Audio for the following may be found here. You may also listen to podcast episodes here.
A MORE SUBSTANTIAL BASIS
A serious issue in many modern contexts of Christian worship is their often-flawed basis. Rather than building upon centuries of scrutiny, trial, and error, much of what occurs in modern worship is based upon external human factors, e.g. personal opinion, emotion, and seeker-sensitive decisions. Worship must surely have a more substantial basis than humanmade devices; liturgy is the tool that holds a more substantial basis. Derived from the Bible, church history, and right theology, liturgy has a matchless and unshakeable basis, which free traditions should at least consider. Liturgy is not meant to hinder worship but to free it. Rather than viewing liturgy as an imprisoning resource, free traditions should consider it the apparatus that frees God’s people to worship in a way that honors him and is devoid of human-centered devices. The basis of liturgy is more substantial than the alternatives; yet, many churches desire less substance in the name of separation from their misunderstanding of liturgy. To consider the solid foundation of liturgy, however, is to realize the vast advantage of its employment. If such happens, even free churches discover the greater basis comprised in liturgy.
A
Biblical Basis
Liturgy,
first, possesses a biblical basis. A seeming tendency, among free traditions,
is to assume liturgical traditions to be absent of biblical authority and
shallow in scriptural underpinning. Liturgy, however, is derived from the truth
of Scripture and the overwhelming connection to its stalwart support in all of
life; historic liturgies would not include weekly readings from Psalms,
Prophets, Gospels, and Epistles if it were not so. Failing to realize the
spawning root of liturgy and to separate themselves from the rigor or
Catholicism, many free churches have reduced their worship gatherings to human
opinion, manmade thought, and practices that exist to impress congregants and
be culturally relevant. Liturgy, however, is derived from Scripture and, thus,
holds an unwavering biblical basis.
Liturgy
is biblical in practice in that what is presented to the church are not only
themes developed from Scripture but verbatim Scripture itself. Consider the
numerous times free churches fail to present the entirety of Scripture by
centering worship around cultural ideas or only speaking the sermon text aloud
while neglecting to recognize other important scriptures. Liturgy naturally and
fully offers God’s people the totality of Scripture. If a church adheres to a
historic lectionary (such as the RCL), all of Scripture is heard and presented
over a given course of time. Therefore, nothing is omitted no matter how
uncomfortable the text might seem. Since all Scripture is breathed by God and
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training (2 Tim 3:16), it would
be advantageous for believers to utilize the full canon of Scripture rather
than only what seems to apply culturally. Liturgical practice aids in purposely
designing worship to reflect biblical authority.
Liturgy
is also biblical in origin. Lectionaries were not created by one man or woman
and certainly have not been void of church scrutiny. Rather, liturgy holds a
biblical origin not only in the way it proclaims the story of God but also in
the way it was designed. Stemming from the text of Scripture, historic
liturgies remove human opinion and thought and instead return biblical truth to
God’s people. One cannot be theologically wrong by reciting and quoting
Scripture verbatim without the influence of humankind. Liturgy, therefore,
offers the exact text of the Bible without interpretation since believers hold
their own individual office of priest. The origin of liturgy is rooted in the
Bible, its story, and its exact text. As such, there subsists a more
substantial basis in liturgy than in the usual free context of humanmade and
human-centered orders of worship.
Liturgy
also has a biblical basis in philosophy. The idea that liturgical traditions do
not boast the same high view of the Bible as free traditions is misunderstood
or blatantly ignored. Although interpretation may often lie disparate,
liturgical churches hold an exceedingly high view of Scripture and its
authority in individual lives and the life of the church. Since liturgy is
grounded firmly in the Bible, liturgical worship is also grounded firmly in the
Bible. The philosophy that persists among liturgical traditions is such that places
Scripture at utmost importance. Surely, there is not a low view of Scripture
among Christians who utilize liturgy in their worship practices.
Liturgy is not absent of a biblical basis but is grounded and built upon it. Greater than the creative ideas of human-centered worship, liturgy proves beneficial in its substantial basis, part of which is its unapologetically biblical basis. The basis upon which liturgy rests is fixed and sure, tried and true. Rather than resort to humanmade concepts to drive the worship of the local church, even free traditions may benefit from the employment of liturgy, as the basis is more substantial.
A
Historical Basis
Certainly,
Scripture is authoritative; yet, the church can and should learn from history.
Church history should, in fact, guide the modern church. Not to confuse a high
view of history with canonization of biblical text, believers have much to gain
from history. Documents such as the Didache (c. 2nd century
AD), for example, provide guidance for the church in many respects, not the
least of which is procedural standards in Christian worship practice given by
the early church and (likely) passed down from the Apostles themselves. While
the Bible forms the foundation of historic liturgy, documents such as the Didache
and others from early church fathers form pillars. Liturgy then holds an
unbreakable historical basis, from which the church may benefit.
Liturgy
is historical in its creation. The methods and ways liturgy has been devised
stems from the history of the church. Even in the early church, the history of
God’s people was considered greatly to create a proper and orderly way for
Christians to worship God. Certainly, the Bible is the foundational tool used
to develop liturgy, which is historical in itself; yet, for God’s people to
neglect the history of the church even outside of the pages of Scripture is to
abandon the responsibility of learning from history. Liturgy accounts for the
history of God’s people not only in its content but also in the way it was
developed. Over the centuries of the church, the elements and practices of
Christian worship were perfected and ameliorated. Trinitarian thought, for
example, seems to increase over the centuries. Tertullian was the first Latin
writer to use the term, trinity, but not in a way that orthodox Christians
would consider it today. Tertullian did not believe in a triune God but in
three distinct beings where the Son and Spirit were created out of the
spiritual matter of the Father. Such a view would nearly be considered
heretical in many of today’s contexts. Nonetheless, in a 2nd-century
church where trinitarian theology was still maturing, there was likely no
shortage of confusing and disparate views on subject matters that might be
considered standard today. Therefore, the trinitarian concepts in liturgy
developed over the centuries as well. Liturgy has not been through (only) some
scrutiny but centuries of it so that it is now precise and clear. It is, in
fact, historical in its creation.
Liturgy
is also historical in its proclamation, for it declares the story of God and
his people. Detailed liturgy focuses not only on the story of Christ but also
what God has done in the lives of his people throughout Scripture. Lest
Christians forget the faithfulness of their God, liturgy proclaims his work
throughout time. The stories of God’s work in Israel resonate throughout
liturgical practices. Free traditions cannot deny the benefit of remembering
these stories, as God’s people today come from such stories. Liturgy proclaims
the historical stories of God’s work.
Liturgy
is also historical in its use of time. The Christian calendar was not created
to inhibit worship but to free it to daily living in the story of God. The
church year holds various foci on historic feasts and celebrations relevant to
Christian history. Not only in the life of Christ and the Christian church but
by remembering the Jewish roots of Christianity, liturgy allows God’s people to
connect to history in a tangible manner. God is outside of time and yet uses
time for his people’s advantage, i.e. he works through time. Liturgy considers
God’s use of time and incorporates it into the Christian worship gatherings.
Often, free traditions seem to neglect how God has used time or are at least
unintentional in using time now. The church calendar is a marvelous way to lead
God’s people in persistent worship by living in the reality of God’s story
throughout history.
Liturgy holds a historical basis and may be valuable to free traditions. Perhaps, the lingering apprehension to retaining historic liturgy in free traditions is due to a misunderstanding of its purpose, nature, and basis. Retaining liturgy in the church is not for retaining Catholicism; it is, in fact, for intentional and precise methods of declaring God’s story in worship. In addition to a biblical basis, liturgy also holds a historical basis that is evident and prominent in its use. For free traditions who exercise the tool of liturgy, the historical basis of liturgy grants believers a unique perspective and an exceeding benefit.
A
Theological Basis
Liturgy,
furthermore, holds a more substantial basis than the alternatives because of
its theological basis. As liturgy is not devoid of Scripture, it is also not
devoid of theology: accurate, precise, and scrutinized theology. To constitute
theology, deep and convoluted topics are unnecessary, for theology is merely
thought about God. When a Sunday School teacher says to a child, “Jesus loves
me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” he or she is executing theology.
For Christians then to claim no interested in theology but only in Jesus, a
theological idea is submitted. Theology is vital to Christian life. Thus, the
tools utilized in Christian worship should represent a theological basis;
liturgy has such a basis.
Liturgy
has a theological basis in its content. When a local church employs a standard
liturgy, a resource is used that has undergone countless revisions and
processes to ensure correct theology. Its content then is derived from
Scripture and core tenets of the Christian faith throughout the centuries. What
is spoken, read, prayed, and even sung during the weekly worship gatherings of
a liturgical context represents a broad picture of the entire story of God and
theological concepts linked to such a story. A unique aspect of liturgy is its
intent in the aim of worship rather than a self-seeking goal. Not to suggest
that free traditions who do not utilize a liturgy hold selfish ambitions,
liturgy, formed through centuries of church design, is clear in its purpose:
worship of the living God. Its theological content then is designed and aimed
toward such a purpose.
Liturgy,
further, also possesses an ecumenical theology, i.e. liturgy’s expression of
faith is broad and orthodox in its scope so that all professing Christians may
employ the resource and remain true to the Christian faith without deviating
from their own contextual practices. Liturgy is not solely Catholic,
Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, or Presbyterian;
liturgy, in fact, is Christian in the broadest sense of the term, which is
represented fully and faithfully by its theological ecumenicalism.
Liturgy
also contains theological precision. Believers may rest assured that the
theology taught and confessed during the employment of liturgy is precise and
accurate and that great lengths have been taken by those involved in its design
to craft a clear message of the Christian faith. Liturgy is intentionally
designed to faithfully represent Scripture and the basic tenets of
Christianity. As such, liturgy is precise and accurate. A greater risk exists
in free traditions to display a wrong or theologically incorrect message since
what is presented to the body is not nearly as scrutinized and vetted as
historic liturgy. Free traditions may certainly adapt liturgy to fit their
contexts; yet, the precision and accuracy of theology is present in liturgy.
Free traditions would surely benefit from the implementation of liturgy. Whether realized or not, liturgy does not hinder worship but frees it from concern of theological inaccuracy and even subconscious and accidental heresies. The basis of liturgy is firm and secure. Rooted in stable theology, liturgy persists in declaring the complete story of God.
Solid
and Unshakeable
My argument for liturgy here revolves around its more substantial basis: more substantial than the other options that exist. Such is not to suggest that historic liturgy is the only right way to worship God. In fact, free traditions possess right thinking in the desire to be sincere in what they offer to God. Throughout this book, however, I have argued that even liturgy is beneficial for free traditions in what it offers and by way of modification and adaptation. To only see the boundaries of liturgy is to only see half of the intended picture, for the mode of liturgy provides an avenue for its means. Churches should strive to worship in a way that builds upon a solid basis. Liturgy is certainly built upon a solid basis and frees the church to worship properly rather than flippantly. The best artists often make their art within boundaries rather than outside of them, i.e. the boundaries are what provides the artist the necessary focus to create unique art. Boundaries then should be freeing rather than inhibiting. Upon a biblical, theological, and historical basis, liturgy allows Christians to attain the necessary boundaries for God-exalting and God-focused worship. The basis of liturgy, therefore, is solid and unshakable in that worship stems from Scripture, right theology, and church history. Free traditions can and should at least consider the precise benefits liturgy offers to all believers.
