All Things Seen & Unseen

I have been reading the above title written by a Paul E Billheimer. It's a book about prayer, praise and the Church's place in the world. However, it's unlike any other book I've read on the subject because of the framework in which he places prayer. (If you look it up on Amazon you can get a reasonable idea of the contents at least.) The major thesis of this work according to the author is that: 'The one purpose of the universe from all eternity is the production [?] and preparation of an Eternal Companion for the Son, called the Bride, the Lamb's Wife'. Her creation comes by way of the new birth (Jn 3.3), a regeneration brought about by 'spiritual water' (Jn 3.5). Her preparation, a weighty matter, is the core of the book's message. Part of the preparation is learning to wage spiritual warfare which involves conquering.

Participation in the Holy Communion (also known as The Eucharist, The Lord's Supper) is the sacrament offered in the service of Holy Communion. Anglicans gather around Word and Sacrament, two highlights of their churchly service to God. The Nature of The Holy Communion The Holy Communion is a contentious subject within Anglicanism (as it is in the broader Church itself) although to be an Anglican no one is required to accept a certain doctrine/practice concerning Holy Communion. How the sacrament is viewed carries with it certain practices: for example, for an Anglo-Catholic who subscribes to the belief that the words of institution bring about a changing of the Communion elements into the actual body and blood of Christ, bowing or genuflecting to the aumbry (a small, lockable safe on the wall of the sanctuary) which holds the reserved sacrament (bread that has been blessed) is common. Evangelicals, on the other hand, would rarely reserve the sacrament and do not usually bow t...

This third section of Holy Communion is introduced with the words said by the lay reader/minister: Let us pray for the world and for the Church. In most Anglican churches I've been in the prayers are prayed by a congregational member because these prayers are 'the prayers of the people '. Sometimes the pray-er will even stand at the back of the church or in the aisle a little towards the front to emphasise the fact that these prayers come from the congregation. The prayers are supplicatory in nature. Various formats can be used and numbers of formats are given in the Prayer Book and other appropriate sources can also be used. Usually after each area of prayer is finished, the pray-er will say some like,  Father, hear our prayer [with the congregation responding with something like] through Jesus Christ our Lord. Prayer may then begin with   Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer. Four typical...

One of the great themes running through Anglican worship is the theme of MERCY. Someone has said that whereas John Calvin focussed on the Sovereignty of God which is an important theme of the Scriptures, Martin Luther could never forget the mercy of God particularly as shown in the Incarnation and in Christ's Redemption. For Luther, God's coming to the creation in the Person of His Son and our Lord's dying on the cross was the greatest act of mercy that the universe has ever beheld. (Cranmer was heavily influenced by Martin Luther as is evident in the former's liturgy and preaching. He even married his first wife while in holy orders even though on arriving back in England he was forced to give up holy orders because of this decision!) In a letter to Philipp Melanchthon his closest friend, Martin Luther with characteristic vigour said: If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear th...

Worship should not be rushed; we are all here worshipping the One who has made us, redeemed us through the death of His Son and resides in us in the power of the Holy Spirit. Os Guinness, I think, used the phrase about preaching to the audience of One and the same applies to worship. We have no audience but God: Father, Son and Spirit. Whatever tradition we are in only the audience of the One matters. Anglican worship typically begins with a lay reader's announcement of the opening hymn which is then sung while a group of leaders 'process' into the church with the 'crucifer'--a person appointed to carry a cross--coming first. Everyone in the procession follows the cross as a general rule both in and out of the church worship area. The priest (word derived from 'presbyter', elder) or if a bishop is present comes last. Procession members stand before the altar rail and acknowledge the altar.* Responsive Worship Anglican worship is responsive worship wit...