, where we will be with Christ forever, and a sign of our union with Christ, that we have been joined with him in his death and in his life.
The words that are recited and sung during this part of the liturgy invite us to remember and give thanks for the amazing work that God has done to save us from sin and death. This is the gospel message, distilled into a prayer which a pastor leads. However, we are all praying as a community of God, which becomes clear with the final, great AMEN that we say together!
You may also hear communion referred to as “the Eucharist,” which is a word that means, “to give thanks.” The ancient eucharistic prayer that we say begins with our lifting our hearts to God and offering him thanks for his creation of the world, his salvation through his son Jesus Christ, and his call upon the church to go into the world and make disciples.
Participating in Communion: Anyone who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who has put their faith in Jesus is welcome to partake of the bread and wine. The usher will indicate when you are to approach the table to receive communion. To receive the bread, hold your hands palm up in front of you, one upon the other. You may either eat the bread and drink from the cup of wine, or dip the bread in the wine (intinction). You may also take only the bread if you so desire. We ask that those who have not yet put their faith in Jesus and been baptized either remain seated or come to the table and cross your arms to receive a blessing from the pastor. It is our fervent prayer that you will one day be able to join us at the Lord’s table, and we encourage you to speak to the pastor about it.
Post Communion Prayer: This prayer of thanksgiving for all that God has given us, ends with the offering of ourselves.
Blessing: The pastor speaks a word of blessing over us because we are indeed a people who have been blessed in Christ.
Recessional and Dismissal: Having entered into the Presence of God, we now take his Presence with us back into the world. We are a people on God’s mission! The cross goes before us and the ministers follow to signify this. One of the clergy dismisses us by inviting us to go forth to love and serve Jesus in all aspects of our lives.