Rhythms of Worship: The Planning and Purpose of Liturgy

Introduction

When worship works, in us and among us, we know it. Something connects. Something speaks powerfully within us. A divine contact is made at the center of our lives. Diverse things link up for us. We are stirred, perhaps moved to tears or filled with joy. We are motivated to action. We want to talk about it and to share what has touched us deeply.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen. It doesn’t happen just because we want it to or just because we call it worship. The day of worship arrives, the doors are opened, and the lights are on. There is music. People assemble. Someone reads. Someone addresses the gathering. Everything seems to be in place, but somehow it doesn’t work. It falls flat. It leaves us empty. We may have no idea why.

The difference between worship that works and worship that somehow doesn’t work is never totally under our control. Spirit blows where Spirit wills! The serendipitous is not subject to our control. But there are things we can control, and plan, and manage—and we should. It only makes sense to give to the Spirit the best preparation and creativity we have to offer.

Congregations have much at stake in planning and providing excellent worship. Such worship is key for a spiritually alive and healthy congregation and for each member’s spiritual growth and effectiveness as a contemporary disciple of Jesus Christ. The more that leaders and members of a congregation share a basic perspective concerning the elements and dynamics of Christian worship, the more likely it is that a congregation will benefit from collaborative worship planning and deeply satisfying participation.

For such worship planning to be effective, a shared perspective on the meaning of worship is helpful, if not essential. Each person involved in helping to plan a congregation’s worship will bring his or her own perspectives, drawn from many sources and personal experiences. Our hope is that this resource will help to provide planners with a shared basic theology of Christian worship and a sense of the meaning of what happens in all the parts of worship on a Sunday morning and throughout the seasons of the Christian year.

This book is for congregations. There are many books available for liturgical experts, but there continues to be a huge gap between those who are comfortable talking scholarly language and most members of most congregations. This book aims to help bridge that gap in order to develop a shared understanding among pastoral leaders, musicians, worship committee members, and all who make their way to church each Lord’s Day to worship God.

Our aim is to describe in clear everyday language why we worship as we do and to help equip worship planners and leaders for excellence in their ministry. The sequence of each movement within a typical Lord’s Day service is explained in terms of how it expresses our Christ-centered faith. The feasts and festivals of the liturgical year are described in clear language and with an eye to understanding what they mean and how they contribute to the enrichment and development of our faith. There is also a full chapter on music for worship, singing in an expanded variety of genres and styles, the use of technology, and the use of other art forms in the liturgy. The book closes with a strong affirmation of worship in the life of the church and for our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ.

We hope that as you read and discuss these chapters you will find them clear and practical. Rather than trying to be exhaustive in scope and detail, we have tried to paint the big picture, to describe the flow and direction of congregational worship, and to suggest ways of enhancing its rhythms and dynamics. Questions at the conclusion of each chapter are for use with small groups, worship committees, and worship planners as they engage you in conversation. We look forward to being in conversation with you as you seek to offer worship that inspires and equips your congregations for faithful discipleship.

John G. Stevens

Michael Waschevski

Chapter One

The Order—Not Just a Grocery List

Take a look at your congregation’s worship bulletin. It is a description of what typically happens in your service of worship. First there is this, and then there is that. You begin at the top, and when you get to the bottom you are done. After socializing a bit, you can go home. Simple enough.

But worship is not just a random grocery list of things to do when we gather together. There is a dynamic, a flow, a sequence that makes worship meaningful and satisfying. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end. One action prepares for another, and that action flows into the next. When things are out of sequence, you sense that something is wrong. This isn’t just a matter of what you are used to. Something that is just stuck in somewhere is likely to violate the logic of worship. It will feel stuck in.

We are speaking here of the order of worship.¹ The order makes sense. It follows an understandable sequence. It is similar to the order that is involved in going to dinner at the home of friends. You arrive at their house, go to the door, and ring the bell. The door opens, and there is a ritual of welcome, which continues as you enter their house and exchange comments and greetings that express the joy of being together and of sharing time with one another. This is followed by a time of conversation and visiting. Then you gather at the table and share the meal, enjoying the food and the company—an informal