All Anglican worship services are ‘liturgical’ (meaning that our services are structured, fairly traditional, with set forms, and are filled with ‘calls and responses’). Why do we go through all of this? Why do we use Liturgy in worship and not simply ‘wing it’? 

Until rather recently in Church history, the majority of Christians (including Protestants) used liturgical forms in worship. Though it may surprise some people, free-form worship is (mostly) an American innovation of the last forty years or so, and itself follows a basic liturgical form. While we don’t ‘knock’ the free-form expressions of worship, we think that biblically grounded, theologically rich Liturgy is profoundly helpful. Here are a few reasons why: 

1. Liturgy Connects. Our Liturgy (from the Book of Common Prayer) connects us with the historic, world-wide Church. Christians have used this particular Liturgy for well over 400 years (actually, some elements of our liturgy go back to the 1st century). And good Liturgy connects us with millions of Christians from all over the world, some of whom are (even at this moment) saying the same prayers to the same God. Locally speaking (that is, congregationally speaking) liturgy helps to connect with one another in worship. Our individual voice is united with the whole as we say, in union with our brothers and sisters in Christ, prayers, confess our sins, express our faith, and respond to God’s word as one body. 

2. Liturgy Teaches. Good Liturgy enriches the mind and heart with truths about God. Our liturgy was shaped by thoughtful Christians over the centuries who had a profound and deep understanding of the Bible and, as such, we can trust that these prayers say true things about God and what he’s done for us in Jesus Christ. Because of their solid and rich content, our prayers and creeds have stood the test of time, informing the hearts, souls, and minds of millions. 

3. Liturgy Focuses. Liturgy can lift our eyes, taking the focus away from our selves and onto something and someone ELSE. Put simply, a common and set Liturgy can direct our thoughts Vertically – that is, toward God, who for our sakes became enfleshed. Utilizing historic liturgical forms also draws us out of the many distractions continually assaulting us in our modern lives by drawing us into a form of worship that has been developed over millennia throughout much of the world. 

Some will ask, “Can’t people ‘go through the motions’ with Liturgy and not really mean it?” Well, sure—though people can ‘fake it’ through almost anything in life. But we think that if you get past the ‘learning curve’ of Liturgy (that is, stick it out for a month or so in order to get used to it), you’ll begin to appreciate the Liturgy and find it helpful and meaningful. Liturgy, when it brings us close to Bible-ideas that are good for our spiritual diet, offers a substantial and nutritious meal. And when the Liturgy frames the Gospel-Word preached and the Sacrament administered, Liturgy helps to satisfy the spiritual stomach.

(* adapted from article written by Ethan Magnus)

During most Anglican services we recite an ancient ecumenical creed together, which is uncommon within many contemporary forms of worship and may feel a bit odd within our current cultural context. So why do we continually recite these creeds as a congregation every Sunday?

1. It connects us to the faith and worship of those before us: Corporate profession of creeds has been part of the church’s worship for most of its existence.  The Nicene Creed, which we recite during every communion service, was finalized around 381ad and has been used in the church’s worship ever since. But, the reciting of creeds in worship goes back much further (most scholars recognize 1 Corinthians 15 to be an early creed used by the Church in worship dating back to the late 30’s – early 40’s ad!) The creeds we recite are summaries of foundational biblical teachings that christians in all places at all times have always believed. So reciting creeds such as the Nicene Creed every Sunday connects us with the belief and worship of the church throughout time and reminds us that we did not invent our faith, but have received it as a precious gift handed down to us.
2. It connects us together through a shared faith: Proclaiming something in unison can feel odd to most modern Americans, well, except for when the Pledge of Allegiance begins. We say the Pledge in unison to mark us corporately as Americans. The collective reciting of the ecumenical creeds was understood by the early church in a similar way. Around 400ad St. Augustine of Hippo said that the creeds were like a symbol (or an emblem) through which we recognize each other as Christian. We say the creed in unison because it reminds us that the faith that marks us is a faith that belongs to all of us. Despite our myriad of differences, we are one body because of our shared faith in what WE believe.
3. It reinforces the foundational beliefs of all orthodox Christians: This may come as a shock to you, but some times some preachers will go off on personal tangents and even go so far as to proclaim things that are contrary to scripture (I know, its hard to fathom.) That is why within our liturgy the Nicene Creed is always placed immediately following the sermon. The location of the creed within the liturgy is to allow the congregation to respond to the sermon by proclaiming the core foundations of what they believe, even if the sermon they just heard deviated from that belief. In other words the proclamation of the Nicene Creed by the church is a bold reminder that the belief of the church is not dictated by whoever happens to occupy the pulpit that Sunday.
4. The creeds are biblical: Some people push back against the use of creeds claiming “none of the creeds are found in the Bible.” Which is true if you mean that the exact wording is not found in scripture. But, that can be said of any theological claim. Nevertheless, like any good theological belief, it is only good if it is derived from and faithful to the teaching of God’s inspired Word. As Anglicans we believe that scripture is the only final infallible authority regarding doctrine. Hence, we hold to these early creeds because they encapsulate the foundational teachings of scripture. We recite the creeds because they are biblical and represent core beliefs held by the church over millennia that were formed through faithful Christians wrestling together with Gods Word. If the creeds we recite went against God’s Word we would not profess them.

These are just a few reasons why every Sunday after the sermon we respond in one voice confessing our faith with the words “We believe in one God….”

Much of the Anglican liturgy invites the congregation to recite preformed prayers in unison. Although this particular form of congregational prayer has been a normative practice throughout most of the church’s history from the time of its formation, it may seem a bit out of place in our modern individualistic society.

Understandably, the Anglican approach to prayer does get pushback among many of those accustomed to most contemporary expressions of protestantism, raising questions such as: “Isn’t it better to pray from the heart instead of reading someone else’s prayers?” or “Couldn’t people just mindlessly repeat the words and not mean them?”

So why do we pray this way? If you’re not yet familiar or comfortable with corporately spoken prayer during worship, below you’ll find a few of the many reasons we retain this ancient tradition in the Anglican church to benefit our formation as a congregation and as individuals.. 

It shapes how we pray. Preformed prayer was never intended to replace personal extemporaneous prayer (i.e. praying in your own words what is currently on your heart and mind). While there is certainly a place for that, in our personal prayer life we often face the challenges of not knowing how we ought to pray and/or our thoughts and desires are not always rightly focused or biblically sound. As a counter to these challenges, the liturgical prayers we pray each week are and were intentionally formed to be biblically sound and focused on Christ and His gospel. They draw heavily from scripture and point us to the One who made us, saves us, and longs to hear from us.  As we recite these prayers together each week, our personal prayers begin to be shaped by a pattern of prayer that is Christ centered and biblically rooted. 

It unites us as a community. When we gather together for worship as the body of Christ, our emphasis should be on our collective prayer and worship. Without preformed prayers, it can be difficult for everyone in the congregation to pray “as one.” As C.S. Lewis once noted, it is hard to join the prayers of others if you don’t know if you agree with the prayer until it is done. Because preformed prayers are clearly laid out for us to follow, they allow our individual voices to actually join together as one voice, transforming “my” prayer into “our” prayer when we approach God as His church. 

It connects us to the broader Church. Most of the prayers we recite together as a congregation are the same ones offered up by millions of other Christians around the world, some of which have been prayed by fellow saints for centuries. This serves as a weekly reminder that by grace through faith we are not only part of a local congregation; but have been brought into the “one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” composed of all who have been redeemed by Christ. 

Even If you’re not accustomed to this liturgical form of corporate prayer, you may discover over time that it becomes quite natural and enriching. If you give it a chance, I think you will begin to recognize the wisdom and value in this ancient form of prayer and find that prayer need not always be spontaneous or extemporaneous for it to be genuinely from the heart.