A SERMON PREACHED AT CHRIST CHURCH ORMOND (in the Diocese of Melbourne, Australia) at a Choral Evensong (1662) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of that parish The Minister’s fellowship had been formed several years ago and seemed like a such a good idea Old prejudices had been overcome, deep seated suspicions put aside, and many real and genuine friendships formed among the local clergy of various denomination That is – all except the Anglican priest and the Baptist Pastor who argued at every conceivable opportunity Finally the Roman Catholic priest who was chairperson that year had had enough and brokered a peace deal After a pleasurable lunch and some frank soul searching the two forgave one another, shook hands, and promised to end the bickering and fighting The Anglican priest rose and said at length “You know, I guess we just have different ways of doing things and there’s no use arguing over whose is right or wrong or better or worse The Baptist Pastor agreed with a smile “You keep on doing things your way” the Anglican priest said “And we’ll keep on doing things God’s way There’s a touch of very un-ecumenical arrogance in that little joke that I for one would certainly want to disown The Church of England has never claimed at any time to be perfect in its constitution or rites of worship Nor to exhaust within itself the sum total of God’s activity and presence in the world Even if some of its members – both clergy and lay – have at times privately thought so And yet, imperfect as it may be – we can speak of an Anglican way There are some things that distinguishes the Anglican Church, or what we might call Anglicanism, from other Christian traditions? And I stress – distinguishes – not make us better or worse On an occasion such as this it is perhaps appropriate to reflect on what some of them might be So what are they ? Some might answer – our belief that the Holy Scriptures as containing all things necessary for salvation (Article 6) Our acceptance to the Creeds as the authoritative statements of Christian faith and doctrine The 39 Articles of Religion The threefold order of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons True, these are all distinctly Anglican Bit it is also true that most if not all Christian Churches hold to the creeds and agree that the Scriptures contain all things necessary for salvation – or at least say they do In fact, when we examine the matter thoroughly we discover to our surprise that there are really no special doctrines or beliefs that distinguish our Church from others In the way, for example, that full immersion baptism distinguishes the Baptist’s We claim to belong to the one holy catholic and apostolic church that has existed from the very beginning And to know only this doctrine and this faith Others Churches and denominations are organised around the threefold order of bishops, priests, and deacons Vestments, vestries, vigils and vergers are not unique to Anglicanism Nor are candles, colours, charismatic gifts, incense, introits, or intercessions Alas, not Processions, prayer books, and pews – well… perhaps Primates So what is it that distinguishes our Church from other Christian traditions that is truly unique to the Anglican Church ? Far be it for me, a humble Curate to provide a definitive answer Let a long since departed and wise ofl Archbishop speak – The Most. Rev’d. Cyril Garbutt says Anglicanism is “a way of worship, that is formed and shaped by the Book of Common Prayer What we might call Anglicanism is, essentially, a way of worship We are gathered here tonight in this beautiful place of worship And joined in the singing of these wonderful and all to often neglected prayers and canticles to share in celebrations of the 100th anniversary of this parish / building For 100 years faithful men and women have – through the beauty and the simplicity of Anglican worship – come to this place To meet with God in Word and Sacrament, and in song The rich heritage of the past is very much with us on an occasion like this And so also is the challenge of the future – for we live in a time of transition and uncertainty (and we feel that most keenly also) Not knowing what the next 100 years will bring and what it will all mean for the Anglican way, for our Diocese, for this parish and this building I have two observations to make tonight - (1) The Most. Rev’d. Cyril Garbutt is certainly right in saying that the Anglican way is defined by worship From Sydney to Ballarat – from Frankston to Ormond, Ridley to Trinity There is a common stamp, an Anglican family likeness, there is common prayer Nowhere is this more evident for me than on occasions such as weddings, baptisms, or funerals When large numbers of non-regular churchgoers and people belonging to that unfortunately large group known as the “lapsed Anglican” find themselves in Church How often the familiar words of the Collect for Purity, the Lord’s Prayer, the responses to various versicles, flow freely from the memory Whether we are just two or three assembled in a hospital chapel Or several hundred in a cathedral Whether it is high mass at St. Peter’s or charismatic praise and worship at St. Hilary’s There is that family likeness – the stamp of common prayer in which all can freely participate And there is an inherent danger in this too – especially for those of us who have known and said these wonderful and venerable prayer and words for many years That they become empty words said without meaning, that have long since lost their power There’s an old story about the Priest who was very suspicious of the new sound system recently installed at his church As he approached the microphone he gave it a tap and instead of giving his usual greeting “The Lord be with You” Said instead – “I think there’s something wrong with this microphone” Well, the microphone happened to be working fine and without missing a beat the congregation replied on cue “And also with you” What Anglican worship does is to place responsibility on you (the worshippers) and me (leaders) If the worship has become dull and boring – it is because we are If the words and the words and actions are meaningless and empty It is because we have let them be so. My daughter is in prep and she recently has been learning about living things and non-living things And so the constant question in our house has been – “Daddy, is that a living thing or a non-living thing” I want to tell you very clearly tonight that Anglicanism is a living thing not a museum exhibit or tourist attraction that tonight’s service is an act of worship, not a concert or performance (2) Second observation a living thing grows and develops and changes as we give thanks and celebrate the past 100 years of Anglican worship in this place and in this community let us also look forward with anticipation to the next 100 years let us journey forward into it, together, without neglecting or forgetting or disparaging the past and that is the key – 1662 Choral Evensong will not appeal to everyone nor even will Third Order Holy Communion we will be using the Prayer Book in ever more creative and innovative ways and that is okay – article 34 anticipates this, saying: “it is not necessary that traditions and ceremonies be in all places one and utterly alike” the same writers and devisors of the articles also established a principle to guide the Church of England through the difficult times and religious controversies of the Reformation times of great challenges and change and uncertainty and the principle they established is reflected strongly in the Anglican way that of the via media or middle way that there is no such thing as an either / or only a both / and in the genuine Anglican tradition it is not a matter of choosing between catholic or reformed worship between contemporary or tradition worship Anglicanism seeks to find the via media: the middle way It rejects the idea that we must choose one over the other And instead says yes to both So let us do that As we journey ahead into the future Taking with us BOTH The heritage and traditions of the past AND meeting the challenges and needs and the imperatives of the present Not neglecting nor diminishing one over the another It won’t be easy But if we can do that we will remain true to what is our genuine Anglican tradition And indeed truly Christian God Bless you and this parish And grant his favour to all who have honoured his name – both the living and faithful departed through their service in this place over the years. Amen.