Having just arrived in a new city, one of the first tasks at hand is finding a new body of believers to worship and fellowship with.  This can be a little intimidating, and in fact, this will be the first time that my wife and I can literally “go anywhere we want” (meaning, we have no prior connections or obligations to any particular body of believers here).

Since early in my life, I’ve been a member of the PCA and have attended PCA churches.  There’s many things that I really love about the PCA and their style of worship.  I am thankful for the gospel-centered focus that every PCA church I’ve attended has had (which, unfortunately, is often neglected in favor of “relevance” and “accessibility” by many mainstream churches today).  While there is a large amount of diversity within PCA churches, they tend to be generally more liturgical, formal, and theological.  So, this is, of course, the form of worship that I feel most comfortable and at home with.  Of the three PCA churches I’ve attended in my life, I think that each one has been progressively slightly more formal than the previous.  When I say formal I’m talking about things like; use of responsive readings, hymns vs. contemporary music, style of preaching, church architecture, etc.

This most recent Sunday I was invited by some good friends to visit their church with them and share lunch together afterwords.  I enjoyed attending a small, local Bible church with them on Sunday morning.  The music was contemporary, the setting was informal and small, they had a multimedia presentation, drums, guitar, the whole bit.  I loved it.

I think that part of why I enjoyed the service so much was because it was so different from what I’ve had previously.  I know that my heart is sinful and so can become dead to any form of worship given long enough exposure to it.  I have no doubt that after participating in this style of worship for any length of time I would become lazy and apathetic in my worship, and that a highly structured, liturgical, formal service would likely be a balm to my soul.

Following the service I was talking with my friends over lunch about worship and the church.  I was only half joking when I said I wished that I could attend a church where they radically altered their style of worship every six months!  I’m not sure where my wife and I will end up attending church (and I must wait for her to return home from international travel before we make any kind of decision anyway), but wherever we go, we will be part of the body of Christ and enjoy fellowship with believers, and that’s an amazing thing!

Recently my wife raised this question to me, and I thought it a good one.  We like to enjoy and appreciate the rich history and heritage of liturgy that we have as “western” Christians, but to what extent is this liturgy appropriate in non-”western” churches?  For example - the Nicene Creed, while it expresses Biblical truth is also grounded and based on a particular theological debate which occurred within the historical context of the early Roman church.  Maybe a Korean church, for example, would be better off formulating their own creeds and liturgy rather than using ours?  Maybe they already have?  What do our resident liturgical-minded folk think about this question?

I know this post is late, but this post is most fitting for today.

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

- Acts 1:1-11, English Standard Version

The bodily assumption of Christ is a basic tenant of Christianity and is reflected in the Apostles Creed when we say “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” Since the liturgical year is designed to walk through Christ’s life throughout the course of a year it is fitting that we remember his final words and deeds upon this earth.

Ascension Thursday is celebrated forty days after Easter just as Christ stayed with his apostles for forty days as the above verses remind us. The Catholic Church considers Ascension Thursday to be a “solemnity,” or one of the year’s most important feast days. The celebration is definitely an ancient one, dating back to at least the fourth century, although Augustine claims it began with the Apostles. Since it is a feast, we are to joyously celebrate Christ returning to his rightful place and look forward to our own resurrection and glorification on that final day.

I leave you with the following from the New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal:

Let us pray
[that the risen Christ
will lead us to eternal life]
God our Father,
make us joyful
in the ascension of your Son Jesus Christ.
May we follow him into the new creation,
for his ascension is our glory and our hope.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I’m currently reading through Elaine Scarry’s excellent book On Beauty and Being Just. I came across the following passage, which I found relevant to our current discussion of Liturgy. Now, Scarry is not, as far as I know, a Christian, nor was she referring to liturgy; but God, in his abundant common grace, has made the world in such a way that all truth is His truth. So, Scarry writes:

You are about to be in the presence of something life-giving, lifesaving, something that deserves from you a posture of reverence or petition. It is not clear whether you should throw yourself on your knees before it or keep your distance from it, but you had better figure out the right answer because this is not an occasion for carelessness or for leaving your own postures wholly to chance.”

Another quote that comes to mind is this on from Annie Dillard’s Teaching a Stone to Talk:

“Why do we people in churches seem like cheerful, brainless tourist on a packaged tour of the Absolute?
…
One the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke?…It is madness to wear ladies straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should strap us to our pews.”

Discuss.

Part I

I want to make it clear before posting my next installment on liturgy that I am not arguing against other modes of worship. I am advocating liturgy because it is a philosophy of worship that often finds itself in ill repute. I hope these words edify you and challenge the notions that you may carry.

Liturgical worship services are often harangued for their needless pomp and pageantry, and evangelicals have reacted primarily in one of two ways: either the church meeting is more akin to a Broadway show than a reverent worship of the Sovereign of all creation or it is a bleak affair, quiet and sanitary. In either image, the congregants remain in their seats more audience than a fellow worshiper. We invest as much of ourselves in the worship of God as we spend solving crimes while watching our favorite iteration of CSI or as we spend sitting in a doctor’s waiting room biding our time until we are free to leave. Worship is meant as a communal activity, and liturgy helps us to do just that. Just as the clergy is meant to lead the service, so the congregants are meant to respond and participate. Many people would be absolutely frightened of speaking out during a service in fear that they would say the wrong thing, or worse yet, draw unnecessary attention to themselves. Liturgy treats the congregation as a unit, giving them the words they can speak to their God and allowing them to be engaged and involved in His worship. A prescribed order is also more than reciting words written long ago. It also gives a worship service a framework that is conducive toward worshipping God and understanding the relationships between ourselves and our Savior. For example, a service might begin with a glorification of God, followed by a confession of sin and absolution, which would subsequently be followed by a sermon and the Eucharist. That service would follow redemptive history: we are unable stand before a holy and righteous God, we must submit to his punishment, but are spared, and then we learn how we must live as his followers, and finally we share true communion with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as we are meant to. A service that encapsulates these truths is rich in imagery and serves as a weekly reminder of our great savior Jesus Christ and his work to redeem this world.

More to come.

Liturgy is technically the mode by which a religious group worships, thus, a Catholic Mass is every bit as liturgical as a Southern Baptist’s rock band worship service. However, in this article when using the word “liturgy” I am using the popular definition: a set of regulated orders that govern a worship service, much like a Catholic Mass or the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. The examples that I cite in the following paragraphs are not mere straw men that I have set up to easily knock down nor are they meant to mock those with differing ideas. The Western world, and specifically America, has a tendency to have a Progressive view of history which leads to a disregard for the past. My chief desire in these words is to argue for that which is good in liturgy and ultimately to praise God. Lastly, this is by no means an exhaustive article, but rather my thoughts and convictions on this matter. I have much room for growth and hope you will seriously consider what I say, while granting me the charity to continue to learn.

Many Christian denominations of the day flee from Liturgical trappings. They cite the desire to have a relevant service that touches humans in their present condition. Others desire to worship God in a way that aligns with our modern pursuits and conveniences. And finally, many churches want to ensure that their services do not become “habit-forming,” or a series of tired statements so well known by their congregants that they are rended completely devoid of meaning. While each of these points are worth considering, liturgy isn’t the poison that so many Christians fear, but truly a balm for our scarred souls. Thus, we must reevaluate what is truly to be gained when using liturgy in our Worship.

The first benefit is that liturgy connects us with past Christians. An important and influential work in the Western world is in fact a collection of liturgies and prayers: The Book of Common Prayer. This work has been utilized since the 16th Century by Anglicans throughout the world. Although history is not our rule, the corroboration of saints throughout the world in different centuries should encourage us in our usage of this venerable work. The globalism that is popularly sought after in today’s world is short-sighted in light of the universalism that we Christians can appeal to with fellow believers throughout time. The various Creeds of the Church give us the same confidence, knowing that we stand on a rock with a whole army of saints. Additionally, the human condition has not changed over the years. We are still just as incapable of being righteous before a Holy God without the blood of Jesus as Christians were 50, 100, or even 1,000 years ago. These authors of old can encourage us as we seek God through their words, similar to how we can pray to our God with the Psalmist. The following prayers are taken from a smattering of different traditions, but still hold just as much relevance in our age:

Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of your Gospel. Instill in us, also, reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good, and life giving Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.”

- Prayer after The Epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostum

or

“ALMIGHTY God, whose compassions fail not, and whose loving-kindness reacheth unto the world’s end; We give thee humble thanks for opening heathen lands to the light of thy truth; for making paths in the deep waters and highways in the desert; and for planting thy Church in all the earth. Grant, we beseech thee, unto us thy servants, that with lively faith we may labour abundantly to make known to all men thy blessed gift of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

- Prayer for Missions from The 1928 Book of Common Prayer

While “spontaneous prayers” are sometimes praised as being more authentic, these “prepared prayers” convey just as much gravitas. Perhaps our culture believes that we are going through something that hasn’t been experienced before. Perhaps this is merely pride in our modern lifestyle. Either way, the rich language of these texts does not harm the image of the church by making it irrelevant, but instead can help build it up.

Part II