Amanda Short - Church Visit #1

Church Name: Church of the Resurrection 
Church Address: 935 W. Union Avenue, Wheaton, Il 60187
Date Attended: 9/6/15
Church Category: More Liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar or different from your regular context?
 One of the first differences that I noticed attending an Anglican church was my own absolute dependence on the bulletin - all 23 pages of it. In my normal context, I interact with the bulletin only as long as it takes me to flip through and find the sermon notes. Having been raised in a nondenominational church, I knew very little of the liturgy that most of the obviously long-term attenders recited from memory. Another major difference that I noticed was the reverence shown toward the Gospel reading from Mark. Not only did we stand and recite a small bit of liturgy, but what stood out especially to me in particular was the "Alleluia" chant sung before and after the reading, with the Deacon's ritualistic handling of the text. Finally, the length of time devoted to communion was much longer than what I am accustomed to. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
 I have to admit to being a bit proud of myself for being able to recite The Apostles' Creed from memory with the rest of the congregation, despite never having done so at my home church. Especially after our class lecture touching on the importance of tradition, I appreciated the fact that I was able to participate in the communion of saints with Christians past and present through this creed. It served as a reminder for myself of my position in the larger timeline of the Christian faith. Even more so I loved the prayer of confession immediately following the recitation of the creed. I've recently been bothered by the lack of confession within my own church context, making this my favorite part of the service. 
Overall I think that these two elements added a dimension of humility to the service. 

What did you find most challenging or disorienting about the worship service?
 It was definitely a humbling experience to attend a service during which, try as I might, I couldn't fully blend in. I'm sure that the people nearby me could tell that I wasn't familiar with an Anglican service. One could definitely say that I was disoriented. However, I felt a certain amount of connection and unity with the congregation as we participated in the service synchronously. I enjoyed being able to verbalize my beliefs and agreement with the liturgy. I was also a bit startled by the ritualistic aspect of some of the parts of the service, such as when the Deacon lifted the Bible above her head before and after reading from Mark. My initial reaction was discomfort at the idea of a physical object being shown such piety, but after a minute I considered the fact that this was meant as a recognition of the sanctity of God's word and gospel as opposed to the physical copy itself. 

What aspects of scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context? 
  As I already mentioned, several aspects of the service fostered a sense of humility. The Apostles' Creed emphasized a communion with and respect for past brothers and sisters in the faith. The Confession of Sin obviously exercised acknowledgement of our own insufficiency and brokenness. Even the simple act of standing for the Gospel reading and other portions of the service imparts a self-denying attitude missing in many less liturgical churches, in my opinion. The taking of communion was longer than I am used to, but the longer process helped me to dwell on the significance of the Eucharist in a way that is harder to attain in my normal context.