I just returned from a four-day denominational meeting. To call it a meeting is to miss the real
flavor of the gathering. It was more of
a denominational extravaganza or festival.
Would that more “meetings” were thus.
It was, in essence, a missions conference with spectacular
teachers and presenters, profound,
inspiring and funny (never underestimate the importance of funny). It was also very Anglican with several large
liturgical services with processions of scores of robed clergy, a thundering
pipe organ, and hundreds of faithful voices singing classic hymns, good
contemporary music, some William Byrd and other composers. On top of this was dynamic and faithful
preaching coupled with the sacrament rightly and duly administered. It enlarged
and filled my heart and thus my capacity to love.
But it has left me with an important question: what is the
role of denominational distinctiveness?
The meeting was distinctly and unmistakably Anglican and, I
attest, a great blessing. All that
being said this must also be said: The last thing the world needs is more
Anglicans... UNLESS THEY ARE ALSO
CHRISTIAN.
But, you might object, Anglicans ARE Christian. It is a Christian denomination. Sadly that is not necessarily the case. It’s a Venn diagram. Some Christians are Anglican, not all. Some Anglicans are Christians, not all.
You see, it is very easy, perhaps in the case of Anglicanism
especially, to love the expression and not necessarily what is expressed. One can easily fall in love with the
procession, the parade, the music, the beauty, the reverence and miss entirely
the One in whose honor and for whose glory it all happens.
We must never forget that our worship and praise is toward a
very real and personal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. More particularly that our procession and
praise are in response to the God who loves us, despite our selfishness,
brokenness and smallness of spirit (the Biblical word for these is sin). And
that love is so remarkable, it worthy of full-hearted and awesome (in the
original sense of that word) public expression.
But it is not, and must not be the expression that we FIRST
love. It must be Jesus. All for Jesus, all for Jesus. This is the cry of the Church. We don’t need more Anglicans but we could
use more Christians.
BUT, unlike some who would suggest that the expression
distracts us from the message and thus would dump the expression, I contend,
and fervently, that it does quite the opposite, it leads us to God in Jesus
Christ. I once had a youth pastor
working for me who was, at least initially, less warm to Anglican expression
than I am (although this may be said of many people). We had numerous conversations about “empty
ritual” that were challenging and engaging for both of us I think. Yet one day I remarked, “In some church
services, if the sermon is poor you’re hosed.
You’ve got nothing. But in an
Anglican service, at least you will hear the Gospel in the prayer of
consecration.” This, by the way, is not
an excuse for Anglicans to offer anything less than excellence in
preaching. My point is that the
tradition, the expression, directs our attention to Jesus and does so
relentlessly*.
This is one of the reasons I love Anglicanism and delight in
this particular expression of Christian faith.
There are many other reasons including its historic faithfulness to the
Creeds and the Scriptures (a subject for another time).
But first things first.
Being in a living relationship with God in Christ Jesus is THE first
thing. Without that nothing else really
matters. But given that life-changing reality,
I find that Choral Evensong, the Word and Sacrament together, the Sursum Corda
and Angus Dei all go a long way to lead me ever closer to the Lamb.
*Notwithstanding some appalling, sentimental and often pagan
hymns published in more recent Anglican and Episcopal hymnbooks, but that’s a
rant for another time.
