The Work of Liturgy

It's interesting to think about the allergic reaction many have to rituals in the church.  Many Christians are annoyed with repetition in worship.  They judge it as dead or worse, legalistic.  (The irony is every church engages in ritual, some just make it feel more informal than others.)

Of course much of this criticism comes from the fact that we have embraced expressive individualism as a virtue, the belief that what really matters is how I feel and how I express myself.  Therefore, all worship is judged by whether or not it is sincere, sincerely felt or experienced, which creates an endless search for novelty; hence our avoidance of ritual.  (James Smith, Imagining the Kingdom:  How Worship Works).

However, we need to recognize the power that repetitive rituals play in our life.  We use them constantly.  Athletic teams use expressions to shape culture and increase motivation.  Corporate culture embrace slogans to be memorized and repeated.  In America we sing the National Anthem before sporting events.  All of these activities do things to us.  They work as filters, by creating focus, telling us what is not important; and at the same time, they inculcate values.

In fact recently, I found myself dreaming of coaching.  I began to put together a series of values that I would instill in my players.  I envisioned each month highlighting a value, celebrating it, and holding my players accountable to it.   Example:  I would want my high school team to learn to be thankful--to be thankful that they are on a team, to be thankful for one another, and to play with gratitude and joy.  I would instill this virtue through ritual and slogans:  "Together on me, gratitude on three, 1-2-3--GRATITUDE!"  

As I travel down this reverie, I realize that the same idea applies to the church.  If we are doing worship well, we will embrace rituals that shape our desires.  Our worship should include repetitive rituals that are beautiful, deep and theologically sound.  Communion is an example.  When we participate in communion, it should celebrate God's work on the cross in Christ; it should be accompanied by good prayers, song and historical creeds.  Week after week, this ritual begins to shape us.  The same could be said for how we gather and what happens when we are dismissed.  The "flow" of worship should connect us to God's movement in history of calling, saving, setting apart and sending a people.

Week after week, these rituals will create disciples for the kingdom.  So dear church, let us worship with intentionality, boldness and humility.

Peace.