Question: Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of
bread, and in the prayers?
Response: I will, with God’s help.
A common misperception is that once you simply say you believe in God and in Jesus, everything else doesn’t matter. But being a follower or Jesus continues us on a beautiful journey of growth. The good news is, we aren’t expected to go it alone.
This fourth question asks each of us to commit to finding, supporting and getting involved in a community of people who support each other in this journey. Here you affirm to continue seeking to learn about our faith, to share communion, and to pray together as a regular and dependable part of your life.
This question and the one following, in particular
And for the first of five times, your answer is not just “I will,” but “I will, with God’s help.”
Going Deeper
In the ancient church, people were not baptized until they had completed a three year course of study that culminated in their baptism and invitation to join in Holy Communion. We don’t require such a long instructional period any longer, but we know that the faithful life requires practice, prayer, and study.
Continuing in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship means remembering that Jesus called people into a new family, gathering around him a new community, seeking to unite rather than to divide. It means giving yourself the gift of always learning. It also means learning and praying together and supporting one another throughout our lives—that’s what Christian fellowship is all about.
The “breaking of bread” refers to one of the two most important sacraments we Episcopalians observe: the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion. Along with baptism, these two rituals are especially central to being faithful followers of Jesus because Jesus himself established or participated in them.
Since 1979, the expectation is that, as long as there is a priest or bishop available, the people will gather together each week at their main worship service and share in Holy Communion. It is a ritual based on remembering how God has acted to save us throughout history, and how Jesus instituted a fellowship meal among his disciples meant to remind us of our actual, full, and real unity with Jesus. All come together, regardless of differences, and share in this sacrament of “communion,” which literally means “union with” God and each other.
The backbone of the Episcopal spiritual life is prayer—prayer throughout the day, and prayer together each week and on holy days, as we are able. That’s why so much of our Anglican spirituality revolves around our Book of Common Prayer. Although not every worship service is included in its pages, all are available to anyone who wishes to read or study them.
If you look at the arrangement of prayers and liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer, you see instruction for brief services of prayer that can be done throughout a single day and led by anyone, ordained or not. You don’t have to do them all, but it IS good to get into some sort of regular prayer habit, and so our Book of Common prayer starts with all of those options.