References to the church happen very infrequently in the Gospels, since the idea yet in the future, but in today’s Gospel Jesus prepares the disciples to live in that community by giving them a structure for resolving conflicts. We have a need for structure in relationships that reconcile us—it goes to the heart of what God is doing in the world. The Eucharist is one of the most structured elements in our Christian lives. It sets the stage to understand ourselves as a people who are reconciled to God and being reconciled to one another and the earth, and a people who invite all of creation into that reconciliation. We bind sin and loose souls, and we do it together: “Where 2 or 3 agree…”

It also sets the stage for how we celebrate our lives in ritual which is action infused with meanings, in symbol which are images infused with meanings, and in story which is experience infused with meanings. So, it is vitally important that we know the meanings. In my next 7 sermons I will be unpacking what we do on Sundays, like an extended Instructed Eucharist.

By introduction, let’s talk about the stage itself. The architecture of a church is cruciform. There are transepts on each side that form the arms of the cross, the body of the Nave (from “nave,” Latin for “ship” is the foot of the cross, behind the altar is the head of the cross. The Altar is located where the two bars of the cross meet—in Christ heaven and earth come together. The Baptismal Font is at the door of the Church for it is through baptism that we come into His Church. The wall at the head of the cross is the “East Wall,” for, as a western church, we symbolically look east toward the new Jerusalem. Liturgical north and south are the transepts, and west is the door into the world. Common decorations are: The Rood Cross that hangs over or behind the Altar, Stations of the Cross on the walls, and traditional red doors, a symbol of Christ’s blood through which we enter the Church. Stained Glass was a teaching instrument in medieval churches, now it is decoration that commemorates the life of Christ and the church. Colored glass is like each of our lives that refract the light of Christ into the world.

Today’s vestments are very similar to 2nd century Roman street dress. They were incorporated into worship and have taken on deeper meanings—when worship leaders wear clothing different from regular dress it emphasizes that something different is happening. Heaven is impinging on earth and it never leaves it the same. To understand Church vestments you have to understand liturgical colors: White is the color of purity and joy. Purity is the gift of God’s forgiveness. Joy is the gift of God’s reconciliation. Red is the color of the Holy Spirit. Red is like the flame of the Spirit that sat upon the disciples. God’s flame purifies and empowers. Purple is the color of penitence and preparation. King’s robes are purple, but so are bruises. Purple marks Advent and Lent. Green is the color of the Church. Green is growth and productivity. The Church in the world gives birth to the Kingdom. Black is the color of humanity: sinful and broken, yet full of the potential of fertile earth.

Acolytes wear a white shift called an “alb” from Latin meaning “white,” tied around the waist with a rope called a “cincture.” Crucifers wear acolyte vestments plus a color-coded narrow poncho called a Scapular. In the monastic tradition the scapular identifies a particular religious’ order. Servers wear a black “cassock” with a white “surplice” over it. Priests wear an alb and cincture or a cassock and surplice. Over that we wear a color-coded stole. Stoles have their roots in Jewish prayer shawls, filtered through Roman orator’s neck towels and reminiscent of Jesus’ towel with which He washed the disciples’ feet. It is the symbol of my authority to preach and celebrate the sacraments. The Chasuble is the color-coded “holy poncho.” It is strictly Eucharistic, and not essential. Like the love of Christ, it covers all things. Bishops wear two kinds of vestments, the traditional English “Rochet,” an alb with puffy sleeves and red cuffs like a surplice gone overboard, and a “Chimere,” a red floor-length vest like a modified chasuble, or the traditional Roman Cope and Mitre.

Time is structured as well. The church year is broken up into three cycles: Advent-Christmas-Epiphany is the cycle of the Incarnation, its preparation, its celebration and its immediate impact. Lent-Easter is the cycle of Redemption, the Passion, the Resurrection and the Ascension. Pentecost and the Season after Pentecost is the cycle of Transformation: the Church and the work of the Holy Spirit in the world.

There are other liturgical embellishments that are not technically part of the liturgy but are part of Sunday experience. Old Testament worship makes repeated references to singers and dancers. In the New Testament Ephesians 5:19 says, “Speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” There is something about the rhythm and tempo of song that unifies people at a deep level in ways science has yet to explain. In Old Testament times incense symbolized the prayers of the people and the presence of God. Both Isaiah (OT prophet) and John (NT prophet) saw the heavenly temple filled with smoke at the presence of the Lord. The words for “Spirit” in both Hebrew and Greek also mean “wind.” Incense is visible air. Processions are common in our tradition. They reminds us that we are “entering" and "exiting" the holy place. They are a symbol of our spiritual pilgrimage, starting at the Red Sea of baptism, leading us through the wilderness, and finally, crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. The order is significant: Christ (the cross) first, then the servers, the priest being the servant of all.

A few final comments: 1) The Church organizes us as a people of God. The four-fold ministries of laity, deacons, priests and bishops with our roles and duties gives us an S.O.P. that was established in the first century of the Church. 2) The church structures relationships, but it does not replace or create them, we must do the essential work. To that end the Church must serve those relationships. The fact that we maintain a liturgy so similar to the earliest days of the Church is a testimony to its enduring power to structure our relationship with God in a healthy way. There is very little in your world that has been time-tested for 2000 years! 3) The Church calls us beyond ourselves into the heart of God. The Eastern Orthodox call the liturgy a trip to heaven and back. It cannot make us go, but it gives us a unique opportunity, and it emphasizes the need for community. This is not a trip we can take effectively alone. 4) The Church offers to God a worthy worship which is the ultimate purpose for humanity. It is the highest calling one can answer and our Anglican communion is up to the challenge. It is historic—reflecting accurately western Christian tradition. It is contemporary—it addresses the issues of today. It is apostolic—rooted in the faith the Peter, James and Paul preached, and it is evangelical—it inspires us to take the message of Christ to the world.

Fr. Paul Moore+