Symbols in the
Traditional,
Liturgical, Sacramental
Church
The Anglican Church in America
The Most Rev. Louis W. Falk,
Primate
A traditional, liturgical and sacramental church
will use symbols and symbolic actions to fill-out and complete the meaning of
the words used in our service. The
following will explain part of the actions and symbols used in our
service. Please feel free to ask any of
our clergy about any actions or symbols you wish to understand more fully.
Symbols and Symbolic Actions
Fr. P. D. Wilkinson &
Fr. E. S. Gale
1. WHY AN
ALTAR?
The Altar is the center of the church building. It represents, or reveals to us:
a)
the Throne of God – to which Christ raised us in His
Glorious Ascension.
b)
The Table of the Heavenly Banquet – to which Christ called us, and at
which He eternally distributes the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:8) and
its earthly foretaste, Holy Communion.
c)
The Altar of His Sacrifice for us, the Cross; hence, a cross is seen upon, behind or
above the Atlar.
The Altar is usually vested with colorful material
in order to show the divine or heavenly character. On it may stand a Tabernacle, a repository
for the consecrated Bread and Wine that are reserved for the communion of the
sick and dying.
2. WHY
CANDLES?
The light always stands for the Christ (“I am the
light of the World”), and for the illumination He brought us, the knowledge of
the true God, and the gift of communion with Him (“You are the light of the
world,” he said to his disciples).
3. WHY
INCENSE?
The incense was used in the worship described in the
Old Testament, and at the Last Supper (so scholars tell us). Incense represents:
a)
Prayer ascending to God (Rev. 5:8; 8:3ff);
b)
Homage to God; as such it was
the second gift of the Wise Men to the infant Christ;
c)
Christians themselves; for Paul says “we are indeed the
incense offered by Christ to God (II Cor. 2:15, N. E.
B.);
d)
The transforming power of Christ;
the hot coals represent warm Christian hearts; the ashes, sorrow for sin; when the small hard grains of incense meet
them they melt and give off sweet fragrance.
“Censing” (swinging the smoke at persons or things)
is used either as:
a)
an act of preparation and sanctification (e.g., censing the Altar, and
the bread and wine on it), or as
b)
an expression of sacred respect (e.g., the censing of
pictures and other objects, the Consecrated Bread and Wine, and the Priest and
People).
4. WHY STANDING, SITTING AND KNEELING?
The whole person, body as well as soul, takes
part in worship, because our whole nature was assumed by God the Son in His
Incarnation, and must be redeemed for God.
Bodily positions are expressions of worship:
a)
Standing – indicates that we have been redeemed and given back our true
human status;
b)
Sitting – is limited to the teaching parts of the Service;
c)
Kneeling – expresses repentance, humility and adoration.
5. WHY PROCESSIONS?
These symbolize and manifest the movement of God’s
people towards Him, and the movement of God towards us.
6. WHY MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS?
The Cross is the central Christian symbol. It was the instrument of the world’s
salvation by the Crucified Christ, and is the witness to the fact that we cannot
be His unless we live with the Cross as the very content of our lives: “If any one would come after Me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34).
Made upon ourselves (with the right hand from the forehead to the heart,
and from the left shoulder to the right shoulder), it shows that our mind,
heart and strength must be given to the love of God and our neighbor. It is also the means by which we ceremonially
take to ourselves God’s blessing or forgiveness when the priest makes the sign
of the Cross over us in blessing or absolution.
7. WHY VESTMENTS?
In the very early days of the Church, these garments
were people’s ordinary clothes. When
this style of dress gradually changed, the clergy’s didn’t. Thus they are a visible link with those early
days. They are also used for beauty and
dignity, and they have been given symbolic meanings connected with the Passion
of our Lord. The vestments also cover up
the priest’s own personality and help us to think only of Christ, the one true
Priest, whose “uniform” the earthly priest wears.
8. THE USE OF THE HOLY WATER FONT
Dipping one’s fingers in the Holy water, one makes
the Sign of the Cross on oneself while thinking: “in my Baptism I was made a member of Christ,
the Child of God, and inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven”; or, dipping one’s thumb in the Holy Water,
one makes a small Sign of the Cross on one’s forehead, eyes, lips and chest,
while thinking: God be in my head, and
in my thinking and understanding; God be
in my eyes, and in my looking and perceiving;
God be in my lips, and in my speaking and praising; God be in my heart, and in my living and
loving.
Ceremonial actions, including bowing the head and
genuflecting, must never be performed carelessly or hurriedly; otherwise, they can become mere
‘show’. Ceremony is a symbolic language
by which the hearts of Christians express outwardly their sense of the mystery,
holiness, and splendor of God the Holy Trinity, and express their longing for
Him, their reverence for Him, and their hope of glory hereafter with Him for
ever. As was stated earlier in these
notes, the body with its senses must play a part in worship.
Welcome to
Trinity Anglican Parish
We welcome you to a traditional Christian community. We are a small parish interested in preserving the atmosphere of a neighborhood church family. We believe that a small parish environment presents the best opportunities for all to enjoy the fellowship taught by Jesus Christ. We have preserved the traditional doctrine as universally accepted by the early church. In this way we feel we are closer to the original intent of Christ's teachings and less inclined to obscure his teachings with current fads and misunderstandings.
Our parish is a member of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley
within the Anglican Church in America.
We are also part of the worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion. Our service
is traditional, liturgical and sacramental. We are part of the One,
Our service is structured and based on the Book
of Common Prayer (1928). The word "common" is not to imply that
those prayers are ordinary. It is rather to emphasize the common need of all of
us to express our love and faith in clear, concise terms. These prayers do not
preclude extemporaneous prayers. They ensure that our corporate services are a
consistent and complete worship of our God and Saviour. Careful consideration
of the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer will show a depth of expression not
available in most of our minds at any given moment.
We encourage all to participate in our worship
service. We believe the greatest value is obtained from any service by active
participation. You will notice that we stand to praise, sit to learn, and kneel
to pray. You will also notice a variety of reverences. Some show reverence by
genuflecting and some by bowing. We realize that physical constraints sometimes
affect our ability to show reverence. We encourage the strongest show of
reverence felt by the participant and accept any that is heartfelt and sincere.
We hope you will join us for our services and
activities. You will find many people willing to assist you in understanding
our liturgy and doctrine. We all enjoy sharing the special fellowship that
comes from praying, giving and building together. We would love to have you
join our church family and help us spread this fellowship.
