Among mainline denominational churches that are using contemporary music, there have been two main approaches: (1) incorporate some of the new music into an otherwise traditional liturgical form, or (2) follow the example of non-denominational churches and abandon almost all liturgical form, reducing the worship service to a “music-and-a-message” model. In reality most churches fall somewhere between these two poles. But many churches seem unsure of exactly what they should be doing. How should we order our worship?
As a Lutheran I look to the Augsburg Confession to see what our tradition says about worship. I find this in Article VII: “The church is the assembly of saints in which the Gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly. For the true unity of the church it is enough to agree concerning the teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments. It is not necessary that human traditions or rites and ceremonies, instituted by humans, should be alike everywhere.”
There you have it. It would appear that each form is valid, as long as we include preaching the Word and celebrating the Sacraments. Those with a highly liturgical format should not say the simplified way is invalid, and those using a music/message/communion model should not complain that “traditionalists” have missed the boat.
And yet the reformers did not abandon the traditional liturgical format altogether. Luther re-wrote the Catholic Mass two different times, putting it in the language of the people. The early Evangelicals (16th century Lutherans) continued to worship weekly using roughly the same format that had been used for hundreds of years.
So as we engage new formats today, perhaps it would be wise of us to explore the worship format that has been handed down and refined among Christians for many generations. What is it about this tradition that has been particularly life-giving?
The broad, simple outline that is taught among many denominations today reflects the emphasis on Word and Sacrament in the Augsburg Confession: Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending. It reaches as far back as Justin Martyr, ca. 150 A.D. We gather as a community to worship, we hear the Gospel proclaimed from God’s Word, we receive God’s grace in Holy Communion, and we are sent out to share that grace with the world. Again, both traditional and simplified liturgies can reflect this model.
But what about the other parts of a traditional liturgy, those with titles like kyrie, gloria, and sanctus? What might they have for us? In Part II I’ll propose a contemporary worship outline that incorporates the intention behind some of the treasures of traditional liturgy.
There you have it. It would appear that each form is valid, as long as we include preaching the Word and celebrating the Sacraments. Those with a highly liturgical format should not say the simplified way is invalid, and those using a music/message/communion model should not complain that “traditionalists” have missed the boat.
And yet the reformers did not abandon the traditional liturgical format altogether. Luther re-wrote the Catholic Mass two different times, putting it in the language of the people. The early Evangelicals (16th century Lutherans) continued to worship weekly using roughly the same format that had been used for hundreds of years.
So as we engage new formats today, perhaps it would be wise of us to explore the worship format that has been handed down and refined among Christians for many generations. What is it about this tradition that has been particularly life-giving?
The broad, simple outline that is taught among many denominations today reflects the emphasis on Word and Sacrament in the Augsburg Confession: Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending. It reaches as far back as Justin Martyr, ca. 150 A.D. We gather as a community to worship, we hear the Gospel proclaimed from God’s Word, we receive God’s grace in Holy Communion, and we are sent out to share that grace with the world. Again, both traditional and simplified liturgies can reflect this model.
But what about the other parts of a traditional liturgy, those with titles like kyrie, gloria, and sanctus? What might they have for us? In Part II I’ll propose a contemporary worship outline that incorporates the intention behind some of the treasures of traditional liturgy.
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