Sanctification of Space

Because all creation belongs to God and proclaims his glory (Psalm 19:1), Christians through the centuries have sought a variety of ways to glorify him through physical spaces and objects. One early house-turned-church in Syria contains a room that was obviously used for baptisms; the walls are covered with artwork depicting biblical events related to water. Likewise, Christian catacombs were marked with images like the shepherd and lamb. The Eucharist was often celebrated on altars built where martyrs had been buried, and surrounded by graves of the Christian dead, physically enacting the communion of saints proclaimed by the creeds. Later, when buildings were built specifically for worship, they often took a cruciform shape. Many had a baptismal font at the entrance, thus portraying that Christians enter the common life of the church through baptism; from there the entire liturgy was a journey to encounter their Lord at the altar or holy table. Carvings, paintings, mosaics, icons, or stained glass windows retold biblical stories, proclaimed theological doctrines, and recalled the lives of holy men and women. Bells called the people to worship; musical instruments added beauty; song aided attention and memory (see Liturgy and Music). Clergy wore vestments as a source of beauty and a way of honoring the holy work God called them to. And, following the pattern of the Old Testament temple as well as the heavenly temple in the Revelation to John, many churches used incense as a physical representation of the prayers of God’s people.

Of course, some people worried that these things could become a distraction. The medieval Cistercian movement sought beauty in visual simplicity, and some forms of Reformation Protestantism rejected physical adornment almost entirely. The historic Book of Common Prayer allowed only the use of such vestments as were used in the time of Edward VI—but nineteenth century Anglicans found themselves debating what was or was not included in that rubric. Nineteenth century England saw fierce disagreement over placing candles on the altar for Holy Communion. Most Anglicans today would accept that there is a certain range of appropriate practice; however, the phrase from the Psalms remains a touchstone for Anglicans of all sorts, as we strive to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Because our bodies are spiritually significant, Christians over the centuries have also sought to consecrate them to God. This includes bodily spiritual disciplines like fasting and acts of mercy. It also includes physical actions like kneeling, bowing, raising hands, or making the sign of the cross (a practice that Tertullian and other early authors, as well as Medieval and Reformation figures like Martin Luther, describe, explain, and commend). Worship that appeals to all the senses—not only hearing, but also sight and touch and smell and taste—reminds us that we pray with our bodies as well as our minds and spirits.

Candidates are expected to be able to identify and explain the proper function of physical objects used in Christian worship in the Anglican tradition, including processional crosses, candles, and the vessels and other articles used in the celebration of Holy Communion. They should know the names of various parts of the Christian worship space (the nave, the chancel, the sanctuary, etc.). They must know the colors associated with various seasons of the church year and their significance, as well as the names of different vestments and how to wear them properly. They should be familiar with appropriate “manual acts” traditionally used by priests celebrating the Eucharist or officiating at other liturgies—especially those required or implied by the rubrics of the Prayer Book. Finally, candidates should have at least some awareness of the range of physical acts of devotion (bowing, genuflection, making the sign of the cross) that are found in various streams of the Anglican tradition, and possess a basic understanding of the significance of such actions.

Areas of Liturgics

1. History of Christian Worship
2. Content and use of The Book of Common Prayer
3. Daily Office
4. Corporate and Private Prayer
5. Sacramental Theology
6. The Holy Eucharist
7. Baptism and Confirmation
8. Marriage and Children
9. Rites of Healing
10. Death and Burial
11. Sanctification of Time
12. Sanctification of Space
13. Liturgy and Music
14. Liturgy and Mission