Week after week, we come together to participate in an intricate dance of language, movement, and music we call worship. But what does it all mean and what comes of our having done it?

Welcome to a new iteration of the Forum — a model that is befitting of our move into the newly-renovated Linthicum Hall. Designed for longtime members and newcomers alike, the Parish Forum will combine the conviviality of coffee hour with the intentional learning of adult formation. Here we will seek to engage questions that lie beneath the surface of what we do.

This program year, we will examine liturgy as a living reality — one in which we participate as a parish community and one that shapes how we show up in the world. The first part of this series will explore the larger, more general questions about the liturgy. Later sessions will explore particular liturgies we use on various occasions. Whether you are just dipping your toes in the Anglican / Episcopal tradition or have spent a lifetime treading these waters, this series will heighten your awareness of the story we enact in our worship and assist you in playing your part.

September 14: Biblical Backstory: Who came up with liturgy, anyways?

Biblical instances and liturgical prescriptions that inform what we do (Ernest Clark)

September 21: Worship in Word and Deed: Why liturgy?

Centrality of worship, definitions of liturgy, and orientation for everyday life

(Tiffany Clark)

October 5: Historical Backstory: How has liturgy shaped the Church?

Developments in liturgy across church history and their real-world implications

(James Farwell)

October 12: Episcopal Backstory: How did the BCP come to be?

Developments in liturgy through the English Reformation and American Frontier, and how they frame current practice

(Andrew Stump)

October 19: Liturgy with a Home Address: Is it possible to live our liturgy in Washington, DC?

Practical spiritual formation for Christians in public life

(James Catford)

November 2: Liturgy and Scripture: Why liturgy if we already have the Bible?

The distinct roles of Scripture and liturgy and how each informs our use of the other

(Ernest Clark)

November 9: Liturgy and Ritual: Why all the repetition?

Embodied worship and the transformative nature of reenactment

(Nate Huddleston)

November 16: Liturgy and Community: Why do liturgy together?

Interactive worship and the participative nature of the Church

(Nate Huddleston)

December 7 Liturgy and Time: What is up with all those colors?

Liturgical calendars and worship as the transformation of time

(Derek Olsen)

December 14 Liturgy and Cosmology: What is up with saints and angels?

Liturgical Space and the intersection of worlds, seen and unseen

(Tiffany Clark)

December 21: Liturgy and Incarnation: Why church?

Enacting the story of God’s love relationship with the material world

(Ian Markham)

January 4 The Liturgy of Baptism (Part 1): Why renounce Satan and make a list of promises?

Cutting covenants and setting resolutions for a new season of life

(Ernest Clark)

January 11 The Liturgy of Baptism (Part 2): Why water?

Paradigmatic water stories in Scripture and their implications for life together

(Frank Wade)

January 18 The Liturgy of Holy Eucharist (Part 1): Why Word first?

The role of collects, lectionary, and sermon and their relationship to eucharistic living

(Derek Olsen)

February 8 The Liturgy of Holy Eucharist (Part 2): Why creeds?

The historical context of creeds and their function within worship

(Kate Sonderegger)

February 15 The Liturgy of Ash Wednesday: Why ashes?

Penitence as prerequisite for fresh life, in a soul and in a society

(Andrew Stump)

March 1 The Liturgy of Holy Eucharist (Part 3): Why the middle bits?

The role of the Prayers, Confession, Peace, and Offertory and their relationship to liturgical living

(James Farwell)

March 8​​ The Liturgy of Holy Eucharist (Part 4): What is going on in the priestly prayer?

Embodied priestly symbolism and multi-part structure in The Great Thanksgiving

(Tim Cole)

March 15 The Liturgy of Palm Sunday: Why palm branches?

Coronation processions, unexpected reversals, and our participation in the story of God’s Kingdom come

(Frank Wade)

March 29 The Liturgy of the Triduum: Why foot washing, altar stripping, and fire lighting?

Multivalent liturgy, a three-part mystery, and the redefinition of what it means to be human

(James Farwell)

April 12 The Liturgy of Holy Eucharist (Part 5): Why bread and wine?

Sacramental theology, Spirit-soaked matter, and how we show up in the world

(Guest Speaker)

April 19 The Liturgies of Ministration to the Sick, Ministration at the Time of Death, and the Burial of the Dead: Why oil?

Sacramental responses to physical needs, and the body/soul connection in liturgical theology

(James Farwell)

May 3 The Liturgy of Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage: Why rings and witnesses?

The sacramental nature of marriage and a prefigured church at union with Christ

(Tim Cole)

May 10 Pastoral Offices (Part 1): Why daily prayer?

The purpose of the offices and their grounding effect in daily life

(Tim Cole)

May 17 Pastoral Offices (Part 2): Why daily songs?

The history, liturgical role, and communal benefit of canticle singing

(Kate Sonderegger)