9 Pentecost, Year A

Proper 15: Genesis 45:1-15; Psalm 133; Romans 11:1–2a,29-32; Matthew 15:10-28
This background piece is by Fr. Gene Tucker, and was provided to Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois on Sunday, August 14, 2011.

“A BASIC PRIMER ON WORSHIP”

(Introductory note: This present piece takes the place of the homily text for Sunday, August 14th, being the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. As such, it is printed and inserted into each bulletin for that day, to serve as a background for our Instructed Worship, during which time we explore the meaning of our worship practices and actions that we do during the service of Holy Eucharist each Sunday.)

Definitions

Liturgy: Derived from a Greek word (leitourgia) which was applied to any public act of service. The Greek word itself is literally translated “the work of the people”. Today, it denotes (generally speaking) any formal type of worship service in which a set pattern of events unfolds.

Worship: Webster’s Dictionary defines worship (in part) as “reverent honor and homage paid to God”, and the “formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage”. The word has its origins in Old English, and seems to be a contraction of the two words “worth” and “ship”. So, in worshipping God, we are holding God in high esteem, in high worth.

Goals of Worship

God is the focus of worship: In a real sense, God is the audience for our worship. The congregation is not! We – the worshippers – are the actors on the divine stage, conveying the estimation with which we hold God, the honor we give him, by our actions.

A role for everyone: Everyone present for the worship service takes part in the divine drama. The Celebrant’s role is to lead the drama, much like a director would in a play. No one person’s role is more – or less – important than another’s role.

Worship, not entertainment: We meet to worship God, not to be entertained. For that reason, the music we use, the language we employ, is distinctly different from the music and the language that the secular, contemporary world makes use of.

Worship with body, mind and spirit: We are composed of body, mind and spirit, a unified being. In worship, we use our physical bodies as part of worship (bowing, crossing ourselves, singing, speaking, etc.), we use our minds to grasp the truths of God, and we employ our spiritual inclinations, being created in the “image and likeness of God” (see Genesis 1: 26).

Connecting with the saints: The liturgy that we use has its roots deep in Christian history (in fact, part of Eucharistic Prayer D – page 375 in the Book of Common Prayer – stems from the 4th century!). So, in using these words and these forms, we join with the Church Triumphant – that part of the body of Christ from times past which is now in eternity – uniting our voices and hearts with them in a unified chorus of praise to God. Knowing who we have been in the past makes it possible for us to understand who we are in the present, and allows us to face the future, offering the richness of Christian teaching and a veneration of God almighty as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.