Theodora Beschel- Church Visit #1

Church name: Church of the Resurrection

Church address: Hill Elementary School

724 Pennsylvania Ave

Aurora, IL 60506

Date attended: 09/13/2015

Church category: More liturgical 

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

The worship service at Church of the Resurrection was far more liturgical than the service I usually attend. There was far more call and response reading than my normal church. Along the same vein, the prayer in general was much more structured. Usually the prayer at my church is improvised by the speaker. At the beginning of the service, procession was much more formal than I was used to. I was not accustomed to seeing the official garb and hats of the priests. Additionally, the use of incense was new. Some of the worship songs were familiar to me as well as the general feel of worship. I felt comfortable with the physical expression of worship (such as raising hands, clapping etc.). The apparel was also familiar to me, a business casual sort of dress code.

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

To my surprise, I sincerely enjoyed the structured, call and response prayers. This particular period of my life holds much confusion and struggling with difficult questions regarding faith. I found shelter in prayers which spoke into the difficulties of my heart, yet did not rely upon me to develop them. I felt great peace being able to connect to Christ even in a time of spiritual weakness. It also brought me a great sense of community to pray aloud with the congregation around me. In my normal prayer experience, one person prays and everyone else more or less simply listens to the one prayer and lifts it up quietly. Joining in voice with fellow Christians around me to lift up one prayer, one supplication to the Lord our God moved me greatly. It brought me comfort to know the Holy Spirit is not only working in my heart, but in those around me. This reaffirmed my trust in the Lord and his sovereignty.

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

The service I attended was unusual in that it was dedicated to the ordination of a deacon. The affirmation of the church hierarchy within several confessions by the deacon being ordained was by far the most difficult part of the service for me. Phrases such as “…Bishop, and other chief Ministers, who, according to the Canons of the Church, may have charge and authority over you…” stuck out to me strongly because of my unfamiliarity with a rigid hierarchy of leadership. All the churches I have attended have been, if not independent, only loosely affiliated with broader denominational associations. Such submission to higher church leadership stirs in me stories of past tragedies such as the Crusades which happened under the auspices of the Catholic Church. I recognize this connection crumbles under closer inspection, yet that initial rejection of strict hierarchy was still present during the service.

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

One aspect of theology which the service reinforced was the fact that Jesus Christ and the Holy Scripture have everything necessary for salvation. Several times throughout the service phrases such as “only through the holy blood of Jesus Christ” and even more bluntly “the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament… contain all things necessary for salvation” were repeated. Although my regular church preaches this as well, the constant repetition and qualification that “we can­­­­_____, but only by the help of God” helped reinforce the idea that salvation can only be achieved through Jesus Christ. Longer sermons help clarify how to live out the gospel, however, for me at least, they also bring about a sense of power over my salvation. Occasionally after sermons I feel as if I change my ways, even righteously such as praying more or treating others with more love, I will become more holy. Church of the Resurrection constantly reminded me that salvation is not through my works or deeds, but rather the grace of Christ.