The Episcopal Tradition
by the Rev. Beth Maynard
When people ask me what religion
I belong to, I usually tell them I am a Christian practicing as an
Episcopalian. I have come to realize that any follower of Jesus benefits from
choosing a particular family of faith and becoming immersed in its style of
discipleship. Cobbling together bits and pieces of practices from various
Christian groups, or switching allegiance every few years, creates a spiritual
life that is broad but not deep. On the other hand, staying in one place,
despite the inevitable difficulties and annoyances, allows habits of faith to
sink profoundly into the soul.
Thus, since I became a Christian
in 1979, my journey has been lived out in the context of the Episcopal Church,
whose rich heritage has shaped me greatly. There are three special aspects of
the Episcopal way that God continually uses to nourish, challenge, and guide
me.
1) Living in a Sacramental
Universe
Because Jesus really took on
human flesh to save us, Episcopalians treasure the material world. We are
often active in working for the environment, or in trying to improve living
conditions in our own towns, for example. And our worship unfailingly takes
elements of matter, which God used and honored in the Incarnation, and offers
them back to him. I love coming into an Episcopal church and seeing the play
of candlelight around the altar, smelling incense, seeing beautiful fabrics,
images, stained glass. All those things give me a way to worship with my body,
and they subtly teach me about God in a way more profound than words ever
could.
I know by faith that the
Lord always shows up when we celebrate his sacraments
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Anything can be seen as
sacramental (doesn't God's grace come through hugs of support, through
sunsets, through the sound of a loved one's voice?). But I have learned
through the Episcopal way that God's presence doesn't just generally infuse
his creation; it also periodically comes to specific points of focus. This
happens for me in the sacraments, those ancient rites of the Church where
grace gets married to matter. It is as if a magnifying glass has gathered
God's Light and brought it to a point so intense it almost burns.
God's promise to act in these
rites, despite our weak faith and our unreliable emotions, gives them immense
spiritual power. For me, the highlight of each week is celebrating the Sunday
Eucharist (Communion) and tasting the bread and wine that by Christ's Word
become for us his Body and Blood. I have had important experiences of God in
private prayer, or in acts of working for justice in society, but I know by
faith that the Lord always shows up when we celebrate his sacraments.
2) The Prayer Life of a
Community
Like most the liturgical
Christian traditions, the Episcopal Church offers ways of praying together not
just on Sundays, but every day of the week. Our "Daily Office,"
rooted in the 6th-century Rule of St. Benedict, widens and enriches my prayer
life. Left to my own devices, I would probably thumb vaguely through my Bible
and get stuck on familiar themes. The Daily Office, with its two-year cycle of
reading Scripture, its songs of praise, and its pattern of intercession, calls
me out of that kind of self-absorption. It instills a focus on God, reminds me
to remember the world's needs, and surrounds me with a community praying for
and with each other.
It instills a focus on God,
reminds me to remember the world's needs
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Of course, I rarely have the
chance to pray the Office with other members of this community actually in the
room. But as I open my Book of Common Prayer every morning and whisper
"Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise,"
images of the throngs praying with me worldwide come to mind. Sometimes I
remember specific groups with whom I have shared this daily prayer: sisters at
a convent, hospital chaplains, my classmates at seminary. Or I remember places
I have said the Office: hotel rooms, airport lounges, trains, beaches, even
once in an interstate rest area after totalling my car and escaping unharmed.
Does this kind of formal prayer
replace spontaneous conversation with Christ, or silent contemplation? Of
course not. But praying the Office builds up a structure of relationship with
God and with other Christians that is stronger than I could ever create on my
own.
3) The Communion of Saints
Paul's Epistles make it clear
that we are all "saints" because God has called us holy in Jesus.
But as an Episcopalian I also look to the stories of people throughout history
who were able to inspire others with their walk of faith. Everyone loves a
good testimony, and the saints supply those in abundance.
people throughout history
who were able to inspire others with their walk of faith
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Going to Eucharist on a weekday,
I may be renewed in my call by hearing how Hilda of Whitby (born 614)
exercised gifts of leadership despite her era's restrictions on women. Looking
at the church calendar, I may discover that today is the feast of the martyrs
of Memphis (Tennessee), who died in 1878 trying to care for victims of yellow
fever, and discuss with some other Christians what their story means now, in
an age of AIDS. When I am feeling afraid to step out in faith, I may call to
mind the story of how bravely Mary the mother of Jesus said, "Let it be
done to me according to your will."
The communion of saints is my
extended family. I don't believe these people are more loved by God than
anyone else, or that they have powers denied to the rest of us. But I do feel
their companionship, and I do imagine that in heaven they pray for us who
struggle here below. It is a joy to join in the great parade of friends of
God, stretching back for two millennia, of which we are just a little and
latter-day part.
These are only a few examples of
how my faith is shaped by my tradition; I could name more, and other Episcopal
women might make different lists. But these three have become especially
meaningful to me, a Christian practicing as an Episcopalian.
the Rev. Beth Maynard
Priest-in-Charge at Good Shepherd, Fairhaven MA
Assistant Rector at St. Gabriel's, Marion MA
Growing up unchurched in
Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Maynard often suspected she was the only
non-Christian child in the Bible Belt. After a conversion to Christ through
the Episcopal Church in her late teens, she graduated from Amherst College and
worked first in music publishing, then at a shelter for homeless women and men
on the North Shore of Boston.
Ordained in 1994 after
seminary training at Boston University School of Theology and Seabury-Western,
she has worked in college chaplaincy and in the parish. Her current position,
in the Diocese of Massachusetts, is a shared ministry between the Church of
the Good Shepherd in Fairhaven, a small congregation where she is
Priest-in-Charge, and St. Gabriel's Church in Marion, a large congregation
where she is Assistant Rector. Beth is the author of the book _Meditations for
Lay Eucharistic Ministers_ and a member of the Core Team of Gathering the neXt
Generation, a national network of Generation X Episcopal clergy. She enjoys
writing, cooking, and gazing at the New England coastline.
This copyrighted article was originally printed on the women-of-faith.com
Website. It has been reprinted here in its entirety
with their permission. Our thanks go to the Rev. Maynard for writing
this article, Jackie Whitlock for discovering it, and Cheryl Mitchell for
giving us permission to reprint it.
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