Exploring
Christian Worship
Part One: Gathering in Jesus' Name
Introduction
And on the day called Sunday, all who
live in cities or in the country gather together to one place ...
(Justin, First Apology 67)
The most fundamental aspect of Christian worship is, it is a gathering.
It is true that we can worship in our private devotions, but
Christianity was not designed to accommodate "Lone Rangers." Corporate
worship is where we practice the skills we need for private worship
(and vice versa).
How do we create an environment where people can worship?
- How do we get past the "chaos" and begin to come together as a
united community.
- Hospitality (How do I fit in? Do I have permission to be myself?)
- The physical environment (hearing, seeing, feeling, touching,
tasting)--can either hurt or help, but is rarely neutral!
One of our guides in this study will be the story in Luke 24 of the
disciples on the road to Emmaus. In Luke 24:13-24, these two were
dejected, confused, and wrapped up in their own concerns. "Gathering
together in one place" is not just a matter of geography.
The story begins with the two disciples walking alone. Then Jesus
arrived and began to prepare them for the divine encounter that was to
come:
- He came alongside
- "Traveling down the same road"
- He listened
- They shared stories
The Emmaus disciples had most of the facts of Jesus right--but they did
not have them all, and they had not yet encountered Jesus personally.
Looking at the story of the Emmaus disciples as a whole, we should note
that the most verses are dedicated to this first portion of the story.
This can be a lesson to us with regard to worship: Gathering rightly is
the hardest part! It is more than just showing up at the designated
time--it involves building community (and we often come together with
different ideas of what community is supposed to be in the first place).
Structure and Spontaneity
Before we get too far along our "journey to worship," we need to
address the tension between "structure" and "spontaneity." In Jewish
worship (and all Christian worship is ultimately a development out of
Jewish norms), there are two important terms: keva and kavvanah.
- keva (“fixed
form”)—fixity, structure, an established routine
- kavvanah (“intention”)—intentionality,
direction, intensity
In Jewish thought, there is a synergy between keva and kavvanah. Both are necessary, but kavvanah is clearly the most
important. According to Maimonides (d. 1204), "Prayer without kavvanah is no prayer at
all."—Maimonides (d. 1204)
The same can almost certainly be said for early Christian prayer. In
the words of Baptist missiologist John N. Jonsson, "You’ve just got to
feel it in your gut, man!"
Jewish tradition does not set keva and
kavvanah in competition. Nor
does it give people a choice of one or the other. Keva is seen as an aid to kavvanah, not a hindrance. Several
modern analogies might be suggested:
- Ballroom dancing
- Jazz music
- Athletics
- Playing a game
In first-century Judaism, the actual wording of the various liturgical
prayers was still quite fluid, although the overall outline or
structure was more or less fixed. The same was also true for the
earliest forms of Christian worship--and for the same reasons.
Development
Originally, the service began officially when the bishop arrived to
bless the congregation, but from earliest times the faithful gathered
beforehand to sing and pray.
- Local customs would have varied greatly, but at least in the
earliest period would have almost certainly leaned toward informality
and spontaneity.
- Theodoret (5th century) reported hymns being accompanied by
hand-clapping and dance movements.
- "In addition to the jubilation, psalm-singing and hymns could be
improvised. Congregations might react spontaneously with laughter,
tears, and sighs and by shouting phrases such as 'Glory to God!'"
(Ensley, Sounds of Wonder)
The bishop’s greeting was in effect a "call to order" necessary to
quiet the already-worshipping crowd and focus their attention on the
scripture reading soon to commence. Augustine (ca. 426) describes an
occasion of entering the church on Easter Sunday after a miraculous
healing had taken place during the Gathering:
I advanced toward the people. The
church was full, and cries of joy echoed through it: "Glory to God!"
"God be praised!" No one was silent, the shouts were coming from
everywhere. I greeted the people and they began to cry out again in
their enthusiasm. Finally, when the silence was restored, the readings
from the sacred scripture were proclaimed (City of God 22:8:2).
It is not inconceivable that similar conditions prevailed in the
pre-Constantinian era.
Worship Disciplines for the Gathering
(1) Humility. Our "job" is not to critique the worship, but to
participate.
(2) Submission: Seeking the good of others (Php 2:4), exercising gifts
"for the common good" (1 Co 12:7)
(3) Hospitality: How do we signal to those around us that we are glad
they are here, that they are welcome among us?
(4) Common gestures, words, visual/verbal/aural "cues"
- "The Lord be with you" / "and also with you."
- Standing together
(5) Some "uncommon" gestures from which we might learn:
- Korean prayer bell
- The sign of the cross: "At every forward step and movement, at
every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we
bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on
seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the
forehead the sign." (Tertullian, On the Chaplet 3)
- Orans posture: known
from the Roman catacombs
- Extended hand
- Kneeling/bowing
(6) Congregational singing: The most obvious and universal means of
entering into the "spirit" of worship.