May the words of my mouth… and the meditation of our hearts…somehow make sense?
A few Sundays ago I was standing outside of our church by our red doors. An Asian man with a heavy accent approached me. We greeted one another and then he asked me this question. “What church is this?” I proudly answered, “This is All Saints’ Episcopal Church and we are Episcopalians. He replied, “Ah, yes, I see. (PAUSE) What is an Episcopalian?” That seemingly simple question caught me off guard. I’ve been an Episcopalian for 60 years. I had no ready answer. In essence he was asking me …”Who are you and what was I doing here?” I hesitated in my reply.
Now when I was a classroom teacher occasionally a question was posed to me that I had no answer for. My usual response would have been, “That’s a very good question. Let me think about it and I will give you an answer tomorrow.” But I did not have that time. Here I was in front of a man who was perhaps seeking a place to worship and I was unsure of what to say. What would you have said?
(PAUSE)
Well, I gathered myself and gave him a brief, rambling answer that I believed described our church. I compared it to other churches both Protestant and the Roman Catholic. I told a short story about the history of our church in America. I spoke of the way we worship. But ….I was not sure if I was giving him a satisfactory or clear answer. As I concluded, he smiled and thanked me. I invited him to join us on Sunday. He nodded, still with a smile, turned and walked away.
This encounter motivated me to find a satisfactory answer to the question “What is an Episcopalian?”
I still consider myself a teacher; therefore, I first went to a book. I found one that I thought would give me a simple definition entitled, A Dictionary for Episcopalians. HOLD UP THE DICTIONARY. There is the word I was looking for right in the title! However…“Episcopalian” was not one of the entries. It did have a definition for the word Episcopal. It means, and I quote, “Pertaining to a bishop. The term derives from the Greek word episcopos meaning “overseer.” Thus the Episcopal Church is a church that recognizes the authority of bishops.” Our highest ranking priests are bishops; we have no cardinals or a pope to lead us.
This dictionary also states our formal name. We are the “Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America”. We are both protestant and catholic. How can that be? The word “catholic” means universal. We can trace our church’s roots from the earliest history of the Christian church. We are actually Anglo Catholic as opposed to Roman Catholic since our church descends from a historic and liturgical relationship with the Church of England.
Let me explain this further. During the historical period known as the Reformation, a portion of the English people broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible had been published in English and now could be read. They began to view their faith and the way they worshiped differently. Many of the various protestant churches we know today in were formed back then too. They were “protesting” against Roman authority in order to get back to a simpler form of worship. They objected to the formality of the Roman church and its hierarchy.
However, there were those who liked the formality of the worship services they were familiar with, but still wanted to separate from Roman authority. They chose a “middle way” or “via media”, the Latin phrase. They retained what they liked in the worship services and formed a church with a closer alignment with the New Testament. This church was headed by the King of England. They were the first Anglicans. They formed the Church of England. The story of Henry the Eighth and his desire to divorce his queen in order to gain a male heir is not entirely true. This was not the reason the Church of England was founded. This is what we would call today an “urban legend”.
One of the first steps the early Anglicans reformers took was to write a book that included the services and prayers of their newly formed church. Over a period of years it evolved into our Book of Common Prayer. It has been said that the BCP is second only to the Bible as an English book related to faith. Other denominations, including Roman Catholics, have borrowed prayers from our red prayer book.
This past week I attended a Roman Catholic funeral mass. As you may have heard they have recently changed the wording of their services. In the pews there were plastic covered sheets that had the new wording in bold print. As I read the prayers with the new wording, I discovered they had changed several of the phrases in their communion prayers and the Nicene Creed to phrases directly from our BCP.
The BCP was written in English and allowed priests, royalty, and commoners, to participate in the worship service which had been spoken in Latin up to that point. It set the tone of inclusiveness that is part of our tradition today. If you have an older one in your pew, look at the edge of our book. (HOLD UP OLDER BCP). You can easily locate the pages for our Holy Communion services by simply finding the darkened pages on the side and opening it to that spot. We are all familiar with this section.
But if you have never taken the time to read other sections I would encourage you to do so. It is a beautifully written book. It not only guides our various worship services, but also contains the Psalter, or Book of Psalms, the Catechism that outlines our faith, and a wonderful selection of collects and prayers for any occasion in life. If you are an Episcopalian you should have a copy of the BCP next to your Bible at home. It is something we can all be very proud of as members of this church.
Another thing about the Episcopal Church that we can be proud of is its history in our country. After the American Revolution we could no longer recognize the King of England as the leader of our church. Once again we experienced a reformation. Many of the same people who led our country through the Revolution were also Episcopalians. As a matter of fact, 31 Episcopalians were signers of the Declaration of Independence. 21 Episcopalians helped to write and signed the Constitution, including George Washington. These people developed the structure of this new American church; they incorporated principles that were fought for during the Revolution. Our church is organized in a very democratic way.
The laity shares authority with the members of the priesthood. The national church is headed by our presiding bishop. Our diocese is overseen by our bishop. Our church is led by our priest, Mother Vickie. But at each level there is direct involvement by the laity. People like you and I hold offices such as our vestry members, who assist in the way the Episcopal Church is run and the policies that we stand on at each level. Later this month a convention will be held in our diocese. The proceedings will democratic and voting involves representatives from the laity and our priests who will decide issues and our future path. This occurs on the national level too.
Are there differences of opinions ….? Oh, yes, most definitely. We have conservatives, liberals as well as moderates in between. When my daughter attended the University of South Carolina, I went to a service at the historic Episcopal Church in Columbia. Many Confederate leaders are buried in its cemetery. They hold a very different point of view than those of us in the Diocese of Newark. But we are held together by our common beliefs….our three-legged stool. It represents a firm platform for us as Episcopalians.
The analogy of the three-legged stool is often used to describe the Episcopal Church. This goes back to the end of the 16th century. The Reverend Richard Hooker was the first to use this image. These principles guide our policy and theology.
The first leg is, of course, scripture. The first part of today’s service is devoted to readings from the Bible. We read a section of the Old Testament, a psalm, a selection from the New Testament and then, of course, the Gospel. And, as I am sure you have noticed, they are all related to each other in theme. Our corporate, or common, worship is shared by all. Some parts are reserved for our priest, other parts read by us, the laity. We state our beliefs with the creed that is spoken by all. The Eucharistic Prayer of the communion service restates the final acts of Jesus’ life and ends with the Lord’s Prayer.
The second leg is tradition. Our traditions are best seen in the services of the Book of Common Prayer. Realize that as we worship this Sunday, we are joined by millions of others who worshiping in a similar way. Although the wording of our services may change, our way of worshiping is basically unchanged. We are comforted in the fact that we could attend an Episcopal service anywhere in this country, or the world for that matter, and recognize the service and be able to participate easily even if it is not in our language.
The last leg of our stool represents reason. Personally, I am most proud of this aspect of our church. Our challenge as individual Episcopalians is to think about our faith and the way we should conduct our lives in relation to it. The readings from scripture guide us. They are traditionally followed by the Episcopal sermon which interprets the scripture as it applies to our daily lives. But we are challenged to think about the scripture and “hear what the spirit is saying…” not only to the church, but to each of us. This applies not only on Sunday, but every day of our lives in our interactions with others.
Here is my personal example of this. This is strictly my opinion as I have thought about it and reasoned it through in my own way. You may or may not agree. That’s OK.
In my opinion, if you were to simplify Jesus’ message into its most basic meaning, I think it could be stated in just three words, “Love one another.” Notice also that in his teachings He did not add the words “except” or “but”. Sometimes we Christians do that.
Now in today’s world the meaning of the word “love” has been expanded and perhaps has been muddled. How can you love your spouse, your child, or your mother and also say you “love” ice cream or pizza? It is not the same kind of love is it?
In our baptismal covenant, that was read and reaffirmed two Sundays ago, we have a wonderful phrase. We declare that we will “respect the dignity of every human being.” In my personal reasoning this makes sense. We aren’t going to “love” everyone we encounter. We may not even like them. We may disagree with them on issues great or small. But we can respect them. We can be tolerant of them even if their opinions, beliefs, and life styles are vastly different from ours. Believe me this is not easy. But who ever said that following the way of our Lord was going to be easy!
The three-legged stool can help define us as Episcopalians in an understandable way.
However, let’s get back to the original question. What is an Episcopalian? Here’s what I came up with after some personal study and research. Again, I believe most of you will agree with these statements, but maybe not in the order I have placed them. They have been paraphrased from the Episcopal Church website through a link entitled, “Who We Are.”
(PAUSE)
Episcopalians are believers in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity.
We uphold the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.
We retain scripture and traditions going back to the beginnings of Christianity.
We believe in forgiveness and Jesus' promise of everlasting life.
Lay people, both men and women, have a vital role in the governing and administration of our church. Both men and women can serve as deacons, priests and bishops.
We use scripture and reason to guide our life in Christ and our relationship with others.
Through reasoning, we see Jesus’ message as it relates to today’s world and apply His grace with understanding to human conditions.
We are tolerant and understanding of differences in human beings.
All baptized Christians are welcomed at the Lord’s Table.
We have found our spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.
(PAUSE)
My fellow Episcopalians, this, in my opinion, is who we are and why we are here today.
(PAUSE for congregation's response to Vicki and Beth holding up signs that say: "Thunderous Applause" and "A Chorus of Alleluias!”)
This is the not the simple statement I was searching for originally. Perhaps there is no simple answer to the question, “What is an Episcopalian?” However, it does affirm what I believe.
In keeping with the tradition of the Episcopal sermon, I need to make a connection with today’s Gospel message. Unlike the gentleman I spoke with, Simon, Andrew, James, and John did not have to ask Jesus the questions I was asked outside of our red doors. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” They just stopped what they were doing and joined Him. However, people who may be searching for a spiritual home are not going to join us without first asking those questions. It is my hope that I have prepared you to give a better answer than I did. Amen
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 22, 2012
WHAT IS AN EPISCOPALIAN?
Episcopalians are believers in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity.
We uphold the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.
We retain scripture and traditions going back to the beginnings of Christianity.
We believe in forgiveness and Jesus' promise of everlasting life.
Lay people, both men and women, have a vital role in the governing and administration of our church. Both men and women can serve as deacons, priests and bishops.
We use scripture and reason to guide our life in Christ and our relationship with others.
Through reasoning, we see Jesus’ message as it relates to today’s world and apply His grace with understanding to human conditions.
We are tolerant and understanding of differences in human beings.
All baptized Christians are welcomed at the Lord’s Table.
We have found our spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.
WEBSITES EXPLORE:
www.episcopalchurch.org
Google “Famous “Episcopalians” and explore the websites that are identified.
Look up the Book of Common Prayer in Wikipedia and read about its history.
A few Sundays ago I was standing outside of our church by our red doors. An Asian man with a heavy accent approached me. We greeted one another and then he asked me this question. “What church is this?” I proudly answered, “This is All Saints’ Episcopal Church and we are Episcopalians. He replied, “Ah, yes, I see. (PAUSE) What is an Episcopalian?” That seemingly simple question caught me off guard. I’ve been an Episcopalian for 60 years. I had no ready answer. In essence he was asking me …”Who are you and what was I doing here?” I hesitated in my reply.
Now when I was a classroom teacher occasionally a question was posed to me that I had no answer for. My usual response would have been, “That’s a very good question. Let me think about it and I will give you an answer tomorrow.” But I did not have that time. Here I was in front of a man who was perhaps seeking a place to worship and I was unsure of what to say. What would you have said?
(PAUSE)
Well, I gathered myself and gave him a brief, rambling answer that I believed described our church. I compared it to other churches both Protestant and the Roman Catholic. I told a short story about the history of our church in America. I spoke of the way we worship. But ….I was not sure if I was giving him a satisfactory or clear answer. As I concluded, he smiled and thanked me. I invited him to join us on Sunday. He nodded, still with a smile, turned and walked away.
This encounter motivated me to find a satisfactory answer to the question “What is an Episcopalian?”
I still consider myself a teacher; therefore, I first went to a book. I found one that I thought would give me a simple definition entitled, A Dictionary for Episcopalians. HOLD UP THE DICTIONARY. There is the word I was looking for right in the title! However…“Episcopalian” was not one of the entries. It did have a definition for the word Episcopal. It means, and I quote, “Pertaining to a bishop. The term derives from the Greek word episcopos meaning “overseer.” Thus the Episcopal Church is a church that recognizes the authority of bishops.” Our highest ranking priests are bishops; we have no cardinals or a pope to lead us.
This dictionary also states our formal name. We are the “Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America”. We are both protestant and catholic. How can that be? The word “catholic” means universal. We can trace our church’s roots from the earliest history of the Christian church. We are actually Anglo Catholic as opposed to Roman Catholic since our church descends from a historic and liturgical relationship with the Church of England.
Let me explain this further. During the historical period known as the Reformation, a portion of the English people broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible had been published in English and now could be read. They began to view their faith and the way they worshiped differently. Many of the various protestant churches we know today in were formed back then too. They were “protesting” against Roman authority in order to get back to a simpler form of worship. They objected to the formality of the Roman church and its hierarchy.
However, there were those who liked the formality of the worship services they were familiar with, but still wanted to separate from Roman authority. They chose a “middle way” or “via media”, the Latin phrase. They retained what they liked in the worship services and formed a church with a closer alignment with the New Testament. This church was headed by the King of England. They were the first Anglicans. They formed the Church of England. The story of Henry the Eighth and his desire to divorce his queen in order to gain a male heir is not entirely true. This was not the reason the Church of England was founded. This is what we would call today an “urban legend”.
One of the first steps the early Anglicans reformers took was to write a book that included the services and prayers of their newly formed church. Over a period of years it evolved into our Book of Common Prayer. It has been said that the BCP is second only to the Bible as an English book related to faith. Other denominations, including Roman Catholics, have borrowed prayers from our red prayer book.
This past week I attended a Roman Catholic funeral mass. As you may have heard they have recently changed the wording of their services. In the pews there were plastic covered sheets that had the new wording in bold print. As I read the prayers with the new wording, I discovered they had changed several of the phrases in their communion prayers and the Nicene Creed to phrases directly from our BCP.
The BCP was written in English and allowed priests, royalty, and commoners, to participate in the worship service which had been spoken in Latin up to that point. It set the tone of inclusiveness that is part of our tradition today. If you have an older one in your pew, look at the edge of our book. (HOLD UP OLDER BCP). You can easily locate the pages for our Holy Communion services by simply finding the darkened pages on the side and opening it to that spot. We are all familiar with this section.
But if you have never taken the time to read other sections I would encourage you to do so. It is a beautifully written book. It not only guides our various worship services, but also contains the Psalter, or Book of Psalms, the Catechism that outlines our faith, and a wonderful selection of collects and prayers for any occasion in life. If you are an Episcopalian you should have a copy of the BCP next to your Bible at home. It is something we can all be very proud of as members of this church.
Another thing about the Episcopal Church that we can be proud of is its history in our country. After the American Revolution we could no longer recognize the King of England as the leader of our church. Once again we experienced a reformation. Many of the same people who led our country through the Revolution were also Episcopalians. As a matter of fact, 31 Episcopalians were signers of the Declaration of Independence. 21 Episcopalians helped to write and signed the Constitution, including George Washington. These people developed the structure of this new American church; they incorporated principles that were fought for during the Revolution. Our church is organized in a very democratic way.
The laity shares authority with the members of the priesthood. The national church is headed by our presiding bishop. Our diocese is overseen by our bishop. Our church is led by our priest, Mother Vickie. But at each level there is direct involvement by the laity. People like you and I hold offices such as our vestry members, who assist in the way the Episcopal Church is run and the policies that we stand on at each level. Later this month a convention will be held in our diocese. The proceedings will democratic and voting involves representatives from the laity and our priests who will decide issues and our future path. This occurs on the national level too.
Are there differences of opinions ….? Oh, yes, most definitely. We have conservatives, liberals as well as moderates in between. When my daughter attended the University of South Carolina, I went to a service at the historic Episcopal Church in Columbia. Many Confederate leaders are buried in its cemetery. They hold a very different point of view than those of us in the Diocese of Newark. But we are held together by our common beliefs….our three-legged stool. It represents a firm platform for us as Episcopalians.
The analogy of the three-legged stool is often used to describe the Episcopal Church. This goes back to the end of the 16th century. The Reverend Richard Hooker was the first to use this image. These principles guide our policy and theology.
The first leg is, of course, scripture. The first part of today’s service is devoted to readings from the Bible. We read a section of the Old Testament, a psalm, a selection from the New Testament and then, of course, the Gospel. And, as I am sure you have noticed, they are all related to each other in theme. Our corporate, or common, worship is shared by all. Some parts are reserved for our priest, other parts read by us, the laity. We state our beliefs with the creed that is spoken by all. The Eucharistic Prayer of the communion service restates the final acts of Jesus’ life and ends with the Lord’s Prayer.
The second leg is tradition. Our traditions are best seen in the services of the Book of Common Prayer. Realize that as we worship this Sunday, we are joined by millions of others who worshiping in a similar way. Although the wording of our services may change, our way of worshiping is basically unchanged. We are comforted in the fact that we could attend an Episcopal service anywhere in this country, or the world for that matter, and recognize the service and be able to participate easily even if it is not in our language.
The last leg of our stool represents reason. Personally, I am most proud of this aspect of our church. Our challenge as individual Episcopalians is to think about our faith and the way we should conduct our lives in relation to it. The readings from scripture guide us. They are traditionally followed by the Episcopal sermon which interprets the scripture as it applies to our daily lives. But we are challenged to think about the scripture and “hear what the spirit is saying…” not only to the church, but to each of us. This applies not only on Sunday, but every day of our lives in our interactions with others.
Here is my personal example of this. This is strictly my opinion as I have thought about it and reasoned it through in my own way. You may or may not agree. That’s OK.
In my opinion, if you were to simplify Jesus’ message into its most basic meaning, I think it could be stated in just three words, “Love one another.” Notice also that in his teachings He did not add the words “except” or “but”. Sometimes we Christians do that.
Now in today’s world the meaning of the word “love” has been expanded and perhaps has been muddled. How can you love your spouse, your child, or your mother and also say you “love” ice cream or pizza? It is not the same kind of love is it?
In our baptismal covenant, that was read and reaffirmed two Sundays ago, we have a wonderful phrase. We declare that we will “respect the dignity of every human being.” In my personal reasoning this makes sense. We aren’t going to “love” everyone we encounter. We may not even like them. We may disagree with them on issues great or small. But we can respect them. We can be tolerant of them even if their opinions, beliefs, and life styles are vastly different from ours. Believe me this is not easy. But who ever said that following the way of our Lord was going to be easy!
The three-legged stool can help define us as Episcopalians in an understandable way.
However, let’s get back to the original question. What is an Episcopalian? Here’s what I came up with after some personal study and research. Again, I believe most of you will agree with these statements, but maybe not in the order I have placed them. They have been paraphrased from the Episcopal Church website through a link entitled, “Who We Are.”
(PAUSE)
Episcopalians are believers in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity.
We uphold the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.
We retain scripture and traditions going back to the beginnings of Christianity.
We believe in forgiveness and Jesus' promise of everlasting life.
Lay people, both men and women, have a vital role in the governing and administration of our church. Both men and women can serve as deacons, priests and bishops.
We use scripture and reason to guide our life in Christ and our relationship with others.
Through reasoning, we see Jesus’ message as it relates to today’s world and apply His grace with understanding to human conditions.
We are tolerant and understanding of differences in human beings.
All baptized Christians are welcomed at the Lord’s Table.
We have found our spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.
(PAUSE)
My fellow Episcopalians, this, in my opinion, is who we are and why we are here today.
(PAUSE for congregation's response to Vicki and Beth holding up signs that say: "Thunderous Applause" and "A Chorus of Alleluias!”)
This is the not the simple statement I was searching for originally. Perhaps there is no simple answer to the question, “What is an Episcopalian?” However, it does affirm what I believe.
In keeping with the tradition of the Episcopal sermon, I need to make a connection with today’s Gospel message. Unlike the gentleman I spoke with, Simon, Andrew, James, and John did not have to ask Jesus the questions I was asked outside of our red doors. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” They just stopped what they were doing and joined Him. However, people who may be searching for a spiritual home are not going to join us without first asking those questions. It is my hope that I have prepared you to give a better answer than I did. Amen
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 22, 2012
WHAT IS AN EPISCOPALIAN?
Episcopalians are believers in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity.
We uphold the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.
We retain scripture and traditions going back to the beginnings of Christianity.
We believe in forgiveness and Jesus' promise of everlasting life.
Lay people, both men and women, have a vital role in the governing and administration of our church. Both men and women can serve as deacons, priests and bishops.
We use scripture and reason to guide our life in Christ and our relationship with others.
Through reasoning, we see Jesus’ message as it relates to today’s world and apply His grace with understanding to human conditions.
We are tolerant and understanding of differences in human beings.
All baptized Christians are welcomed at the Lord’s Table.
We have found our spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.
WEBSITES EXPLORE:
www.episcopalchurch.org
Google “Famous “Episcopalians” and explore the websites that are identified.
Look up the Book of Common Prayer in Wikipedia and read about its history.
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