Mariana Maxey- church visit 2

All Souls Anglican Church

25W741 Jewell Road, Wheaton, Illinois 60187

March 8 

Liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The set up of the church had the pews angled in, and in the front was a circle of railing to kneel at. The songs were serious and the congregation joined in loudly. I could see many images and paintings around the walls, including a mural of Jesus on the back wall above the doors. It was painted by Professor Sheesley from the Wheaton art department. The atmosphere alone exhibited more awe and reverence than the church I used to attend which was held on a cement basketball court. I loved that congregation members had contributed to the aesthetics of the church building as opposed to the separate roles of attendees and leaders in previous churches I’ve attended.

 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

This was one of the most liturgical churches I had ever attended, and it reminded me of the churches I attended when I lived in England. Having readings which were meant to be read all together gave me a sense of being involved and enveloped in the service. As a chronic daydreamer, I cherished the opportunity to follow along in the program with my voice. Not only did this keep me grounded in the room, but also helped to diminish the stark separation between the congregation and the leaders of the service. While the majority of the speakers and prayers were men, there were a few women who got to read from the Bible. I felt included by this fact. 

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

For me the most challenging aspect was the communion time. Row by row, each pew walked to the front and kneeled around the railing, accepting the bread and sipping the wine out of a golden chalice. Up to this point I had relished in the beauty and ceremony of the flowing robes, candles and prewritten responses. As I watched the first two rows accepting communion, I realized that I didn’t want to kneel before the “fancy men”. Though this ancient tradition has nothing to do with worshipping people, I have a bit of a sore spot in regards to the abuse of power by men in the church. For that immature reason, I didn’t go up to receive communion. This is a classic example of “making a point” that negatively impacts me alone. 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

I saw the scriptures in a whole new way. The Bible was  brought into and out of  the sanctuary by a processional, was ornately decorated and put on prominent display on the table in the front. Through the solemn reading of the scripture, and the ancient prayers, I was made aware of how I was connected to centuries of tradition and enduring truths read from the Bible. In my regular context, very little regard is given for the book of the Bible, and we are often told not to venerate the book, because its only a book. Witnessing this reverence to the Bible helped me to hear the words as the real words from God, inspired and given to us. I felt more sensitive to that the things I listened to, partly because I saw the act of reading the Scriptures as sacred, rather than menial. The ritual connected to the reading of the Scripture is an aspect that I miss when I go to another church.