On Good Friday and Holy Saturday I went to an anglo-catholic church here in Vancouver. After the Easter Saturday Vigil, the Rector invited everyone into his home for sherry (only in an Anglican Church would you be served sherry at the Rector's place .. hehe).
And while James and I were enjoying the sweet drink, the Rector came up to us and talked to us about the liturgy, and specifically, the physical aspects of the liturgy: crossing ourselves, genuflexing, venerating the cross, etc...
He said something very interesting that made me think: "Every physical action we make has a spiritual consequence." It's a very simple statement, but I think it has profound implications, and of course, it's true. Everything we do has a spiritual consequence.
Therefore, physical acts we perform during the liturgy have the spiritual consequence of acknowledging (amongst other things) our brokenness, our need for God, and declaring loyalty/allegiance to the Triune God revealed in the Bible.
Essentially, his statement provides the foundation for the sacraments: an acknowledgment of the spiritual and physical world working in tandem, rather than one submitting to the other.
The question then becomes, is the spiritual consequence "automatic", or does it depend on whether we perform the physical act in faith? I believe that faith is required.
And while James and I were enjoying the sweet drink, the Rector came up to us and talked to us about the liturgy, and specifically, the physical aspects of the liturgy: crossing ourselves, genuflexing, venerating the cross, etc...
He said something very interesting that made me think: "Every physical action we make has a spiritual consequence." It's a very simple statement, but I think it has profound implications, and of course, it's true. Everything we do has a spiritual consequence.
Therefore, physical acts we perform during the liturgy have the spiritual consequence of acknowledging (amongst other things) our brokenness, our need for God, and declaring loyalty/allegiance to the Triune God revealed in the Bible.
Essentially, his statement provides the foundation for the sacraments: an acknowledgment of the spiritual and physical world working in tandem, rather than one submitting to the other.
The question then becomes, is the spiritual consequence "automatic", or does it depend on whether we perform the physical act in faith? I believe that faith is required.
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