During this year in which I have been pondering the Church Calendar and its seasons, I’ve also been thinking a bit about church worship services in general. How do we keep our worship practices rooted in the Universal Church, which receives direct nourishment from the Holy Spirit of God?
One of the arguments against the Church Calendar (particularly made by many non-denominational Protestants) is that it can lead to formulaic worship. Yet, when we examine this criticism closely it turns out all churches have some sort of formulaic nature to their worship services. While many mainline (denominational) churches use liturgical cycles, it is easy to find patterns and structures (formulas) in almost any church. From how songs are organized, to how moods and emotions are stimulated; from how sermons are consistently outlined, to what prayers are recited. You can often find the same routines week after week in any congregation.
The assumption in the initial accusation is that formulaic worship is naturally a bad thing. However, perhaps the formulaic reality of every church is neither good nor bad. What is truly problematic is if/when our formulas lead to stale, rote worship in which our connection with the Holy Spirit and the Universal Church is corroded. Whether our worship services are guided by liturgy or independent committees, our worship practices can easily become void of significance. Even congregations that appear healthy externally (based on size, wealth, enthusiasm, etc.) can have root rot on the inside and their worship become meaningless.
Routine and repetition can also be comforting and build community in positive ways. It can create ties that bind us together. When a group of people know the same songs, chants, and movements it can be a uniting force. It can be something that brings people together, creating a conjoined identity, and a rich heritage.
However, we must be aware that it is easy for community bonding to become so focused on itself that it loses its connection to the work of the Holy Spirit—that is building the Eternal Kingdom of God—and therefore misses the whole point of the Church. If we create church communities that require complete assimilation, we no longer represent the vast vision of the Church. Suddenly everyone is like us in the congregation and we miss out on seeing the vastness of God’s creation. We no longer seek God wholly, we simply seek our own image of God.
So what should our worship services look like?
Our worship services need to revolve around the core understanding of the gospel, and should consistently celebrate and share it plainly. That gospel being this: that Jesus—the Begotten One of God—came as God’s chosen one, to bring good news to all humanity, so that we may work together to build the Eternal Kingdom of God, in which all people can experience life abundantly, here and now and in the ages to come. For this message and for our salvation, Jesus Christ died on a cross; yet to proclaim triumph over sin and death this same Lord Jesus rose again from the dead and proceeded to send us the Holy Spirit, so we can continue the work of God today.
In our worship, we should invite all to follow the way of the Lord Jesus through both boundless encouragement and loving exhortations. We should celebrate one another for who God has made us to be. We should always be expanding our vision for what is possible and reaching out with open minds, hearts, and arms. We should be action-oriented and open minded so as to not miss anything the Spirit has in store for us. We should, in short, love God and love one another.
Relevant Reformation 