Liturgical Worship Explained
Why We Do What We Do
What’s Liturgy?
Liturgy simply means ‘the work of the people.’ Think of the word worship. Singing worship songs is a form of liturgy—together, words, melody, and rhythm are used to interact with God. So all churches have a liturgy. At Holy Trinity, worship happens with melody and rhythm, and without. We do much of the service, together.
Service Basics
Our liturgy has two parts: the ‘Liturgy of the Word’ and the ‘Liturgy of the Eucharist.’ The first part ends with ‘the Passing of The Peace.’ The second part begins with The Creed. We worship first with our minds and hearts, through hearing and responding to God’s Word; then, through our bodies and souls, we celebrate and receive Holy Communion.
The Readings
Remember Jesus, standing in a synagogue, and reading aloud from Isaiah 61? Later, the apostle Paul told Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13). Following these examples, every Sunday, the scriptures are read aloud. The Old Testament is read first, then a New Testament letter. Finally, the reading of The Gospel, which symbolizes God’s words being fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the ‘Word made Flesh.’
The Passing of The Peace
Before the early Christians would receive communion, they would “make peace” with fellow brothers and sisters. This is a moment to offer a sign of peace to a friend or stranger, as a gesture of God’s unconditional love and acceptance.
The Creed
Creeds help Christians unite—to state boldly, and in unison, the essence of their faith. The Apostles Creed has a second century origin, while the Nicene Creed was established in the 4th century.
What’s Eucharist?
Eucharist (or Holy Communion) comes from a Greek word that means ‘to give thanks.’ It was used by Jews to bless God before a meal. Each week, during Eucharist, we give thanks to God. We gather around his table to be fed by Him. We celebrate what He did for us—taking in the presence of His Body and Blood.
Stand, Sit, Kneel?
In traditional liturgy, what we do with our body matters. If a person of honor, a U.S. President, walks into a room, people stand. At the reading of The Gospel, we also stand: Jesus is present through His Word. We also stand with boldness for public professions and prayer, and kneel for times of confession and penitence.
What’s up with having a ‘priest’?
The service is lead by a priest. The word priest is a contraction of the old English word presbyter, which is taken from the New Testament. It means elder (Acts 20:17; 1 Pet 5:1-3). During the middle ages, priest was English slang for a Christian presbyter—the pastor. Bishops were ‘overseers’ (see 1 Tim 3:1) that were pastors to the pastors—men that Jesus’ apostles designated to be their successors.
Sign of the Cross
Early Christians made a sign symbolizing the shape of a cross. Around 200 A.D., Tertullian says, ‘We Christians wear out our foreheads with the sign of the cross.’ Early Christians saw even the symbol of the cross as holy, because of Christ’s sacrifice. Today, we see this gesture as a reminder of the finished work of Jesus.
Is Our Way Best?
No! At HTC we genuinely respect the beautiful diversity and many expressions of Christian practice, both traditional and informal alike. All churches promoting the historic Christian faith are ultimately part of “One Body.”
