The word liturgy means “work of the people,” typically we associate this with the seemingly ritualistic practices of certain church traditions (Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and various other traditions).
I first gained interest in liturgy about 3 years ago when I was taking a class which exposed us to different church practices. We looked at the development of the Lord’s Supper (aka communion, Holy Communion, Eucharist), the development of creeds, and the development of church organizational structures. All of these were great on a high level of learning, but it always felt a bit disconnected from real life. Why does it matter if we use grape juice or wine? Why does it matter if people know the Apostles’ Creed? Why is the title bishop even used? Then two things happened. The first thing was a course assignment. We had to read over the Anglican Prayer Book of New Zealand’s “Service for the Blessing of a Home” and then creatively construct how we would bless someone’s home. It unlocked what liturgy could be. It was no longer strictly words that are passed down for centuries to be numbingly repeated with no expectation of pastoral interaction with parishioners. There is nothing wrong with repeating those words, but we have to ask “is the pastor/priest being completely present with their congregation in that moment?” I then realized the point of liturgy was for pastor/priest and people working together to be the church. The second thing was taught to me by my daughter. As we were driving around one day, I was teaching her the centuries old Jesus Prayer. It is a prayer that has its roots in the 4th and 5th centuries, and it was a prayer that repetitiously repeated these words: “Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” It was then shortened: “Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” And finally: “Christ, have mercy” It eventually was shortened to match rhythmic breaths. Christ… have mercy… Christ…have mercy… Now to my daughter, the history doesn't matter. The cognitive-psychological interplay between breathing and praying doesn't matter. But when I was teaching her “Christ, have mercy” she stopped me. And with the most excited voice she shouted: “DAD… LOOK (pointing out the window)… THERE’S MERCY” Then it dawned on me. Worship, liturgy, people working together, is about revealing to us God’s presence in the world! Liturgy is that while we are saying “Christ, have mercy” we can look out in the world and say, yes God is having mercy and there it is! And so, next time I am receiving communion, I will also be witnessing God gathering together the church, strengthening it to do God’s will in the world. Next time, when I witness a baptism I will be seeing God actively reconciling the world back to God’s self. Next time, when I witness a wedding I will be reminded that it is God who brought these two together and God who will hold them together. Next time, when I mourn at a funeral, I will be reminded that death does not have the final say. Let us be in a lifetime practice of liturgy, actively seeking out God’s activity in the world, and let us participate with God in reconciliation and redemption.
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January 2016
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