In this blog post I will be explaining, as best as I can, how and where the different sections of a specific liturgy comes from.
I saw this post on The Lutheran. Here is the link
Liturgy is the ‘what’
Be ready to adapt the ‘what’ for the ‘why’ of worship
Does talk of traditional Lutheran liturgy spark a realization that your congregation falls somewhere outside this box? You aren't alone.
Many ELCA members attend congregations with a less liturgical or even non-liturgical service. If you aren't paging through a cranberry, green, black or red book of worship on Sundays, you may well wonder: How does the Lutheran liturgy relate to my experience? On the other hand, if you deem the formal liturgy a necessity, you may wonder how some — even Lutherans — live without it.
Formal liturgical worship has been part of the Christian church for all its 2,000 years. It is and always will be part of who we are. But it's not the only option. Liturgy, or the "what" of worship (necessary prayers, certain actions or elements), shouldn't cause us to forget the "why" of worship.
So what is and isn't liturgy?
Liturgy is the form, not the purpose, for worship. Ultimately, worship is about God in Christ encountering God's people and sending us out by the power of the Spirit to live like Jesus in the world. The essence of worship isn't liturgical but sacramental.
To borrow from Martin Luther, God takes on flesh in, with and through us. We as the church become Christ's body in the world. While we prize our Lutheran forms of worship, the diversity in the universal church shows us there isn't one set form for worship, only one set purpose.
Adapting our approach
We know people learn differently and no single learning style (e.g., lecture, interactive, self-guided, visual) works for everyone. The same is true for worship. Every congregation needs to wrestle with this reality.
People experience God in worship differently. When we limit or demand only one style, whether it be traditional or alternative, we risk excluding others from our community. IfELCA congregations are to continue passing the faith from generation to generation, we must commit to first proclaiming the "why" of worship and embrace the "what" as flexible and ever-changing.
We do well to consider that the average age of worshipers at an ELCA congregation is 57 and the average age of an American is 33, according to ELCA Research and Evaluation. Today some of the difference in worship style is generational, as aging baby boomers opt for the comfort of traditional liturgies. Meanwhile, many of their children and grandchildren search for the kind of experiences church futurist Len Sweet calls "EPIC."
EPIC stands for experiential (full integration of all senses rather than just hearing);participatory (away from passive observation); image-rich (sight-oriented with art, film and video); and communal (wanting to be the church rather than go to the church).
The truth is that many of those asking the "why" of worship are leaving or have left — often with the impression that the rest of us aren't willing to listen to their yearnings for God or to share with them in worship.
Yet what are we here for, if not to risk ourselves for the sake of others? We are to risk ourselves for those outside our worshiping communities and for those among us who seek to encounter Jesus as the heart of worship. What a blessing that Luther already gave us in the example of Reformation worship.
Reformation worship embraced and changed the "what" of the Latin mass, recovering the "why" of worship: people encountering God in their own language, in their own music, in good news of word and sacrament.
How can we as congregations risk ourselves today in worship?
• Offer options. If your congregation is large enough to have more than one weekly service, offer at least two choices: traditional liturgical and at least a blended EPIC (alternative style).
• Use technology. Digital technology isn't the enemy but a tool for EPIC worship in any style. Projection of text, music and art can enhance your space for the purpose of worship — not its object.
• Understand tradition. The most innovative alternative services are surprisingly "traditional," emphasizing weekly eucharist, communal prayer and other ancient elements. "Contemporary" doesn't mean abandoning the core of Christian worship but rather casting it in a new language.
• Embrace your context and recognize diversity. If your worshiping community is located in a small-town or rural area with many Sudanese immigrants, your worship music, images and styles will be different from one in a Latino neighborhood in Miami or in the ranch communities of Fresno, Calif.
• Listen openly. Don't reinvent the wheel. Learn from worship at other congregations. Listen to those who seek experiential, participatory, image-rich and communal worship. Listen to those who treasure the richness of traditional liturgy and recognize its value in your congregation.
• Share graciously. The "why" of worship is God revealed in Jesus crucified and risen for us. No single generation or community has an exclusive hold on how worship is done. Everyone must be willing to "lose" in worship so others gain. Look to the cross as both a reminder and a yardstick to measure the "why" and the "what" of Lutheran worship.
• Forgive generously. The "what" of worship will vary and occasionally be misunderstood, cause offense to some or be done poorly. But if we embrace the "evangelical" in our name (Luther's name for those who followed in his footsteps) we model the good news as we risk being vessels for others to experience Jesus in daily life, and not just for an hour on Sunday morning.
• Encourage abundantly. It's easy to complain out of a sense of personal loss or to wear down pastors and leaders about worship changes you don't agree with or understand. Try to put aside complaints and speak well of your worship leaders. This may be your opportunity to risk yourselves for them and those they seek to reach who are unlike you.
The next time you gather for worship, be it in pews surrounded by stained glass or by a stage with a latte, take time to look around. Who do you see? Who do you not see? Your answers shouldn't be cause for despair or self-congratulation.
What you will see is Jesus in the flesh: in, with and through you ... in bread and wine ... in body and blood. As you allow the "why" of worship to become primary, you may be surprised at how God blesses you with the "what" of worship. And that includes both the beautiful, traditional liturgy and its contemporary, less liturgical expressions, moving your congregation beyond its walls, beyond the generations and beyond all differences to become the church, the living body of Christ today and tomorrow.
Many ELCA members attend congregations with a less liturgical or even non-liturgical service. If you aren't paging through a cranberry, green, black or red book of worship on Sundays, you may well wonder: How does the Lutheran liturgy relate to my experience? On the other hand, if you deem the formal liturgy a necessity, you may wonder how some — even Lutherans — live without it.
Formal liturgical worship has been part of the Christian church for all its 2,000 years. It is and always will be part of who we are. But it's not the only option. Liturgy, or the "what" of worship (necessary prayers, certain actions or elements), shouldn't cause us to forget the "why" of worship.So what is and isn't liturgy?
Liturgy is the form, not the purpose, for worship. Ultimately, worship is about God in Christ encountering God's people and sending us out by the power of the Spirit to live like Jesus in the world. The essence of worship isn't liturgical but sacramental.
To borrow from Martin Luther, God takes on flesh in, with and through us. We as the church become Christ's body in the world. While we prize our Lutheran forms of worship, the diversity in the universal church shows us there isn't one set form for worship, only one set purpose.
Adapting our approach
We know people learn differently and no single learning style (e.g., lecture, interactive, self-guided, visual) works for everyone. The same is true for worship. Every congregation needs to wrestle with this reality.
People experience God in worship differently. When we limit or demand only one style, whether it be traditional or alternative, we risk excluding others from our community. IfELCA congregations are to continue passing the faith from generation to generation, we must commit to first proclaiming the "why" of worship and embrace the "what" as flexible and ever-changing.
We do well to consider that the average age of worshipers at an ELCA congregation is 57 and the average age of an American is 33, according to ELCA Research and Evaluation. Today some of the difference in worship style is generational, as aging baby boomers opt for the comfort of traditional liturgies. Meanwhile, many of their children and grandchildren search for the kind of experiences church futurist Len Sweet calls "EPIC."
EPIC stands for experiential (full integration of all senses rather than just hearing);participatory (away from passive observation); image-rich (sight-oriented with art, film and video); and communal (wanting to be the church rather than go to the church).
The truth is that many of those asking the "why" of worship are leaving or have left — often with the impression that the rest of us aren't willing to listen to their yearnings for God or to share with them in worship.
Yet what are we here for, if not to risk ourselves for the sake of others? We are to risk ourselves for those outside our worshiping communities and for those among us who seek to encounter Jesus as the heart of worship. What a blessing that Luther already gave us in the example of Reformation worship.
Reformation worship embraced and changed the "what" of the Latin mass, recovering the "why" of worship: people encountering God in their own language, in their own music, in good news of word and sacrament.
How can we as congregations risk ourselves today in worship?
• Offer options. If your congregation is large enough to have more than one weekly service, offer at least two choices: traditional liturgical and at least a blended EPIC (alternative style).
• Use technology. Digital technology isn't the enemy but a tool for EPIC worship in any style. Projection of text, music and art can enhance your space for the purpose of worship — not its object.
• Understand tradition. The most innovative alternative services are surprisingly "traditional," emphasizing weekly eucharist, communal prayer and other ancient elements. "Contemporary" doesn't mean abandoning the core of Christian worship but rather casting it in a new language.
• Embrace your context and recognize diversity. If your worshiping community is located in a small-town or rural area with many Sudanese immigrants, your worship music, images and styles will be different from one in a Latino neighborhood in Miami or in the ranch communities of Fresno, Calif.
• Listen openly. Don't reinvent the wheel. Learn from worship at other congregations. Listen to those who seek experiential, participatory, image-rich and communal worship. Listen to those who treasure the richness of traditional liturgy and recognize its value in your congregation.
• Share graciously. The "why" of worship is God revealed in Jesus crucified and risen for us. No single generation or community has an exclusive hold on how worship is done. Everyone must be willing to "lose" in worship so others gain. Look to the cross as both a reminder and a yardstick to measure the "why" and the "what" of Lutheran worship.
• Forgive generously. The "what" of worship will vary and occasionally be misunderstood, cause offense to some or be done poorly. But if we embrace the "evangelical" in our name (Luther's name for those who followed in his footsteps) we model the good news as we risk being vessels for others to experience Jesus in daily life, and not just for an hour on Sunday morning.
• Encourage abundantly. It's easy to complain out of a sense of personal loss or to wear down pastors and leaders about worship changes you don't agree with or understand. Try to put aside complaints and speak well of your worship leaders. This may be your opportunity to risk yourselves for them and those they seek to reach who are unlike you.
The next time you gather for worship, be it in pews surrounded by stained glass or by a stage with a latte, take time to look around. Who do you see? Who do you not see? Your answers shouldn't be cause for despair or self-congratulation.
What you will see is Jesus in the flesh: in, with and through you ... in bread and wine ... in body and blood. As you allow the "why" of worship to become primary, you may be surprised at how God blesses you with the "what" of worship. And that includes both the beautiful, traditional liturgy and its contemporary, less liturgical expressions, moving your congregation beyond its walls, beyond the generations and beyond all differences to become the church, the living body of Christ today and tomorrow.
When we go through the liturgy, we get a sense of what the Bible is telling us.
Since my church still uses the old green Lutheran Book of Worship, I've decided to pull out the old liturgy we use to use. It started on page 77 and is called Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.Almight God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid.....
The actual confession goes like this.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are in bondage to sin, and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Let's go through this confession and find it in the Bible together.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
The Bible reads in Matthew 22-31-38,
And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’ And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment.
The very next part in the confession goes like this.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
Matthew 22:39 says,
And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
There are two Hymns of Praise in the green book. The first one we use to sing when there was no communion. The second, when there was communion.
Lord, God, heavenly Kingalmighty God and Father.We worship you, we give you thanks.We praise you for your glory.Lord, Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father.Lord God, Lamb of God: You take away the sin of the worldHave mercy on us.You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer.For you alone are the Holy One,You alone are the Lord,You alone are the Most High,Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father, Amen.
As you can see here, there is a lot of references to the Trinity, (God the Father, God The Son, and God the Holy Spirit). Even though the Trinity was an idea created by Man, the inspiration was from scripture.
The second Hymn of Praise was for communion week.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,whose blood set us free to be people of God.Power and riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his.
This is the feast of victory for our God.Alleluia.Sing with all the people of Godand join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing and honor and glory and mightbe to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God,for the Lamb who was slainhas begun his reign.Alleluia. Alleluia.
As you can see, this has a lot of references to the Last Supper. Matthew 22:26-29 states,
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’
The most important part of any service is obviously the Lord's Prayer.
Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name, they kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread;and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13 is a majority of the Lord's Prayer.
The last petition, "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen." confused me. It's not anywhere in the Bible that I can find. This doctrine is not found in either Luke or Matthew. Many Catholics and some Lutherans don't use this part of the Lord's Prayer, since it's not in the Bible, but many Lutherans and other denominations attach it. According to Wikipedia, a similar phrase can be found in 1 Chronicles 29:11.
This...is how you should pray: "Our father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
The last petition, "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen." confused me. It's not anywhere in the Bible that I can find. This doctrine is not found in either Luke or Matthew. Many Catholics and some Lutherans don't use this part of the Lord's Prayer, since it's not in the Bible, but many Lutherans and other denominations attach it. According to Wikipedia, a similar phrase can be found in 1 Chronicles 29:11.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.As I was looking through the rest of the green hymnal, I came across an offertory hymn that I don't remember ever singing, except as a choral piece in the Senior Choir. It goes as follows.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from your presence,and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with your free Spirit.
This can be found in Psalm 51: 10-12.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,I was hoping to find the version of the song we do in Senior Choir at church, but I can't seem to find it on YouTube anywhere.
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take away your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
________
While reading 1 John for another blog, I came across another part of the Lutheran Liturgy.
1 John 1:8-9
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sings and purify us from all unrighteousness.
This is said by the minister before we do the actual confession of sins.
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