Check out your church worship against that of the Reformation
What shapes your church services?
Jonny Gibson and Mark Earngey have recently published Reformation Worship on this question. Here we publish an edited version of the conclusion of an interview with the compilers, taken from the Credo Magazine website.
CM: Practically speaking, what are some of those things that have come down to us, which the Reformers recovered and refined in their liturgies?
The first chapter is a biblical theology of worship in the Bible; the second is a historical overview of Reformation worship; and the third chapter is called ‘Worshipping in the Tradition: Principles from the Past for the Present’. In that chapter, we present the characteristic traits of Christian worship that have existed for two millennia. They are applicable to any era of the church. Let us give two examples:
First, Christian worship is Trinitarian. That statement may seem unremarkable, but it is amazing how many modern evangelical and Reformed church services hardly mention our Triune God. We have been in services where Jesus is mentioned a lot, but God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are not mentioned, or if they are, it is only in passing. In contrast, the liturgies of the Reformation were permeated with references to the Trinity: in the prayers, in the praises, in the Creeds, in the sermons, and in the benediction. Just because a church mentions Jesus a lot, doesn’t mean Christian worship is taking place. Cults mention Jesus.
Second, the Ten Commandments, Lord’s Prayer and the Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, or Athanasian) were read, prayed and affirmed, respectively, on a weekly basis. Integral to most Reformation liturgies was the reading of the law before or after the confession of sin; the Lord’s Prayer was prayed at least once; and, almost to a man, the Reformers incorporated the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds in their weekly services. The modern church needs to ask itself if these elements are present, not just from time to time, but as part of the fabric of our regular worship services.
CM: But doesn’t church history show us that mere tradition can kill a church? And doesn’t a ‘fixed’ church service put off the younger generation?
Two key quotes in our book come to mind. The first is from Charles W. Baird who was influential in reforming worship in the Presbyterian church of America in the 19th century. He wrote a book called Eutaxia or The Presbyterian Liturgies: A Historical Sketch. Baird said this about the Reformation and liturgy: ‘History gives forth but one utterance on the subject. Wherever Protestant Communions have been established, the institution of worship has been secured by formularies, in whose production the most able minds to be enlisted have been employed.’
So church history actually demonstrates that where God has been pleased to reform the church and grow it, set forms of worship always follow. And, let’s be honest, every church, from whatever tradition or denomination, has a liturgy. It’s not whether we will have a liturgy; it’s just which liturgy we will have.
Additionally, we need to make a distinction between tradition and traditionalism. Jaroslav Pelikan has helpfully noted that ‘Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is tradition-alism that gives tradition such a bad name.’
In other words, tradition is not the problem. Traditionalism is. The two are not the same. And when it comes to Christian worship according to tradition – not traditional-ism – then there ought to be a certain ‘fixed regularity’ to it. This is because the church has always heard God’s call to worship through his Word; it has always praised the Triune God, prayed the Lord’s Prayer, read his Word in public and had it proclaimed; participated in the Lord’s Supper, and been dismissed with a benediction. Why would we not want these elements to feature regularly in our services of worship?
In fact, C.S. Lewis said there was a certain advantage to experiencing the same worship service each week: ‘Every service is a structure of acts and words through which we receive a sacrament, or repent, or supplicate, or adore. And it enables us to do these things best – if you like, it “works” best – when, through long familiarity, we don’t have to think about it. As long as you notice, and have to count, the steps, you are not yet dancing but only learning to dance. ... The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.’
The problem with liturgical novelty is that, in the words of Lewis again, ‘it fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about the worship is a different thing from worshipping.’
As regards the second question, of traditional worship putting off a younger generation, there are two things that come to mind. First, current research shows that millennials are interested in liturgy more than previous generations.
And second, I remember hearing a church planter in New York say that, of the different kinds of worship services that they conducted in the city (contemporary vs traditional), the one that was more popular among the younger generation was the one with the more traditional feel. We don’t think that is coincidental.
CM: Who exactly is Reformation Worship for: church ministers mainly, or could church members benefit from it too?
We would say everyone who loves God and wants to glorify him better in public worship should read this book. If Valley of Vision was a book for every Christian to enrich their Christian life, then Reformation Worship is a book for every Christian to enrich their church life.
Yes, in the first place it is aimed at those who lead Christian worship, but to a larger degree it is aimed at those who are led in corporate worship. This was, of course, the stance of the Reformers who served their people in the writing of these liturgies. They did not have only the elites and intellectuals of their day in mind, but all people under their care. Cranmer intentionally named his liturgical treatise the Book of Common Prayer. In the same vein, this book is for the common man and woman, to help them worship God through new eyes each Lord’s Day.
Our own experience in reading these liturgies has been just that. And our prayer is that the modern reader will experience the same, as they immerse themselves in liturgies penned just under 500 years ago, but whose structure, language and rhythm effectively continue to communicate the gospel in Word and Sacrament even today. Ultimately, we pray that anyone who reads this book will experience what John Calvin described to be the purpose of all church worship: ‘To what end is the preaching of the Word, the Sacraments, the holy congregations themselves, and indeed the whole external government of the church, except that we may be united to God?’
We hope that these liturgies will not only be read privately (and devotionally), but that they will once again be practiced publicly in Christ’s church (not necessarily as whole or adapted services, but at least in part by influence). This entire project will be completely worthwhile if even one small, rural, congregation have their hearts and souls stirred so that they enjoy a greater vision of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ through his Word and Sacrament on the Lord’s Day.
For further details about the book and free access to all the orders of worship from the Reformation era, visit www.reformationworship.com. The book may be purchased from the Evangelical Bookshop in Belfast for £41.50: http://evangelicalbookshop.co.uk; T: 028 90320529.
Jonathan Gibson is Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia.
