Church search: Liturgy and Anglican churches

Part of my "Church search" series...

Since I've been most interested in visiting churches that are not evangelical, most of the churches I've visited have been on the more liturgical side, some of them Anglican. Cathy has visited some of these with me. Also, we've visited one United church (I don't think that's considered liturgical) and a couple of Lutheran churches. I'll cover the United and Lutheran churches separate posts.

I find that when I go to an Anglican church when I haven't been to one in a while, I find many parts of the liturgy quite meaningful. There are some beautiful things said about God's love and grace. Also, through some things I've heard and read, I've come to appreciate taking communion more, and communion happens more often in liturgical churches.

And then after a few services, things start to seem more repetitive. Granted, non-liturgical churches can be almost as repetitive in different ways, and in both cases, we are saying or singing words that some other writer came up with, so in either case we aren't just saying personal things. The difference with liturgy isn't just about how repetitive it is; it has to do with a different understanding of what's happening during worship. One place to read about this is this article called "Liturgy Is Not a 'Style'." Getting back to communion, these churches teach that God really does something with us through communion, that in some mysterious, not-fully-understood way, our souls are nourished by the body and blood of Jesus even as our bodies are nourished by the bread and wine. I don't know if I believe that, but I find it believable, and it has deepened my appreciation of communion.

I find that churches with less conservative beliefs tend to understand and appreciate doubt better than more conservative churches. As someone who has wrestled with doubts about God for years, I can appreciate this. But it's important to rise above these doubts, not to explain them away or suppress them, but to find ways of experience God and appreciate Christianity even in the midst of doubt. I find that appreciation of mystery is one way to rise above doubt without simply suppressing it, and that's one reason I appreciate a liturgical understanding of communion. (I'll talk more about rising above doubt when I write about the United Church.)

One time in particular that I visited a certain Anglican church for the first time, I really felt a strong sense of both reverence and grace, through the words that were said and sung, through looking at the stained-glass windows. The songs were familiar enough too, and that helped. Other times that I've been there, it hasn't always felt that way. The time that I went there with Cathy, the sermon was done by one of the lay leaders in the church, and it was painful to listen to. She wasn't a good speaker (maybe needs more practice), and the subject was about giving money to the church.

I also find that I want to learn more from church history. The historic churches seem to have many good insights and helpful practices that often get lost in evangelical churches' desire to follow the Bible alone. On the other hand, the historic churches have done a lot of awful things over the centuries, but it would be good to learn from those mistakes. I appreciate how the Anglican church tries to embrace the best of both Catholicism and Protestantism, and has a more open attitude toward other Christians than some other churches have (for example, they welcome all baptized Christians to take communion, unlike some churches).

In general, I haven't been able to connect well with people at the Anglican churches I've visited. There generally aren't many people around my age, but there are a few, and some that are younger too. I've had good conversations with a couple of priests, but haven't really got to know others.

So my Anglican experiences have been meaningful, sometimes repetitive, and haven't provided much experience of community. I'm not sure if this tradition is the way I want to practice my faith long-term, but it's definitely one that I want to continue learning from.