Embodying the Story

Bowing and kneeling and standing, oh my!

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January marked one year since my husband and I first stepped into the Anglican way of worship. As I shared in a previous essay, it felt like an awkward first dance at the beginning. I remember the discomfort mixed with awe, the fear of standing when I should sit or sitting when I should kneel or speaking the words after everyone else, my untrained voice ringing out to proclaim, “Yeah, I’m new here.” I also remember the reverence, the peace, and the sense of leaving with my soul full for the first time in a very, very long time.

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

In one year, we have walked out the entire gospel story through the liturgy. Advent is the beginning of the Christian year, but my personal journey into Anglicanism began at Epiphany. How perfect and profound. How kind of my Good Father.

For those who don’t know:

“Epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning “manifestation” or “appearance.” In 2 Timothy 1:9–10, the word is used to refer to the manifestation of Jesus Christ:

This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (NIV)

In the context of the Church year, Epiphany refers to the appearance of Jesus Christ as the savior of the world—of Israel and the Gentiles. For this reason, Epiphany is commonly associated with the visitation of the Magi (or “wise men”), who were almost certainly Gentiles, in Matthew 2:1–12.¹

The liturgical year is set up to walk us through the story of Jesus, from the announcement by an angel to a virgin that she would give birth to the Son of God all the way to those first awe-filled days of a love-dazed people grappling with what it means to live cruciform as a redeemed and beloved family. As a storyteller, I love this part of our way of worship more than just about anything else. We walk it out, quite literally, through the liturgy that changes with the seasons, in the order of the sermons and the special services honing in on the primary points of reference within Jesus’ time on Earth. Together, we methodically march through the life of Christ. We live it out year after year and week after week. We embody the Story in layers, through the church calendar, the liturgy and every time we approach the communion rail.

Speaking of communion, I spent over thirty years in churches that observed communion only occasionally and, usually, quickly (like a fast-food drive-through). The first time I knelt at the rail of my Anglican Church to receive the Holy Eucharist I was struck to the core, in a way I don’t think I have experienced since very early in my Christian life, by the depth of grace connected to this sacrament. The entire Anglican worship service acts as a crescendo up to that point. Unlike most modern evangelical churches, the sermon is not the high point of the Sunday morning service. In fact, the sermon, music, prayers, and scripture readings are all leading here…to this moment where we approach a table that extends far beyond the walls of the church into history and the world to come. With eyes closed and hands held out to receive, we hear the blessing spoken, feel the rough wafer pressed into our palm, and taste the burn of the wine on our tongue. The story of Christ, the love of God who gave His only son to save the world from the enemy of our souls and refused to leave us alone, is embodied in this high point of worship.

More than once, receiving communion has brought tears to my eyes. Very often I hesitate to stand and walk back to my seat, not wanting to lose the feeling of being surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses as we remember His sacrifice together.

But, eventually, everyone returns to our seats and there is a hush that fills the room. Then, the priest leads us in this prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food

of the most precious Body and Blood

of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;

and for assuring us in these holy mysteries

that we are living members of the body of your Son,

and heirs of your eternal kingdom.

And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have

given us to do,

to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.

To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit,

be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.²

After so many years of communion being a “hurry up and get it over with” thing, the intentional slowing down and focus on what just happened as we pray this prayer is so moving. The spiritual food, the most precious body and blood of Jesus, holy mysteries, the tangible reminder of who we are and Whose we are, and the call to go and live out this gospel we believe so that we can help a lost and dying world see clearly the love the Father, Son, and Spirit has for them is a fresh commission, a means of grace that propels us outward and onward.

Finally we leave, passing the baptismal font that is always full. It serves as a reminder of our own baptism and of the decision we made when we chose for ourselves to follow Jesus. Some people immerse their fingertips in the water, making the sign of the cross with it as they leave. Others gently pass their fingers along the carved edge. Regardless, we cannot experience a service without, at some point, passing the font.

Isn’t that true of life as a believer?

At every turn, God is there. At every crossroad, He stands with us and reminds us who we are and why we are here. We are not our own, we were bought with a price. The Spirit won’t let us forget that.

And this is what it is all about, this embodying of the Story. Anglican worship is not designed for us sit to passively in the pews. We engage with our bodies by physically engaging in the Liturgy. We embody the Story and, as a result, God uses it as a means of grace in our lives. From the church calendar to the Holy Eucharist we receive afresh the gift of God’s empowering Love and we leave with hearts full to love and serve the world.

Thanks be to God.

1. https://anglicancompass.com/epiphany-and-epiphanytide-a-rookie-anglican-guide/

2. https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BCP-2019-MASTER-5th-PRINTING-05022022-3.pdf