I was not baptised Anglican. Neither were the other members of my immediate family. We made a conscious choice to become Anglican as a family in 2005. That choice was formalised by a ceremony of Reception presided over by then head of the Anglican Church of Canada, Primate Fred Hiltz in the presence of the Diocesan Bishop at that time, Bruce Howe. A service of Reception is typically done with a Bishop present, often at the same time as Confirmations and Reaffirmations. All of these are embedded into the liturgy of Baptism and offer outward and visible signs connected to faith.
Baptism is the sacrament in which we formally welcome individuals into the Christian family. The Book of Alternative services states: “The bond which God establishes in baptism is indissoluble.” For us, Baptism makes visible the grace of God’s loving presence in our lives, reinforced through our participation in the faith. This is embodied in the saving water poured in the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the oil of chrism which marks us as Christ’s own, and the candle which calls us to be light. These symbols of our relationship to God and the Christian community need only happen once. In God this connection is forever.
Similarly, Confirmation is a once and forever act. The service involves a familiar renewal of the covenant made in Baptism. Humans are imperfect so this renewal is an important reminder of our role in the relationship and Church family and can be done many, many, many, times. What makes Confirmation particularly special is that it is typically led by a Bishop who places hands on the confirmand and invokes the Holy Spirit. The symbolic receiving of the Holy Spirit is what is indissoluble. Once we accept the Holy Spirit into our lives, that Spirit remains with us prodding us, challenging us, and supporting us whether we are aware or not.
Adjacent to Baptism and Confirmation, the service of reception welcomes those who have been baptised in other traditions into the Anglican Church family. Reception is not required for participation in the Anglican Church, except for those pursuing ordination. It can be a beautiful sign of inclusion and affirmation.
The service of reaffirmation offers Anglicans the opportunity to reaffirm their sense of belonging to the Anglican family. Some choose to participate in reaffirmation following a return to the family after feeling disconnected for some reason. Others choose reaffirmation to celebrate being part of a great family of faith.
It’s a big family! In the Anglican tradition, it doesn’t matter in which Christian denomination baptism was performed. As long as one was baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that indissoluble connection has been established and the individual is considered part of the family. That is because Anglicans believe we are part of Christ’s holy catholic church.
To be clear, I am saying catholic as we do in the Creed, where the ‘c’ is not capitalised. Capital ‘C’ Catholic is directly associated with the Catholic Church. That is not what I am talking about here or what we profess in the Creed. When we say, small ‘c’, catholic, we are professing the belief that we are part of Christ’s universal church. Within that proclamation is also the belief that we are not THE church, as in the only expression of Christ’s Church. We accept that there are diverse expressions of faith as embodied in different denominations and, truthfully, in the Anglican Church itself. As I like to say, there is only one God, but there are many ways to know and be in relationship to God.
Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’
One of the great things about the feeding miracle is that Jesus doesn’t spend any time determining who is worthy to participate. There were no expectations about qualifications, age, gender, things that had to be done, or things that had to be said to get food. Jesus took, blessed, broke, and gave. That’s it. He saw a need, and he provided food.
I believe our willingness to accept diversity, that openness to meet everyone at the table regardless of credentials, reflects this generosity. To the extent that Anglican churches create space to include and affirm all, we are seeking to take, bless, break, and give to all trusting that God knows everyone’s heart and that is enough.
The Anglican Church is not THE church. We are part of Christ’s holy, small ‘c’, catholic church and that is enough. We can stand with the 5000 and be fed. We can stand with the 5000 and share our food. May we continually open our hearts to receive each other as God’s beloved children, feeding and being fed in this imperfect expression of faith we call our church family. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 389 Together
