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The one little thing in a liturgical service that should and could be easily adopted by every church – and which is commonly lacking in most modern evangelical services – is the reading of scripture. Every single week in a liturgical service the community hears large sections of the Old and New Testaments read to them out loud – the primary manner in which the Bible was intended to be experienced. Conservative evangelical churches who uphold the primacy and inerrancy of the Bible as God’s word usually at best get a few verses out of whatever book their pastor is very slowly making his way through. At worst they get a topical sermon lightly seasoned with some proof texts ripped from their contexts. Evangelicals rarely get to hear large sections of the Torah, Prophets, Epistles and Gospels read one right after the other in a manner that allows them to experience the unifying narrative of the Bible. Many supposedly liberal mainline churches throughout the world weekly proclaim the powerful word of the Lord, weather or not they believe it, because they follow a liturgical form.
That which for me is most valuable in a liturgical service is the celebration of communion. Even if communion is only a remembrance it should be observed at least once a week. I believe communion feeds us spiritually and is necessary for our wellbeing; therefore it needs to be observed on a more regular basis than once a month. Now, many of the younger evangelical denominations do make communion available at every worship service. The problem is that communion has become individualistic – it’s something you take care of by yourself (maybe with a friend or family member) while the worship band plays. However, communion should be communal. The liturgical form of service places greater focus upon communion and helps move the community through the preparation, reception, thanksgiving and acceptance of forgiveness as a community.
That which I enjoy second most is the way in which the liturgical form varies our forms of worship engaging us in a more complete manner. Today we tend to think worship is synonymous with singing. Singing is only one form of worship. In a liturgical service we worship through song, prayer, the “call to worship”, the reading of scripture, the affirmation of belief, the proclamation of God’s word, and communion. Now, in many churches even if they do these other things they don’t engage them as worship. As well, the only participatory thing that happens on a regular basis is singing. In a liturgical service there are a variety of participatory events. And, you don’t just participate with your voice. A liturgical service will engage a person in a more kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and sometimes even olfactory way.
As a teacher I often don’t like having to follow a lectionary, but as a Christian I greatly appreciate it. The lectionary guides the subject matter of the weekly sermons in a way that a church does not become hostage to one man’s whims. The pastor must cover a broader section of scripture, and can’t ignore areas he doesn’t like, or just camp on his favorite topics. It also keeps a local church in tune with the international church.
The liturgy helps a local church keep in unity with the entire body of Christ, both today and throughout time. We do not only do whatever feels good in the moment. We keep in tune with those who come before and after us. For me one of the most fruitful aspects of this has been my engagement in the church year. I’m learning about and celebrating seasons I never even knew about. This has helped to deepen my worship and understanding of God’s word. This is the greatest benefit of tradition – we don’t become enslaved by tradition (though having our impulses constrained by tradition is often beneficial); tradition allows us to learn from our ancestors.
The Apostles Creed is an example of this. The Apostles Creed is not perfect, but it allows us each week to join with Christians throughout time and place in affirming as close to a universal confession of faith as the Church has. Weather or not we believe, value or understand every word of it, we are taught and we confess that which we as a people have believed to be the foundational teachings of Christianity for the nearly two thousand years. And, at the very least – if we learn nothing else each week –we are taught and reminded of the basic and invariant story of Jesus Christ.
My biggest problem with many evangelical churches is that they feel shallow to me. I often feel like I’m watching a performance, not participating. And I feel disengaged from those around me – how can I hope to be engaged with the universal Church? This is not to say these churches are bad, or that they do not help many people relate to and worship God. I don’t find in them what I’m longing for. For a long time I have been searching for what is for me a more engaging and meaningful sense of worship and community. I find that the liturgical form helps me.