The Heart Behind September’s Sermon Series
“What’s an Anglican?”
I’ve heard this question a lot since becoming an Anglican priest. Despite being the 3rd largest body of Christians internationally with more than 80 million members scattered across 100+ countries, the word Anglican and the spirituality it represents is not well-known in 21st century America.
To be fair, Anglicanism wasn’t on my radar screen when I started following Jesus either.
I came to Christ in a Presbyterian church in Atlanta, then had a baptism of the Holy Spirit experience in college and didn’t know where I fit. In seminary, I fell in love with the Christian mystic tradition: the writings of the Desert Mothers & Fathers, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and more contemporary writers like Henri Nouwen. Like many millennial Christians, I felt like an ecclesiastical mut. I had a lot of passion for Jesus, but didn’t know where to locate that passion on the North American Church map.
Where did I fit in? My sense is that I’m not alone in asking that question.
It seems many people are looking for a spiritual home within the American Church right now. Some of us grew up in Catholic schools or going to mass, but were never given an explanation of the “whys” of belief behind the “whats” of religious action. Others of us have long existed in big-box, non-denominational evangelical spaces and are looking for a space with clearer theological convictions or more visible roots within the big tent of Christianity. Some of us have experienced spiritual abuse, and are searching for safety. Others want to hold on to a more pure Christian faith while shirking the ugly trappings of Christian nationalism. In short, many of us are asking the same questions of Israel’s Psalmists in our Old Testament, “where can we go to meet with God?”
I don’t believe Anglicanism is the BEST way to be Christian. But its a very helpful and life-giving way for ME to be a Christian.
When I discovered the Anglican Church, I realized it made space for all the disparate parts of my spiritual journey I wanted to hold together. Anglicans valued the same love for Scripture and prayer I developed through coming of age in Presbyterianism. Anglicans valued the Holy Spirit in worship and daily living that had made God feel so real and present to me while visiting and serving in Charismatic & Pentecostal churches in college and seminary. Anglicans were rooted in the ancient sacramental life of the church in a way that safe-guarded weekly worship and visibly connected me to Christians across the world and throughout history all the way back to the original disciples of Jesus.
Now that I’ve pastored as an Anglican priest for more than a decade, I’ve watched Anglicanism become home for many others too. The rootedness of the tradition provides pastoral safety and theological clarity. The balanced spirituality that draws from the mystic tradition while remaining open to contemporary movements of the spirit fosters a vibrant prayer life and rich disciple-making soil. The attentiveness to the Scriptures, prayer, and sharing one’s faith promotes missional engagement and champions a growing love for Jesus and relationship with Him as central to all we do.
I know people are looking for many of these things, but many people don’t know they could find them in a church that is Anglican. I’d like to help people discover a home within the Anglican Church that may be exactly the space they’ve been seeking.
So this September, we’ll be preaching a 3-week series explaining what have been called the “3 Streams” of Anglican spirituality: Scripture, Spirit, and the Sacrament. We’ll talk about how we value each of these things as an Anglican Church, but also how we bring all 3 together in our individual faith journeys and corporate life. Finally, we’ll discover how merging Scripture, Spirit, and Sacrament promotes a faith expression that breathes in through discipleship, and breathes out through mission. We are rooted in Christ but always for the sake of others.
Whether you’ve been with us at The Mission for years or whether you’re brand new to Christianity or Anglicanism, I’d love to invite you to join us Sundays September 7th – 21st as we explore the 3 Streams of Anglicanism together!
Grace, peace, and blessings in Christ,
Fr. William