Liturgy…what does it even mean?
Every organization has its own language. A set of vocabulary that carries specific meaning and significance in their context. Sometimes organization teach their customers that vocabulary as a rite of passage of sorts to their world. Starbucks is an example that comes to mind. What Tim Hortons calls a “Double-double” they call something else. On a board behind the service they essentially give customer language lessons that initiate them into the Starbucks culture.
Churches also have a vocabulary. Words like “missional”, “outreach”, “sacrament(al)” are all examples. Churches assume people are familiar with these terms and often neglect explaining their meaning and significance. Meanwhile, back at the proverbial ranch even seasoned church goers sometimes forget the meaning and weight of these typical “church” words. It is ever so easy to cling to the familiarity and security the form of your religion gives you, whilst losing your grip on it’s content. The apostle Peter urges believers to have an answer ready to everyone that demands from you to answer for your faith. We have to keep a grip on content to prevent our cherished forms from becoming empty shells used for superficial window dressing.
So, today I want us to consider one such word: Liturgy. The word means the order or form of public worship. Every church, even the ones that claims huge spontaneity and being Spirit directed, have a liturgy. A liturgy at its best can provide congregants with a shared basic set of expectations making engagement easier. At its worst it could also be an empty shell, a set of habits people go through mindlessly and heartlessly.
You get “High Church” and “Low church” Church cultures. In a high Church culture the liturgy is formal and set. It is often rooted strongly in a tradition that goes way back. In a low church culture the liturgy is informal and contemporary. Because it tends to be designed with local and pop culture preferences in mind it is perceived to be accessible to newcomers and spontaneous. In a high church culture the thinking goes that liturgy doesn’t have to change, it needs to change the participants. In a low church culture the thinking goes that in order to change people, we need to meet them where they are and “inculturize” our worship practices. One would assume that low church cultures would reach young people and people new to the faith whilst high church cultures are more for people who grew up in Christianity and are older. There are many exceptions. You will actually find vibrant student ministries in High Church congregations and you might find congregations with a older median age who has a band with a contemporary worship style.
It is not so much about a high or a low church liturgy. It is about being intentional and aware about your liturgy and filling it with content that remains true to the gospel and relevant to people’s lives. Both high and low church liturgies can succeed if they manage to do that.
What Leonard Sweet said about the traits of a good sermon, I today want to apply to liturgy. He used the acronym EPIC to describe the ingredients of good preaching. Good preaching, he says should be experiential, participatory, Image rich and connective. So should good liturgy.
People do not only come to listen to great oratory and logical convincing arguments. They are nowadays attracted by experiences not by mere information they could get with an internet service. This is what is meant by experiential. Liturgy must show, not just tell. Things like creativity and art are crucial elements in achieving this.
Participatory. Like some theatres offer impromptu acting where the audience are allowed to determine certain outcomes, churches should also up their game in involving people and having them participate. This is always risky business. It requires one to relinquish that innate need to be in control and have centre stage all the time. But think what extra impact a prayer can have read by a toddler or a call to worship lead by the oldest congregant. In one church I attended once children were invited to the front and invited to pick an instrument and play with the band. It was a cacophony that brought great smiles to people’s faces and I am sure to that of God as well.
Image rich. Window stole the market by applying the fact that people think in images rather than words. A picture can indeed speak a thousand words. What images people see speak to them long before the preacher opens his mouth. Images linger in people’s minds long after facts have faded. A good liturgy paints a picture.
Connective. People are lonely. If there is one opportunity for the church it is to give people a sense of belonging and community. This community should be one in service of the mission Jesus issued his disciples with. A liturgy connects if it incorporates the realities people live in. How about a skid that tells the story of a father that might lose his job/ Or a family struggling with lock-down?
Liturgy literally means “the work of the people”. Many churches don’t have the luxury of many congregants that have time to plan a liturgy from scratch. But there are still people showing up on a Sunday, hungry for something that will lift and equip them. How can you help to contribute to your church’s liturgy? When last have you given a suggestion or shared an idea on the liturgy of your church?
Well, now you at least know what the word means. It might be a good start.
Gabriel J Snyman
February 21st 2021