The Anglican church is liturgical. Liturgy is the order of worship for a church, and every church has some kind of liturgy. The Anglican Liturgy is written in the Book of Common Prayer, which was formulated by Thomas Cranmer during the English Reformation almost 500 years ago. Anglicans all over the world worship together using the Book of Common Prayer. Though the Book of Common Prayer has been updated many times in past 500 years, almost the entirety of the liturgy in the book remains interconnected with Scripture. One of Cranmer's major goals in reforming the Roman Catholic prayer book was to eliminate anything that was not founded in Scripture.
What is in the Book of Common Prayer?
The bulk of the book is literally prayers to God. Many of these prayers form a worship service. During a traditional Anglican worship service, the congregation hears four readings (often called "Lessons"): one from the Old Testament, one from the Epistles, one from the Gospels, and a Psalm. Often the Lord's Prayer is recited, and one of the creeds of the Church (such as the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene) is said in unison by the congregation in order to regularly affirm their faith. The pinnacle of an Anglican service is communion, and it is always last in the service because everything else in the service points to this special act of worship. All of these, along with prayers for every occasion, can be found in the Book of Common Prayer. If you are interested in finding out which Book of Common Prayer I recommend and how to use it, contact me at adventpastor@gmail.com.
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