St. David's Episcopal Church
St. David's Episcopal Church is a beautiful church located in downtown Austin. It's a very active church, with multiple services all during the week. I was looking forward to this service as my personal experience is that the Episcopal Churches have possibly the most beautiful liturgy in the world (of course, that is merely my opinion). Parking is in a parking garage right next to the church. I recommend the church post signs explaining what to do once you pull into the garage. I wandered a bit, finally walked around the side of the building, stepped over a couple of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk (yes, something felt strange about stepping over a homeless person on the way to worship), and came in the back door. I take these little cards with me and drop them in the offering plate after I visit a church. I had forgotten my card, so I went back out and around the building, into the garage and got the card. I then realized some people were taking the elevator and I went that way. (Again, no real indication on which floor to take). I went up a level, walked around a corner and then found the entrance to the church, which is kind of counter-intuitive because it's the entrance that faces into the block rather than the street. Of course, then I couldn't find my way to the sanctuary! Fortunately, I looked lost enough that a very nice lady asked me if I needed help and she gave me directions to the sanctuary. So, I finally got back to my seat and was able to take in the atmosphere.
The building is beautiful. What is most interesting about the stained glass windows is the dates when they were dedicated. Many were in the 1800s. The church, on the inside, simply does not look that old. It's very well kept and, although large and breathtaking, really has a cozy feel to it. Another thing I noticed is that there was a large number of people of all ages. I have been in many Episcopal Churches in which the crowd appeared to be mostly elderly. This was definitely not the case. The people appeared fairly enthusiastic about being there.
The music in the church is outstanding and everyone in the service was singing. In fact, I initially thought they were piping in voices or had the choir miked with speakers in the back, but it was obvious that the singing was coming from all around. Throughout the service, the people were truly engaged with the Scripture readings, the responsive readings, the prayers, and the sermon. During "the peace" people were walking all over the building to greet each other. At one point, the person behind me introduced herself and asked if I was new. She said she used to attend here before moving and she missed the place very much. She went on to say how great a church it was. Again, lots of enthusiasm.
The service followed the Book of Common Prayer liturgy. Something they do that is the first time I've seen in an Episcopal Church is they put the entire liturgy in the bulletin. That way, you don't have to flip back-and-forth through the BCP to figure out where you are. In fact, a common joke among Episcopalians is you can tell who has been in the church the longest based on whether or not they have the liturgy memorized (that's the longest), whether or not they know how to follow the order of service (that's a little newer), or whether or not they are flipping back-and-forth lost most of the time (that's the newest people). Not having to navigate the BCP allows one to focus on the service. Very nice touch!
The Scripture reading from the Old Testament was about the bronze serpent Moses raised up for the Israelites to look to as a cure for the snakes biting them. The Gospel reading referenced it as well. The sermon was delivered by Amy Moehnke, who is the Director of Youth Ministries. She talked about how the people were told to look to the serpent rather than avoiding the snakes biting them and how this really required suspending rational thought and trusting in the cure. She went on to apply that passage to Jesus, as He did Himself, in the Gospel reading. It was a little surprising, and I think appropriate, to hear an Episcopal sermon telling people to suspend their rational mind and trust in something that doesn't make sense. Typically, the knock you hear from outsiders on Episcopalians revolves around their denial of some of the tenants of the faith due to rational and logical arguments. However, this sermon demonstrated this is most likely an exaggeration of Episcopal theology. Amy is an engaging speaker and was very enjoyable to listen to.
Communion was served. All who believe in Christ were invited to participate. Music continued through communion and then the service closed. I really enjoyed the service. It's great to be among people who, although following a structured liturgy, do not appear to be just "going through the motions." Put that in the context of this historic church, beautiful building with reminders of their past as well as evidence of a vibrant, present life, and you will find this to be a great place to worship. Add on top of that the inclusive, loving and inviting hearts of the people and I think you'll find this a place most anyone could call home. I will probably take advantage of the multiple opportunities each week to worship to return to this church again.
