Liturgical Worship

I've always loved liturgical worship and I've never made any secrets of that. Even when I was pastoring in an evangelical church I tried to incorporate as many liturgical elements into the service as I could. I find great beauty, comfort and holiness in the liturgy.

I have heard many of my evangelical friends criticizing the liturgy as being "vain repetition." I think this is due to ignorance more than anything. A cursory study of Jewish and Christian history will show that liturgical worship was the norm until after the Reformation. The truth is that the vast majority of Christians still worship in a liturgical fashion whether they be Protestant, Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox.

I recently read a great book called "Beyond Smells and Bells" by Mark Galli. Mark is a former evangelical who became an Anglican because he fell in love with liturgical worship. In his book he makes this statement, "In a culture that values spontaneity, the liturgy grounds us in something enduring. In a culture that assumes that truth is a product of the mind, the liturgy helps us experience truth in both mind and body. In a world demanding instant relevance, the liturgy gives us the patience to live into a relevance the world does not know."

Things like reciting the Creed, praying the Lord's Prayer, and partaking of the Eucharist every Sunday remind me that I am a part of something much bigger than myself. It reminds me that I am a part of the mystical Body of Christ, the Church universal, the Communion of the Saints. It instills in me a sense of awe and mystery which is appropriate when one remembers that we are worshiping a living God who is the ground of all being and the source of all things. God is mysterious. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

I have recently discovered the convergence movement which is seeking to meld the three streams of Christianity together; evangelical, liturgical, and charismatic. I like this because it is, in my humble opinion, Biblical. I am currently attending an Anglican church where the service is just such a blend. The liturgy is read and prayed, with guitars and keyboards leading in ancient hymns and modern praise choruses, while people pray aloud during the petitions, and lift up holy hands when they feel moved to do so. The priests preach evangelical sermons and encourage personal holiness and a missionary lifestyle.

As Rich Mullins (a litugical Methodist) used to sing, "Our God is an awesome God!" So I say let us worship Him in the beauty of His holiness. When I bow as the crucifer goes by I do so in homage to the One who died to save my soul. When I make the sign of the cross I do so in honor of the Holy Trinity. When I smell the incense I remember that my prayers, and the prayers of all the saints, are rising to Heaven. Liturgical worship helps me to worship God with all of my senses. We have been commanded to worship the Almighty with body, soul, and spirit. The liturgy helps me to do just that.