Fr. Charlie

The word “liturgy” means the work of the people. It reflects our conviction that worship is not simply something the believer attends but rather worship is something that each and every believer is to do. That said, liturgy does not mean that we insist that all prayer must be written out and read. Instead, we believe that when God’s people come together for worship, their prayers should reflect the unity and corporate nature of worship. If you have ever sung hymns or Scripture songs in church then you already understand a great deal about why we use this form of worship. Most often the songs and hymns that minister to you the most are the ones you know by heart. They have guided and comforted you throughout your whole life. You have reflected on them and their words have become your own. The same thing holds true for the worship service as a whole. When God’s people have lived with the prayers and teachings of the Church and when this familiarity is wed to a living faith, the result is a beautiful assimilation. The common prayer becomes the prayer of the individual believer, giving shape to and informing his own personal devotions long after the worship service is over.

Liturgy also provides a balance to worship. Key doctrines and truths of the Faith are kept central while peripheral matters remain peripheral. As such, the whole council of God is presented to His people week after week.

Finally, liturgy connects our worship to that of the whole body of Christ. Not only is our worship common to all in our own denomination but we are also using forms and expressions that have guided worship down through the ages since the days of the earliest Church. Thus, the unity of all believers is given a real expression.

In the end, any form of worship can become a dull routine when it is not joined with the living faith of God’s people. Our worship is no exception. However, we expect each believer to participate actively and reflectively in the liturgy by uniting his heart to the praise and worship offered by God’s people. In fact, this is the very essence of a living liturgy:  one voice, many hearts.