Have you ever seen someone riding an electric bike and thought to yourself, “cheater”? If so, you might have raced bikes or, like me, been in other competitive sports. I used to have the same ‘cheater’ feelings about someone who swims laps in a pool with hand or foot fins. They are just cruising along with half the effort, so somehow it felt like they were cheating.
Then one day I saw someone using fins while swimming laps in a pool, and I could safely guess that person, even without the fins, could swim faster than anyone in the pool. So, I started thinking that perhaps the assistance given by fins in swimming, or a battery when biking, could be something else. Eventually, by using them myself, I learned how the assistance they provide can enhance the pleasure and enjoyment of the activity.They can help, when you are tired, and can definitely make creating a habit easier.
Before I understood the liturgy of the Anglican tradition I thought of these written prayers as “cheating”. “Aren’t we supposed to pray from the heart?”, I would say. Thinking that repeating these liturgical prayers would be less sincere. Although prayer should never be compared to a competitive sport, I have come to see these written prayers, similar to this phenomenon of exercising with ‘enhancement’. These prayers written for the Church, by both ancient and contemporary brothers and sisters, are not “cheating”. In fact, these prayers can be used daily, and the assistance they provide can enhance the pleasure and enjoyment of prayer. Also, they can help, when you are tired, and can definitely make creating a habit easier.
Many times these liturgical prayers have stopped me in my tracks because of the unique way they convey the beauty of God. I have learned that one can engage his/her heart fully, by being present, attentive to every word, making them a true cry from the heart.
Some of you may have grown with them, and may find difficult or even unnecessary to have spontaneous prayer. There is real value in both. When you go through trials and tribulations, or when something wonderful surprises you, or a long waited promise is fulfilled, some may find themselves conversing with God in their own words, as their hearts burst open with joy or a deeper cry for help.
It is definitely a gift to have both forms of prayer. God doesn’t despise our sometimes inarticulate prayers, in favor of the well crafted ones, or vice-versa, because He is in fact looking at our hearts. It is the posture of our hearts before God, and our longing for Him that really matters. He loves us, and as the Good Father he is, He rejoices in seeing us come to Him in full assurance of who He is and who we are in Him, his beloved sons and daughters.
This long introduction is to bring us to look closer at something I started talking about in last week’s “Words from the Rector”. I used a metaphor the Anglican tradition has used to describe itself over the years. This metaphor is often called “Three Streams, One River”. (Click here if you missed this introduction https://marinerschurchofdetroit.org/blog/three-streams-one-river/). Although Mariners’ is an independent church, we look to the Anglican tradition as a guide to our worship and beliefs, including following the Book of Common Prayer in our worship service.
The 3-streams metaphor supposes that there are three major components to the Church universal – The Sacramental, The Spiritual, and The Scriptural. Churches tend to emphasis one or two of these aspects, sometimes at the exclusion of others. In the Anglican tradition, we embrace and try to balance all three of these in our beliefs and worship.
In this letter I would like for us to consider the stream of The Sacramental.
The waters of the Sacramental stream are deep with meaning and richness. One of the most obvious activities is the liturgy, or the written prayers, we pray throughout the worship service.
Liturgy gives a window into the mystical presence of God and his love for us in new and fresh ways. There is something unique and unifying in repeating the same prayers brothers and sisters all over the world pray, as well as those long gone, prayed before us.
As part of this liturgy, celebrating Communion is central to the Sacramental worship experience. In other traditions the sermon is often central. In the Anglican tradition, we spend a large part of our service time preparing for and experiencing Eucharist together. These prayers, written in deep theological prose, can read like poetry once the words become familiar. In the Eucharistic service, we highlight the mysterious Presence of God and our Union with Him in our taking of the Bread and Wine.
Another special part of The Sacramental stream is the high regard we give to Baptism and other liturgical practices, such as The daily office (morning, noon, evening, and compline prayers together with the reading of Scriptures). The Church calendar, with all the seasons colors, reminds us of the cycles of spiritual rhythm and growth each year. All of this creates the refreshing and rushing stream called The Sacramental.
When the early church was first formed, the Scriptures give a commentary about their activity in its infancy. You can see each of these streams in their practices.
