The Need For a Good Liturgy
Having a good liturgy for corporate worship on the Lord's Day is a must! There are certain items (elements) that should be incorporated into every worship service litury so that the people of God can be fully fed, nourished and sustained for the coming week ahead. Of course the preaching of God's Word is primary, but there are other elements in the service that help prepare the people for the preaching, and give them things they can't get any where else.
My wife and I were recently on vacation and on the Sunday morning we went to a church in the area where we were staying. Let's just say, the liturgy was quite lacking, and actually one of the thinnest I have ever seen. I was going to keep the bulletin, but I didn't so I have to go from memory, but here is what it was to the best of my knowledge.
Now what was lacking? Right off the bat there was no call to worship from Scripture leading the people into the presence of the Triune God nor a minister giving the greeting of God. The welcome was just that, a welcome. Then the praise team got up and we sang songs for 15-20 minutes. There was an offering, and there might have been a "congregational prayer" of some sort, I forget, but it wasn't anything special bringing the prayers of God's church and people before his throne.
As is mentioned above, pretty much all the children and even young people left at this time to have their own sermon, I guess. It was pretty sad to see kids who could very easily listen to a sermon ushered away from their families and given something else. I am not against nurseries, but this was different. Kids can sing with their parents, but they cannot listen to a sermon together about which they could discuss and talk about later?
I won't say much if anything about the sermon. Let's just say there were a lot of illustrations and he kind of missed the point of the text in my opinion.
After that there was one more song to sing, then the benediction, which given the beginning of the service I was at least glad to see we got God's blessing upon leaving!
What was most apparently missing from the liturgy, if you didn't figure it out already is any sort of reading of the law, confession of sin, and the declaration of forgiveness. I couldn't help but think as I was sitting there if there were any non-Christians in attendance, they got exactly what they would have expected. Everything about the service was cookie-cutter from American Evangelicalism as seen on TV and in the movies. There was no being confronted with a holy God and realizing how unworthy you are to stand in his almighty presence. Oh, this is supposedly a "Reformed" church too. There was nothing Reformed about it, nothing in the least. It was a shame.
My wife and I were recently on vacation and on the Sunday morning we went to a church in the area where we were staying. Let's just say, the liturgy was quite lacking, and actually one of the thinnest I have ever seen. I was going to keep the bulletin, but I didn't so I have to go from memory, but here is what it was to the best of my knowledge.
- Welcome
- Singing of 4 or 5 praise songs
- Offering (Children even through high school it seemed left the sanctuary)
- Scripture Reading and Sermon
- Song
- Benediction
Now what was lacking? Right off the bat there was no call to worship from Scripture leading the people into the presence of the Triune God nor a minister giving the greeting of God. The welcome was just that, a welcome. Then the praise team got up and we sang songs for 15-20 minutes. There was an offering, and there might have been a "congregational prayer" of some sort, I forget, but it wasn't anything special bringing the prayers of God's church and people before his throne.
As is mentioned above, pretty much all the children and even young people left at this time to have their own sermon, I guess. It was pretty sad to see kids who could very easily listen to a sermon ushered away from their families and given something else. I am not against nurseries, but this was different. Kids can sing with their parents, but they cannot listen to a sermon together about which they could discuss and talk about later?
I won't say much if anything about the sermon. Let's just say there were a lot of illustrations and he kind of missed the point of the text in my opinion.
After that there was one more song to sing, then the benediction, which given the beginning of the service I was at least glad to see we got God's blessing upon leaving!
What was most apparently missing from the liturgy, if you didn't figure it out already is any sort of reading of the law, confession of sin, and the declaration of forgiveness. I couldn't help but think as I was sitting there if there were any non-Christians in attendance, they got exactly what they would have expected. Everything about the service was cookie-cutter from American Evangelicalism as seen on TV and in the movies. There was no being confronted with a holy God and realizing how unworthy you are to stand in his almighty presence. Oh, this is supposedly a "Reformed" church too. There was nothing Reformed about it, nothing in the least. It was a shame.
posted by Mark Vander Pol at 7:30 PM
2 Comments:
I felt the same way Mark. SOOO much was missing and what was there was so weak. Thinking the kids probably got more out of Sunday School! Sad commentary on what was once a strong Reformed denomination. Years ago, Grandpa traveled with a church yearbook so that we could worship when were on vacation, knowing his family would be "fed". Scary, how quickly that has changed.
Sooooooo...... where was this vacation spot? LOL, it just sounds like my church!!
Oregon, Cali, Idaho?
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