My last two posts have been on Shakespearean Worship, so I thought I would post Redeemer's order of worship from last Sunday, December 4, 2005 in case you are interested in seeing how we are trying to give this hands and feet. If you want to worship with us, we invite you to visit Baptist Church of the Redeemer (directions at www.bcredeemer.org).
Thanks for the recent posts on this subject. I appreciated the way the service was intentionally saturated with God’s Word being read by the people. The congregation is certainly involved in the public expressions of worship – not mere spectators. I still struggle with some elements, but thinking it through. How much does your order of worship change each week and how (and do you always) do you determine the order?
Jim,
Interesting order of service. It reflects structural elements of the western rite liturgy. If you are interested in some resources, then I’d be happy to make some available. I have been working on liturgical issues for some time now and am working on a program in liturgical studies at Catholic.
Some future considerations might be adherence to the liturgical calendar, which repeatedly walks a congregation through the major events of Christ’s life (Advent-Easter) and the Christian Life (Pentecost). Also, you might want to investigate using the same scriptural texts each week for the rubrics such as Invocation, Confession, Benediction, etc. While there are some who would argue that this becomes “rote”, I would contend that it actually forms the language of the Bible in the hearts and minds of God’s people. I can’t even begin to tell you how many parishioners with dementia I have visited who do not know me or their family, but can still recite the creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, and various other elements of the liturgy that formed their faith over their lifetimes.
Blessings to you and your family this season. I was hitting some of my LCMS blogs and thought I should go outside my confession for a while- Take care, Mason
“….While there are some who would argue that this becomes “rote”, I would contend that it actually forms the language of the Bible in the hearts and minds of God’s people”…
THANK YOU for this! The is the first time I have ever seen it expressed so well. This reflects my own thoughts.
It is not surprising that dementia patients would remember liturgical aspects, having repeated them so oft in their past. What a blessing it must be for their families!
One element of liturgy that I value greatly is the time built in for confessions of sins. I think it’s great that your church practices this liturgical element (though obviously not exclusive to liturgy).
This prompting of confession is so needed in many services (including my church).
Dr. Hamilton,
I am really enjoying the posts on how you guys do worship. We are having those conversations for the church we are planting in Austin this summer. How long do you services normally last?
Micah Caswell