What’s Going on in the Liturgy Anyway?

Sunday after Sunday, people attend their churches to worship in the “liturgical” tradition (by the way, all churches have “liturgical” worship…but more on that in a future post), but many have no idea why the worship looks the way it does. From time to time, the church where I serve as Cantor (Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL) does a “Narrated Liturgy.” The Narrated Liturgy is an opportunity to pause throughout the service and explain what is happening in the liturgy.

The historic liturgy has a bit of a learning curve, especially for those in the “free church” traditions (i.e. “non-denominational” churches, baptists, etc.), and even for some in churches that are historically liturgical. While I am a strong advocate of letting the liturgy teach itself, I do think there is value in providing opportunities for the congregation to learn about what is happening in the liturgy so that they might more fully participate with understanding, and thus be shaped by it. To be sure, pausing for explanations destroys the reverence of the service. While the same Word of God is read and preached, and the same Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, the entire service feels more like a Bible study than a worship service. Nevertheless, in a culture in which fewer people are going to Bible study (…or church for that matter…), an occassional Narrated Liturgy might be an appropriate and beneficial opportunity for liturgical churches to catechize their flocks.

Here is a what we did at Bethany this morning — feel free to borrow!