It’s the old, old debate all over again. You’d have thought we’d resolved this long ago. But it seems to be relentlessly persistent.
The issue is this: When we worship, should our prayers be ad lib or written in advance? Just to make it a little more complicated, what about prayer books full of petitions composed generations before? Then, is it “either/or”, or is there perhaps some turf where both can meet?
Let’s start with the obvious: God wants our prayers and welcomes them any way they come. When you and I address the Deity with our heartfelt desires and deepest needs, certainly there is no necessity to be eloquent or elegant in our compositions. In fact, if we spend a lot of energy trying to make prayers “good enough” we are wasting energy. Fancy language is not what impresses the Almighty, and it is silly for us to try.
What God wants of us, so we’ve been told, is candor in our prayers. Straightforward asking and praising are the order of the day, every day.
All of that applies certainly in our personal prayer. But it’s another situation when we are the People of God at worship on the Lord’s Day. Together we are a single body, not a collection of individuals each worshipping coincidentally in the same place at the same time. As an assembly called together by God, our worship takes on a different tone.
Communal worship calls for prayers that are “ours” not just “mine”. We are in this together and share common prayers. There are two ways this is handled in corporate worship.
One is to have someone, usually the pastor or someone who really knows the community well, to speak prayers in language that the people in the pews can relate to, can accept as their own words. Sometimes the pastor or worship leader will launch into such a prayer ad lib, without any preparation whatsoever. There are those who consider this a virtue. It allows the Spirit to come in, they say, and inform the prayer by inspiring the speaker. Maybe so. On the other hand, often these are less prayerful words than thoughtless ramblings. My personal observation is that, as often as not, such ad lib prayers are irritatingly repetitive.
The other way to handle this is for the person who will speak the prayer for the community to write it out before. He or she should give it some thought, but more than that, pray about the prayer itself. Preparation for prayer by the leader does not deny the participation of the Spirit, but actually makes it more likely that the Spirit will be able to aid in the prayer’s composition.
Then there are unison prayers, written out for all to read aloud together. Again, just because it is written and said in unison does not deny the presence of the Spirit. Such prayers can be written with sensitivity to the people in the assembly, and be very helpful to all.
The issue becomes more sharply define when prayers in a book are used, prayers written generations, even centuries ago, are put in the mouths of worshippers. Objectors complain that they are too far removed from the present reality, and become to most folks mere empty prattle. Whoever wrote them way back whenever, they say, didn’t know us here and now.
Of course that’s true, to a point. What’s also true, however, is that prayers preserved in worship resources today, especially those of the quality of The Book of Common Worship (1993), have survived by being meaningful. People use them, old as they are, because they are still prayable.
What is more, preserved prayers from previous eras of the church serve as models for us in our own prayers. The one written in the church bulletin that worshippers read together this morning can be valuable to me at home this week—so I tuck the bulletin in my pocket for future reference.
And the historic prayers in our resources can teach us the language of prayer, so that we learn to dobetter than thoughtless rambling. We can find outlines of prayers, see different styles of prayers, and learn a variety of ways to express our thanksgivings and intercessions and petitions.
The curious thing is that printed prayers can give us even more freedom to pray with enthusiasm. Guided by the wisdom and faith of those gone before us, and taught by their prayers, we’ll be better able to pray ad lib when the situation calls for it.
Does the pastor of your church write prayers out in advance, or make them up on the spot? Do you have printed prayers for all to say in unison? Do you use forms and prayers from a worship book or other resource?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Turn On the Light
In the olden days when I first ventured forth in liturgical leadership, the lectern/pulpit in our church had mounted upon it a nice little lamp with a curved shade over it. The very first thing that one did on approaching reading Scripture or preaching, was to turn on the light.
In many churches, as far as I know, Scripture was read and sermons preached without introductory prayer. Sermons were followed, however, with a prayer pleading for God’s after-the-fact blessing of the message proclaimed.
Preachers often would offer for all to hear a prayer for blessing prior to starting the sermon: “May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”
All that was fairly standard procedure.
Somewhere between then and now another "light" was turned on, the Prayer for Illumination was introduced and placed before the Scripture-sermon process was launched.
For those in the Reformed Tradition, it was an obvious necessity. How could anyone understand what God was saying through the words of the Bible without the blessing and enlightenment of the Spirit? Simply not possible. So, such a prayer for the gift of illumination to be bestowed by the Holy Spirit seemed to be a basic requirement. Otherwise no one would ever get anything at all out of the reading of the text or the sermon based on it.
The use of this Prayer for Illumination is rooted clearly in Calvin, specifically in his Institutes. For example in this passage:
…Accordingly to make his disciples capable of heavenly wisdom, Christ promised them "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive," (John 14:17). And he assigns it to him, as his proper office, to bring to remembrance the things which he had verbally taught; for in vain were light offered to the blind, did not that Spirit of understanding open the intellectual eye; so that he himself may be properly termed the key by which the treasures of the heavenly kingdom are unlocked, and his illumination, the eye of the mind by which we are enabled to see: hence Paul so highly commends the ministry of the Spirit (2Cor. 3: 6), since teachers would cry aloud to no purpose, did not Christ, the internal teacher, by means of his Spirit, draw to himself those who are given him of the Father…. (Institutes 3.1.4)
Whether or not to have a Prayer for Illumination is not a question to be asked, because it’s clear that it really isn’t optional. Nevertheless, it is easily glossed over and not given great value in the larger scheme of a service. And yet it is of enormous importance.
Consider this: there is a parallel prayer that comes late in the service that would never be neglected. It goes something like this:
Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine,
that the bread we break
and the cup we bless
may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
that we may be one with all who share this feast,
united in ministry in every place.
As this bread is Christ's body for us,
send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.
It’s the invoking of the Holy Spirit to help us recognize the presence of Christ in the meal and to nourish the human spirit—this is known as the epiclesis or Invocation.
In similar fashion, the Prayer for Illumination is also an invocation, a calling down of the Spirit to help us understand and appropriate the Word who is presented in the words of the Bible and the preached message. Therefore, the two main parts of the Lord’s Day worship experience, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Sacrament, have their own Invocation.
Without the Prayer for Illumination, however, the Scripture and sermon become mere intellectual exercises at best, and emotional blather at worst. With this prayer the congregation acknowledges its need for divine assistance, not just in understanding what the message is all about, but in appropriating that message from God in the lives of everyone present.
The Prayer for Illumination is a prayer from the congregation, and should be a unison prayer, not recited solo on behalf of all, certainly not by the clergy. Countless models are available not only in the Book of Common Worship and other worship books, but also home-made versions crafted by members of congregations.
Does your Sunday service have a Prayer for Illumination before the reading of the Scriptures? Or is there one only before the sermon? Or is there one at all?
In many churches, as far as I know, Scripture was read and sermons preached without introductory prayer. Sermons were followed, however, with a prayer pleading for God’s after-the-fact blessing of the message proclaimed.
Preachers often would offer for all to hear a prayer for blessing prior to starting the sermon: “May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”
All that was fairly standard procedure.
Somewhere between then and now another "light" was turned on, the Prayer for Illumination was introduced and placed before the Scripture-sermon process was launched.
For those in the Reformed Tradition, it was an obvious necessity. How could anyone understand what God was saying through the words of the Bible without the blessing and enlightenment of the Spirit? Simply not possible. So, such a prayer for the gift of illumination to be bestowed by the Holy Spirit seemed to be a basic requirement. Otherwise no one would ever get anything at all out of the reading of the text or the sermon based on it.
The use of this Prayer for Illumination is rooted clearly in Calvin, specifically in his Institutes. For example in this passage:
…Accordingly to make his disciples capable of heavenly wisdom, Christ promised them "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive," (John 14:17). And he assigns it to him, as his proper office, to bring to remembrance the things which he had verbally taught; for in vain were light offered to the blind, did not that Spirit of understanding open the intellectual eye; so that he himself may be properly termed the key by which the treasures of the heavenly kingdom are unlocked, and his illumination, the eye of the mind by which we are enabled to see: hence Paul so highly commends the ministry of the Spirit (2Cor. 3: 6), since teachers would cry aloud to no purpose, did not Christ, the internal teacher, by means of his Spirit, draw to himself those who are given him of the Father…. (Institutes 3.1.4)
Whether or not to have a Prayer for Illumination is not a question to be asked, because it’s clear that it really isn’t optional. Nevertheless, it is easily glossed over and not given great value in the larger scheme of a service. And yet it is of enormous importance.
Consider this: there is a parallel prayer that comes late in the service that would never be neglected. It goes something like this:
Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine,
that the bread we break
and the cup we bless
may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
that we may be one with all who share this feast,
united in ministry in every place.
As this bread is Christ's body for us,
send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.
It’s the invoking of the Holy Spirit to help us recognize the presence of Christ in the meal and to nourish the human spirit—this is known as the epiclesis or Invocation.
In similar fashion, the Prayer for Illumination is also an invocation, a calling down of the Spirit to help us understand and appropriate the Word who is presented in the words of the Bible and the preached message. Therefore, the two main parts of the Lord’s Day worship experience, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Sacrament, have their own Invocation.
Without the Prayer for Illumination, however, the Scripture and sermon become mere intellectual exercises at best, and emotional blather at worst. With this prayer the congregation acknowledges its need for divine assistance, not just in understanding what the message is all about, but in appropriating that message from God in the lives of everyone present.
The Prayer for Illumination is a prayer from the congregation, and should be a unison prayer, not recited solo on behalf of all, certainly not by the clergy. Countless models are available not only in the Book of Common Worship and other worship books, but also home-made versions crafted by members of congregations.
Does your Sunday service have a Prayer for Illumination before the reading of the Scriptures? Or is there one only before the sermon? Or is there one at all?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Throwaway Lines (Not)
In drama, so I understand, some written lines of a play are considered “throwaways” – short casual comments or breezy improvisations considered to be of no great effect.
On the other hand, the off-the-cuff comment or the well-placed scripted wisecrack can be the most memorable and meaningful of all that’s said.
Christian worship is itself a drama. Remembering that the audience is God and we, the worshippers, are the actors, we need to be conscious of those parts of our performances before the Almighty that unfortunately sometimes get treated as “throwaway lines”.
The first brief dialogue to consider appears early in the service:
The Lord be with you.
The people answer:
And also with you.
At the announcements, many clergy start with a bare “Good morning,” and get the congregational reply in kind. This little nine-word dialogue is too often uttered in much the same way--just a liturgical language way of saying “good morning.”
Yet, it is much more. “The Lord be with you/And also with you” acknowledges a relationship established by the Risen Christ. In addition to being a blessing given and received, the community is shown to be bonded together by the Lord.
This thought continues in the dialogue that initiates the Greeting of Peace:
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
It is also continued in the personal greetings shared among the people of the congregation as they celebrate the shared gift of the Peace of Christ.
For Protestants, this ritual is beset with confusion. Somehow we keep getting it mixed up with saying “Hi!” to our friends. The Greeting of Peace is a liturgical action, loaded with theological meaning recalling the greeting of peace from Christ to his followers (e.g., Luke 24.36).
The reading of Scripture is essential to Christian worship on the Lord’s Day. Each passage read concludes with another small dialogue that is often glossed over:
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The congregation acknowledges receipt of the message of Scripture as coming from God. This is not to be tossed aside glibly, but to be affirmed with enthusiasm and a hearty gratitude.
The same response follows a reading from the Old Testament or Epistle, emphasizing that the Word of the Lord is spoken in and through the entire Bible. There is an integrity of the Word that can be trusted throughout the biblical writings.
This is also true when it comes to the reading of the Gospels, although the dialogues point to a very different expression of the Word of the Lord. Here we find these lines:
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to… .
Glory to you, O Lord.
At the conclusion of the Gospel:
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
The people’s response is not a general thanksgiving, but a word of praise addressed directly to the Lord. The reading of the Gospel introduces in person, often in Jesus’ own words, the Lord himself—and so we greet him before the reading with, “Glory to you, O Lord,” and again following the reading, “Praise to you, O Christ.”
If there is any understanding of “the real presence of Christ” in our worship, this is one place that we express such a thought. It is not just the words of Scripture that reveal God, but when the Gospels are read, it is the Word of God, Christ himself, who becomes One among us.
The other place that we become particularly conscious of Christ present with us is in the Eucharist, and introducing that, we find a somewhat longer dialogue:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
These lines have a long history, being found in the earliest liturgies of the church. The “lifting of the hearts” signals the in-depth involvement of every person as all look God-ward in prayer. The last two lines stress that, beyond a doubt, the prayers to be offered at the Table are understood as the people’s prayers, even if spoken by a single person.
There are two more small conversations that take place in the Eucharist:
In giving the bread:
The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.
In giving the cup:
The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.
These little verbal transactions, of course, accompany the giving and receiving of the body and blood of Christ. These are holy moments, incredibly brief and fleeting moments when time as we know it stands still and God’s own time, eternal time, takes over. These brief words announce Eternity intersecting the times of our loves.
The response is “Amen,” a response said many times throughout Christian worship. As throwaway lines go, this single word is thrown away more often, if, indeed, it is even said. “Amen” is a one-word confession of faith, a proclamation of loyalty to the Lord, an announcement of personal commitment, always to be full-voiced and joyous.
The overall effect of these bits of liturgical dialogue is to set the standard for worship as the work of the people in the presence of God.
Are there other “throwaway lines” you hear in worship too important to miss?
On the other hand, the off-the-cuff comment or the well-placed scripted wisecrack can be the most memorable and meaningful of all that’s said.
Christian worship is itself a drama. Remembering that the audience is God and we, the worshippers, are the actors, we need to be conscious of those parts of our performances before the Almighty that unfortunately sometimes get treated as “throwaway lines”.
The first brief dialogue to consider appears early in the service:
The Lord be with you.
The people answer:
And also with you.
At the announcements, many clergy start with a bare “Good morning,” and get the congregational reply in kind. This little nine-word dialogue is too often uttered in much the same way--just a liturgical language way of saying “good morning.”
Yet, it is much more. “The Lord be with you/And also with you” acknowledges a relationship established by the Risen Christ. In addition to being a blessing given and received, the community is shown to be bonded together by the Lord.
This thought continues in the dialogue that initiates the Greeting of Peace:
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
It is also continued in the personal greetings shared among the people of the congregation as they celebrate the shared gift of the Peace of Christ.
For Protestants, this ritual is beset with confusion. Somehow we keep getting it mixed up with saying “Hi!” to our friends. The Greeting of Peace is a liturgical action, loaded with theological meaning recalling the greeting of peace from Christ to his followers (e.g., Luke 24.36).
The reading of Scripture is essential to Christian worship on the Lord’s Day. Each passage read concludes with another small dialogue that is often glossed over:
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The congregation acknowledges receipt of the message of Scripture as coming from God. This is not to be tossed aside glibly, but to be affirmed with enthusiasm and a hearty gratitude.
The same response follows a reading from the Old Testament or Epistle, emphasizing that the Word of the Lord is spoken in and through the entire Bible. There is an integrity of the Word that can be trusted throughout the biblical writings.
This is also true when it comes to the reading of the Gospels, although the dialogues point to a very different expression of the Word of the Lord. Here we find these lines:
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to… .
Glory to you, O Lord.
At the conclusion of the Gospel:
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
The people’s response is not a general thanksgiving, but a word of praise addressed directly to the Lord. The reading of the Gospel introduces in person, often in Jesus’ own words, the Lord himself—and so we greet him before the reading with, “Glory to you, O Lord,” and again following the reading, “Praise to you, O Christ.”
If there is any understanding of “the real presence of Christ” in our worship, this is one place that we express such a thought. It is not just the words of Scripture that reveal God, but when the Gospels are read, it is the Word of God, Christ himself, who becomes One among us.
The other place that we become particularly conscious of Christ present with us is in the Eucharist, and introducing that, we find a somewhat longer dialogue:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
These lines have a long history, being found in the earliest liturgies of the church. The “lifting of the hearts” signals the in-depth involvement of every person as all look God-ward in prayer. The last two lines stress that, beyond a doubt, the prayers to be offered at the Table are understood as the people’s prayers, even if spoken by a single person.
There are two more small conversations that take place in the Eucharist:
In giving the bread:
The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.
In giving the cup:
The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.
These little verbal transactions, of course, accompany the giving and receiving of the body and blood of Christ. These are holy moments, incredibly brief and fleeting moments when time as we know it stands still and God’s own time, eternal time, takes over. These brief words announce Eternity intersecting the times of our loves.
The response is “Amen,” a response said many times throughout Christian worship. As throwaway lines go, this single word is thrown away more often, if, indeed, it is even said. “Amen” is a one-word confession of faith, a proclamation of loyalty to the Lord, an announcement of personal commitment, always to be full-voiced and joyous.
The overall effect of these bits of liturgical dialogue is to set the standard for worship as the work of the people in the presence of God.
Are there other “throwaway lines” you hear in worship too important to miss?
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Bad Habits
There are a number of liturgical activities that were started once upon a time because someone thought they were good ideas. As it’s turned out, they’ve been recognized as not-so-good or worse, but they seem to linger on, just like bad habits. Such habitual sins are like crabgrass—almost impossible to get rid of—unless first you recognize them for what they are.
So, in the interest of improving the liturgical landscape, here is my count-down of the ten worst bad habits perpetuated in Christian worship.
No. 10. Chatter in the Sanctuary – Some folks just insist in clamoring over pews to say howdy to friends and enemies (but usually not to strangers), even as the prelude is musically urging everyone to meditate and focus. Better to confine greeting chatter to the narthex than bluster into the place of worship.
No. 9. Congregation Mumbling Unison Parts – Noisy as people like to be in the worship space when quiet is desired, they’ll perversely mumble when they’re supposed to speak out, as in Confession of Sin or Confession of Faith. Speak up, people—use full conversational voice.
No. 8. Stage Directions – There’s really no need for the worship leader to constantly tell people to stand for every hymn, or sit down for something else, or give out other vocal rubrics. Such frequent cues are little intrusions to the flow of the service, like cracks in the pavement that make the journey bumpy. Regular attenders know when to do what and will lead newcomers. Never interrupt a service for directions that could be given in the pre-service announcements.
No. 7. Scripture Introductions – Some lectors take special delight in informing the congregation what is in the up-coming text, when they’ll hear it in the text seconds later. Such introductions often skew the emphasis of the text. Let the Scripture speak for itself and the Word will be spoken more clearly.
No. 6. No Psalms – This is one of the grossest sins of omission. Once Presbyterians were called Psalm-singers; most of the time nowadays we’re not even Psalm-sayers. The richness of the Psalter, especially when chanted or sung, is part of our heritage—its neglect is a tragedy.
No. 5. Greeting of Chaos – What is supposed to be a serious exchange of spiritual blessings of peace too often collapses into a free-for-all handshaking hug-fest. It often slips into a chaotic ado that requires some attention-getting sound to get folks back to the worshipful business at hand. It’s the Peace of Christ to be shared, peacefully, reverently.
No. 4. Lack of Silence – One of the necessary ingredients to corporate worship is quiet, absolute silence, so people can internally particularize their prayers. Leaders, clergy and musicians, are often uncomfortable, and try to paper over the silences with words or noodling on the organ. Let silences be. We need them sometimes.
No. 3. Abbreviated Hymns – “The hymn is five verses—let’s do only the first three,” someone said in hopes of moving things along. Of course they wind up eviscerating the hymn. Writers of good hymns carry their message throughout all stanzas, and expect those who sing them to run the course and get the entire meaning.
No. 2. Children’s Time or Sermon – This is one of the hardest bad habits to get rid of because so many moms and dads think their children are getting a quick dose of Christian education. This in spite of the fact that educators have seen through the moralizing cutesy displays as being poor education. Children are better educated during the church service by informed participation in the full worship service guided by their worshipping parents. Real Christian education takes place elsewhere.
No. 1. Infrequent Communion – This bad habit, born of laziness, verges on heresy. From the beginning the Lord’s Supper has been the core of Christian worship—and for most Christians still is. But Presbyterians have found it just too much trouble to set the table every Sunday. They have other excuses, of course, like “It’s too Catholic.” Or “It loses its meaning if you have it every week.” Or some other nonsense. This neglect is a bad habit that needs desperately to be reversed and turned into a good habit—it would change the church enormously.
So, the question is, how do we overcome these bad habits? Diligence and discipline—the same as one needs to break any bad habits.
Diligence means you don’t let up on calling and correcting the bad habits. The burden is on the leaders of the congregation—not just the clergy and musicians, although them for sure—but the governing board and other organization leaders as well. Everyone needs to be educated, and they should become educators of one another as well.
Discipline means that everyone is held accountable. Periodically it pays to step back and ask, “How are we doing?” Applaud when you see progress. Buckle down when you don’t.
This is my list of bad habits displayed in Christian worship—I’ll bet you’ve found some too. What are they?
So, in the interest of improving the liturgical landscape, here is my count-down of the ten worst bad habits perpetuated in Christian worship.
No. 10. Chatter in the Sanctuary – Some folks just insist in clamoring over pews to say howdy to friends and enemies (but usually not to strangers), even as the prelude is musically urging everyone to meditate and focus. Better to confine greeting chatter to the narthex than bluster into the place of worship.
No. 9. Congregation Mumbling Unison Parts – Noisy as people like to be in the worship space when quiet is desired, they’ll perversely mumble when they’re supposed to speak out, as in Confession of Sin or Confession of Faith. Speak up, people—use full conversational voice.
No. 8. Stage Directions – There’s really no need for the worship leader to constantly tell people to stand for every hymn, or sit down for something else, or give out other vocal rubrics. Such frequent cues are little intrusions to the flow of the service, like cracks in the pavement that make the journey bumpy. Regular attenders know when to do what and will lead newcomers. Never interrupt a service for directions that could be given in the pre-service announcements.
No. 7. Scripture Introductions – Some lectors take special delight in informing the congregation what is in the up-coming text, when they’ll hear it in the text seconds later. Such introductions often skew the emphasis of the text. Let the Scripture speak for itself and the Word will be spoken more clearly.
No. 6. No Psalms – This is one of the grossest sins of omission. Once Presbyterians were called Psalm-singers; most of the time nowadays we’re not even Psalm-sayers. The richness of the Psalter, especially when chanted or sung, is part of our heritage—its neglect is a tragedy.
No. 5. Greeting of Chaos – What is supposed to be a serious exchange of spiritual blessings of peace too often collapses into a free-for-all handshaking hug-fest. It often slips into a chaotic ado that requires some attention-getting sound to get folks back to the worshipful business at hand. It’s the Peace of Christ to be shared, peacefully, reverently.
No. 4. Lack of Silence – One of the necessary ingredients to corporate worship is quiet, absolute silence, so people can internally particularize their prayers. Leaders, clergy and musicians, are often uncomfortable, and try to paper over the silences with words or noodling on the organ. Let silences be. We need them sometimes.
No. 3. Abbreviated Hymns – “The hymn is five verses—let’s do only the first three,” someone said in hopes of moving things along. Of course they wind up eviscerating the hymn. Writers of good hymns carry their message throughout all stanzas, and expect those who sing them to run the course and get the entire meaning.
No. 2. Children’s Time or Sermon – This is one of the hardest bad habits to get rid of because so many moms and dads think their children are getting a quick dose of Christian education. This in spite of the fact that educators have seen through the moralizing cutesy displays as being poor education. Children are better educated during the church service by informed participation in the full worship service guided by their worshipping parents. Real Christian education takes place elsewhere.
No. 1. Infrequent Communion – This bad habit, born of laziness, verges on heresy. From the beginning the Lord’s Supper has been the core of Christian worship—and for most Christians still is. But Presbyterians have found it just too much trouble to set the table every Sunday. They have other excuses, of course, like “It’s too Catholic.” Or “It loses its meaning if you have it every week.” Or some other nonsense. This neglect is a bad habit that needs desperately to be reversed and turned into a good habit—it would change the church enormously.
So, the question is, how do we overcome these bad habits? Diligence and discipline—the same as one needs to break any bad habits.
Diligence means you don’t let up on calling and correcting the bad habits. The burden is on the leaders of the congregation—not just the clergy and musicians, although them for sure—but the governing board and other organization leaders as well. Everyone needs to be educated, and they should become educators of one another as well.
Discipline means that everyone is held accountable. Periodically it pays to step back and ask, “How are we doing?” Applaud when you see progress. Buckle down when you don’t.
This is my list of bad habits displayed in Christian worship—I’ll bet you’ve found some too. What are they?
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Getting Started
When I was just getting started in my calling over half a century ago, I realized that I was not very well prepared to assume responsibilities of planning and leading worship.
The education I had about worship was sketchy. Seminary supplied a few slim books to read, and practical advice on how to hold the baby for baptism, the gesture to make in pronouncing the benediction and other liturgical signals, and a copy of the current Book of Common Worship for the liturgical texts. Yes, there was reference to the Directory for Worship as well.
It wasn’t long into the course of my pastoral ministry before I realized I needed—and wanted—more. So now, from the other end of my adventures in worship, I look back and think about what I wish I’d had when I was just getting started. I understand that there may be others, even today, who would like more to get them going in the department of the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
Here are some things I wished I’d had earlier rather than later:
1. History of Christian Worship
The stress in seminary was on Reformed worship to the point that if you weren’t paying attention in other classes, you’d think Christians invented worship in the 16th century. Christian worship has its roots in the Old Testament and ancient Israel, and a long history from then to Luther and Calvin and their colleagues. All of that is our liturgical heritage too. It informs a lot of what we do in worship today. There are plenty of rich resources available today that provide this kind of education if you want it.
2. Comparative Liturgy
It’s also informative to share in worship with other, different brands of Christians. Go to worship with Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Orthodox, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, and others. Visit a synagogue too. And when you go to worship with people of a different tradition, worship—don’t just sit there—follow their tradition. Speak with their clergy about the worship, what it means, why they do whatever they do. Write a paper about where they differ from our brand, and why.
3. A Worship Manual
Early in one’s ministry it’s a good idea to sit down with musicians and other worship leaders in the congregation and prepare a manual on worship in your church—the theology behind what you do. You will find out whether or not you have a logical and theological structure. You will discover what is important and what is less so—maybe even what is trivial. Pass it around for comments and editing by others. Then publish it for the edification of all.
4. Music
Form a bond with the musicians in your church, professional church musicians and others. Get them to teach you about good music and how to recognize it. Not just church music—all good music. Learn to tell the good from the mediocre. Then apply what you learn to church music. God deserves the best music, not the so-so. Have your choir director play through the music library with you so you can hear what it has to offer, and do some sorting. Ask your church musicians to spend time with you “playing through the hymnal”, a hymn at a time—what makes a hymn good, what is the theology there, when should we sing it? Even if you are not a musician, become a knowledgeable critic by listening and learning.
5. The Psalter
Discover the beauty of singing the Psalms in worship. It is a highly neglected part of our tradition, and desperately needs resurrection. The range of emotions in the Psalms makes them powerful components of a service of worship. Yet they can come out flat if they are only read. The “responsive reading” style is better than no Psalms at all, but only marginally. Even congregations can learn to read pointed texts and sing with gusto—if they are led kindly and enthusiastically. There was a time when Presbyterians were accused of being “Psalm-singers”—if only that were true now.
6. Daily Prayer
Fifty years ago the daily lectionary that was available was often assumed to be for the pastor’s devotions. Booklets of meditations were published for the private prayers of lay people. We have rediscovered, however, that worship outside of Sunday is still a corporate matter—“common” prayer means what we do in common with other people. Daily prayer also has its long and wondrous history worthy of discovery and study. The Psalter is at the heart of daily prayer, and makes a strong connection with Lord’s Day worship. Family gatherings, prayer groups, church meetings, and a host of other occasions make the use of the daily prayer pattern logical.
It took me a while to pull all these things together in my calling. I wish I’d started first thing. Maybe you have. Maybe you’ve found other important lessons to be learned when you were just getting started. It’d be great if you’d share them.
The education I had about worship was sketchy. Seminary supplied a few slim books to read, and practical advice on how to hold the baby for baptism, the gesture to make in pronouncing the benediction and other liturgical signals, and a copy of the current Book of Common Worship for the liturgical texts. Yes, there was reference to the Directory for Worship as well.
It wasn’t long into the course of my pastoral ministry before I realized I needed—and wanted—more. So now, from the other end of my adventures in worship, I look back and think about what I wish I’d had when I was just getting started. I understand that there may be others, even today, who would like more to get them going in the department of the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
Here are some things I wished I’d had earlier rather than later:
1. History of Christian Worship
The stress in seminary was on Reformed worship to the point that if you weren’t paying attention in other classes, you’d think Christians invented worship in the 16th century. Christian worship has its roots in the Old Testament and ancient Israel, and a long history from then to Luther and Calvin and their colleagues. All of that is our liturgical heritage too. It informs a lot of what we do in worship today. There are plenty of rich resources available today that provide this kind of education if you want it.
2. Comparative Liturgy
It’s also informative to share in worship with other, different brands of Christians. Go to worship with Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Orthodox, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, and others. Visit a synagogue too. And when you go to worship with people of a different tradition, worship—don’t just sit there—follow their tradition. Speak with their clergy about the worship, what it means, why they do whatever they do. Write a paper about where they differ from our brand, and why.
3. A Worship Manual
Early in one’s ministry it’s a good idea to sit down with musicians and other worship leaders in the congregation and prepare a manual on worship in your church—the theology behind what you do. You will find out whether or not you have a logical and theological structure. You will discover what is important and what is less so—maybe even what is trivial. Pass it around for comments and editing by others. Then publish it for the edification of all.
4. Music
Form a bond with the musicians in your church, professional church musicians and others. Get them to teach you about good music and how to recognize it. Not just church music—all good music. Learn to tell the good from the mediocre. Then apply what you learn to church music. God deserves the best music, not the so-so. Have your choir director play through the music library with you so you can hear what it has to offer, and do some sorting. Ask your church musicians to spend time with you “playing through the hymnal”, a hymn at a time—what makes a hymn good, what is the theology there, when should we sing it? Even if you are not a musician, become a knowledgeable critic by listening and learning.
5. The Psalter
Discover the beauty of singing the Psalms in worship. It is a highly neglected part of our tradition, and desperately needs resurrection. The range of emotions in the Psalms makes them powerful components of a service of worship. Yet they can come out flat if they are only read. The “responsive reading” style is better than no Psalms at all, but only marginally. Even congregations can learn to read pointed texts and sing with gusto—if they are led kindly and enthusiastically. There was a time when Presbyterians were accused of being “Psalm-singers”—if only that were true now.
6. Daily Prayer
Fifty years ago the daily lectionary that was available was often assumed to be for the pastor’s devotions. Booklets of meditations were published for the private prayers of lay people. We have rediscovered, however, that worship outside of Sunday is still a corporate matter—“common” prayer means what we do in common with other people. Daily prayer also has its long and wondrous history worthy of discovery and study. The Psalter is at the heart of daily prayer, and makes a strong connection with Lord’s Day worship. Family gatherings, prayer groups, church meetings, and a host of other occasions make the use of the daily prayer pattern logical.
It took me a while to pull all these things together in my calling. I wish I’d started first thing. Maybe you have. Maybe you’ve found other important lessons to be learned when you were just getting started. It’d be great if you’d share them.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Transcendence
I was talking with a couple over lunch at a day-long event held at a local monastery of the Orthodox Church of America. We were discussing the paths we’d travelled that led us to an interest in the Eastern Orthodox experience of worship.
This couple had travelled some distance across several state lines to reach the monastery for this event, and had come a long way on their common spiritual journey as well. As I recall, they had started out as Presbyterians, growing up as such, but as adults moved to become Lutherans; next stop was the Episcopal Church, and from there to Roman Catholicism; finally, at long last, they found their home in the Orthodox Church of America.
“What was it you were looking for,” I asked, “that you found in the liturgy of the Orthodox Church?”
“We can answer that in one word,” the man said, and his wife chimed in, “Transcendence.”
It was the beginning of a long conversation to explore the landscape of that word. Transcendence has to do with apprehending reality beyond what we can grasp and see. In worship, we look for the presence of God in the risen Christ and the movement of the Spirit.
I understood what they were saying, for I also have found that experience of “transcendence” in Orthodox worship. Yet I’ve found that it’s also possible to experience transcendence in Presbyterian worship, even if sometimes we make it difficult to do so.
I pondered for a long time the sequence of denominational traditions my friends had followed: Presbyterian to Lutheran to Episcopal to Roman Catholic and finally to Orthodox. So what changes from one to the other that leads to a greater experience of “transcendence”, a greater perception of the real presence of the Divine in our midst?
Here’s a sweeping generalization: The change from one to the next that opens the doors to “transcendence” comes from heightened expectation.
Presbyterians, generally speaking, have low expectations about what’s going to take place in worship. The idea that they will have a significant encounter with God in the proclamation of the Word is a fleeting notion. That the Living Lord will become a part of them in the Eucharist is for many beyond comprehension. Not expecting much in the way of transcendence, Presbyterians don’t experience much.
Folks haul themselves to church on a Sunday morning more to stay in touch with friends than to be touched by God. The earthly relationships are more urgent than the transcendent one. They expect and look forward to the one, while the other doesn’t get much of a thought.
Too many come to church without any notion that they might be touched by God and become very different people on the way out than they were when they came in. Change is not on their personal church-going agenda. Not only do many not expect such an encounter, there are those who don’t want it.
The same is true for leaders and planners of worship. For them the questions are, Do we expect to encounter God in the process of selecting hymns, rehearsing the choral pieces, writing prayers, crafting sermons, setting the décor, printing the order of service, etc.? Is all this just dull routine work, or is it exciting for what it offers to us who are doing it? How seriously do we consider that what we are preparing is really making way for God to be present? Is the worship order merely an agenda of items to be checked off? Are the anthems merely performances? Is the sermon only a religious essay?
If what is anticipated in the worship service is a personal and corporate meeting with the Risen Lord, then a bit of “fear and trembling” is in order. This is not a casual event, and yet it is so often treated casually in a folksy manner, and planning and preparation is too often incidental and even fluky.
Climbing up the rungs in the denominational ladder, you’ll find that the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and Orthodox take this transcendence business more seriously that most Presbyterians do. Perhaps they express more clearly that it is God who is the object of worship, and that standing in God’s presence in worship requires reverence. Quiet humility is the worshipper’s approach; gratitude and praise is the joyous response. The reverent and dignified view of worship tends to encourage expectations of God’s present and saving grace.
What is more, we should be excited about the possibilities for ourselves and for everyone who comes to worship with us, the possibilities of this radical grace touching lives, hope for new life, love chasing out bitterness.
Then, perhaps, everyone would come to church with the same kind of anticipation of transcendence, expecting to be in touch with God, to be touched at the depths by the Spirit, and to be sent into the world to follow a living Lord.
How do you anticipate encountering God in worship?
This couple had travelled some distance across several state lines to reach the monastery for this event, and had come a long way on their common spiritual journey as well. As I recall, they had started out as Presbyterians, growing up as such, but as adults moved to become Lutherans; next stop was the Episcopal Church, and from there to Roman Catholicism; finally, at long last, they found their home in the Orthodox Church of America.
“What was it you were looking for,” I asked, “that you found in the liturgy of the Orthodox Church?”
“We can answer that in one word,” the man said, and his wife chimed in, “Transcendence.”
It was the beginning of a long conversation to explore the landscape of that word. Transcendence has to do with apprehending reality beyond what we can grasp and see. In worship, we look for the presence of God in the risen Christ and the movement of the Spirit.
I understood what they were saying, for I also have found that experience of “transcendence” in Orthodox worship. Yet I’ve found that it’s also possible to experience transcendence in Presbyterian worship, even if sometimes we make it difficult to do so.
I pondered for a long time the sequence of denominational traditions my friends had followed: Presbyterian to Lutheran to Episcopal to Roman Catholic and finally to Orthodox. So what changes from one to the other that leads to a greater experience of “transcendence”, a greater perception of the real presence of the Divine in our midst?
Here’s a sweeping generalization: The change from one to the next that opens the doors to “transcendence” comes from heightened expectation.
Presbyterians, generally speaking, have low expectations about what’s going to take place in worship. The idea that they will have a significant encounter with God in the proclamation of the Word is a fleeting notion. That the Living Lord will become a part of them in the Eucharist is for many beyond comprehension. Not expecting much in the way of transcendence, Presbyterians don’t experience much.
Folks haul themselves to church on a Sunday morning more to stay in touch with friends than to be touched by God. The earthly relationships are more urgent than the transcendent one. They expect and look forward to the one, while the other doesn’t get much of a thought.
Too many come to church without any notion that they might be touched by God and become very different people on the way out than they were when they came in. Change is not on their personal church-going agenda. Not only do many not expect such an encounter, there are those who don’t want it.
The same is true for leaders and planners of worship. For them the questions are, Do we expect to encounter God in the process of selecting hymns, rehearsing the choral pieces, writing prayers, crafting sermons, setting the décor, printing the order of service, etc.? Is all this just dull routine work, or is it exciting for what it offers to us who are doing it? How seriously do we consider that what we are preparing is really making way for God to be present? Is the worship order merely an agenda of items to be checked off? Are the anthems merely performances? Is the sermon only a religious essay?
If what is anticipated in the worship service is a personal and corporate meeting with the Risen Lord, then a bit of “fear and trembling” is in order. This is not a casual event, and yet it is so often treated casually in a folksy manner, and planning and preparation is too often incidental and even fluky.
Climbing up the rungs in the denominational ladder, you’ll find that the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and Orthodox take this transcendence business more seriously that most Presbyterians do. Perhaps they express more clearly that it is God who is the object of worship, and that standing in God’s presence in worship requires reverence. Quiet humility is the worshipper’s approach; gratitude and praise is the joyous response. The reverent and dignified view of worship tends to encourage expectations of God’s present and saving grace.
What is more, we should be excited about the possibilities for ourselves and for everyone who comes to worship with us, the possibilities of this radical grace touching lives, hope for new life, love chasing out bitterness.
Then, perhaps, everyone would come to church with the same kind of anticipation of transcendence, expecting to be in touch with God, to be touched at the depths by the Spirit, and to be sent into the world to follow a living Lord.
How do you anticipate encountering God in worship?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Worship Lite
The following is an advertisement for worship services with indisputable and universal appeal.
Join us any Sunday you happen to feel like it.(1) We have services that are calculated to make you feel good and send you forth with a smile on your lips and a cozy feeling in your heart.(2)
Gather with others who look and dress like you do,(3) to give personal thanks for the success you enjoy(4) and rejoice in the prospects of more of the same and even better.(5)
Listen to swinging music sung by attractive choristers(6) broadcast on surround-sound and watch it all in state-of-the-art videos on television screens on each wall.(7)
Hear inspiration conveyed with humor and jocularity by a congenial and heartily friendly fellow.(8) We only use a snippet of Scripture and almost never have Communion, so the service is guaranteed to end in time for you to make it home before the football/baseball/basketball/hockey game.(9)
Nothing is required of you to belong to our fellowship.(10) As the saying goes, “See you in church…maybe.”
1. One of the biggest problems for the church of Jesus Christ today is that it has become the “church of convenience.” Roman Catholics benefit from a more efficient form of intimidation than Protestants—it’s too easy for us to beg off attending. It’s not the atheists and agnostics that are the issue here—it’s the self-proclaimed followers of Jesus who just sleep in. What is missing is any sense of discipline among too many Christians.
2. Feel-good worship is running rampant on the religious scene these days. It crowds out any prophetic challenge or call to discipleship. It’s very difficult to view the suffering of others as a summons to sacrificial action. A gospel that is only good news of comfort and not Good News of empowerment from God is plainly not The Gospel.
3. The church is an exclusive gathering, in one sense, but in one sense only—that God has called the People of God to be God’s own representatives in the world. Otherwise, the church is to be inclusive, welcoming, hospitable, embracing people of all colors and socio-economic backgrounds. Shame on us when we aren’t.
4. Whatever else you do, don’t forget to confess and await the awareness that you haven’t earned or likely deserved anything you claim as yours. Sorry, it’s all God’s—you have it all on loan. A great deal hangs on whether God has made a good investment in you or not.
5. The future does not come with any absolute guarantees. But, with God, there is Hope—not the same as wishful thinking. The trick is learning to live keeping your eye on God’s promises.
6. Deliver us, O Lord, from the entertainers—and their totally forgettable music. Let’s sing the Psalter and the Hymnal and create new songs with tunes that stay with us and carry theology of God’s grace and glory. And let’s all sing—even if we don’t sing so well, only a “joyful noise” is required.
7. Just because we have the technology doesn’t mean we have to use it. Let’s share the worship space with each other, and stay alert for the presence of our Lord who promises to be in our midst. Cut out the techy distractions.
8. The hail-fellow-well-met (or the hail-lady-well-met) can be the biggest obstacle to communicating the Gospel. Never will the comfortable be afflicted by such, and the afflicted probably won’t hang around to listen. What’s needed is authenticity and enthusiasm (from the Greek éntheos meaning “having God within”).
9. When there’s minimal use of Scripture and rare Eucharist, worship is eviscerated. Furthermore, putting the clock on the worship of God is the surest way of making it a production or something other than worship. Worship of God happens on God’s clock, in God’s own time, quite beyond our calculation—eternal time, sometimes called kairos.
10. What agent of the devil convinced so many people that being Christian in this world is easy and has no demands or requirements? Not only do we make commitments to follow God’s directions, but also commitments to support the rest of the people in the church, those next to us in the pews and those around the world, as they try to follow God’s directions.
I like to think this advertisement is pure fiction, but I know that one or more parts are tempting at least in some situations. Like most advertisements, this one won’t deliver all that it promises anyway. As it turns out, “Worship Lite” is far from the Real Thing.
What parts of the above advertisement have you encountered in churches you’ve visited? In your own church? What would you do to “beef up” worship in those instances?
Join us any Sunday you happen to feel like it.(1) We have services that are calculated to make you feel good and send you forth with a smile on your lips and a cozy feeling in your heart.(2)
Gather with others who look and dress like you do,(3) to give personal thanks for the success you enjoy(4) and rejoice in the prospects of more of the same and even better.(5)
Listen to swinging music sung by attractive choristers(6) broadcast on surround-sound and watch it all in state-of-the-art videos on television screens on each wall.(7)
Hear inspiration conveyed with humor and jocularity by a congenial and heartily friendly fellow.(8) We only use a snippet of Scripture and almost never have Communion, so the service is guaranteed to end in time for you to make it home before the football/baseball/basketball/hockey game.(9)
Nothing is required of you to belong to our fellowship.(10) As the saying goes, “See you in church…maybe.”
1. One of the biggest problems for the church of Jesus Christ today is that it has become the “church of convenience.” Roman Catholics benefit from a more efficient form of intimidation than Protestants—it’s too easy for us to beg off attending. It’s not the atheists and agnostics that are the issue here—it’s the self-proclaimed followers of Jesus who just sleep in. What is missing is any sense of discipline among too many Christians.
2. Feel-good worship is running rampant on the religious scene these days. It crowds out any prophetic challenge or call to discipleship. It’s very difficult to view the suffering of others as a summons to sacrificial action. A gospel that is only good news of comfort and not Good News of empowerment from God is plainly not The Gospel.
3. The church is an exclusive gathering, in one sense, but in one sense only—that God has called the People of God to be God’s own representatives in the world. Otherwise, the church is to be inclusive, welcoming, hospitable, embracing people of all colors and socio-economic backgrounds. Shame on us when we aren’t.
4. Whatever else you do, don’t forget to confess and await the awareness that you haven’t earned or likely deserved anything you claim as yours. Sorry, it’s all God’s—you have it all on loan. A great deal hangs on whether God has made a good investment in you or not.
5. The future does not come with any absolute guarantees. But, with God, there is Hope—not the same as wishful thinking. The trick is learning to live keeping your eye on God’s promises.
6. Deliver us, O Lord, from the entertainers—and their totally forgettable music. Let’s sing the Psalter and the Hymnal and create new songs with tunes that stay with us and carry theology of God’s grace and glory. And let’s all sing—even if we don’t sing so well, only a “joyful noise” is required.
7. Just because we have the technology doesn’t mean we have to use it. Let’s share the worship space with each other, and stay alert for the presence of our Lord who promises to be in our midst. Cut out the techy distractions.
8. The hail-fellow-well-met (or the hail-lady-well-met) can be the biggest obstacle to communicating the Gospel. Never will the comfortable be afflicted by such, and the afflicted probably won’t hang around to listen. What’s needed is authenticity and enthusiasm (from the Greek éntheos meaning “having God within”).
9. When there’s minimal use of Scripture and rare Eucharist, worship is eviscerated. Furthermore, putting the clock on the worship of God is the surest way of making it a production or something other than worship. Worship of God happens on God’s clock, in God’s own time, quite beyond our calculation—eternal time, sometimes called kairos.
10. What agent of the devil convinced so many people that being Christian in this world is easy and has no demands or requirements? Not only do we make commitments to follow God’s directions, but also commitments to support the rest of the people in the church, those next to us in the pews and those around the world, as they try to follow God’s directions.
I like to think this advertisement is pure fiction, but I know that one or more parts are tempting at least in some situations. Like most advertisements, this one won’t deliver all that it promises anyway. As it turns out, “Worship Lite” is far from the Real Thing.
What parts of the above advertisement have you encountered in churches you’ve visited? In your own church? What would you do to “beef up” worship in those instances?
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