What does “liturgical worship” mean?

Worship FAQs, part 6 – What does “liturgical worship” mean?

For many of us, the word “liturgical” probably brings to mind the orders of service that we use in worship, usually found in the front of the hymnal, right? “Liturgical worship” must refer, then, to a certain style of worship that follows traditional orders of service, right? And therefore, if these liturgies don’t seem to be reaching people today, we should throw them out (as some churches have done), right? Before we make a final judgment, let’s get a little broader perspective on “liturgical worship.”

When Confessional Lutherans use the word “liturgy,” they are really referring to the work of the people. The Reformation returned us to a Biblical understanding of the “priesthood of all believers.” It is crystal clear in Scripture that every believer has direct access to God’s messages and blessings through his Word and Sacraments. And every believer has the privilege of speaking directly to God in prayer.

At Christ’s death, God ripped in half the thick curtain of the Most Holy Place of the Temple precisely to make this point. No longer must the high priest enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement once each year to approach God’s mercy seat on behalf of God’s people. In Christ, each of us as a child of God becomes our own personal priest and may approach the mercy seat of God individually without fear.

Recognizing every believer as a priest means actively involving worshipers in every possible way. Gathered worshipers should never be treated like an audience. They are a gathering of priests! A pastor who recognizes the significance of this serves in worship as facilitator for the priests in the pews. He does this by planning worship that involves the people, by carrying out worship services in an orderly way, and by encouraging the worshipers to be actively involved in every way possible.

If the worshipers in the pews value their priesthood, they will never act like an audience, either. They will actively (and boisterously!) participate in every possible way during worship. They will do so as the congregation speaks and sings. They will also do so by actively involving their hearts and minds in the parts of the service spoken by the pastor. After all, God’s priests do more than just “go through the motions” of a worship service.

So far, I haven’t said anything directly about those “orders of service” that we know as “liturgies.” What do they have to do with the priesthood of all believers and the “work of the people”? A lot! We will have to save that discussion for next time, though. To be continued next month …