Yes. As a matter of fact, we spend more time reading scripture every Sunday than many more Protestant denominations. The reason is that almost every mass has an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament reading, and a reading from one of the four Gospels. Most of the time the readings are printed in the service bulletin, so it is not necessary to bring a Bible with you. In ancient times, most churches would have had only one Bible, which would have been read aloud during the service. Today the scripture reading still forms an important part of our weekly worship. The Church has a calendar, called a lectionary, which directs which readings are to be read each week. Over the course of three years, someone attending church on a weekly basis will be exposed to the vast majority of the Bible. For us this is very important, because the lectionary forces the Church to read through all of the scriptures, rather than just focus on those that the priest or minister likes best. We also strongly encourage individuals to regularly study the scriptures and read them in their daily devotions.

The Church of The Ascension uses traditional language in almost all of its worship services. In our modern prayer book this is known as Rite I. Many of the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer were either written or translated from Latin in the late sixteenth century at the time of the English Reformation. This was also the time of such literary giants as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Edmund Spenser. The Book of Common Prayer, and afterwards the Authorized (or King James) Version of the Bible, contain some of the most beautiful writings in the English language and have themselves contributed more to our language than any other books printed. We maintain traditional language here at Ascension, because we feel it lends a dignity and beauty to our worship; it takes us out of our modern mindset and reminds us that we were not the first Christians to worship God using these prayers, nor will we be the last.

At The Church of The Ascension, when the priest is addressing the people (e.g., during the sermon), he actually does face the people, but when the priest is leading the congregation in prayer to God, he turns so that everyone is facing the same direction together. This is actually a very ancient practice and would be very familiar to almost anyone that attended an Episcopal or Roman Catholic church prior to the 1960s. The ancient Israelites believed that the Messiah would come from the East, and after his death, Resurrection and Ascension, the early Christians believed that Jesus Christ would return from the East, just as the rising sun returns every morning. Traditionally most churches were built with their high altar on the East end of the building, just as ours is at Ascension. This means that when we pray to God, we do so as one body of worshipers that are eagerly looking to the coming of the Lord. There is not a division between priest and people, but rather priest and people approaching God as one.

Incense is first and foremost burned as an offering to God. It is one of the most ancient practices that pre-dates Christianity itself. We know from the Bible and from archeological evidence that the ancient Hebrews burned incense in their worship of God, and it has been a practice carried on by Christians throughout the ages. Symbolically, the incense reminds us of how our prayers ascend to God and in practical terms the smell of incense helps us to engage all of our senses in the worship of God. Incense is regularly used at The Church of The Ascension, particularly on major feast days.

There are some prayers within the mass that remain the same from week to week. From very early times these prayers have been set to music and sung by the faithful gathered to worship. Some of the most beautiful music in the history of the world was written to support the worship of God, and almost all pre-modern composers of any significance have applied their talents to setting these texts to music. At The Church of The Ascension, there are times when these prayers are sung by the entire congregation and there are times when they are sung by the choir alone; in both cases, the prayers are meant to be the prayers of the entire church, and not just those actively singing. Some settings require greater skill and talent to sing than others, and thus, are better suited to choirs. The mass is not, however, a choir performance. The role of the choir is not to entertain us, but rather to assist us in lifting up our own prayers to God.

Episcopalians pray in many different ways. When we gather together for our regular services we use the Book of Common Prayer, which contains the different services of the church that have been handed down through the ages. By using prayers that are centuries old we are connected to Christians throughout time and our personal faith is deepened. Reciting prayers from the prayer book is not meant to be done mindlessly though, but rather reverently and with thought to what is being said. Over time these prayers often become a foundational part of our prayer lives, in much the same way that the Lord’s Prayer is for almost all Christians. Our prayers do not end with the prayer book though. Episcopalians are encouraged to pray privately in many different ways: offering to God private petitions or concerns, meditating in silence, saying the Daily Office or the rosary, or reading the Psalms.

Unfortunately, due to the limited space and staff we have here at The Church of The Ascension, we are unable to rent our parish hall to outside groups.