Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I’m writing this a week ahead since Tammy will be taking some well-deserved vacation days, and despite her willingness for me to send this to her while she is off, it just did not seem right. I say this because as I write, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth was only yesterday and still so fresh that I am unsure what I want to say. The Episcopal Church is of course part of the Anglican Communion, of which she was the titular head. A point that was noted when I did not clearly articulate when I took the General Ordination Exam back in the spring of 1983. While much of the pomp and pageantry of the day was a long-standing tradition, that inside Westminster Abby was the burial service of the Church of England. Yes, there were flourishes that most services would not have had, extra music with full choirs and such, but for all intents and purposes, the service any member of the church might have. To many, the service would have seemed strange, some might even say cold. Having worked in eastern Kentucky my whole ministry, participating in funeral services with many different denominations and independent churches, some would have even been offended by the service since there were no eulogies, no call for those in attendance to get “right with God,” no altar calls. I know I am always in trouble when the other minister steps forward and says, “now, we’re not going to try to convert anyone here today.” So far, every time they have said it, they tried. I have no problem with the practice, it just is not that of the Episcopal Church. When at a funeral home and I am only one of the “preachers”, no problem, but when in one of our churches, we use our liturgy, a liturgy whose foundation is older than any of us.
We have wonderful worship, and yet, it can make it hard for people to feel comfortable. Many who come from non-liturgical churches are not accustomed to the formality we have, to the music we so often have, and even to the use of books and scripted prayers. At the same time, some are taken by the otherworldliness of our worship spaces. Our stained-glass windows which let in the many colors of God’s world, telling the stories of our past. If there is one thing that can be said about our worship space, it is that walking in one becomes aware that this is a holy place, a place different from the world outside. Our worship style and our worship spaces are not for everyone. The gospel can be preached from a pulpit or a street corner, the Eucharist can be celebrated from a high altar or, as I once had to do, from the tailgate of my truck, hymns can be sung with a massive pipe organ or a guitar. All are valid ways of worshiping the Creator. What must be remembered is that the buildings, the appointments, the vestments, are not the church, we the people are the church and as followers of Jesus Christ, we are never to stop inviting others into our community, the body of Christ.
Peace,
Bryant+
