Katherine: “Call me old school? Similarly to the way in which the Church of England has liturgical worship, could we incorporate more of this into our services?”
Katherine, I’m not sure anyone would call you ‘old school’ (!) but I get your question. The term liturgical worship can sound very strange to our modern ears. In fact, I think sometimes we can have an aversion purely because it sounds like it has come out of the dusty vestry of a mediaeval church. However, liturgical, at its very basic, means an ‘order of service’. By this, I mean that when a church gathers they do A, followed by B, which is then followed by C and there is a general reason (or rationale) as to why. However, I think you are meaning more collective or congregational types of prayers. If that’s what you mean, then I’m all in! Like I’ve said before, the Bible is filled (and I honestly mean filled) with congregational prayers, creeds and songs! You just can’t escape them. Here are just a few examples: 1 Cor 15:3-5; Romans 15:13; Psalm 120-134 (yes all of them!); Matthew 6:9-13. There is something wonderful when hundreds of individuals come together and pray, declare or sing beautiful unchanging truths about their God. Take for example the picture that is painted in Revelation of the end of time. We read this:
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
(Rev 7:9-10, NIV)
Do you get the picture? People from every corner of this beautifully diverse world will come together and unashamedly declare with one voice … “Salvation belongs to our God”. Yes, with one voice they will declare it! This is a picture of how creeds work in Sunday gatherings. This is a picture of how songs work in congregational gatherings and this is a picture of how prayers work. We are uniting our individual voices to declare truths that are greater than any one of us can articulate. In fact, the very joining together of God’s people is an enacted picture of what God is doing. Ephesians 4:4-6 puts it like this:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Do you see? The gospel is one that draws us as people together to have one voice declaring one hope and one faith and often collective prayer is one of the beautiful ways of us expressing this together.
So Katherine, yes and amen to collective prayers. Let me leave you with some beautiful words that are designed to be said together as God’s people focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus:
God of Life,
who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
have delivered us from the power of our enemy:
grant us so to die daily to sin,
that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen [1]
Next week we pick up a new Mardle thread. I can’t wait!
Got a mardle question? Drop me a note at mardle@wearekingsgate.org
Footnote:
1. https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/collects-and-post-23