Anglican And Episcopal Churches

Anglican and Episcopal Churches inherit a rich liturgical tradition that is the product of many periods of worship renewal in the history of the church. Worship renewal in Anglican and Episcopal churches today seeks both to maintain the vitality of the historic liturgy and to use the best of contemporary musical and artistic expressions.

Augustine, the saint credited with planting Christianity in Britain, purportedly said "Singing is to pray twice" and "A Christian is an Alleluia from head to toe." It is in this spirit that the substance of renewal in worship within Anglicanism finds its origins and continuing inspiration. The Anglican church's tradition has been marked by the sights and sounds of the great cathedrals with their choirs' singing wafting through their sacred arches. Complacency, however, can often turn tradition to stone and quench the Spirit's ardor in worship. Yet Anglicanism, by nature of its beginning, was always a church of "renewing" worship and is a leader in renewal today. Renewal in the History of the Church The English church, after its own reformation, became the instrument of translating the Roman Mass into the vernacular. This is embodied in Cranmer's triumph, The Book of Common Prayer, of which the 1662 version is still in active use in the Church of England. (While retaining the substance of the original book, most Provinces of the Anglican Communion use an updated version. The most recent version was approved in the United States in 1979). With the advent of worship in the English language, the creation of a musical setting of the Ordinary of the Communion service was deemed necessary. The first musical setting of the English liturgy was composed by John Merbecke in chant-like simplicity, establishing a new expression of music in worship. The Hymnal 1982 (USA) and the New English Hymnal (UK) both contain revised versions of the Merbecke setting. The Evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century brought new life and energy to worship in the hymns and music of the Wesleys, all of whom were Anglicans. Charles Wesley's hymns epitomize the excellence and depth of the Anglican spirit of worship, warming heart and mind. Where can one find a higher expression of love and praise than in Wesley's classic hymn "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," a hymn which has found use in many denominations? Plainsong is another type of music that is used in Anglican worship. Although it was replaced in the period following the Reformation by four-part Anglican chant (originally TTBB, but now SATB in most cases) as a means of singing psalms and canticles, plainsong made its way back into the church's music with the Oxford Movement in the 1850s. Its renewing power and simplicity have continued to be incorporated actively in today's worship, along with four-part Anglican chants. The arts in general have always found great acceptance within Anglicanism. Its cathedrals have been centers for all the activities in a city, including theater and dance. The liturgy in its richness has always dictated that movement and drama are integral to the rite. The movements of the sub-deacon, deacon, and celebrant have been carefully choreographed to express the emotion of a certain portion of the service. Bowing, signs of the cross, and kneeling have spoken to the need to express physically a reaction to significant moments of the Eucharist, such as at the elevation of the host. The English Reformation, with its wave of Puritan clamor, often subdued or abolished music in worship, replacing musical expression with the rhetoric of lengthy sermons and arduous spoken liturgies (though there was the inclusion of unaccompanied metrical psalms). Sunday worship at a cathedral or parish church found the faithful in their pews for hours for the litany, exhortations, Matins, and Holy Communion. The congregation returned for Evensong that same afternoon for another round of Scripture and preaching without the benefit of music. The Anglo-Catholic revival, another stage of worship renewal, saw the emergence of vested choirs in a prominent setting and a wealth of new anthems and hymns. Organs were once again heard and the starkness of the Puritans gave way to the splendor of a renewed Anglican liturgy, despite the destruction of many cathedrals, shrines, and abbeys that the Puritans had accomplished. In our day of renewed emphasis on the senses and emotion in worship, we can still tour these great Christian ruins and wish that they could be restored. Thus renewal, restoration, and recovery have always been the key to the Anglican expression of worship. These constitute the essence of the historical experience of the church that brought the English translation of the scriptures and liturgy into our Christian experience. Contemporary Renewal Today the charismatic movement has had considerable influence on worship, much like earlier renewal movements. Like the Anglo-Catholic revival, renewal today seeks to enliven an already expansive tradition. Linking practices to scriptural times, dance, and posture have been used to emphasize the actions of the Holy Spirit within the context of a community at worship. Music such as that used at Taizé, a unique ecumenical center in France, has broadened our senses with the haunting repetition of phrases of prayer and praise. Taizé attracts thousands of people, particularly the young, who are drawn to its holiness and simplicity. The monks there come from Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Anglican backgrounds. The music, created to meet the needs of the international multilingual participants, is the work of Jacques Berthier. It is distributed by Collins in the United Kingdom and by GIA Publications in Chicago. Taizé music can be effectively used in the Sunday liturgy at the intercessions and during Communion. Churches now often have several minutes of praise hymns prior to worship, instead of an organ prelude or voluntary. Responsorial psalms and alleluia verses heighten the attention given to the role of Scripture in the service. Renewal tends to make the assembled congregation more inclusive. An example of this may be experienced at the prestigious St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church of Park Avenue in New York. Here the rich and famous as well as the poor and homeless gather for worship, with everyone receiving a warm and personal greeting. Above is a banner proclaiming: "St. Bart's 9 a.m. Worship—Sing, Dance, and Pray." The Eucharist is lively, with a loose-leaf hymnal ready to be enlarged when someone finds an appropriate new song or hymn. Instruments and song-leaders, as well as powerful preaching, mark the service. Contemporary renewal worship in the Episcopal Church was born in Houston (USA) at the Church of the Redeemer. Under the leadership of the Rev. Graham Pulkingham, Betty Pulkingham, and George Mims, a new genre of musical style has found its place in American and now international Anglicanism. Always performed with professional musical quality, the use of various instruments brought life to this charismatic Eucharistic community. The organ, enhanced by oboes and flutes, is used along with guitar and strings to make an inclusive offering to God. The Fisherfolk, a group of singers active in Episcopal renewal, has been influential in spreading the experience of this unique style of worship throughout the church. Likewise, publications coming from the Church of the Redeemer and the Fisherfolk have inspired others in their worship. Sounds of Living Waters is a particularly fine mixture of new and traditional music. In London, All Souls Church, Langham Place, in the heart of the city's shopping district, abounds with fine music and worship in the evangelical Anglican tradition. The church currently is responsible for Prom Praise, an annual event gaining in popularity. This event is modeled after the Proms Concerts that are so much a part of the English heritage, but features the texts and music of Christian writers and composers from all ages. A few blocks away one finds the brilliant music of All Saints, Margaret Street, likely the most well-known of the Anglo-Catholic churches in the Anglican Communion. Polyphony, chant, and a professional choir all contribute to a liturgy that has a vitality of its own. Its current musical director is the head of the Royal School of Church Music. Other churches uniquely involved in the renewal of worship include Truro Church, Fairfax, Virginia; St. Barnabas Church, Glen Ellyn, Illinois; Holy Trinity Brompton, London, England; St. Paul's, Darien, Connecticut; St. Michael's Chester Square, London, England; St. Nicholas, Durham, England; St. Luke's, Atlanta, Georgia, and many more. Michael Marshall, speaking of music in the church in his book Renewal in Worship, says, "Using all its differing dimensions, music is once again becoming central in authentic worship. The good news of the Christian gospel was heralded by a chorus of angels singing. The handmaid of the Lord herself broke into words that have subsequently and significantly become the gospel song of the redeemed, who, like her, acknowledge 'the greatness of the Lord.' From the vast choirs with major orchestral accompaniment to simple folk tunes as setting for scriptural texts, music has formed the texture of Christian witness and worship through the ages. Doubtless it will continue to do so until all our earthly worship is finally subsumed into the worship of heaven, where surely music in some form or another—a form appropriate to its resources and environment—will have its eternal place." Regarding the other arts, both drama and dance have been used profitably. Dramatic storytelling or mime can effectively replace or complement the sermon and the message can be proclaimed in mime such as that done by the Rev. Steven Woodward of Madison, Wisconsin. Dance, along with festive processions, recall something of the medieval as well as the biblical tradition. Inculturation throughout the Anglican Communion is giving a tradition once bound by the experiences of the white missionaries a chance to incorporate other ethnic expressions into worship practices that are rich with the symbols and ceremonies of other cultures, yet expressed in a very Anglican way. The consecration of eight missionary bishops in the Anglican Church of Nigeria was celebrated with a liturgy proud of its Anglican roots that also incorporated elements of local dance, costumes, and spontaneity. Thus, in these cases, art and music can be understood as natural expressions of who we are as God's creatures and as a response to that which we encounter in life, both in and outside of the church. Such expressions of renewal in music and the visual arts help Anglicans remain true to their origins as an English-speaking church. There is a thread that runs through all of worship, weaving Scripture, hymns, anthems, and the like into a complete drama unfolding the theme presented in the assigned Scriptures. This theme may be as simple as that of the Upper Room or as complex as that of the Book of Revelation. Although Anglicans have their share of people claiming "we never did it that way before" and bolting because of the change, a majority prays that the church will remain the light that shines on from age to age, expressing itself in ways that are both old and new. The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion have begun a "Decade of Evangelism." For many years the care and beauty of worship in this tradition was one of its chief evangelistic tools. People came to church and felt God's presence through the Word preached and the sacrament celebrated. This brought them back and led them to fuller participation in the Church community. Our worship must express the vibrancy and expression that compels one in worship to worship. Our human senses can then respond with an outpouring of thankfulness as we offer back to God, through the talents of music and art, the gifts so freely given to us.