A Visit to Resurrection

At my discernment weekend, my committee suggested that I visit about 10 churches other than St. Barnabas before starting seminary. As Steve Marnz said, "You know, don't you, that St. Barnabas is a very special place." They felt I needed to see how the rest of the Anglican Communion did things. So, today I went to Resurrection in West Chicago.

I got there just a few seconds after 10am. The altar party was at the back, so I waited for them to process. Fr. George and I exchanged glances. I'm sure he registered that I was new.

It's not the most beautiful church, but it does the job. At first it wasn't very crowded. I sat near the back in their very comfortable seating. The ceiling is high and the windows are clear-paned. There was a large projection screen on the right with the words of the opening hymn projected. A "choir" stood below -- not robed, standing among the musicians with microphones. They were very energetic and spontaneous. Lots of clapping, swaying, and hands in the air. I found their enthusiasm infectious, although I never got my hands in the air. Before the Gospel, we did a lot of singing. It was quite a buildup.

I noticed several things. Almost no one except the priest made the sign of the cross. I was the only one who crossed him or herself on head, lips, and heart at the Gospel. There was a little kneeling -- on the floor-- but most stood. They did have bells at the consecration though.

I saw Barbara Edgar and we waved at each other. She immediately came to my pew for a hug. She pointed out that Cynthia Bormann with short hair was playing the bongos, but I didn't get to talk with her. Doug Baddorf was there, spoke out as he always does, and it was good to talk with him. Barb introduced me to Fr. George after church. I told him why I was there. She also introduced me to Rebecca, a seminarian who is studying at Northern Baptist in that Anglican Studies program there. She was very nice and enthusiastic about her program, although she said the whole thing is in limbo right now. I wondered to myself what would happen if she's in the "possible break away" group and they decide they don't want women as priests as well as gays and lesbians. It was great to see Barbara Edgar, however, and we'll try to get together soon for breakfast or lunch on a Tuesday.

But more about the service today. I was very moved by it. I don't really like praise music in general, but I like it when the music is something you want to clap and sway to. The sermon was interesting. Fr. George talked about authority in the church. He recounted the history, that bishops are not really hierarchical in scripture, that priests seem to be of the same "rank." He noted that the structure of the Roman Catholic church follows that of the Roman empire and that the Pope is "Caesar." He then showed that the passage in the Bible often used to show we owe obedience to bishops is the only place where "obedience" is the translation for a word used in other places in the Bible that is more often translated "persuasion." His point was that we do not owe obedience to Bishops or anyone else when they are leading us down the wrong path. It certainly sounded like he was preparing the congregation for the coming debate this summer.

At the Prayers of the People, the congregation gathered around the cross and prayed spontaneously. They do it easily and prayed without self-consciousness. The celebration of the Eucharist was de riguer, carefully spoken, and, again, moving. The communion bread was warm, like it had just been baked. They offered grape juice for those who did not want an alcoholic beverage. The children came in just before communion and, in the recessional, several grabbed flags and waved them as we again sang joyously.

It was a good experience and seems like a healthy congregation. I pray they find themselves in agreement with ECUSA come this summer.