The Power of Our Liturgy

Dear friends,

My son Philip was baptized last Sunday. The same words were spoken that I have heard hundreds of times before: “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” However, these same words took on new meaning for me. That is the power of our liturgy.

The word liturgy is derived from an ancient Greek word that means “work of the people.” Our worship calls for your work. It is not a performance put on for your enjoyment. You have a role to play in our liturgy, so I want us to spend a moment thinking about the importance of our liturgy in three dimensions.

First, liturgical worship, or worship that follows a particular pattern, is meant to address the changing circumstances of our lives. In the silence before uniting our voices in the confession, we should consider our individual need for forgiveness. As we move through the Prayers of the People, we should consider our own prayers and petitions.

Although the words of our liturgy may be repeated from one week to the next, they should take on an ever-evolving meaning for us. However, the liturgy can only take on this power if, instead of engaging in rote recitation, we intentionally consider the words we are praying.

Second, our liturgical patterns shape us. As we begin worship with a declaration of God’s presence, “the Lord be with you,” we are reminded that all of life’s interaction should begin with an awareness that God is among us. As we are weekly reminded of God’s blessing, we should grow in our confidence that we are beloved children of God. Our liturgy should mold us.

I remember visiting an elderly parishioner in the hospital who was dying and had been unresponsive for a little over a day. I listened to her family tell stories about her life and then we began to say the Lord’s Prayer together and from her hospital bed, without opening her eyes, this frail woman quietly began to pray with us. As we offer our prayers again and again, they saturate our minds and shape our souls. Our prayers become a part of us.

Third, our liturgy reminds us that we are part of something greater than ourselves: we are part of the body of Christ. There are words we pray that we may not choose, but our worship is not only about us individually. We are participating in worship that stretches around the globe and through the generations. Many of the words we pray on Sunday morning have been spoken for almost two millennia in nearly every country in the world.

Last Sunday, the Baptismal liturgy came alive for me in a new way. I pray that as we approach this Sunday, our liturgy will also come alive for you in an every-changing and ever-deepening manner. I look forward to seeing you at church this Sunday! I look forward to seeing you for our liturgy.

In Christ,

Mark+