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Forms: Old, new, and revised
The forms of our worship change, but our response flows from hearts touched by God's grace.
Author: Keith C. Wessel
A visitor to a small mission church in the South spoke negatively to the pastor as she left Sunday worship. What was the great offense? Had the people not greeted her warmly? Did the Communion practice bring her to boil? Not at all. This visitor was upset because the pastor had used written prayers during the service instead of praying “from the heart.” She had no interest in a church that used “canned” materials and wasn’t “filled with the Spirit.”
That brief encounter in a small narthex reveals the tension in worship attitudes in modern America. On the one hand, some feel strongly about using the historic patterns of worship Christians have handed down over the centuries. On the other hand, some feel strongly about worship being more of a spontaneous, personal expression of faith. Which is better?
Printed patterns or freedom
Scripture depicts both. Temple worship, for example, followed patterns formed around the daily rituals of sacrifice. Before the Lord’s altar the priests meticulously followed instructions for worship drawn from Leviticus. On the sanctuary steps the priestly choirs, sometimes including children, stood and sang the psalm assigned for each day of the week. In synagogues across the Mediterranean region, like those in which Jesus and Paul preached, worshipers followed a standard “liturgy” and heard the set order of readings taken from the law and the prophets. Think of the Passover celebrated in Israelite homes. Over the centuries believers developed and used a simple devotional pattern that reviewed important spiritual truths.
On the other hand, there were times when God’s people broke out in spontaneous songs of praise and thanksgiving. Moses erupted in song on the shores of the Red Sea following the defeat of Pharaoh’s army, and Miriam’s song of praise followed in its wake. Mary joyfully chanted her song, the Magnificat, in response to the Lord’s goodness to her. The children of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday with song. Finally, almost all the worship John describes in Revelation resounds with impulsive bursts of praise from the redeemed in heaven.
What will bring the greatest good?
Since both approaches to worship still exist in our day, how is it even possible to create a worship book that will be a blessing to everyone, such as Christian Worship: Supplement hopes to be?
The small committee entrusted with producing the worship section of the supplement wrestled with that question. The overriding question became: What type of worship book will be of greatest benefit to most people in WELS churches today?
Both God’s people and worship leaders know from Scripture that neither Jesus nor the apostles gave us a prescribed order of worship to follow as we gather together. Since using forms of worship belongs within Christian freedom, we can’t say one way is right and another wrong. It’s wrong only when it disagrees with scriptural truth in some way. Jesus himself declared that the most important feature of worship is that his worshipers have proper hearts; the Father desires that his people worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).
But while “right” and “wrong” may be improper labels, in Christian love we can discuss which forms of worship may be more beneficial than others to the greatest number of people.
WELS members who will use the supplement to Christian Worship will find that the service section contains patterns of worship that are well-known in our circles. Divine Service I, the new musical setting of The Common Service, is already familiar to those who have used Christian Worship: New Service Settings. There is also an entirely new service, Divine Service II, based on the historic liturgy of the church, but also including some “teaching” elements for congregations. Filled with footnotes explaining the various parts of the liturgy, Divine Service II is designed to help worshipers understand more clearly the reasons for the patterns and traditions we follow. The service has old canticles written in a new way—as metrical stanzas that can be adapted to a variety of familiar hymn tunes. Also in this service worshipers will find something so old that it is new again: a short thanksgiving prayer included as part of the communion liturgy. In its most ancient form this prayer reaches back to the earliest days of Christian worship.
Historic patterns and changes in worship
It is true that many pastors have written special orders of worship for various occasions. It is also true that some worship planners do that every week. Such services certainly can be beneficial and uplifting to the worshipers. But the worship subcommittee of Christian Worship: Supplement chose to employ more historic forms of worship, decorating them with some different music and responses. The worship subcommittee opted to do this because it deemed it to be the most beneficial to the greatest number of people. Even though a pastor may have a special gift for writing new orders of worship every week—and indeed there are some with such gifts— such worship services represent the voice of the pastor. Pastors take calls, retire, and pass away, and that unique voice is quieted. But historic liturgies echo the voice of the church, the words God’s people from many generations have learned, understood, and drawn great comfort from. That voice will continue long past this worship book or any other hymnal of the future.
But not all in the supplement is old. There are new items as well, such as a series of devotions for personal, family, and small group use. Keying off the warm reception that the similar devotions of Christian Worship received, the worship subcommittee penned seven more of these for God’s people to use. A unique feature of these devotions is that many of them set before the worshiper parts of the Lutheran Catechism for review and deeper reflection. These devotions were written not only with church councils in mind but also for families gathered for devotions.
Worshipers also will find another new form in Christian Worship: Supplement—two gathering rites. These alternative beginnings to the worship service provide both simple variety and a sound Lutheran focus on the Word and sacraments.
Some items are revised. One particularly ambitious task the worship subcommittee undertook was to study the current lectionary (the list of Bible readings for Sunday worship) and suggest alternate texts for most Sundays. Since we live in a society that is increasingly less knowledgeable about the Bible, the group felt supplying lessons that told Bible stories offered a healthy variety for both preacher and worshiper. Other alternate readings provide greater thematic unity among the day’s lessons. In connection with this phase of the work, another committee was appointed to create a new worship resource, Planning Christian Worship.
It is an intimidating task to be entrusted with producing worship materials for God’s people to use in proclaiming his holy Word, and we held that task in trembling hands. But with God’s blessing, the new supplement will be a benefit to many as they appear before him week after week and worship him from the heart.
Keith Wessel, a professor at Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota, is a member at St. John, New Ulm.
Volume 94, number 10, 10-1-2007, category: features
Copyrighted by WELS Forward in Christ © 2007
Permission is granted for a single personal copy of an article. Contact Robert Adrian at 414-454-2112 or adrianb@nph.wels.net regarding any other use.
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