Archived Articles by Father Rob Smith

What Kind of Church is the Church of the Apostles?

Over the past few years we have had some discussion both in the Church Office and on the Bishop's Committee over how to answer one particular recurring question. On any given afternoon the phone is apt to ring and a faceless voice will ask, "Is Apostles a Charismatic Church?" We have discovered that the only answer that makes sense is itself another question: "What do you mean by Charismatic?" People who ask whether or not we are Charismatic have a wide range of conceptions about what that means.

For some it means, "Do people raise their hands in worship and sing contemporary music" to which the answer is "yes" and "no". Some people raise their hands; it is after all the ancient way of praying. Jesus prayed that way. Priests at every altar in every church model that style of prayer. But no, you don't have to raise your hands if it makes you uncomfortable and at Apostles many people don't raise their hands to pray. And yes, we sing contemporary music, but we also sing traditional hymns, and our very fine choir has a wide repertoire.

Others who have had particularly uncomfortable experiences worry over a variety of other things that they may have seen either on television or stumbled on when they attended a church that features loud speaking in tongues, noisy prayers for healing accompanied by people dropping to the ground. If they are asking if we are that kind of church the answer us "no". If, on the other hand, they hope to find those kinds of things when they ask, "Is Apostles a charismatic church?" they will end up disappointed. Yes, we have a number of people who exercise the gift of tongues as a quiet prayer language, but shouting in tongues on Sunday morning, or any other time is not a part of our church experience.

Our prayers for healing at the Altar Rail and at the St. Luke Altar at the back of our worship area are gentle and respect the feelings and sensitivities of those being prayed for. After all, I wouldn't want someone shouting over me and banging me on the head with their hand in hopes that I might fall over. On the other hand, when people are prayed for occasionally we see a manifestation spoken of by the 14th century English Abbot Walter Hilton who said, "The joyful sword of love so wounds the soul that the body collapses unable to bear it." When that has happened most of the congregation have missed it because they were facing the wrong way. However, we must admit that one very charismatic thing happens in our own gentle way: When people receive the laying on of hands for healing at Apostles they are very often healed, sometimes gradually, sometimes swiftly, because healing is not a matter of emotionalism or style, but a matter of faith, and of love, and of the presence of God.

There is another manifestation however that we must admit to. Very often someone will come into our midst during Sunday morning worship and be so struck by the power of the love and presence of God that they will begin to weep. That has happened from time to time from the earliest days of our congregational experience and continues to this day. All of a sudden in worship we experience the reality; He is here, in our midst, loving us as we love and praise Him. That is after all what worship is really all about. If by asking "Is Apostles a charismatic church?" you really mean that you might meet Him and experience His power the answer is "yes" not "no".

Spiritual Renewal must be known in personal experience, and the authenticity of our experience of renewal must be measured against the events of spiritual renewal in Holy Scripture. Christian faith must become experiential. The Church can have too little of the Holy Spirit, but it can never have too much. Ultimately, the experience of the Holy Spirit in worship is not about the externals of style but about the presence of God. Apart from spiritual renewal there is only death. We must be aware that while order in theology and worship may preserve Christian life and truth it also may embalm it. The Reformation watchword was Semper Reformanda, always to be reformed. That is not as vital a watchword as Semper Renovanda, always to be renewed. Semper Renovanda ought to be our parish motto.

I don't want a dry emotionless Christianity that I can control. I don't want a dry emotionless Christianity that you can control either. I want to meet God in worship and be His man in the midst of His world. I want to experience and be everything He wants me to experience and be. What do you want?

"Roll on, thou river of life! Visit every dwelling! Save a multitude of souls. Come, Holy Spirit! Come quickly!"

Fr. Rob Smith+

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