PriscAquila: WORSHIP and LITURGY

WORSHIP AND LITURGY

Seminar Handout by Ven Dr I. U. Ibeme

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Introduction

Essentials of Christian Worship

The New Testament and Early Church Liturgies

Liturgy and the Reformation

The Liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer

Appendix

INTRODUCTION

1. Worship: (Greek “latreia” Lk 4:8; Rom 12:1-2; Phil 3:3) means “service of reverence and good will” usually as a way of life; or (Greek “proskuneo” Lk 4:8; John 4:21-24) meaning “to prostrate for homage and supplication” usually in a formal occasion. Worship of God is provoked by the revelation of God’s awesomeness. Worship to the Christian is that adoring and wholehearted response given to God because of God’s goodness and greatness. (Psa 103; Heb 12:28) If we received and recognized the true revelation of God’s greatness and goodness, we would give Him the proper and due reverential response. If we perceived God wrongly, we would worship Him wrongly. Formal worship is a con-celebration of response to God for His awesomeness.

In worship, we give supreme worth to God according to God’s own purpose and pleasure, so that He would accept such worship. Proper worship then must be that provoked by God’s goodness and greatness according to His purpose and pleasure. We must never aim at provoking any worship response from the people, except that which will be pleasing and acceptable to God; be it devotion or exaltation, entreaty or enquiry (1Chron 16:29; Lev 10:1; Jude 10-12).

In worship as a way of life (Rom 12:1-2), we relate with God as we perceive He deserves. Our convictions about what God deserves or desires depend on our grasp of God’s revelation of Himself to us by the truth of the Scripture, in relation to the reality of our spiritual and circumstantial experiences.

2. Liturgy: means “a body of rites or a programme pattern for public corporate worship service”. The word “Liturgy” is derived from the Greek word “leitourgia” meaning “community service, or common work of the people”.

Jesus did not teach any set form for private prayers “But THOU, when THOU prayest, enter into THY closet...” (Matt 6:6). However, for common public prayer, he taught a set form “After this manner therefore pray YE: OUR Father..., give US..., forgive US..., as WE forgive..., lead US not..., deliver US...” (Matt 6:9-13). St Paul also taught that common worship must be decent and orderly in form (1 Cor 14:40).

ESSENTIALS OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

Christ attended and commended the Old Testament worship in the Temple (as set by God in Leviticus) and the Synagogues (as set by the post-exile Rabbis). However, Christ announced a coming and better worship for the New Testament community, the Christian Church, in John 4:21-24. Here Christ explained that the Samaritan worship was not based on proper knowledge of the truth about God. On the other hand, the Jewish worship was based on the Truth. The Jews themselves did not properly understand that Truth, hence they emphasised the outward form and place of worship instead of seeking the inward and spiritual dynamics of worship.

A) True worship of God who is Spirit must be (John 4:24; Phil 3:3; 2Thes. 2:13) in the power of the Holy Spirit working in the worshippers (IN SPIRIT) and in true acknowledgement of the nature and ways of God (IN TRUTH), as well as DECENT and ORDERLY.

1. In Spirit: i.e. spiritual power, spiritual intensity and spiritual experiences of sanctification and inspiration. Spirituality is both spontaneous and restrained (1Cor. 14:27-33). This means SOUNDLY INSPIRED or POWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

2. In Truth: i.e. appreciating (through authentic knowledge) and expressing (through sincere faith) the revealed Truth of God. To be in Truth, our belief must be genuine and our knowledge must be correct. This means SINCERELY INFORMED or ORDERED BY THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

B) Though public worship is primarily communal and corporate – as formal majestic courtesy, the individuals who make up the gathering are also involved in personal worship – as informal loving intimacy – at the same time. The Word is read or preached to all corporately, but the hearing and believing is done individually.

C) There are also the two aspects of worship, which are either set form or extempore:

All things to be done in unison need to be set or fixed e.g. songs, the exclamations (Hallelujah, Maranatha, Abba Father, and Hosanna), the affirmations (Amen, Creeds, Grace), even the gestures (1 Cor. 16:20; 1Tim 2:8; Acts 21:5), general prayers (adorations, confessions, supplications and thanksgivings - Matt 6:9-13). This also applies to all aspects of the worship that would serve as reference in the future (vows and benedictions for baptism, confirmation, marriage and ordination). Already fixed are the Scripture portions used (readings, vesicles, Baptismal formula, Eucharistic words of institution, Psalms, The Grace and The Lord’s Prayer).

However, it is not possible to fix and set every supplications, sermons and Biblical expositions. Even where it may be possible in some instances, it is often better left to the need and spontaneity of the hour. Prophetic utterances, tongues and interpretation, also prayer requests could not easily be fixed or set, these can only be left to the leading of the Holy Spirit as the need arises.

D) Proper worship is that which is provoked by the awareness of God’s work, word and worth, in response to God’s redemption, regulation and revelation. True worship must be informed by the Word of Truth and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Such worship is both objective and subjective, as well as formal and extempore. Divine Worship has various aspects and components whereby the church reverences God, entreats his mercies and fellowships in His name.

Full worship should give room for wholehearted:

Ø ascription of supreme worth to God;

Ø expression of gratitude to Him;

Ø attention to/proclamation of God’s holy Word;

Ø doing obedience to His command;

Ø adoring God’s majesty;

Ø supplicating for His mercy;

Ø commitment and contribution to the mission of God.

Ø participating in Christ’s sacraments; and

Ø sharing in the household fellowship of God and His children.

See Psalm 95

These make up the purpose of Christian worship and are mentioned in the opening exhortation of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).

E) The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) prefaces said the BCP was written to help the church have a balanced worship (1662), “not in bondage of figure or shadow, but in the freedom of the Spirit” (1559) and to remain “faithful to the teachings of Scripture and the godly and decent order of the ancient Fathers” (1928) and to “inflame the Church with the love of God’s true religion” (1549).

It is important to note that the BCP was not written as permanent order of worship for all churches throughout the world. It was written for the nation of England in their language during the Reformation. It was meant to be reviewed as time and attitudes change. The BCP was written as a pattern or example for other nations and generations to follow and adapt to their own situation. This is clearly stated in Article XXXIV of the 39 Articles of Religion and in the preface of the 1549 BCP. This is the basis for the new BCPs all over Anglican Communion today.

Since Lambeth 1988 Anglicans have recaptured the incarnation method of contextualisation of the Gospel used by Christ and the Apostles in the word “INCULTURATION” as this excerpts from International Anglican Liturgical Consultations: a 14-year review by Paul Gibson, (1997) at http://www.lambethconference.org/ shows:

The York Consultation (1989Anglican Liturgical Consultation) explored the subject of inculturation from a number of points of view: Anglican identity and the cultural matrix of the Prayer Book tradition, the relationship between formation and inculturation, and specific cultural challenges ranging in location from Tanzania, Southern Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and inner-city England. However, the stage for the Consultation was perhaps set by an essay in which Victor Atta-Bafoe (Ghana) and Philip Tovey (England) distinguished among
indigenization (the development of local leadership),
adaptation (adjustment of essentially Prayer Book forms to a new context), and
inculturation. They defined inculturation as, "the incarnation of the Christian life and message in a particular cultural context in such a way that not only do local Christians find expression for their faith through elements proper to their culture, but also that faith and worship animate, direct and unify the culture." ...

“The conference (Kanamai in Kenya 1993) suggested that liturgical inculturation should begin with the structure of the rite rather than the text.”

F) Other lessons to learn about worship from the BCP and the Reformers are that corporate worship (LITURGY) whether set or spontaneous, fixed or free should be:

1. Simple, proportionate and as short as necessary (Unfortunately modern revisions are becoming rather complex and unnecessarily longer).

2. Relevant and appropriate to the worshipers in their own context (No longer for Priests only nor to foreign tastes).

3. Closely in line with and similar to the practices of the Apostles and Church Fathers.

4. Entirely in agreement with correct biblical doctrine (Not superstitions and innovations).

5. Widely acceptable and so should be generally agreed upon “by common authority”.

THE NEW TESTAMENT AND EARLY CHURCH LITURGIES

Christians neither have Temples (for deities or Deity) nor Altars (for sacrifices). Church buildings are simply, halls or meeting places to accommodate Christian worshippers. God does not dwell in the Church buildings; He dwells in the true Christian worshippers themselves: “where two or three gather in my name”. Church worship took place in people’s house until about 200AD when the first church buildings were erected. Church worship could take place anywhere and anytime.

In the New Testament, Christ instituted set Liturgies such as:

i) Common unison prayers (Matt. 6:9-13)

ii) Holy Communion consecration (Matt. 26:26-30)

iii) Baptismal formula (Matt. 28:19)

The Apostles practiced all the above communally and publicly (Acts 1, 2, 5, 13, etc) as well as taught so (1Cor 11:23ff; 14:26ff; Heb. 10:25). Notice however that the Apostles did not write whole set liturgies, much was left to be coordinated extempore (1Cor 14:26-33).

In the Early Church, The Apostolic Catechetical Manual called Didache has a simple set liturgy for The Eucharist, though it allows Prophets to say additional extempore prayers (Didache Chapters IX and X). The eucharistic liturgy developed from a simple form, as depicted in the 1st-century Didache, to the fully developed liturgies of the 5th and 6th centuries in both the East and the West. Using the Scripture as their yardstick, the Reformers curtailed the elaboration and innovation of form and sought to restore the importance of spiritual fervour and power, as well as scriptural exactitude.

The Didache’s reason for setting or fixing parts of the liturgy was to avoid repetitions, ensure doctrinal correctness of the prayers and various segments of the service as well as their logical sequence (Didache Chapters VII and VIII). The Didache also noted that this danger of unscriptural prayers is ameliorated when sound ministers lead the service. This underscores the need for training for worship leadership. Set liturgies also help to ensure time management by proportionate and predetermined time allocation to segments of the service. Today this could be done by allocating minutes to service items. Minutes timing was not possible in ancient times, so they used number of words instead.

This diversity that was demonstrated in the liturgies of the Early Church (before 500AD) is still preserved in extant copies of:

1 the Clementine liturgy (from Antioch),

2 the Syrian liturgy,

3 the Liturgy of St. James (of the church of Jerusalem),

4 the Nestorian liturgy in Iran (Persia),

5 the Liturgy of St. Mark in Egypt,

6 the Roman mass (derived from Liturgy of St Peter),

7 the Gallican liturgies, and

8 the Ambrosian (Milanese),

9 Mozarabic (Spanish) derived from the Ephesine Liturgy of St John, and

10 Scottish-Irish (Celtic) liturgies which were derived from the Gallican before the arrival of St Augustine of Cantabury in 597AD. This later influenced the formulation of Latin Sarum Missal of 1085AD used in England before The Reformation.

LITURGY AND THE REFORMATION

Before the Reformation of the 16^th Century, no two cities in any nation of Europe had the same order of worship. Again, no two Centuries had the same order of worship even for the same city. This means that the order of services had always been changing and diverse. They had never been as constant and as uniform as has been the case since the Reformation. For instance by 1500AD in England alone, there were at least seven Liturgical books:

1. Primer (for devotions, litanies and penitentials).

2. Breviary (for little hours – Mattins, Lauds, Sext Compline, etc).

3. Missal (for Holy Communion Mass).

4. Manual (for Priests’ occasional services).

5. Pontifical (for Bishops’ exclusive services).

6. Pie (for Calendar and Appointed Lessons).

7. Processional (for hours of the cross, of the Virgin Mary, etc).

Each of these had different editions for different cities. For example the Missal had five different editions – Sarum, York, Hereford, Bangor and Lincoln editions. In fact, there was confusion of Liturgical books.

Nevertheless, whatever the variations, they shared many things in common. For instance the order of the Eucharist, which was latter called mass, always had:

a litany (responsive cry for mercy, e.g. ‘Kyrie eleison’),

Collects (specific prayers for the season),

Epistle,

Gospel,

Creed,

Offertory,

Common intercessions and supplications,

Sursum Corda,

Sanctus,

Consecration of the elements (including the word of institution),

Communion,

Thanksgiving and

Benediction.

During the Middle Ages (500 – 1500AD) the Liturgical services became too cumbersome and confusing with varieties of protracted ceremonies and rites. Again many of the things in the books were fancies of the formulators and were neither scriptural nor even necessary. To worsen it all, the books were in Latin, so that the congregation merely watched majestic and colourful performances of the priests, acolytes and choristers without understanding what was being said, and so were not edified. (1 Cor. 14).

As a result, the reformers set out to put things right, starting with Martin Luther in 1523. The aims of the Reformers were these:

i) To have a uniform order for each nation in their own language;

ii) To make the services as simple and as short as necessary and appropriate;

iii) To make the services as close to those of the apostolic and sub-apostolic times as possible; and

iv) To make the services entirely in line with correct biblical doctrine.

For instance, the medieval Missal implied that the MASS is for regular OFFERING of SACRIFICE of Christ’s body ON an ALTER by the Priest on BEHALF of the congregation. The Reformers believed that this was both dangerous and blasphemous. They reformulated an order of service that agreed with those of the apostolic and sub-apostolic times, calling it Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion (Not Mass). Here the service implied that the EUCHARIST is a regular RECEIVING of the SACRAMENT of Christ’s body FROM a TABLE by BOTH the congregation and ministers.

THE LITURGY OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER (BCP)

The BCP is one of the greatest legacies of this historic reformation – resulting from very careful effort of two generations of liturgical experts, bishops, clergy and keenly critical congregations of all inclinations and learning. It is a very good example of an order of worship that agrees entirely with the Scriptures. When followed in the power of the Holy Spirit, it becomes full of life, culminating in true worship (in Spirit and in Truth). However, when followed in the flesh or ignorantly, it becomes empty and cold, resulting in rigid formalism without life.

The first BCP was launched into use on Whitsun, 9^th June, 1549, after being passed by the Parliament of England under King Edward VI. Thomas Cranmer the Archbishop of Canterbury led the team of divines that drafted the BCP. For the daily offices, it had only the Morning and Evening Prayers. The Morning Prayer was formulated by shortening and combining the Old Mattins (Nucturns), Lauds and Prime together. The Evening Prayer was formulated likewise from the old Vespers and Compline. The other little hour offices – Tierce, Sext and Nones were discarded entirely.

In order to make the BCP as agreeable as possible to the Scriptures and to the practices of the apostolic and sub-apostolic Church, the book has seen various revisions to accommodate all bible-based criticism. The most important revisions, which passed through the Parliament of England, were those of 1559 (Queen Elizabeth I) and 1662 (King Charles II). The 1928 proposal was rejected by the Parliament for being too Romish, though approved by the Bishop as alternative to the 1662 version. Below is a chronology of the story of the BCP reform.

1523 Martin Luther’s reformed Latin Mass

1526 Martin Luther’s German Mass

1534 Act of Supremacy of Henry VIII

1536 The Ten Articles of our Faith

1539 The Six Articles

1540 The "Great Bible" set up in churches as the "authorized version"

1543 Committee of Convocation commissioned to revise service-books

1543 "A Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for any Christian Man," published

1544 First English Litany prepared by Cranmer and ordered for use in churches

1545 Primer of Henry the Eighth

1547 Jan. 31. Accession of King Edward VI

1548 March 8. English Order of the Communion added to the Latin Mass

1549 Jan. 21. The Book of Common Prayer: First Book of Edward VI adopted

1550 The English Ordinal prepared and published

1552 April 15. The Book of Common Prayer: Second Book of Edward VI receives royal assent

1552 The Forty-Two Articles of Edward VI

1558 Nov. 17. Accession of Queen Elizabeth

1558 Act of Supremacy of Queen Elizabeth

1559 The Eleven Articles

1559 April 28. Elizabethan Book of Common Prayer receives royal assent

1562 The Thirty-Nine Articles

1603 May 7. Accession of James I

1604 The Hampton Court Conference under King James I upheld the continued use of the Elizabethan Book of Common Prayer

1611 The Authorised King James Version of the Bible published for use in the Churches

1637 The Scottish Prayer Book by narrow minded Archbishop Laud (included prayer for the faithful departed and invocation of the Holy Spirit on communion elements, but used Presbyter for Priest)

1644 The Directory for the public worship of God replaces the Book of Common Prayer

1660 The use of the Book of Common Prayer revived

1661 The Savoy Conference between 12 Bishops and 12 Puritan Ministers to incorporate puritanist objection called “ËXCEPTIONS” itemised by Richard Baxter.

1662 May 19. Act of Uniformity for the present English Book of Common Prayer passed in the Parliament

The BCP contains many books in one volume:

Book 1 (Daily offices, Penitential and Prayers)

Book 2 (Holy Communion for the whole year)

Book 3 (Rites and ceremonies from infancy to old age)

Book 4 (Psalms or the Psalter)

Book 5 (The Bishops’ book)

Book 6 (The Lectionary and Liturgical Calendar)

The Daily Offices of the Morning and Evening Prayers are ordered after Psalm 95:

a) Penitential Introduction (ending with the Absolution)

b) Praises in Songs (Canticles)

c) Ministration of the Word (including the Creed)

d) Prayers and Thanksgiving

APPENDIX

1. Great care was taken to ensure that the prayers are straight to the point, short and in agreement with sound biblical doctrine. We should therefore, learn from this in our extemporaneous prayers.

2. We must lead or participate in the worship services in Spirit (under the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit) and in Truth (with a good knowledge of the truth about the God who is Spirit).

3. Only the Priests have authority (by their ordination) to declare and pronounce the absolution (Matt 16:19). The Priest has no power to forgive sins but has authority to pronounce the absolution. Only God has power to forgive sins.

In the same vein, only the Priests have the authority to pronounce the benediction whether Aaronic (Num 6:23ff) or Apostolic (Heb 13:20f; 2Cor 13:14); In absence of a Priest such benediction should be shared in unison.

4. Sunday worship services in the Anglican Communion should always follow the BCP or any other order of service approved by the Diocesan Bishop.

VEN. DR. I. U. IBEME

Last revised: January 27, 2009

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CONTENTS

ESSENTIALS OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

THE NEW TESTAMENT AND EARLY CHURCH LITURGIES