This approach to Tradition tends to ignore the very real way Tradition is always in a process of evolving. Tradition is always in a state of being interpreted by each generation, even if the appearance is given that this is not happening. The way our grand parents viewed the meaning of Tradition, was through the lens of their own time and place. This will not serve for us because we live in a different time, facing different challenges. The interpretation of previous generations, of necessity, must give way to the renewal of interpretation in and for our own time.

Accepting that Tradition is always evolving leads more liberal Christian denominations to discard Tradition when it doesn't fit the needs of the current age. So we have the polar opposites of either Tradition imposed upon the present time in a way that makes it impossible to respond effectively to the needs of the present time, or the Tradition sacrificed to the demands of living in the present.

The Episcopal Church, as a Church of the Anglican Tradition inherits a very particular understanding of the central place of worship for community life. All churches have worship, yet we are the only church that uses worship to define the boundaries of our community life. You might say that worship is all we have with which to show the world what it means to be Episcopalian. Belonging, in most other churches is about sharing right belief. For us belonging is about being in right relationship. Our worship defines what being in right relationship means. We are in right relationship with one another when we are able to put our theological and political differences to one side in order to come together around God's table to worship together. Jesus said: where two or three gather in my name, I will be there. He did not say: where two or three gather in mutual agreement in my name, I will be there. Anyone becomes one with us, not through theological agreement, but when they are able to worship with us and become shaped with us as we worship under that wonderful umbrella of Book of Common Prayer.

This is why Episcopalians place emphasis on the dignity of worship and its faithfulness to Tradition. This is why we also engage with Tradition with an honest recognition of the challenges we face in contemporary life - that's the place of tension I spoke of last Sunday. Because of the central unifying role worship has for Episcopalians, those who prepare and organize what we need for worship - the Altar Guild, children, teens and adults who assist the clergy in conducting worship - Acolytes and Eucharistic Ministers, those who proclaim God's invitation into conversation through the readings - Lectors, and those who welcome and maintain good order among those who come for worship -  Ushers, are not just jobs to do, they are ministries to perform for the wider good of the whole body. At a later time I will be adding to this list of ministries that of bell ringers.

Let me tweak your curiosity and ask you to consider God may be calling you to serve in one of these capacities. Throughout this Fall I will be holding a series of trainings for each of these ministries. If you are curious, not only about the mechanics of what to do but more importantly, the why and meanings, i.e. the Tradition behind what we do and why we do it, just come along to any of these trainings. I promise we will have some fun, and then decide if this is for you.

In the meantime for those of you still away I trust this will be a time of relaxation and refreshment. For the many of you who will now be returning, or who have never been away over the summer, see you in church, this coming Sunday!