"Principled Worship"

Recently, a visitor here asked if the pews had been removed for some construction project. Well, no, it had to be explained, worship at Incarnation is different on purpose. Yet, it also needs to be said that worship is planned and conducted according to a comprehensive set of principles. What are these principles? Our worship aims to be:

- the work of the whole community [“liturgy” λαος υργος – work of the people] inclusion of the community in planning and acts of worship is an important value (worship is not a “spectator sport”; leadership in worship is not strictly the role of the priest)

- comprehensive – we want to draw on and respond to the diversity of our community – interests, talents, learning styles, etc.

- welcoming of diversity – we strive to create a warm, informal atmosphere, where people of varied religious backgrounds, lifestyles and ages, and at different stages of their spiritual journeys, can all be comfortable

- recognizing efforts, talents and contributions of children and youth – from time to time the product of the efforts or personal talents of the Church School children or parish youth are integrated in a meaningful way into the church decor, service or after-service community gathering

- informal and careful – we are informal in tone, but not casual or careless in approach

- creative – we deliberately experiment with spiritual expression through our worship – we are committed to looking for new ways to express God’s presence in our worship life; we accept that not all experiments will be successful, but that these are important ways to learn and grow

- responsive and challenging – we work to make our worship consistent with the context of our community (responding to community needs and issues), while challenging us individually and collectively to grow in our relationship with God

- missional – we aim for worship that transforms and reinvigorates us for mission

- traditional and adaptable – we follow the general form of the Anglican order of service, but customize the approach to our current context and community needs – when we vary from the form, it is in a thoughtful, deliberate fashion to support a particular theme or worship objective

- pioneering – we are informed by our traditions (liturgically, musically, spatially ), but not bound by them – “We are exploring the boundaries of faith and worship, while respecting the Christian story of God’s love and the traditions of the Anglican church.”

- musically comprehensive – we deliberately work to include many types of music, integrating music as an important element of the day’s theme or focus

- honouring and welcoming the gifts of many – our music program strives to include in as many ways as possible – through use of the musical talents within the community and through involving the broader community in most of the music

- linguistically and symbolically inclusive – inclusive language is important (in both music and liturgy), as is use of varied imagery of God that is consistent with the way we engage in the world (e.g. avoid use of militarized imagery of God)

- spontaneous and reflective – we enjoy the noise and spontaneity of children and adults, but respect the need for times of order, quiet and reflection

- incarnational, affirming that God is present in and through the world – we draw on both what may traditionally be considered both “the sacred” and “the secular” – to reinforce that the connectedness of our faith to the wider world and our place in it

- creative and adaptable – we use the space creatively, organizing and using the physical space in a way that supports our specific worship themes or objectives

- worship should involve differently senses as richly as possible, reflecting that people think, learn and experience in different ways and our worship should engage those different modes, and,

- delighting in beauty and engaging all the senses – the decoration of the space/use of imagery is an important element of ensuring worship engages the different senses.