Getting Liturgical

One of the exciting aspects in my recent Spiritual journey has been the re-discovery of liturgical worship. As I cathedral chorister I spent a far bit of my youth singing and participating in church liturgy, however the meaning and depth within this (most ancient of) Christian praxis was somewhat invisible to me. But, after many years of 'doing the rounds' within more 'contemporary', evangelical (and generally free-worship) churches, it has been a delight to take the theological knowledge that I have gained in adulthood and to recognise ancient resonances within liturgical worship.

From my own sojourn within non-traditional churches I am aware of the manifold objections that Christians raise against liturgy:

• It's dry and rote repetition
• There's no feeling within it
• My mind drifts off and I can't concentrate on the (usually many) words
• I don't understand what's going on in the service

Instead, within the evangelical/modern churches, the expectation is that we should be honest, heart-felt and straight-up with our faith in Jesus. 'Say what you mean and say it simply' along with 'Get emotin' is order of the day, and big bands, lively singing, passionate praying and 'chatty preaching' all helps to ground the faith in what is contemporary, what is 'now' and what is 'where I'm at'.

In keeping with this perspective song lyrics are not hard to 'concentrate on' and the oft repeated chorus stops the mind from drifting. There is much to commend this 'style' since it is so western and modern which means your average 'punter off the street' will have little difficulty fitting in. We all know what pop concerts are like, and we've all seen 'stand up' and comprehend the 'amplified individual' wandering around a platform delivering a rehearsed 'spiel' mixed in with well timed jokes. It's no surprise that such churches are seeker friendly.

Is there, however, a downside? Well, to give credit where credit is due, whatever encourages us to walk with God is to be welcomed....but.... I see the 'task' before the church as learning to walk 'more closely' with God, in Christ, according the Spirit. This 'task' is the central goal of Christian maturity - a maturity which:

• Appreciates the widest understanding of the Apostolic faith which has been gifted to the church
• Balances the various tensions and mysteries contained within our faith
• Overflows into an active and loving imitation, and proclamation, of Christ within the world

Now, when Christians come to worship God together, this is the opportunity par excellence to engage with this maturing process, to learn to express the depths of the faith, to learn to receive from the depths and to be transformed by an encounter with the Trinitarian God in order that we can not but help acting transformingly within the world.

Yet is this a process best served within a liturgical or non-liturgical setting? This is the key question, and the longer I've been a Christian (and have experienced all the different 'flavours' and options out there) the more convinced I've become that 'free-worship' is essentially limited in scope and, ultimately, found wanting in allowing fuller Spiritual maturity.

This is NOT to say that such non-liturgical worship isn't beneficial or doesn't honour God etc...but, if we agree that each of us should aim to move forward in Christ, then I think that a non-liturgical structure of Worship only takes one so far.

Why is this?

Well the simple answer, as I hinted above, is to do with both scope and balance which semi-fixed forms (as one finds within liturgical worship) help to preserve and promote. See, the Christian faith is a very, very deep thing - sure, it's sometimes shallow enough for a child to splash around in - but it's also 'bottomless' (as one would expect of something linked with an infinite and eternal God!) and a failure to 'sound the depths' will cement one in a 'shallow faith'. Praying prayers and saying Creeds which express the clearest and most enduring truths of this 'deep faith' helps to lead one into deeper understanding. Now, clearly not everyone can (or indeed will) dig deeply, but we each have a responsibility to 'scratch the surface' and if - having done so - all we discover is a thin veneer, then we will hardly be inspired to perhaps scratch a bit deeper....

I've spent a fair bit of time in non-liturgical worship (and have prayed in, preached in and lead such services) and the recurring 'fact' was that, on each occasion, we would either fail to pray (or teach) or distortedly pray (or preach) some central Christian truth. Now, one can only 'get away with this' so long and it's only a matter of time before this neglect or distortion spills into neglect or distortion within our 'mission'. Simply put, if one is to progress in 'knowledge and service of the living God' then it helps to get the basics right!

What sort of things am I referring to? Well, read through any liturgical rite and you see the sort of aims and approaches covered:

• Sinful man dazzled before a Holy God yet also 'redeemed man' having open access to God (most evangelicals fall into either a Restorationist/Charismatic 'barging into the presence of God' or a self-defeating 'Woe is me, miserable sinner...repeat')
• Worship as sacrificial offering to God but also as sacramental gift from him (I think the charismatic movement has tried to recover this aspect of 'receiving' via their theology of 'imparting' of the Spirit on the assembled crowd, however we live in a material world and have material needs - understanding this is what makes a sacramentalist out of a charismatic, after all the Lord's prayer asks for our 'daily bread' not our 'daily dose of Spiritual experience...')
• God as Father, Son and Spirit - co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent (how many non-liturgical services maintain a truly Trinitarian balance? And, without getting too distracted by Trinitarian theology, if this loving and relational being of God is the source from which we derive our loving and relational being, then what will a distortion in understanding the Trinity do to us as humans....? 2000 words)
• 'Prayers and petitions being made for all People, Kings and Authorities (1 Tim 2:1-2)' (how often do non-liturgical prayers regularly pray for MP's, Sovereigns, Public services etc...?)
• Linking the range of scripture. Lectionary readings cover Psalms, OT/NT+Gospels and often 'linked' within a theme. One of the reasons why liturgical homilies needn't be longer than 10-15mins is because the whole service (prayers, readings, songs) has already suggested the 'topic' and 'exposed it' from a variety of angles. The homilist need only harness the momentum that the liturgy has already provided and 'apply it'.

To make the point by way of illustration, one need only consider what would constitute a 'healthy' diet - all the essential food groups covered and combined in a balanced and synergistic (=working together) meal. Now if the meal also suggests creative flavours, attractive colours and delicious smells then all the better!

Of course, the 'weak point' of such a gourmet diet is that it might be too overpowering (or inaccessible) to a 'new eater'. Also the restaurant (or chef) might get too proud of their cooking expertise at the expense of understanding their task (to nourish their 'customers'). If so, then the challenge is for liturgical worship to provide an easy 'access' point for newcomers and for those who lead within such churches to heed the 'evangelical' insight of the important need to 'make it real'!

But if one can combine liturgical depth with personal faith, then there's nothing to beat it!

tigger