How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given

As we prepare to receive the holy Sacrament at Christmas, words from a John Henry Hobart sermon (from a collection published in 1824) for Christmas Day. This short extract may seem quite unremarkable but it is this which has drawn me to it.

The Church calls us, on this day, sacred to the commemoration of his nativity, to display our penitence, our gratitude, and our love, in that holy supper which he hath instituted, to set forth all that he hath done for us, and to assure us of the blessings which he hath purchased for us, and in which we offer to him, who hath visited and redeemed us, ourselves, our souls, and bodies, a holy sacrifice.

Its very modesty and reserve aptly captures something important to Anglican piety. Here there is no Enthusiasm, no dramatic asceticism, no urgent revivalism. But, rather, the quiet, prayerful reception of the holy Sacrament on the feast of the Lord's Nativity. How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given.

The extract is a succession of phrases from the Book of Common Prayer, exemplifying how this liturgy has shaped and sustained the prayers and piety of Anglicans over centuries. Words, phrases, prayers from it have taken root in the Anglican soul, drawing us into the "tender mercy" of "almighty God our heavenly Father".

Referring to the "holy supper" (a term used in the second exhortation), the Old High Hobart reminds us that this tradition is an expression of the Reformed tradition and, in particular, holds to a Reformed eucharistic theology. It is an invitation to drink deeply from this rich theology and the sacramental piety associated with it, most beautifully, most powerfully expressed in Hooker's chapter on the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ in Book V of the Lawes.

Finally, of course, it is an extract from a Christmas Day sermon: "on this day, sacred to the commemoration of his nativity". We celebrate Christmas with the Prayer Book's provision for the feast, "as at this time"; with the sermons which, over centuries, have declared that "the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared"; and with the domestic and communal celebrations which have naturally marked the season. It is neither raucous nor extravagant. It is this quiet modesty and gentle reserve which brings us in heart and soul to know true and lasting joy in the Redeemer's birth.

After a Christmastide break, laudable Practice will return on 3rd January, the Year of Our Lord 2023.

Merry Christmas.

Why I support the ordination of women: a High Church reflection

A number of commenters on this blog have asked about my occasional expressions of support for the ordination of women to all three orders. With some hesitation, I have decided to post a summary of my own views on this matter. The hesitation is because I have sought on this blog to focus on issues and themes which can unify those who identify with or have respect (grudging or otherwise!) for what we might term 'classical' Anglicanism (the Anglicanism of the Formularies and - yes - of the Old High Church tradition). Some oppose the ordination of women (and I have friends and colleagues who do so, Anglo-Catholic, High Church, and Reformed Evangelical). Some of us support it (again, friends and colleagues covering a wide range of theological traditions). Below, I have organised my thinking around 5 points (needless to say, no reference to Dort is implied). 1. The Declaration for Subscription required of clergy in the Church of Ireland states: (6) I promise to submit ...

How the Old High tradition continued

Charles Gore's 1914 letter to the clergy of his diocese, ' The Basis of Anglican Fellowship ', can be regarded as a classical expression of the Prayer Book Catholic tradition. A key part of the letter - entitled 'Romanizing in the Church of England' - addressed the "Catholic movement", questioning beliefs and practices within it which tended to "a position which makes it very difficult for its extremer representatives to give an intelligible reason why they are not Roman Catholics". Gore provides the outlines of an alternative account and experience of catholicity within Anglicanism, defined by three characteristics. What is particularly interesting about these characteristics is their continuity with the older High Church tradition. Indeed, the central characteristic as set out by Gore was integral to High Church claims over centuries: To accept the Anglican position as valid, in any sense, is to appeal behind the Pope and the authority of t...

1928 practices and the 1979 book: unthinking conservatism or popular piety?

Those responsible for Earth & Altar - a new blog emanating from a group within TEC - are to be congratulated for an excellent contribution to wider Anglican discussion and debate. The commitment to "an expansively conceived credal orthodoxy as fully compatible with LGBTQ inclusion, gender equality, and racial justice" is an important part of a wider retrieval of creedal orthodoxy within what we might call the post-liberal generation. It is in this spirit that I want to respond to a recent post on the site by Andrew McGowan , Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and Professor of Anglican Studies at Yale Divinity School. Against the background of another round of "ill-defined" liturgical revision in TEC, he understandably urges that a fuller reception of the 1979 BCP should occur before further reforms. In doing so, however, he takes aim at what he describes as "clinging to the ritual structures of 1928" while using the text of 1979. We ...

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