The sacramental character of Anglicanism is another reason why I chose to become part of the Anglican Communion. The sacraments are a way for us to grasp spiritual realities that would otherwise be abstract and difficult to understand. To quote Richard Hooker, they "are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." The sacraments are in effect mediators of the sacred. There are certainly other gateways to the holy besides the 'official' sacraments as is clear from the vitality of the evangelical and charismatic movements, but the sacraments passed down by the historic Church have stood the test of time and have been a blessing to Christians since the Church's earliest beginnings.
The sacraments differ from more modern elements of Christianity in that they rely less on subjectivity. Before I became a sacramental Christian I often struggled with the fact that I did not always 'feel' something while attending church. How did I know that God was really present? Plenty of people around me seemed to have no problem experiencing God through praise and worship, but my left-brained personality tended to regard this expression of Christianity as emotionalism. As a result God had to reach me through other means, and it just so happened that the sacraments were exactly the medicine I needed.
The sacraments provide visible assurance that Christ is present in His Church regardless of how we may feel at the time. They bind us together in the mystical Body of Christ and sustain us for the journey. They function as a connection between the material and the spiritual world, and this affirms the fact that physical actions and substances can have spiritual benefits. We are more than just spirits in temporary cages of flesh to be discarded at death. We are bodies animated by a soul, and as a result what we do with our bodies has spiritual relevance. To put it plainly: Matter matters.
When I dip my fingers in the baptismal font and cross myself as I walk into the sanctuary the water helps me remember the moment I became Christian at my baptism. When I receive the Eucharist I know that I am doing more than just eating bread and drinking wine. I am receiving Jesus Himself through the Eucharist, and in doing so I am given a special grace available through no other means. When I was confirmed through the laying on of hands by my bishop I knew objectively that my bond with the Church was strengthened.
For me the sacraments are a reassuring sign that God is with His Church, and they are a large part of why I am Anglican. Certainly other expressions of Christianity are sacramental, but Anglicanism has a special character all its own that is best experienced over time rather than explained. When you sense grace working in your life as a result of the sacraments then you will have some idea of what the Anglican pilgrimage is like.
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2 comments:
Very irenic and concise post. I'm enjoying your series!
Again, your post echoes my own thoughts. My wife and I have been attending a more evangelical church for the past six months or so, but I think I'm just not made for that kind of worship. The evangelical experience of God seems to be an entirely mental/spiritual thing, with no physical component, and for me it's just too abstract. I have a hard time feeling like anything is happening, and I'm anxious about pushing myself to "feel it" since I grew up in a religion that basically runs on people convincing themselves that they are receiving revelation all the time.
I definitely want a church with sacraments, and sacraments that are rooted in tradition- it lends them weight. Also, sacraments that are treated sacredly, and although I think Roman catholicism may go too far, I think the sacraments need to be a shade more holy than a symbolic bite to eat and a bit to drink.
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