“Christian spirituality is ‘how we live life before God.’It is an all encompassing way of life,self-emptying and transformation,reflecting the Pascal Mystery:the life,death and resurrection of Christ” –Abbess Karen Ward
St. Stephen’s is a diverse faith community with a variety people at various stages in their faith journey. As such,all attempts to summarize a common set of beliefs will consistently fall far short.
There are however some common beliefs that we do cling to as Christians and as Anglicans/Episcopalians.
Holy Eucharist
Holy Eucharist (or the Mass) is at the heart and soul of our spirituality and our community life. At St. Stephen’s we strive to “live a life of common worship centered around grateful thanksgiving to God in the weekly celebration of the Holy Eucharist.”
St. Stephen’s has an open altar. All who are baptized and desire to receive the Body and Blood of Christ are invited to do so. All who are hungry and thirsty for God are welcome at Christ’s table.
Anglican/Episcopalian
The characteristics of Anglican/Episcopal spirituality have been outlined in the writings of John Westerhoff and are summarized and freely adapted here:
Liturgical/Scriptural: Anglican/Episcopalian spirituality is rooted in communal prayer and worship as laid out in The Book of Common Prayer. We,as Anglican/Episcopalians,essentially believe what we pray. Thus,our way of praying tends to have structure and is shaped by the reading and prayerful meditation of the Scriptures.
Sacramental: We are centered on the two primary sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist,along with other sacraments of confirmation,holy matrimony,reconciliation,unction,and ordination.
Incarnational: We emphasize the Incarnation,God’s entry into human life and history in the Person of Jesus. Accordingly, we have a spirituality that affirms the goodness of life and the created world and believes that the extraordinary is to be found in the ordinary. Our living into the reality of the Incarnation is expressed in many ways,such as liturgy,music,the arts and service to others.
Temperament
Ambiguous: We are not “black and white” thinkers. Rather we affirm the ambiguity of our common human experience and the value of learning to tolerate and embrace many aspects of human life and the spiritual journey we are traveling together.
Open-minded:We are people of a questioning faith. We search for wisdom in many places and encourage people to listen to each other and to bring their honest questions (and even their doubts) to their spiritual life.
Intuitive:We are at home in the world of image,symbol,ritual,and the arts. Very few Anglicans write systematic theologies. Instead we express our belief in various ways. In addition to being theologians and believers,we are also poets,artists,musicians,writers and storytellers.
Aesthetic: We believe that beauty is the doorway to truth,goodness and,ultimately,God. We convey this belief in various creative ways both for the good of our faith family and for the larger community.
Inclusive:We believe that all people are created in the image of God and strive to recognize that imprint in all who walk beside us. As a result,we welcome everyone who comes to us,and receive all visitors “as Christ.” (The Rule of St. Benedict)
Moderate:We avoid extremes,believing that a godly life is one that is disciplined,balanced and temperate.
Naturalistic: We have a reverence for nature and its rhythms. St. Stephen’s is an animal-friendly congregation and we are thankful for all the companions,both human and animal,who accompany us on our spiritual journey. Anglicans/Episcopalians believe in working to protect the natural world and its creatures.
Political: We believe that Christian life has political implications and that civic responsibility is both a legitimate and important place for Christian apostolic living to be expressed.
Listening:
Our spiritual life is about listening to the voice of God—through prayer,Scripture,liturgy,music,poetry,arts,as well as the depths of our own experience,and in listening to one another in community,through the lives of the saints and to the voice and experiences of the wider church.
Ordered and Regular:
Our spiritual life is formed via an ordered rhythm of prayer and liturgy that is Scriptural and reflective: Anglican/Episcopal prayer has a paricular structure and process,which involves contemplating Scripture,sharing in the Sacraments and being receptive to the presence of God as we open ourselves to being transformed.
Balance:
The life in Christ is best lived in a balanced way and within a faith community. No single element –prayer,work,rest,worship,learning,or recreation –prospers in the “extreme.” Holiness of life is cultivated through a proper balance of all these things.
The previous was very freely adapted (with all due apologies) from The Apostles Church,an Episcopal-Lutheran mission congregation in Seattle,Washington,headed by Abbess Karen Ward.
