Church name: Immanuel Anglican Church
Church address: 4619 N Ravenswood, Chicago IL 60640
Date attended: 8.21.2016
Church category: Different Liturgically
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The worship service was much more liturgical than I'm used to, yet it still maintained informal elements. As we walked in, we were handed thick bulletins saturated with compilations of scripture excerpts, hymns, call and response, and blank pages to take notes too. The majority of the service was spent in scripture and there was a careful attention to Christian traditions and sacraments. I'm used to singing hymns and having call and response portions, but I wasn't used to the holy treatment of the physical Bible and some of the other practices which catered to more of the senses. One of the church leaders would hold the wide Bible with larger font and artistic depictions in the center as the pastor read from it. Every time the Bible was moved, a short hymn or meditative music would be sung or played. The head pastor wore a tippet around his neck, and I'm not used to that sort uniform in church. It was more structured in the flow of the service from worship, to lots of scripture reading, to call and responses, to the main message, to communion, to corporate confession, to prayer, to passing the peace, to offering to thanksgiving, to more worship, and then ending with a final sending. There was an overall sense of reverence to God and special centrality to scripture and liturgy.
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I love how it balanced the formality of being reverent and respectful of liturgy and practices, but also had informal elements. It's located in an elementary school and the congregation meets in a space shaped like a Greek theater, shaped like a semi circle with the stage in the front and the audience and giant steps to sit on. That part of it made it feel less formal. I loved that the worship songs and hymns were so full of theological depth with a lot to reflect on. I also loved how the scripture reading of Psalm 40 for the sermon was dramatically read and acted out by people in the congregation. It kept it engaging and brought different parts of text to life. I also liked how scripture was pulled from all different genres of the Bible from the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, the Psalms, the New Testament gospel of Luke, and Hebrews. It's holistic way to view the whole narrative of the Bible at once. I also found it interesting that communion was served with bread and one communal cup. I've always known about churches using on communal communion cup, but that was my first time participating in it.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
There wasn't much that I found especially challenging. There were moments when I didn't know what was supposed to happen next. There were times when the pastor would say something and the whole congregation would echo a response from memory and I didn't know what was going on. There was also a point when the whole congregation bowed together, at communion, and I didn't know we were supposed to do that. It was clearly something that everyone else didn't give much though to because it was habitual going to a more liturgical church.
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
There was a visible sacredness held for scripture that I really appreciated. The main message was on Psalm 40 in a series called "Praying through the Psalms." A lot of time was dedicated to the reading of the whole passage and the pastor spoke right from scripture. He let the passage guide his message, while also making it relevant to today by sharing stories from his life. I was reminded of the importance of saturating my life in scripture, even as we read from all different sections of the Bible. The engagement of all the senses was emphasized as well. It illuminated that fact that our God is not only "otherly" and "holy," but is also deeply connected to us through the physical aspects of our lives. It is so important to engage our bodies, like taking turns speaking scripture out loud as a congregation, standing up and sitting down, candles burning, and taking communion together. I've been to many churches where there is little engagement needed and I think it doesn't open all the avenues to experience and connect with God. Immanuel Anglican did an amazing job of respecting scripture and engaging the senses.
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