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Instructed Eucharist 10 Offered on September 3, 2017 At Zion Episcopal Church By the Reverend Sarah E. Saxe

The

The Question: “What’s the deal with the Bishop’s funny hat, giant cane and smelly ashes? I just don’t get the role of the Bishop and the significance of his once a year visit. Seriously, can you explain the symbolism of his toys?”

Let’s start by turning to page 855 of the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer. I’ll read the questions and I ask you to read the answers. Q. Who are the ministers of the Church? A. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, , priests, and .

So there are four orders of people who are ministers of the Church: first is the laity, second the bishops, and third and fourth, two equal yet separate orders are the deacons and priests. This is important to keep in mind when we later look at church governance.

Next question: Q. What is the ministry of the laity? A. The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.

Look closely at the last sentence. It is up to the laity to participate not just in the life and worship of the Church but also its governance. Keep that in mind for later.

Next question: Q. What is the ministry of a bishop? A. The ministry of a bishop is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as apostle, chief priest, and of a ; to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole Church; to proclaim the Word of God; to act in Christ’s name for the reconciliation of the world and the building up of the Church; and to ordain others to continue Christ’s ministry.

Understanding the ministry of bishops helps us to understand their role, their annual visitation and their toys, which are not toys at all but sacred symbols of their authority.

Now let’s turn to the Instructed Eucharist question:

“What’s the deal with the smelly ashes?” I think this is a reference to the burning of incense, which should be a pleasant smell and not ‘smelly’.

At the time of the origin of , Roman cities had numerous temples in which sacrifices were offered to the gods, and authorities scheduled civic rituals during which incense was burned to dead emperors, and eventually also to living emperors, as acknowledgment that the emperors were themselves divine.

Something of those rituals influenced Christian practice, whereby some Christians, instead of burning up dead animals, regularly burned incense during worship. Although the practice probably entered Sunday worship as a way to cover with sweet smells the body odor of an unwashed crowd, the religious idea is that as the smoke of the fire ascends, so prayer goes up to God. So this practice is thought to enhance their communal prayer. (Ramshaw 55)

Incense is a beloved symbol of the Orthodox and it is used prolifically throughout the Sunday liturgy. The hope is that the sight and smell of the ascending smoke will envelop the room and surround the worshipers, to suggest something of the heavenly atmosphere that surrounds the divine presence and to symbolize the Divine Liturgy ascending to the throne of God. (Ramshaw 90)

Some Episcopal churches burn incense every Sunday. Others only for major or principal feasts. Yet others only at Christmas and/or Easter. And some, like Zion never use incense.

Some burn incense when the Bishop visits even though his visit is not a major feast in the Church Calendar. Perhaps it is burned in recognition of him as our spiritual leader.

Next part of the question: “What’s the deal with the Bishop’s giant cane?” A crozier, spelled with either a ‘z’ or an ‘s’ is the pastoral staff of a Bishop. It was originally a walking stick and sometime in the 7th century acquired the symbolism of a shepherd’s crook. It is a sign of pastoral authority and so may also be carried by and as well as bishops.

In liturgical processions, the diocesan bishop or his chaplain carries the crozier in the left hand, with the crook facing outward. It is also held by the bishop when pronouncing an episcopal blessing (episcopal means bishop – from the Greek word episkopos – so a bishop’s blessing).

Although the crozier was originally part of the insignia of all bishops, it is now used mainly by diocesan bishops in their own jurisdictions.

Next, “What’s the deal with the Bishop’s funny hat?”

The bishop’s vestments (what he wears when participating in worship) can include an alb or rochet with a cope or chasuble or with a chimere and a tippet or stole. They almost always include the mitre.

The mitre (spelled with either an ‘re’ or ‘er’ is a distinct hat worn by a bishop, or as a symbol of authority. It is typically worn by bishops in liturgical processions and when pronouncing episcopal blessings. It is removed during prayer.

Derived from the Greek word ‘mitras’ which means ‘headdress’ or ‘turban,’ Anglican and Roman miters are in the shape of a shield and pointed at the top. (Like the bishop in a chess set.) It is usually of white silk or linen and ornamented with gold embroidery. Two lappets (pendant bands or flaps that look like 2 wide ribbons) hang down the back, representing the tongues of fire that rested on the apostles on the Day of Pentecost. (ECUSA glossary)

Why is it in the shape of a shield? I couldn’t find an answer. One source suggested that “the miter may be derived from the headgear of civil of the late Roman empire.” But I wonder if it also is linked to the ministry of the Bishop that we read; one aspect of which is to guard the faith.

So when in procession or pronouncing a blessing, the Bishop holds the crozier in his left hand and wears the mitre.

For those of you interested in the other vestments – the chasuble, cope, rochet, chimere, tippet and stole – my Liturgics 501 glossary will be in the Hall for you to look through (It has pictures).

Next part of the question: What is the significance of the bishop’s annual visit? To answer that question let us first consider the question of who our priest is. Who is the priest of Zion? Me? (Yes and No)

Let’s return to the Catechism, now page 856. Q. What is the ministry of a priest or presbyter? A. The ministry of a priest is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as pastor to the people; to share with the bishop in the overseeing of the Church; to proclaim the Gospel; to administer the sacraments; and to bless and declare pardon in the name of God.

I share with the bishop in the overseeing of the Church. I am a priest, but the bishop is the chief priest. The bishop is both my priest and yours.

Indeed, the reason why individual churches have priests is because as the early Church grew and expanded, the bishop or ‘overseer’ (which is what episkopos means) was unable to visit all the churches on a Sunday

For example, here in the Diocese of East Carolina, we only have one bishop but about 70 congregations so the bishop visits about once every 2 years.

But because it is the Bishop who is the chief priest or overseer, that is why in the Episcopal Church, the Bishop approves each church’s selection of its own priest for worship and pastoral needs.

Not only should you look to him for teaching and guidance but so do I. I think that’s why it’s so important for us all to share a meal and conversation afterward so that we can share our questions, celebrations and concerns with our ‘overseer.’

So when the bishop – the priest of all of us – does come on a Sunday, it’s a big deal.

And that leads to the last part of the question: What is the role of the bishop?

According to Gail Ramshaw, “Every layperson is in some way a symbol of Jesus Christ and can convey sacredness to others.” Hence the phrase “to represent Christ and his Church” in the Catechism’s description of every order, including the laity. “But nearly all Christians also designate specific leaders who function as symbolic persons. These are the ordained . Orthodox, , and Episcopal churches call their clergy priests or presbyters. Some Protestants, especially Lutherans, call their clergy , a word that means shepherd. [Other] Protestant clergy can be called preacher, minister or reverend. In some churches, the ordained include deacons and elders who, depending on the church have varying responsibilities. Each denomination has its own expectations for clergy, its own requirements for training, and its own efforts for maintaining quality control.” (I.e. disciplinary action) (Ramshaw 26)

The ordained clergy are spiritual leaders. But what about temporal matters? Spiritual is often understood as relating to one’s spirit or soul while temporal is relating to time. Some assert that spiritual means religious matters and temporal means secular matters.

Are clergy temporal leaders as well as spiritual? Yes and no. Everything the Body of Christ does is spiritual in some way, even in how we pay our bills. So the ordained church leader teaches, guides, and exhorts the people in all areas of church life.

Now there is not enough time to cover in detail the ‘running of a church’ but I do wish to point out that in Episcopal churches, the priest only has authority over worship and building use. The Vestry decides all other matters with the priest voting only to break a tie.

That’s why it’s so important for you to know who the Vestry members are. (Cheryl Bouchard, Kaitlyn Cutler, Gib Ash, Greg Harbin and Tom Grubb is the Junior Warden in charge of buildings and grounds; the current Senior Warden is Emily Marsha Albera, in charge of all other ‘temporal’ matters with the consent of the Vestry and in charge of everything in my absence.) These are the people who make the decisions for Zion. They are you.

But they, like the Bishop they must obey the tenets of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church.

This is where ecclesiastical polity comes in: church governance. There are three types of church governance: Congregational, Presbyterian and Episcopal.

I will only focus on those aspects that relate to the ‘role of the Bishop’ in the Episcopal Church because a thorough discussion of church governance cannot be accomplished in a couple of minutes.

Episcopal Church polity is, well, episcopal, with a small ‘e’. This means that it is a hierarchical form of church governance in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. The Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and United Methodist Churches have this form of ecclesiastical polity.

In some of these Churches, the hierarchy includes , cardinals, patriarchs and/or a , but in the Episcopal Church there are only bishops, all equal. However the people (lay, presbyters and bishops) do elect a presiding bishop to serve for a term of 9 years. To understand our form of church governance let’s return to the Catechism’s first question about who the ministers of the Church are.

It is not the bishops but the laity who are the first order of ministers in the Episcopal Church.

Based on the concept of ‘we the people’, the Episcopal Church, formed shortly after the American Revolution, and its government, reflect the philosophy of our nation’s founding fathers.

So even though in episcopal polity, the source of authority is the college of bishops, in the Episcopal Church all of these bishops have been elected by the people at their diocesan convention. Furthermore, in the Episcopal Church, in addition to the college or ‘’, we have the House of Deputies, comprised of both lay delegates and priest or delegates. The Bishops share power with presbyters and laity under a constitution. Sound familiar?

So the bishop’s leadership is both sacramental and constitutional. And the Bishop must obey the tenets of the constitution and the Episcopal Church’s Law just like the Vestry and I do. A system of checks and balances.

Diocesan bishops like Bishop Skirving supervise the clergy within a Diocese. Priests are called or chosen by individual congregations but their selection must be approved by the Bishop and the priest then answers to the Bishop as well as to the Vestry of that church. A balance of power so to speak.

In conclusion, the Bishop’s role is explained in the Catechism and he fulfills this role within the confines of our Constitution and Canons.

Like I do at Zion, the Bishop is the authority on worship and instructs all clergy on permissible forms of worship and all other spiritual matters.

And like I do the Bishop guides, teaches and exhorts on temporal matters with the Diocesan committees and commissions.

For a more thorough description of bishops, you might want to acquire a copy of our Constitution and Canons.

Questions?

Sources: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary http://fredericksburgpc.org/about-us/what-we-believe/presbyterian-polity https://www.britannica.com/topic http://www.umc.org/who-we-are/constitutional-structure National Constitution and Canons: https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/15057

Diocese of East Carolina Constitution and Canons: http://diocese-eastcarolina.org/Governance/constitution-canons.html

The Book of Common Prayer. 1979 Constitution & Canons, 2012. Hatchett, Marion J., Sanctifying Life, Time and Space. New York: Seabury Press, 1976. Malloy, Patrick, Celebrating the Eucharist. New York: Church Publishing, 2007. Mitchell, Leonel., Praying Shapes Believing. New York: Morehouse Publishing, 1985. Ramshaw, Gail. Christian Worship: 100,000 Sundays... Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2009. Senn, Frank C., Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997.