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More thoughts on liturgy

From Sacred Ground Music:

Liturgy is gaining popularity again. It has wide appeal to emergent communities because it seems to make the sacred accessable, and hearkens back to a time where the church seemed to be more…pure…authentic. Whether this is a passing trend remains to be seen. I hope it isn’t! Liturgy has much to offer, and I continue to grow in my appreciation of it.

First, liturgy helps us to keep the facts of faith from becoming muddled. The Apostles and Nicene creeds and hymns like the Nunc Dimmitis and Magnificat witness to a message that doesn’t change with history and trends. Whereas the speed of life seems to narrow our focus to the tyranny of the so-called urgent, what liturgy points to remains unchanged and becomes a vital source for touching the eyes of our hearts and restoring our sight.

Second, liturgy is pedagogy: a repeated reenactment of the redemption story. In this reenactment we are doing more than going through the motions of some kind of divine skit. Redemption happens. Through confession and absolution, scripture readings, the preaching of God’s word, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper God meets us with his gifts of forgiveness and strength to live our faith. Spiritual amnesia comes easily. The repeated reminder of our need for grace and forgiveness is vital for us to remain what Luther called “pure receivers”. Without this, we so easily drift out of the arena of God’s favor. In a word, liturgy keeps me humble. It doesn’t leave room for the cancer of self-effort.

h/t to Paul T. McCain

Written on 19 April 2009 by me under Church, The Liturgy with 6 Comments
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10 reasons to [not] attend church

I found this post by Kurt Onken today at the Wittenberg Trail, and thought it was worth referencing.

The socially-palatable, seeker over-sensitive church has no future.  This may appear to some to show that Christianity is losing ground.  However, I disagree. I think Christianity has already lost ground in many churches.  This is why people like the Internet Monk talk about the coming collapse of the evangelical church.

It’s time to take it back.

Written on 11 March 2009 by me under Church, Letter to a Christian Nation, My Own Personal Religion with 1 Comment
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America’s Christian heritage

While I’m not a big supporter of the “America’s a Christian nation” thing, I do believe that the United States was indeed heavily influenced by Christian principles, and that historically, the so-called “separation of church and state” was never meant to exclude religion – even Christianity – from public life.  James Robertson has re-posted from J.Grant Swank From MichNews.com an interesting collection of quotes from many of our founding fathers that deserve to be read.  (You can go to the site to read Swank’s editorial comments, which I will not post here):

President George Washington wrote a prayer addressed to “O most glorious God, in Jesus Christ” and ended it with this: “Let me live according to those holy rules which thou hast this day prescribed in Thy Holy Word. Direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Bless O Lord all the people of this land.”

President Thomas Jefferson: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis — a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

President James Madison: “Religion is the basis and foundation of government. We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

President Andrew Jackson: “I nightly offer up my prayers to the throne of grace for the health and safety of you all, and that we ought all to rely with confidence on the promise of our dear Redeemer, and give Him our hearts. This is all He requires and all that we can do, and if we sincerely do this, we are sure of salvation through His atonement.”

Patrick Henry: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, property, and freedom of worship here.”

President Abraham Lincoln: “The ways of God are mysterious and profound beyond all comprehension. ‘Who by searching can find Him out?’ God only knows the issue of this business. He has destroyed nations from the map of history for their sins. Nevertheless, my hopes prevail generally above my fears for our Republic. The times are dark, the spirits of ruin are abroad in all their power, and the mercy of God alone can save us.”

President Grover Cleveland: “All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purist patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship.”

President Woodrow Wilson: “America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scriptures.”

President Dwight Eisenhower: “Without God, there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Begin is the first — the most basic — expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus With God’s help, it will continue to be.”

Many of us, both liberal and conservative, seem to have forgotten our foundation and have forgotten what it really means to be a Christian.   Maybe President Obama should take a few moments to read these quotes, and perhaps he’ll remember how it was that he got where he is.

Written on 02 March 2009 by me under Letter to a Christian Nation, Politics/Current Events with 3 Comments
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The God Box, part 2

As I mentioned in the prior post, this is a story I wrote a few years ago.  The story, like many others, is open to some interpretation, so don’t assume that you know my own.  In fact, part of what’s interesting about this story is that my thinking on some issues has changed since I wrote it, so I read it differently myself now than I did 6 years ago.

Continued from here.

… “These are your God Boxes.”

This did not fit in with any of Andy’s expectations. “God Boxes? I don’t think I’ve ever heard the term before.” Caroline nodded in agreement, her face the picture of pure bewilderment.

“The God Box is where we put everything we know about God. It helps keep it orderly, and,” referring to Caroline’s question a moment ago, “it helps us keep on the right track.”

“I don’t think I understand,” said Andy slowly.

“It’s really very simple,” Pastor John continued, unfazed by their lack of understanding. “Religion can be a very messy thing.” To this, both Andy and Caroline nodded in agreement.

“We have had many people come into this church over the years, and most of them arrive with all kinds of strange ideas and doctrines that simply don’t belong.”

“Belong where?” interjected Caroline.

“Into the church,” replied John quickly. “It just doesn’t belong here. I am talking strange ideas about the past, strange ideas about the future – all kinds of mumbo-jumbo that we simply don’t need. Christianity can be a very simple, neat thing. That’s what the God Box is all about.”

“So, ideas go in the box?” ventured Andy.

“Ideas, guidelines, disciplines – it all goes in the God Box. Everything you need to live a nice, normal Christian life will fit in this little box. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” they replied together, although not at all sure. “I am truly amazed,” answered Andy.

“Reincarnation,” said the Pastor, “will not fit into the God Box. There is simply no place for it. Therefore, we know we don’t need it. The same goes for polygamy. No room at the inn, so to speak. The same goes for drinking, extramarital sex and homosexuality, as well as for wild-eyed healers and speaking in tongues. See? The God Box gives us a nice, orderly way to live our lives. We have the freedom of boundaries!”

With that, Pastor John leaned back and draped his left arm over the back of his chair. “So, what do you think?”

“Well .,” hesitated Caroline.

“Does everyone in this church have a God Box?” asked Andy.

“Certainly. It’s how we keep on the same page around here. We’ve never had a big mess like some of the other churches. No running off with the organist, no child abuse, no snake-handling. Just peace and contentment.”

“We did notice the church was very calm and orderly,” offered Caroline.

“Absolutely. No swinging from the chandeliers here,” John affirmed.

Andy leaned forward. “Do other churches have God Boxes?”

Pastor John smiled, “Ah, I knew you were a thinker, Andy. And I like that about you.” He stood and walked over to a picture window looking out down Main Street. Andy could see at least two other church steeples.

“Yes, they all have God Boxes. Only,” he gestured with his right index finger in the air for emphasis, “we’re the only ones who admit it.”

He turned and once again sat down opposite them. “Let’s take a quick look at your boxes. You will notice compartments inside. Don’t be fooled by the relative size of the compartments – that has nothing to do with a thing’s importance.”

They stared into their boxes, as if they might suddenly see something that could make them comprehend what Pastor John was telling them.

“For example, there’s a small compartment for Salvation. You’ve prayed the prayer, you’re born again, that’s all we need to say about it. See, we’ve written the date right in there. In case you ever start to doubting, all you need to do is glance in the box.”

John let this sink in, then continued, “you will now notice that the ‘Don’t’ section is somewhat larger than the “Do” section. That’s not because they are more important than the ‘Dos’, it’s just that the Don’ts take more room – there are more of them. The ‘Dos’ are mainly prayer and Bible reading. Not much room for negotiation there!

“In the ‘Do’ compartment is a large place for Tithing. That’s important, but you don’t really need to understand why for now. There’s plenty of time for that.”

Sensing he was perhaps losing their focus, John raised his voice slightly, “The entire bottom half of the boxes is called ‘Eschatology,’ which is a big word meaning the last days.” John looked over at Caroline, both thinking that ‘last days’ meant nothing to them, either.

“The other compartment is the belief section, with compartments for the infallibility of the Bible, the Trinity, and so on. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to figure all of this out. That’s exactly what the box is for!”

Andy shifted in his chair, wondering when exactly it would be a good time to leave.

“The God Box takes all of the thinking and worrying away from living the overcoming Christian life. Now, if you are thinking that perhaps the box is too small, let me assure you that I’ve tried boxes of different sizes, and I am fully satisfied that these boxes are the perfect size to hold everything you need. If it won’t fit in here, it’s not worth thinking about! And,” he paused to get their full attention, “the 1500 members of this church will agree.”

“Well,” said Caroline, her mind racing. “Thank you. You’ve sure given us some things to think about.”

“Yes,” added Andy, getting to his feet. “Thank you so much for your time. I can’t wait to start using this.” Andy waved the box slightly.

“You’re very welcome,” replied Pastor John, beaming. “Again, it’s such a pleasure to have you with us. Before long, you’ll be just like one of the family – happy, content, without ever having to think about your spiritual lives again.”

“Thank you again,” they both chimed, as they escorted themselves out.

Andy and Caroline were silent as they walked to their car, parked just out of sight of the Pastor’s study window. Andy pushed the black control on his keychain and beeped the doors open. “Whadya think?”

“I don’t know.” her voice trailed off. She thought for a moment, but remained silent. “How about you?”

Andy shrugged. “It’s certainly not what I was expecting.”

“Me either. Judy never mentioned a God Box.”

“Can’t say I blame her.” Andy leaned back against the car, and gave his God Box a suspicious glance. “It sounds nuts. I mean, I don’t claim to know anything about religion, but even to me.”

Caroline looked Andy in the eyes, “You know that feeling we had in church last Sunday, like we could feel God?” Andy nodded as Caroline continued, “and that feeling, like lightness, that you’ve talked about?” Andy nodded again.

“Well,” Caroline opened the lid on her box and peered inside. “I was just thinking, I don’t think there’s any room in this box for those.”

Andy paused a moment to let it sink in, then quietly breathed, “yeah.” He opened Caroline’s door, then paused for a moment as he considered what to do with his God Box. They looked at each other with a new-found wisdom and smiled. Without speaking Caroline handed Andy her box.

Andy pushed the button on his key chain again, lifted the trunk lid, and tossed in the boxes. Caroline looked over at Andy and smiled, “I could maybe use it as a jewelry box.”

Fishing tackle, Andy thought as they pulled out of the lot.

Written on 09 February 2009 by me under Fiction with 2 Comments
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The God Box, part 1

The Following is part one of a short story I wrote in 2002.

——————————————
Andy and Caroline stood briefly outside the study as Andy gave the slightly open door a short rap.

“Come in,” a booming voice responded. Andy opened the door and allowed his wife to enter first. A tall, balding man in his mid-fifties was hunched in front of a computer screen as he deliberately stabbed a keyboard with his index fingers.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he spoke into the air as he made one final poke and rose to greet them. “Sending off the weekly prayer e-mail,” he explained as he reached for Caroline’s hand, “I’m not much of a typist.” He paused for a split second, “Let me see if I can get this right. Carol, isn’t it?”

“Caroline.”

“Of course, my apologies. Andy, nice to see you again,” he shook their hands in turn and led them to two imitation leather chairs, of which there were three arranged in a conversation grouping in the corner of the study.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Reverend,” Andy began.

“Oh, call me John. I don’t like titles.” He took the third chair, which was arranged in such a way that his long legs had a chance to extend without danger of kicking his guests. “I continue to get a handful of folks calling me ‘Pastor’ around here, but I am trying to break that habit. Religious formality just gets in the way. That’s why I like to come out from behind the desk, and avoid as many of the religious clichés as I can. The world has too much religion, not enough Jesus, I always say.”

Andy was silent, not really having a clue what the distinction between “religion” and “Jesus” was, or how you could have one without the other. He glanced over at Caroline, who nodded knowingly. Right, he thought. She doesn’t get it, either.

“Can I get you some coffee?” Pastor John broke eye contact momentarily as he reached behind him for his well-used but seldom washed mug on his desk. The couple both replied to the negative as Pastor John readjusted himself in the chair.

“This is certainly a pleasure,” he affirmed. “We are all so excited to ‘adopt’ you into our family. It’s rare to have a couple come forward together, but definitely a plus.” Seeing their somewhat confused looks, he continued, “you see, when a husband or wife accepts Christ alone, it can create great stress in a marriage. However, as you are both beginning your new lives together. A most wonderful opportunity, both for you, as for us, as we get to participate with you in that journey. Yes, a very wonderful thing indeed. As I mentioned Sunday, the Bible tells us that the angels rejoice when one is saved. I’d say they had quite a celebration last Sunday!”

Andy and Caroline smiled politely, still not quite sure what kind of a journey they were on. This was all very new to them, as neither had come from a family where religion played a part. Caroline responded first, “This is all very new to us.”

“Of course, of course,” John jumped in. They could see that he was obviously used to doing most of the talking. “I understand completely. Don’t try to figure everything out all at once- you’ve got plenty of time to learn the ins and outs of Christianity and church life. We’re just glad you’re here.” He took a sip from his cup. “Tell me,” he said, looking at Andy, “a little about your backgrounds.”

“Well, neither Caroline or I have ever been what you’d call religious.”

Andy was interrupted by a knock on the study door. “Excuse me,” said John, rising to get the door. The church secretary, Joan, according to the nameplate on her desk, handed the pastor two cardboard boxes, about the size of boot boxes, but with a hinged lid, similar to a cigar box. He thanked Joan and re-closed the door.

“Carry on,” he nodded to Andy as he returned to his chair, setting the boxes on the floor in front of them.

Andy’s eyes fell to the boxes, which he noticed had “Andy” and “Caroline” lettered on the front. “As I was saying, we’ve never been what you could call religious. Neither of our families ever attended church, and at least in my family, the subject of God never came up.”

“Unless somebody was swearing,” Caroline added, smiling. She continued, determined to carry her side of the conversation. “My family went to church for weddings, funerals, and sometimes Christmas, if there was a special program. My mom believed in God, and even claimed to have seen Him once. She quickly added, “she used to do acid in the 60s.”

Pastor John nodded silently, either not catching or not acknowledging the humor.

“Religion never made any sense to us, to me,” Andy continued. “In fact, it still doesn’t.”

Caroline nodded in agreement, “I’m not even sure why we came on Sunday, other than the Nelson’s had been after us forever to come and I told Andy, ‘we’ve got to go once, then we can tell them that it’s just not for us.’ But, “she paused, looking over at Andy to make sure she had his agreement, “we both felt something Sunday that we’d never felt before. I guess you call it the presence of God, or at least that’s what I think it was. I thought it was just me, but then before I knew it, I was kneeling down in front next to Andy. I don’t even know how I got there!”

“I’m still not even sure what it all means,” said Andy earnestly. “I mean, I feel different – lighter, I guess you could say – but I have absolutely no language to explain it. I started reading that Bible you gave us on Sunday, but to be honest, it hasn’t helped explain anything at all to us.”

Caroline was shaking her head, “It’s all so foreign. It’s like a different language, a different culture. I feel inside that it’s true, but I guess my head hasn’t arrived there yet.”

With that the pastor smiled. “I am very excited for you two. I really am. You are in the best possible place to learn about God and what it means to be a Christian.”

“What do you mean?” Caroline asked.

“What I mean is, most people have preconceived notions about God and Christianity, especially if they have watched Christian TV or have been reading that so-called Christian fiction that is so popular now. It’s sometimes very hard to shake those notions loose and get them on the right track.”

“My mom always said – in fact, she said it again yesterday – that there are many tracks, that’s why there are so many churches,” interrupted Caroline.

Andy grinned, “Caroline’s mom is sometimes on several of them at once.”

Caroline gave him one of her looks, and continued, “I mean, Judy Nelson warned me about that church down on the corner of 5th, to make sure we didn’ t go there instead. She said they had some strange ideas. How do we know which church has it right?”

Pastor John sat for a moment, his hands pressed together with the index fingers pressed against his lips. “I can tell that you are both real thinkers,” he said slowly. “That’s good . that’s very good. I think our church is a good place for you. We have classes that will help you to sort out all of these questions.”

With that, he reached down and picked up the two boxes, and handed one to each, glancing at the names to make sure they had the right ones. “These are for you,” he said.

John took the box, which was obviously empty. Caroline opened the lid on hers anyway, then after a moment looked up. “What is this?”

John smiled warmly, “These are your God Boxes.”

To Be Continued …

Written on 07 February 2009 by me under Fiction with 2 Comments
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A word to the wise

… from the Naked Pastor:

Written on 07 January 2009 by me under Church with 1 Comment
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Between two worlds

“Between two worlds.” That’s a bit how I was feeling this morning, as I drove away from St. Paul’s Episcopal to attend my second worship service of the day at Salem Evangelical with my family.  As I’ve probably written before, my wife and I have been “Vineyard” for over twenty years, attending 5 different Vineyard churches over that period.  Besides the fact that my oldest was baptized in the Presbyterian church that my in-laws attended, and that we visited there 2 or 3 times over the years, the Vineyard is the only church that my kids have known.  For those of you not familiar with the Vineyard, it’s about as relaxed and informal a church as you can find; so for my children, any church where you can’t walk around or talk during worship is formal.  I have to say that at this point in my life, I have some regrets about that.

I was raised Lutheran, so liturgy is not new to me.  I’ve also visited Orthodox churches several times, so I’ve also been exposed to “extreme” high church.  For many years, I was completely content – even happy – with my informal church setting, never dreaming that I would someday start missing the liturgy.  But, the more theology I read, the more I became aware of how empty most contemporary worship services are. I won’t go into that any further now; I’ve dealt with some of that in some earlier posts.  At some point I began to realize that for me, the Vineyard was just a shallow veneer laid over the top of my richer church background and theology, but for those who have no background in theology (or Bible, for that matter), a veneer was all that there was. Most contemporary churches offer no theology, not even a hat tip to the creeds or Lord’s Prayer. The hymnology – if you could call it that – was also greatly lacking any real theological content.

So, now I find myself in search of a richer, more historically rooted worship expression, and I’m thrilled to have found a couple of good Episcopal churches in the area.  I still visit Lutheran churches on occasion, however I’m disappointed with how watered-down the liturgy seems to have become, especially when “special,” more relevant liturgies are used. I’m becoming quite fond of the Episcopal liturgy, so I will probably become more of a regular at St. Paul’s. However, there’s no way I’m expecting my family to attend with me; so, I have resolved to attend early services at Episcopal and Lutheran churches, then attend the local Evangelical church with my family.

They haven’t fully decided on Salem Evangelical either, however my neighbor is the pastor, and we respect him a lot. We all have a bit of a hard time with it culturally – it’s a bit like watching one of those televised services full of shiny, happy people – but they are both sincere and intent on what they do; and, it’s a pretty solid church.  They always have a public prayer time during the service, and have recently started giving place to the reading of Scripture – something not found in most contemporary churches.  And, they’re very involved in missions, always having teams off to one place or another.  So, while I cringe at the middle-aged choir singing “up-beat” choruses, the rest of the service, along with the message, is quite solid.  It certainly sets a better example of what it means to be a Christian than our old church.

But, it’s not enough for me.  I’m finding that I crave the historical church experience – the confessions, the prayers, the Lord’s Supper – enough to get up for the early services.  However, I can’t see ever becoming any more than a regular guest at any liturgical church, as I won’t join a church by myself. And, I can’t see at this point becoming part of the Evangelical church, although that could change, as long as we were all up front about my “alternate lifestyle.” But, in all this I am finding myself in 2 worlds, but at the same time not really in either one. I am between two worlds, and I’m not really comfortable there, either.

Written on 04 January 2009 by me under Church with 4 Comments
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The Church: simul iustus et peccator

Many years ago, concerned by friends leaving our church, I preached a sermon on the topic, “what is the church?”  I could not find a copy of my notes, but I am guessing that I probably would not agree with much of what I said back then.  After a few years as a church elder and dealing with a vast array of problems, I significanly revised my thinking on the church. If you looked back at some of my writing from this period, you’d note that I sounded quite emergent, before emergent existed. However, that, too, has passed. After many years of thinking, reading and writing about ecclesiological issues, I find myself almost full circle, coming back to a more traditional view of the church.

David Hayward has written recently about the nature of church, saying, “The truth is that it is basically a group of people in relationship with one another and with the spirit of Jesus.“  I would have to agree that this definition follows Jesus’ promise in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.“  There is an element of church that exists wherever Christians are in relationship, even if  no prior relationship existed between the individuals; our connection to Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit is sufficient for relationship, and church, to happen. However, I suspect that in many cases church relationships have become predominantly horizontal; that is, we no longer see our connection to the local church as based in Christ, but rather upon any number of extrinsic elements.  The invisible, universal Church is one thing; the local church is quite another.

One of the unfortunate results from Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the priesthood of all believers is that we see ourselves as somewhat independent and self-sufficient; it’s truly “me and Jesus.” However, what we fail to realize is that we are priests not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others, the local community of believers. We are truly dependent upon each other. This is seen most clearly in the administration of the sacraments – baptism and communion – something which evangelicalism has also lost. The sacraments, having lost any sense of incarnational theology, have been reduced to rituals, memorials or testimonies, rather than a true expressions of the work of Christ. When attempts are made to “spiritualize” them, the result is often akin to superstition.

For Luther, the church was an expression of the Gospel, and was in fact founded on the Gospel, that we are justified sola gratia, by grace alone. The church, in Luther’s mind, is also seen as a communal version of his anthropology, that we are simul iustus et peccator, simultaneously saint and sinner. That is, in Christ we are, as is often phrased today, in the “already and not yet,” sinners who have been undone and condemned by the Law, but remade and are being sanctified by Christ.

The Church is expressed locally when Christians gather in faith, with the common belief that we are simul iustus et peccator, sinners dependent upon the cross. There is no other basis for communion.  When we corporately respond to the preaching of the Gospel and respond in faith, the church itself is undone and reacreated. Therefore, “unity” is only possible through the work of grace in the corporate gathering. There is, therefore, no need for pastors to exhort followers to “get on the same page” or do anything else to create or preserve unity in the church; whatever these issues are, they are immaterial. Unity and the corporate expression of the Church is solely based in the Gospel and our shared faith in the Cross.

This does not necessarily make finding a local church easy; even within the various liturgical church denominations, there are varying expressions, ranging from “low” church expressions with modified liturgies to “high” church expressions with all the bells and smells. Style and personalities are a factor; however, when all is said and done, we are made a church not by any of these things, but because we are all simul iustus et peccator.

Written on 27 November 2008 by me under Church, Theological Musings with 1 Comment
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I’m starting to remember what Church was all about

Today Scot McKnight writes at Jesus Creed on why there seems to be a trend that

There is a rise, a burgeoning rise, of young college students converting from low church evangelicalism, with its anemic, unhistorical ecclesiology, to the great liturgical traditions: Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.

This is happening at evangelical Christian colleges and seminaries; and, not only that, but seminary professors as well are moving to more traditional, liturgical churches (including Lutheran and Episcopalian).  As someone who was raised Lutheran and who has experienced the failings of evangelicalism for about 30 years, I truly understand why. I’ve written about it extensively here (and here) over the past couple of years.

At first, there was the explanation that people were looking for some kind of mystery, and that liturgy provided that.  While this might be true to some extent, the real trend seems to be more than this.  A couple of weeks ago I visited a local Episcopal service and spent about an hour afterward talking to a couple who had become Episcopalian in college; he had been Nazarene, she Baptist.  They spoke of the depth of theology and meaning, and the sense that they were actually in touch with the historical church.

For me, I’ve found that evangelicalism, for the most part, lacks both theology and historical understanding. You can attend some of these churches and never be sure what they believe.  I suspect that many members aren’t even aware that there are creeds, and may not be able to recite the Lord’s prayer.  They may leave feeling that they’ve failed and need to do better, but have no sense of forgiveness, or even that it’s available.

While I am still uncomfortable with some high liturgical practice (the bowing and kneeling, for example), what I like about liturgical worship includes:

  1. A connection with the historical church
  2. Emphasis on the corporate, rather than individual, worship
  3. Publicly confession of truth, in the hymns, liturgy, and recitation of the Creeds
  4. A reminder that I am a sinner and forgiven
  5. The honor shown to the Word of God
  6. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper weekly with a true incarnational understanding (rather than the weak superstition found in most evangelical communion services)

I am thrilled to have found an evangelical church that has not lost all of the above- they have somewhat of an incarnational understanding of communion, and have just started giving Bible reading center stage – but still plan on visiting local liturgical churches on occasion. I’ve found that more than just leaving Church feeling good or enjoying a sermon, participating in liturgy actually feeds my soul.  I am starting to remember what Church was all about.

Written on 22 September 2008 by me under Church with No Comments
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