What is Liturgy
Over the next few weeks, we will examine the various aspects of Anglican worship. The goal is to offer a summary and explanation of our liturgical practices.
What is Liturgy?
In simplest terms, a liturgy is a form according to which public worship is carried out. As the liturgist Frank Senn writes, “Liturgy is the vehicle by which the public worship of God is performed. It may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy… or a [simple] Protestant service” (Introduction to Christian Liturgy, pg. 5). It could be argued that every church has a liturgy. Some are more structured and formalized, while others appear more organic and informal.
Liturgy is not an exclusively Christian term. It comes from the Greek word, leitourgia, meaning “work of the people” or “public work.” When we use the term within our Christian context, we usually refer to the congregation’s gathering, reading of scripture, call and response of acclamations, prayers, confession, creeds, eucharist, etc. In the following weeks, we will examine these details more closely.
As Christians, we have inherited much of our liturgy from our Jewish ancestors. Our worship is a recapitulation of Temple worship. For example, we see much overlap when we compare our worship to that of the worship described in 2 Chronicles 5-7.
| 2 Chronicles | Anglican Liturgy |
| Gathering (at Mount Zion) (5:2-3) | Gather in the nave |
| Cleansing (through sacrifice) (5:4–6) | We pray the collect of purity. |
| Mediated access (through priests) (5:7-10) | The priest prays the collect of the day on behalf of the congregation. |
| Praise (with singing and music) (5:11–13) Glory of God fills the temple (5:14) | We sing the Gloria. |
| Divine communication (Solomon taught) (6:1–11) | The clergy preaches. |
| Prayer of intercession (by Solomon) (6:12–42) | The prayers of the people. |
| Praise (bowing and thanking) (7:3) | This is why we kneel and bow during worship. |
| Cleansing/consecration (through sacrifice) (7:4–7) | The Eucharistic prayers remind us of Christ’s salvific and cleansing sacrifice. |
| Meal (feast) (7:8–10) | Communion. |
| Blessing and dismissal (7:9–10) | The priest blesses, and the deacon dismisses. |
As we read through the book of Revelation, we also find that much of our worship reflects the worship taking place in Heaven. However, we believe liturgy is much more than a mere reflection of heavenly worship. According to the reformer John Calvin, worship is an opportunity for us to experience these heavenly realities. He wrote, “It is thus that the Holy Spirit condescends for our profit, and in accommodation to our infirmity, raising our thought to heavenly and divine things by these worldly elements” (Comm. on Psalms, vol. 5, pg. 150). While it is indeed mysterious, it is as if Heaven and Earth momentarily meet during the liturgy to give us a foretaste of things to come.
Liturgy can be likened to habits. Habits shape and form us. They also reveal what we truly love and to what end we are working towards. For that reason, we believe liturgy has the power to reorient, redirect, and reshape our hearts and lives so that they are moving toward Christ. As James K. A Smith writes, “Worship is the arena in which God recalibrates our hearts, reforms our desires, and rehabituates our loves. Worship isn’t just something we do; it is where God does something to us. Worship is the heart of discipleship because it is the gymnasium in which God retrains our hearts” (You Are What You Love, pg. 77). Rather than viewing liturgy as dry, bland, or monotonous, we view liturgy as life-giving and enriching to our faith.
Fr. Chase