Anglican way week two
The Anglican Walk with Jesus Christ St
The Anglican walk as we said in our first
lesson is a walk with Jesus Christ for “ I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
We also said the Christian way ,” is a particular and complete culture
or ethos of truth and life, including language, art , music, doctrine, worship,
and morality …capable of engaging other cultures and bringing them to Christ”
page 4. The English BCP first in 1549
and then on 1662 became the standard that guided other nations as they
developed their own prayer books. We
said it was common , or a communion that the king, the peasant and all prayed
the same prayers . Titus 1:4 The daily
offices were not just meant for the monks and nuns. They were meant to be “ the
daily expression of the common prayer of all.” Pg 15 AWJC.
The Anglican walk with Jesus Christ is “ a
way from birth to death”. “ We are God’s
creatures from the moment He wills our conception in the womb….children are to
be brought up for God and not simply for ourselves.” Pg 22. “ The Church also is a family, in the
business of producing complete human beings according to the pattern of Christ.”
“ It is no accident…that we find in the
Bible, and in the BCP as a manual of
biblical life, so much emphasis upon family, upon the connection between the
physical and the spiritual , and upon the human vocation to ‘redeem the time’
in the world that God has created.” Look
at Ephesians 5:14-17 about redeeming the time and understanding what the will
of the Lord is for us as individuals , families and as a church people here. ( also Colossians 4:5)
Redeeming the time- we are under God’s hand in all of our lives,
Ecclesiastes 3:1 God measures time in
our lives for His purposes, in our physical situations and circumstances, and
in our times to worship Him. “ His
division of Creation into six days followed by a Sabbath day of rest…tells us
our lives should be organized around His worship.” And we know “ following these divinely given
measures of time, the Anglican way, by
means of the Book of Common Prayer makes provision for us to enter into
communion with our God and His purposes through each year, in the life of each
member, and within the …seasons.” Pg.23
In the BCP of the church , our mother,
Galatians 4:26 there are prayers for morning, evening, the Litany and Holy
Communion as well as prayers for help in time of war, plague, prayers for
government. “There is a General
thanksgiving for all blessings received from God.” P.24 The prayers were to be used before the
benediction at Holy Communion understanding that the service of morning prayer,
litany and holy communion was one service.
The Litany is intended to be said on wed, Fridays and Sundays. “ It is a ‘ short course’ in the means and
causes of prayer.” It begins with an
appeal to the “ holy , blessed , and glorious Trinity.” I like what this paragraph is emphasizing: “
It is clear that the person who follows the discipline of common prayer prays
in and with the Church, in the communion of the saints. …he will be engaged in daily petition and
intercession for others in the full knowledge that all Prayer is made in and
through Jesus Christ ‘who ever lives to make intercession for us. His spirituality cannot be individualistic or
self-centered, for he will always be looking to the Lord our God as the Supreme
Governor and Judge of all men, and always concerned in Christ’s Name for the
needs of others in God’s world.”
The way for the child to enter the body of
Christ is the sacrament of baptism. “
The Baptism of an infant is a complete Sacrament, but there is an ‘open end’ to
it, in the sense that the person baptized is not yet able to answer for
himself. He answers at his baptism
through his sponsors, who take on the vocation of his Christian nurture.” P. 27
A catechism is provided in the BCP for the
candidate’s preparation for Confirmation.
“ The proper formation of an Anglican Christian includes…daily prayer at
home and in the church…to worship every Lord’s day in and with His church, and
to come in faith and humility to the Holy Communion.”
Marriage is to be a “ sign unto the world
of the mystical union that is between Christ, the Bridegroom and His church,
His Bride….not a private event but a public covenanted relationship in this “holy
estate of matrimony” . In times of
sickness there is an “order for communion of the sick” In the burial service
there is one service for all “whatever their station or circumstances, and
there is no provision made for speaking of the achievements or virtues of the
dead apart from the grace of Christ.” P. 30
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