Just another Sunday service?

Just another Sunday service?...Having grown up in the Christian Reformed Church, I've been around structured liturgy and Sunday bulletins all of my life.  Call to worship, song, God's greeting, song, confession, assurance of pardon, congregational prayer, offering, scripture reading, sermon, prayer, song, benediction, doxology,....oh, and don't forget pre- and postludes.  There's an order and routine to what we do, usually only changing for the occasional baptism, profession of faith, or celebration of the Lord's Supper.  Some outside of this tradition (and maybe a few in) view this ritual as boring.  It might appear to others that there is a set outline in which a pastor or worship leader plug different songs, scriptures, and themes into each week.  Carrying this thought out, people might say it's simple, a task that anyone could do.  I would contend these assumptions are not how it actually is, and I want to offer a reflection that defends the traditional liturgical style.

The liturgies I form reveal the bias of my upbringing: the majority of my songs are from the Psalter Hymnal (currently grey), I like to call upon the creeds and confessions, and I attempt to bring back the call to confession by way of the 10 Commandments.  I began crafting liturgies for a Worship class in college, and now create my own for whenever I preach, generally getting positive feedback, but occasionally I happen upon things like this, "Get with the times! To be honest, you're boring!"  Those were the words from one of our teenage worshipers recently, who spoke his mind while on a retreat (and I graciously accepted his critique).  Is he right, though?  Do the worship services I plan, the elements I utilize, and the sermons I preach need drastic updating?  A proper response coming from someone steeped in Reformed tradition is this: Reformed liturgy is ritualistic, but it's not empty!  In scripture, we find Israel worshiping God because 1)He has called them to do so, and 2)it happens only when they have recognized and been purified of their sins.  If our entrance into corporate worship comes without any type of "call" or "greeting" from God, then we have made a claim as worshipers that we can decide to worship on our own.  If our corporate services move without any recognition of the need to humble ourselves, laying our sins and burdens before the throne of God, and only then receiving his grace, then we have not offered a pleasing aroma to him.

I'll admit it; my liturgies are fairly consistent in order, but that does not mean I just plug and play.  The arrangement of a worship service should be around the Word, which I hold central like any good Calvinist, but what that means exactly has changed recently.   I used to hold this to mean the reading of the Bible for the sermon and the sermon itself were the key parts of the service.  Now, I think they still are key components, but I think a better understanding of the centrality of the Word might be in viewing its penetration throughout the entire worship service.  I tend to utilize my sermon passage and themes as foundational for the overarching themes of the service, the songs, and prayers, but I do not just plug songs in.  In forming a worship service, I have to be in the text, in prayer, and utilizing the gift of YouTube so that we use familiar or at least simple enough tunes so that white, Dutch, rhythm-lacking folk who dominate our congregations can praise God with confidence and excellence.  I'm not saying that contemporary songs cannot be used, but their lyrics and sound should fit and encourage excellence.  To plug and play is to mock what worship can do, but immersed in the Word and prayer it can be molded by the Spirit.

The last point (and probably the one most open to controversy) begs if anyone can formulate worship or is it something reserved for degree-holding college and seminary graduates?  I am willing to stand corrected, but I would daresay that before the 21st century worship planning was mainly considered the responsibility of the pastor.  Around the turn of the century, worship planning committees and certificates and degrees for students of worship started to pop up and take this role.  I will recognize and qualify that not all of these committees and not all of these certified planners have the same responsibilities or purposes.  That being said, the purpose of these is generally one of two things: give the pastor a break or utilize more God-given gifts.  Given the fact that pastors played a large role in bearing the responsibility for so many years, I think the first purpose is invalid.  I'll add also that the pastor knows what is going on in his service, can plan accordingly, and should be experiencing joy in formulating a liturgy.  On the other hand, if the purpose is to utilize more gifts, then by all means have some sort of planning committee (but DO involve the pastor).  This option allows for people to give of their talents in supplying ideas for songs/prayers/other elements, but also to provide diversity in what and who is included.  Truth be told, I don't think worship planning is for anyone and everyone.  I can think back to when I was beginning my discernment process in high school, and my friends and I joked that I would lead services that went between 5-15 minutes.  While I do still appreciate brevity, if our focus is on time and getting out of church, I think we need to work on our priorities.  Not everyone should be involved in corporate worship planning because it is a gift given by God to glorify him, and I truly believe this could be added to or gathered from the list given by Paul in Ephesians 4:10-16.

The rituals we practice each week across Reformed denominations have been built upon tradition, but they also extend from clear practices within the Old and New Testament.  I don't mean to hate on or claim that this is typical of all mega churches and non-denominational congregations, but they are the ones where I most often receive a plastic postcard that welcomes me and gives me a few lines to take notes on when I walk through the door.  Okay, I understand the simplicity and attractiveness communicated through these materials, but how is the worshiper supposed to understand the movement of worship?  How are people, both lifelong believers and new seekers, to understand the practice of singing a few songs and receiving a 15-30 minute teaching lesson?  Worship is so much more, and I hope that as it appears we have moved past the contemporary vs. traditional songs war, a conversation can be had across denominations and traditions about how scripture speaks formatively to our worship services.  Maybe I'm off-base, maybe I'm just saying the same thing that several authors and teachers have written and said, what do you think?