If there is one thing that I love about Anglicanism its the liturgy, or better yet the flow of the liturgy. I could do without the robes, regalia, and pomp. I am not a slave to particular prayers or rituals.
But I do love the simplicity of the liturgy, the flow of it. In essence it involves four simple parts: the gathering, the proclamation, the table, the dismissal. Anything else we add to this is up for grabs but these four parts, or movements, are where its at for me.
Over the next little while I will be sharing some thoughts, poetic in form, on the shape of the liturgy. I like poetry because it is so free and freeing, without the constraints of so much other writing. These reflections are the result of a mini-sabbatical taken over the Spring and Summer months. I hope you enjoy.
=========================================================================== We gather on stolen land As church that has hurt, bruised, betrayed We gather as broken pieces Seeking wholeness Seeking community Seeking love. We gather in the name of a homeless rabbi Jesus son of Mary Friend of sinners Accused of blasphemy, gluttony and drunkeness An enemy of the state Crossed out We gather from a lineage of sinners and saints Brutes, scoundrels, and heretics Healers, lovers and prophets Part of a bigger whole Greater than the sum of its parts We gather in God’s name The name that is love Spirit-filled We gather to listen To pray To be fed To be transformed We gather to be dismissed, sent out To recreate, renew, reconcile We gather to catch a glimpse of your way, heaven’s way Then we follow Mary’s sun, Yeshua of lowly Nazareth As he goes about your work in the world