Sunday, February 22

We had a good discussion today, touching on various aspects of the introduction and first three chapters of Mark Galli's book. Joining the conversation today were: Nancy and Stan Nevins, Marilyn King, Julia Smith, Jane Petrie, Laurie McKim, Brenda Laney, Fr. Gary, and myself. One interesting fact that emerged was the variety of worship backgrounds we all had grown up in: Pentecostal, Methodist, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Baptist, and Episcopalian, and the fact that we all felt so 'at home' in a liturgical worship setting.

We talked some about the basic structure of a liturgical service: Gathering, Word, Sacrament, Dismissal, and noted how easy it is to overlook the Gathering and the Dismissal portions while focusing on Word and Sacrament. It's an understandable tendency, but we all agreed that being mindful of the Gathering and the Dismissal was important, both in terms of welcoming each other, especially newcomers, and in terms of being sent forth with strength and courage to meet the challenges of the upcoming week as servants of God.

We touched on the value of the liturgical calendar and how it changes the way we experience time and perceive reality - "the meaning that is infused by the dance between time and eternity."

And finally, we spent a good bit of time commenting on how liturgy draws us into community: both the eternal community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit ("as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever") and the community of the local church, where we are drawn out of our independence and individuality into something larger than ourselves and where, at the same time, we recognize that even at our best we are deeply flawed.

"If God-as-Trinity is the core reality of the universe, that means that the core of reality is community." p. 31.

Everyone agreed we are off to a good start. We will prepare for our conversation next Sunday by reading the next three chapters of the book. Meanwhile feel free to add your comments to our blog.

What do we mean when we use the word, 'liturgy'?

It is easy to use a word without an agreed understanding of what we mean when we use it. I think that is possible with this word, liturgy.

Here are a few thoughts to consider:

fr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy

As a religious phenomenon, liturgy is a communal response to the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication, or repentance.
[...]
The word comes from the Classical Greek word λειτουργία (leitourgia) meaning "public work". In the Greek city-states, it had a different sense: some public good which a wealthy citizen arranged at his own expense, either voluntarily or by law.
[...]
Not infrequently in Christianity, a distinction is made between "liturgical" and "non-liturgical" churches based on the elaboration and/or antiquity of the worship, but this obscures the universality of public worship as a religious phenomenon. Thus, even the open or waiting worship of Quakers is liturgical, since the waiting itself until the spirit moves individuals to speak is a prescribed form of Quaker worship, sometimes referred to as "the liturgy of silence." Typically in Christianity, however, the term "the liturgy" normally refers to a standardized order of events observed during a religious service, be it a sacramental service or a service of public prayer.

From Mark Galli in Beyond Smells and Bells:

When I refer to "the liturgy" in this book, I am referring to the public Sunday service performed by liturgical and mainline churches. I refer to it in the singular because the shape of the service is remarkably similar in all these traditions (see Appendix B). p. 14

What do you think of when you hear the word, liturgy?

In preparation for our first meeting, February 22

Between now and February 22 read the Introduction and first three Chapters of Mark Galli's book, Beyond Smells and Bells, The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy.

In the book, Galli comments that he wrote the book

for those who find themselves attracted to liturgy but don't know why, for those immersed in liturgy and want to think more deeply about it, and for those who wonder if it is worth committing themselves to a liturgical church.

Which of these groups do you fall into?

What does the word "liturgy" mean to you?

How would you describe your "liturgical journey"?

You may begin the conversation by posting a reply to this post. As the conversation unfolds you may reply either to this original post, or to any of the other comments that are posted.

Feel free to branch out. If you do, it would be helpful to include the quote that triggers your comments.