Liturgy

Rituals give us a way to experience the Holy. We often think of the church as a place rich with ritual. Most Lutheran services start with confession and forgiveness, a cross is processed forward, and the candles are lit. We have communion every Sunday, the elements are uncovered during offering and we end our service saying, “Thanks be to God.” We come to worship knowing we will experience these rituals and be fed to live as disciples in the world.

If we step foot in a new church we will notice a difference in rituals. Maybe they don’t process a cross before the service or have communion every Sunday. Often it is in these small ways that we experience a disruption in our worship. We may think, “Wait we don’t do it that way.” However, no matter what Christian church you worship with there are two things that are steadfast, communion and baptism. Sure we may do those rituals differently – some immerse, some sprinkle water – but the truth is we baptize.

The Eucharist and Baptism are liturgy at the core. The creeds, theories, text and prayers were formed to help worshipers understand baptism, not baptism being created to help understand the creeds and prayers. It was the community’s regular act of Eucharist and Baptism (liturgy) that brought about a theology to help understand and reflect on these encounters with the living God.

In the Lutheran tradition it is foundational to say that we leave the ritual space transformed and renewed through liturgy. The Church does not bring about liturgy, but liturgy that brings about the Church. It is a communal act not an individual act. Christians do not worship because they believe nor do they believe because they worship at least in a sense that liturgy is a machine that will produce faith.

It is a presence that draws us to liturgy and a revelation experienced. Liturgy transforms the community into something they were not before the event began. It was a presence not faith that drew Moses to the burning bush. It was a presence not faith that drew the disciples to Jesus and revelation that they found. Since then we too have been drawn into assembly by the same presence. The assembly is transformed through liturgy becoming different from what they were before the act happened. Rituals give us a way to experience the Holy. Liturgy transforms us.