High Church Ritual

In this essay I will reflect on high church ritual in light of the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation. My goal is to affirm the value of high church ritual.

Within the Anglican Communion there is what has commonly been called “high church” and “low church,” common names for those who are more Anglo-Catholic or Evangelical. In general understanding, Anglo-Catholics affirm such matters as ritual, chanting, vestments, incense, liturgical hangings and colors, stained glass windows, and more. By contrast, Evangelicals affirm the importance of Scripture, preaching, teaching, and doctrine, with less emphasis on ritual and its adornment. Without going into details, I personally affirm the importance of biblical preaching and teaching, believing the Reformation reclaimed vital points of doctrine essential for the life of every congregation. My aim in this essay, however, is to also affirm aspects of the Anglo-Catholic heritage with the recognition, of course, that this heritage can degenerate into fussy ritual and obsessive preoccupation with church ornaments rather than the living God. Even so, this heritage deserves our consideration.

One of the great contributions of Hooker, and Anglicanism in general, is that if certain practices are edifying and not contrary to Scripture, they can be adopted by the church. If not taught in Scripture they are, of course, not necessary to salvation, but they can aid in the worship and love of God. Aspects of Anglo-Catholic ritual falls into that category. It is not commanded in the New Testament, but it can be edifying. To show this, let me begin with a few comments on the doctrines of Trinity and Incarnation.

According to the essay, Trinity and Incarnation, God exists in three ways – God the Father as wholly other and transcendent, God the Son as immediate presence revealing the Father, and God the Spirit enlivening the revelation of the Son and by him the transcendent Father. The example first used to convey these realities and their relationship was Isaiah’s vision in the temple.

If one were to examine the psalms, used in worship, one would find frequent references to the temple, denoting the fact that God has made his home in the temple on Mount Zion. A good example of this is Psalm 48. The key to understanding this psalm, according to Artur Weiser, “is to be found in the cult of the feast of Yahweh which was celebrated in the temple in Jerusalem (vv. 2, 9).”(1) As one reads through the psalm, one can notice that the glory of God is intimately connected with the greatness of the temple itself. In other words, the beauty of the temple, its striking construction and high standing on Mount Zion, contribute to an awareness of the greatness, beauty, and glory of God. For example, beginning in verse 1, God is great and greatly to be praised, and this is linked to his holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, Mount Zion, the city of the great King. Of particular interest is verse 3, “Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.” In other words, the temple, constructed like a fort upon a mountain, enables the worshippers to experience God as a mighty fortress. Verses 4b-7 refer to hearing the saving history, the story of God’s mighty acts proclaimed in the feast of Yahweh (hence the importance of Scripture reading and preaching in worship). Then, verse 8, just as they have heard of God’s mighty acts, they see his glory as they, in the temple, reflect on his steadfast love. The psalm ends as the worshippers go in procession around the temple, rejoicing in its citadels, ramparts, and towers, and as they gaze in awe at these things, they know that their God will be their God forever.

If the transcendence and holiness of God is to be conveyed, then the place where he is known must reflect his nature. For that reason, the Old Testament devotes a number of chapters to the building of the temple, and before that, to the construction of the tent of meeting. The beauty of the temple, its solid construction, the fineness of its materials, the proportions of his forms, its ornamentation, the sacred vessels made of gold, silver, and bronze, the incense, the furniture, even the clothing of the priests, were all constructed to convey the beauty and holiness of God. If God were not transcendent and holy, or if he were not revealed by sense impressions, then perhaps the place where he makes his name to dwell could be of common materials. But this is not the case. God is transcendent and beautiful, and therefore, his beauty and holiness is best conveyed in a physical environment where objects of religious and not common significance are both beautiful and beautifully arranged.

Before Constantine, the early Christians did not build beautiful places of worship since Christianity was illegal. The otherness of God, his greatness and holiness, was conveyed by the Word, by Scripture, preaching, teaching, mysterious rituals such as baptism and Eucharist, and by miracles of healing and deliverance that revealed the awfulness of God. With Constantine, the early Christians began to build beautiful churches and to create beautiful forms of worship which, with time, we associate with Anglo-Catholic worship.

God is not common, and yet, by incarnation, he is common, and worship needs to combine both realities. He is holy, transcendent, and beautiful, and yet, he reveals his glory by humbling himself as conveyed by ordinary things, bread and wine consumed by common people like ourselves. Yet these same common realities, surrounded by images of the transcendent -- the lighting, the colors, the incense that hides his burning glory, the vestments, the candles, the beautiful hangings and altar vessels, all contribute to knowing God in the deep triune sense of immediate presence, transcendent holiness, and joy inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The worship of God is honored in all places. Even in environments such as a hospital room or a battlefield, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist can convey all aspects of the divine nature. Even so, there is a glory to be found in great liturgical worship, done freely without fussiness, and for that, Anglo-Catholics have made a significant contribution to the life of the church and the glory of God.

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High Church Ritual

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