laudable Practice

In his sermon Epiphany sermon 'The duty of public worship' (from Sermons for Christmas and Epiphany , 1875), we have yet another example of Keble's preaching reflecting the norms of Old High piety, with little - if any - sense of a Tractarian rupture. This is evident in his description of the spiritual formation which shaped his congregation, a formation grounded in home, catechism, parish church, Sunday worship, Scripture, and Christmas celebrations: For we too have the star in the East: Christ's tokens have shone upon us, and that exceeding brightly. From our very babyhood, as long as we can remember, we have been told of this young Child and of Mary His Mother: our catechisms have told us of Him, we have been taught to name Him in our prayers, and to bow at that Most Holy Name: we have seen His House with the sign of His Cross upon it, far unlike all the other houses around us, and His Day far unlike all the other days of the week: we have been taken into that house,...

... hugely inspiring worship ... dramatic liturgy ... awe-inspiring architecture ... The finest choral music in the world ... or making music with fellow musicians in a worship band has been even more profound. My sense of being led by the Holy Spirit in a common purpose has taken me to a level which one could only experience worshipping God. The words are from a recent blog post examining experiences of public worship, entitled ' Boring Ourselves to Death '. While the above extracts emphasise experiences of the inspiring and the dramatic, the post also addresses quite different experiences in the Church of England: That said, I’ve also been bored and, at times, deeply frustrated at what passes for worship. Sometimes, preaching has been dull, or liturgy has been badly led. Other times, music has been poorly executed. Occasionally, I’ve sensed a complete lack of joy or engagement from those leading or worshipping. As suggested by the title, 'boring' worship is the target...