The Sacred Still Speaks: Sacramental Life in Christ
Living a Sacramental Life: Ancient Faith, Real Love
In a world constantly seeking the new and innovative, our hearts often yearn for something deeper—something that connects us to the communion of saints across time and space. This yearning is our soul's recognition that the sacred still speaks, and that ancient faith offers real love in our present moment.
What Are Sacraments and Why Do They Matter?
At the heart of Anglican worship lies a sacramental theology. The catechism defines a sacrament as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given to us, ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof."
The term "sacrament" comes from the Latin word "sacramentum," which in ancient Rome referred to an oath that soldiers would take. Early Christians adopted this term to describe sacred mysteries through which we pledge our allegiance to Christ and receive his grace.
Anglican understanding of sacraments represents a distinctive "via media" or middle way. We recognize two Gospel sacraments—Baptism and the Lord's Supper—because Christ Himself explicitly ordained them. This balance of scripture, tradition, and reason remains the hallmark of Anglican theology.
When we participate in sacraments, we join countless faithful Christians from the past 20 centuries who have met the living Christ through these sacred acts.
How Does Baptism Transform Our Identity?
In Romans 6, St. Paul reminds us that in baptism we have died to sin and risen to new life in Christ: "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Baptism is more than just a ritual to become Christian—it's the beginning of a lifelong journey of transformation. Through baptism, we receive a threefold identity that shapes everything about who we are and how we live:
Member of Christ - We're incorporated into Christ's mystical body, the Church. "Member" here doesn't mean simply being added to a list of names; it means being connected to Christ as a hand is to an arm, drawing our very life from Him.
Child of God - We're adopted into God's family through Christ. The spirit of adoption dwells within us, enabling us to cry "Abba, Father."
Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven - We're given a share of Christ's eternal inheritance.
In baptism, we promise to renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh. We commit to obediently keep God's holy will and commandments.
The grace of baptism continues to work in us, enabling us to die daily to sin and rise to righteousness. Each time we witness a baptism, recite the Creed, or renew our baptismal vows, we reconnect with this foundational sacrament and allow its grace to flow anew in our lives.
What Happens in the Eucharist?
If baptism initiates us into Christ's body, the Holy Eucharist sustains us on our journey. In the Office of Instruction, we learn that "the inward part or thing signified in the Lord's Supper is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are spiritually taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper."
This reflects the Anglican understanding that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, though we don't attempt to define precisely how this mystery occurs. As Queen Elizabeth I put it: "'Twas God the Word that spake it, He took the bread and brake it, and what the Word did make it, that I believe and take it."
The Eucharist connects us to multiple dimensions:
- To the Last Supper, the Cross, the Resurrection, and Pentecost
- To each other, for as St. Paul reminds us, "We, being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread"
- To the heavenly banquet, as we join our voices "with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven" in praising God
- To Christ's return, as each celebration is both a remembrance of His sacrifice and an anticipation of His glorious return
How Can We Live a Sacramental Life Today?
What does it mean to live a sacramental life in the 21st century? How do these ancient practices speak to our modern condition?
1. Recognizing that the Material World Matters to God
In an age increasingly dominated by the virtual and digital, the sacraments remind us that God works through physical reality to reach us spiritually. Water and bread, wine and oil, and the laying on of hands are all physical signs of spiritual grace.
2. Embracing Bodily Practices in Our Spiritual Lives
Many today are rediscovering the value of embodied worship—kneeling in prayer, making the sign of the cross, processing with palms, receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday. These practices engage our whole selves—body, mind, and spirit—in the worship of God.
In a culture where so much of life happens through screens, the sacraments call us back to presence—to being fully present to God and to one another in worship. This hunger for immersive experience explains in part why many families are drawn to traditional liturgical worship.
3. Becoming Living Sacraments in the World
Having been nourished by word and sacrament, we're sent into the world to be Christ's hands and feet—to be living sacraments that make His love visible and tangible to others. This is our vocation: to demonstrate that "the sacred still speaks, ancient faith, real love."
What's Required of Those Who Participate in the Sacraments?
The Office of Instruction asks what's required of those who come to the Lord's Supper. The answer encapsulates the Christian life:
- To examine ourselves whether we truly repent of our former sins
- To steadfastly purpose to lead a new life
- To have a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ
- To maintain a thankful remembrance of His death
- To be in charity with all people
These are the ongoing fruits of sacramental grace in our lives. The sacraments are not performances or magic rituals that work automatically—they require our faithful response. They are mysteries that the human mind struggles to comprehend, and their value doesn't depend on our complete understanding.
In these sacred mysteries, Christ Himself is the principal actor, offering His grace to all who receive Him in faith.
Life Application
This week, consider how you might live more sacramentally in your everyday life:
Look for the sacred in the ordinary. Where might God be using physical things to communicate spiritual truths in your daily experience?
Engage your whole self in worship. How might bodily practices—kneeling, bowing, making the sign of the cross—deepen your connection to God?
Be a living sacrament. In what ways can you be an "outward and visible sign" of Christ's love to those around you this week?
Ask yourself: Am I approaching the sacraments with true repentance, faith, gratitude, and love? How might a deeper understanding of baptism and Eucharist transform how I see myself and my place in God's story?
Through water and word, through bread and wine, through the gathered community, Christ continues to make Himself known. May we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to respond.