Lutheran Liturgy 101

Sometimes I hear people complain that the ancient liturgy is "dry and lifeless" and "no longer relevant". I personally love the liturgy and I think that complaints like these stem from a lack of knowledge about what the liturgy is and what the liturgy does.

If you are not used to worshipping with a liturgy, you might find your first experience with it to be strange and even confusing. Why does the Pastor wear robes? Why is he holding his hands up like that? Why is everybody standing up and sitting down? Believe it or not, in the liturgy every word, every gesture, even pauses, have significance and a purpose. If you understand the significance and purpose of the elements it can enhance your understanding of what is going on in the worship service. When you understand the biblical and historical roots of the liturgy, you realize that far from being "irrelevant" it is in fact a timeless reflection of the spiritual order between God and man.

I would like to take some time to tell you about the liturgy. There is no way I can tell you everything about it in one post - I will have to split it up over several. I hope that you find it interesting and edifying!

What is the liturgy?
In its broadest sense, the liturgy is a proscribed order of service. It provides the structure of the service - when the hymns are sung, when (and which) Scriptures are read, when the Pastor should speak and when the congregation should respond and so on. In some ways, traversing the liturgy is like being on a journey: we begin in a posture of supplication in the Service of Preparation, our faith is nurtured in the Service of the Word, and our worship culminates in bodily communion with our Lord in the Service of the Sacrament. The liturgy underscores our purpose in gathering ourselves together: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42).

The historical roots of the liturgy
The liturgy is patterned after the services that God commanded to the Isrealites going all the way back to the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. These worship forms had a set pattern and were retained by the New Testament church.

The early church retained the Jewish understanding of the purpose of worship as well. For a Jewish person, there was but one purpose to Temple worship: to receive forgiveness through the sacrifices of the priests on behalf of the people. It was not about bringing his praise and worship to the Lord (although he could rightfully do so once forgiven) - it was about coming in supplication to the Lord and receiving his mercy. You will notice that liturgical churches place an emphasis on what God did (and continues to do) for us in worship rather than what we do for him.

The physical layout of the church
You'll notice that in our church there is a single aisle going up the center of the nave (the main body of the church, ie. the seating area) that meets with an aisle (called the transept) that transverses the front of the church creating a cross. Positioned at the center of the cross is the Baptismal font. This is no accident - it reflects the centrality of Baptism within Lutheran sacramental theology. The placement reminds me of this Scripture from Paul's letter to the Romans: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

You'll also notice that there is a railing around the chancel (the front part of the church where most of the service is conducted) that separates it from the nave. In the middle of the railing there is a gap and the gap represents the curtain that was torn in the Temple, signifying that the barrier between us and God has been torn down. Anytime the Pastor or a celebrant enters the sanctuary, they do so through the gap, indicating that because of the Son we now have unfettered access to the Father.

That's all I can think of for now about the history etc. of the liturgy. Next up: The Service of Preparation!