WORSHIP

An Invitation to Living Liturgy!

by Archbishop Randolph Sly

Coming into a Eucharistic Service of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, you will soon discover that you are about to experience a style of worship very similar to that which existed since the time of the early church. If you are not used to a liturgical/sacramental service, much of what you see may seem different. Let me assure you that we have not invented any of this, but our shape of worship has been passed down from the Apostles and early Church Fathers. While much of contemporary worship today is focused on edifying the worshiper and meeting the needs of those who come, the Ancient Church was committed to focusing their attention on the worship of the Lord.

From the very beginning of the New Testament Church, worship was always expressed corporately as a liturgy, which comes from the Greek leitourgeia meaning “work of the people.” This work involves a specific structure for worship and takes the Church on journey to the throne room of God, and there in His presence, allows us to offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Woven into the fabric of this liturgy was an elasticity of the Holy Spirit, so that the Church might exercise her gifts and ministries spontaneously during worship without getting out of control. Thus, the major focus is the Lord yet people are also built-up as a result of coming into His presence. Holy Eucharist, sometimes called the Divine Liturgy or the Mass, is divided into two parts. The first part is the Liturgy of the Word. Here the church joins together in singing, hearing the Word of God, and prayer. The final part of this pilgrimage is called the Liturgy of the Table as it takes place at the Lord's Table, also called the Altar. Here the church shares in the covenant meal – the Last Supper – instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ with His disciples.

Everything done in worship has a meaning or symbol pointing to the Lord or His character. Our services, while having a liturgical structure also contain significant times of spontaneity, contemporary praise, and Biblically-based preaching. While we can't go into great detail, we want to answer some of your basic questions in this introduction.

What About Our Leaders?

As a part of the historic Church, we call our ordained ministers priests, which is a shortened form of the word “presbyter” meaning elder. We hold to the priesthood of believers, but within this priesthood there are those set apart to give leadership. The government of the local parish is primarily set upon the shoulders of these presbyters. In the Charismatic Episcopal Church we call our priests “father” as they are the spiritual fathers of the Church. Some people have brought up the objection from Scripture in picking out the verse from our Lord where He says “call no man father” (Matthew 23:9). Upon a more careful study of that verse and its context, one can see that Jesus is speaking of the claims of the Pharisees that they are the true “fathers” of faith. To take this verse as a stand-alone instruction would demand we never call our male parents father or call anyone a teacher.

Deacons are also ordained clergy whose responsibility it is to serve the church in many ways. This service includes, but is not restricted to, assisting the celebrant (usually a priest) during the service. Deacons perform many ministry functions within the church in leadership and serving. They supervise many of the on-going ministries and take care of a lot of detail work, which allows the priests to focus on their pastoral responsibilities.

The historic Church also has the office of overseer called a bishop. In our communion bishops must be the senior pastor (called a rector) of their local church (which we call a parish). He also “oversees” the work of the church in a given geographic region, called a diocese. While most local churches see the bishop only once or twice a year, Church of the King is a cathedral, which means the bishop is headquartered and present at this location.

Others you may see helping in the service include subdeacons, men in training for the diaconate (who will become deacons, and, possibly at a later time, priests). In our services, we also may use lay readers (who read the various portions of Scripture during the Liturgy of the Word) and acolytes (young people who assist the ministers in various parts of the service).

What About the Vestments?

Our clergy wear vestments, each of which has a special use. The color also is important for reasons we will explain later. Clerical shirts (usually black or gray) signify that certain men have been set apart and ordained publicly for a special ministry. In the Charismatic Episcopal Church, bishops wear purple or black shirts, our priests wear black and deacons wear gray. The special collar – either a white tab or white neckband -- symbolizes that they are to be yoked to Christ (the collar) as opposed to being yoked to the world (the tie) for their vocation. Each cleric also wears a special cross. Bishops wear gold crosses, priests wear silver, and deacons wear silver, pewter, or wood on a black cord.

The vestments used during the service all have meanings attached. Space does not allow us to go into the specific symbolism behind each vestment, but basically the garments are used to help the ministers blend into the furnishings of the altar area. In liturgical worship, the idea of personality is de-emphasized. One does not come to church because of the person in the pulpit, but the Person whom we adore.

For worship, all clergy wear white albs with a rope (called a cincture) around his waist and a stole worn over both shoulders (a deacon also wears a stole, but his is draped over the left shoulder). The color of the stole matches the rest of the altar colors and signifies the part of the church year we are in. During communion, the celebrant wears a chasuble (a large cloth garment that looks like a poncho) of the same color. The clergy may sometimes wear cassocks (a black garment) and surplices (a white covering) as their vestments for worship, particularly if it is not a Eucharistic service. When subdeacons and other lay assistants, such as acolytes, serve, they also wear albs, but have no stole.

The bishop wears the same garments as a priest, but may also use other garments and implements. During worship, when he enters in the processional, the bishop may be wearing a hat called a mitre, and a cape called a cope. He carries a special staff called a crozier, which symbolizes his authority as a shepherd under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. When not wearing a mitre, the bishop wears a small cap of purple (or if he is a member of the Patriarch’s Council, scarlet) called a zucchetto.

If an archbishop is present, he may wear a small white and black wool device over his chasuble called a pallium. This identifies him as an archbishop.

What About the Worship?

The following summary will help you understand the actions and events of worship in what we would call a “convergence of streams” approach. This means we are worshipping with a liturgical/sacramental base but including the best of the other two streams of the church, the Evangelical stream, with its commitment to the teaching of God’s inerrant Word, and the Charismatic stream, which emphasizes strong expressions of praise and worship and the present work and power of the Holy Spirit. We believe all three streams are to be present for the river of God to flow in its fullness. If you have further questions about the aspects of convergence, one of the clergy or people of the congregation would be glad to help!

Parts of our liturgy come from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer along with other elements incorporated from the Eastern and Western Churches as well as the ancient liturgies of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We have published this together as a Cathedral Service Booklet which contains all the normal services we use at the church. Should you have trouble finding the appropriate pages, don’t hesitate to ask one of our parishioners.

As You Enter

The worship area of the church is reserved as a place of reverence. Our people meet for fellowship in the foyer area (which is called the Narthex) and, when it is time for the service, to enter the Nave (the area where the congregation sits) quietly. We encourage everyone to enter early and to take time for prayer that our hearts might be prepared for worship.

When you enter the Nave, you will find a bowl (called a font) filled with blessed water (called holy water) near the door. You’ll notice most of our people will dip their finger in the water and make the sign of the cross on themselves. This water symbolizes the waters of baptism and as each one comes into the worship area, they are reminded that it is only through Christ’s death and resurrection – to which we are joined in baptism – that we are able to come into God’s presence. When they come to the pew where they are going to sit, they bow or genuflect (kneeling down on the right knee and rising again) toward the cross and enter the pew. This action is an acknowledgement of the presence of God into whose presence we have come to worship. The same is done when exiting and re-entering during communion and leaving at the end of the service. Usually a person genuflects when they see the red candle in the front of the chapel lit. This indicates that reserved sacrament (previously consecrated elements of Holy Communion) is present. If you’re not sure what to do, a simple bow, honoring the Lord, is always good practice.

Much of the activity of worship takes place in the area up front called the Sanctuary. You will also notice that the Communion Table and Cross are central in our worship setting not the pulpit. This is to signify Christ's centrality in worship and all other parts are secondary to Him. Candles are placed on either side of the cross, signifying that Christ was both human and divine.

One of the first experiences you may have in our worship doesn’t involve sight or sound, but smell. In some of our liturgies, just before the processional begins, a thurible (also called a censor – a small decorated bowl used for burning incense) is filled. Several times during the service the censor may be used. Incense is symbolic of the prayers of the saints (see, Malachi 1:11; Revelation 8:3). Whenever you smell incense and see the smoke coming from the thurible, it is to remind all of us that prayer is ascending to the throne of God!

The Processional

Everything we do in worship has a purpose. Rather than this being a clever way to get the ministers into the church, the processional symbolizes the entrance of the church into the presence of the Lord. Since it would not be practical for the entire congregation to process, those leading in worship enter on behalf of the whole worshipping assembly.

The cross leads the way, since no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ. You may notice that the congregation bows their heads as the cross passes. This honors Christ and is an expression of adoration for His death on the cross – a death He died for us!

Acclamation

When one enters another's presence it is customary to greet that person. So it is in worship. The first words we speak, we speak to God, ascribing to Him greatness and glory. This is done is a responsive manner; first the celebrant speaks, and then the congregation.

Collect for Purity

After we greet the Lord, we offer a prayer for purity that our worship and our lives may bring glory to His name. This prayer also acknowledges that, as we come to worship God, we cannot hide anything from Him. We call upon the Holy Spirit to

help us worship and live our lives to His glory.

Summary of the Law

Following the prayer, a deacon reads the Summary of the Law of God. Since we have just prayed for purity, God offers us His standards of righteousness. Apart from His mercy and His Spirit we are helpless in attaining His level of right living.

On the first Sunday of the month the deacon usually reads the entire Decalogue (i.e., the Ten Commandments) instead of the summary. On this monthly occasion, the congregation participates by kneeling during the reading and agreeing with what is being read by saying “Lord, have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law” after the reading of each commandment.

Confession of Sin

Worship cannot be completely offered to the Lord without confession. Each Sunday the Church has an opportunity to take inventory and to confess those things which are an offense to God. While we can take time in private daily (or whenever necessary before a priest – more on that later) to confess our sins, we can and must take inventory weekly, and then repent, in order to find His help for the week and ahead. We are then spiritually free to focus our time on worshipping, hearing His Word, and hearing His messenger. In some services, the confession of sin is moved to a point later in the service, just before the Prayers of the People. This usually happens during special feast times like Christmastide and Eastertide.

We also must be sure we have confessed our sins so that we can come to the table of the Lord properly. Paul gives a strict warning in 1 Corinthians 11 about coming to Holy Communion unworthily.

At the end of the prayer the celebrant stands and offers absolution. This does not mean he forgives you, but in the authority of the Apostolic Church, as accorded in Scripture (John 20:22-23), he confirms that God's forgiveness has been given.

Kyrie or Trisagion / Gloria in Excelsis

We have acknowledged in prayer that nothing is hidden from God, have heard the Summary of the Law – being reminded how holy God is and how unrighteous we are – and have confessed our sins. We have no righteousness of our own and are incapable of making a proper offering of our lives. Because of this, we cry for mercy with two songs, the Kyrie (“Lord, Have Mercy”) or the Trisagion (which means “Three Holies”) and then the Gloria in Excelsis.

We need to remember that when we cry for mercy, it doesn't mean “Lord, have pity.” It means, “Lord, we are asking for you to bestow your covenant love on our behalf.” The Gloria also gives us opportunity to rejoice for the mercy He has sent.

Collect for the Day

A Collect (pronounced COL-lect) is a short prayer that asks for only one specific thing. It begins by addressing God, describing one of His divine attributes, then makes a request, and closes by endorsing the prayer through the agency of His Son, as Scripture commands us to do.

Each service has a theme that is particularly developed by this prayer and the readings. The celebrant begins by saying “The Lord be with you.” The church answers “And with your spirit.” More than a formality, this is a spiritual check-up, where the leader is imparting the power of the Spirit for prayer upon the people, and they on him.

Readings

Three readings are offered at this point in the service: an Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel reading. Between the readings, the Church offers a response with either a psalm or a song. Between the first two readings a Psalm is normally read in response by the Church, while a hymn or chorus (called a Gradual) is used sung just before the Gospel reading. Usually the Old Testament and Epistle readings tie thematically into the Gospel reading of the day.

After each of the two lessons the reader says, “The Word of the Lord.” To this the congregation responds, “Thanks be to God!” More than an automatic response, this acclamation of the people confirms their agreement that what we have just spoken is, in fact, the Truth of God.

You will notice that the Gospel is read from the center aisle in the middle of the congregation. Just before the reading, the Gospel book is picked up from the Altar, then the reader and book is blessed by the celebrant, if it is a bishop. The Gospel Book is then processed down the aisle to the middle of the nave and read from there by the deacon. This Gospel Processional is a drama that reminds us our Lord was sent from the Father and lived among us as He taught the Good News, the words of Jesus were spoken as a man in the midst of mankind. Then as the book goes back to the Altar, we are reminded that Christ rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father.

When the deacon reads the Gospel, he starts by saying, “The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ...” At this time you may see our people make the sign of the cross on their forehead, lips, and heart. We are saying by these actions: “Lord, may your words be in my thoughts, in my mouth, and in my heart.”

Adoration and Praise through Music

A time of adoration and praise through music usually follows at this time, although it can happen at other points in the early liturgy such as after the processional hymn or after the Gloria. Usually starting upbeat, this is one of the major times for spontaneous praise, for gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate (such as prophecy, words of knowledge or wisdom), and various personal ministries.

The congregation normally stands during worship and praise. They are free to raise their hands, clap, or use other expressions of praise during this time. On certain occasions our dance team ministers at this time.

You may notice that during this part of the service people may approach one of the clergy. They are probably sharing a special thought, Scripture, or prophecy they have received from the Lord during the service that may be shared with the entire congregation. Any such messages must be first cleared with a leader before being offered to the congregation.

Sermon

The sermon is always Bible-centered. We believe the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God. We are committed to the practical teaching of the truths contained within. Normally this teaching is from one of the readings presented earlier. From time to time other messages are preached, should God so direct. At other times a preaching series by topic or book of the Bible may be followed.

Nicene Creed

Following the sermon, the entire Church stands and recites the Nicene Creed. This is a very important part of the service. Containing the vital essentials of the Christian faith, the Creed offers the Church an opportunity to declare their faith before the world as well as the principalities and powers in heavenly realms.

This Creed describes the essence of Christianity and therefore, is also be used to evaluate the Scriptural integrity of the message just preached.

When I was consecrated a bishop, leading the congregation in the Creed was one of the most powerful parts of the service for me.  The consecrating archbishop invited me to lead the people in declaring their faith; and at that point, he added something more. Looking directly at me, he pointed his finger toward me, and said, “This is the faith you are called to die for.” Every time I recite the Creed I recognize I am declaring a faith I will defend with my very life.

Prayers of the People

The Creed is followed by a time of intercession. Using various formats found in the Cathedral Service Booklet (which is mostly adapted from the Book of Common Prayer) or other resources, the Church is given opportunity to offer explicit agreement concerning those things that are brought to the Throne of God. Often, each section of the prayer is punctuated by a statement and response, for example:

Speaker: Lord in Your mercy

Response: Hear our prayer.

Opportunity is always given for the people of the congregation to offer up their specific needs before the Lord, during each section of these prayers.

The Peace

While passing the peace may look like the time when we greet our friends and newcomers or as a “seventh inning stretch,” it actually has a different function. Scripture admonishes us to be at peace with those whom we may have offended or by whom we have been offended before giving our offering to the Lord. This encompasses both our treasures (during the offertory) and our lives (during the Great Thanksgiving). We have just made peace with God during confession, now we can make peace with one another. Thus, the peace gives us time to do make peace with our “offenders” as well as enfold all (including our visitors) in the love of Christ.

Offering

The offering is our opportunity to offer up to the Lord His tithes and our offerings along with the bread and wine used for Holy Communion. You'll notice that the celebrant and others are using this time to get the Table ready for the celebration of the Eucharist.

The Church believes that the tithe is the Lord’s. More than an Old Testament command, our Lord affirmed the tithe and the writer of Hebrews underscored its importance. The tithe is a spiritual principle of first fruits.

While all that we have belongs to God, this act is an expression of faith. Giving the first tenth of our substance is an act of faith declaring that God is first in all parts of our life. He releases the tithe into the Church in order to release His ministry into the world. Through the tithe we also express our confidence that He will bless and sustain us through what remains.

Offerings (gifts above the tithe) are also given, as the Spirit of God prompts us, at the same time. These moneys are also used for the general administration of the Church as well as for the poor and a variety of other special projects.

The Great Thanksgiving

The highest point of worship is the celebration of Holy Communion, also called The Great Thanksgiving or The Eucharist (which means “thanksgiving”). The Early Church celebrated the Eucharist every week as they met together.

The prayer is structured to bring the Church through a re-presentation of the drama of our salvation. We give thanks for our creation, preservation through the cross, and our walk of faith. More than just an ordinal (something ordered that we do merely as an act of commemoration), Holy Communion is a sacrament whereby God meets us in a very intimate setting, and bestows upon us a means of grace whereby we are touched by Him in a very special way. We have aligned ourselves with Christ's own teaching and that of the Early Church in seeing communion as more than a memorial of a past event. In the prayer of consecration, bread and wine become our spiritual food – the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ … His Real Presence.

Our Church celebrates an open table, which means that our Communion is open to all baptized believers who believe that the grace and Real Presence of Jesus Christ are found in the Eucharist. Communion of young children is offered at the discretion of the parents.

We also encourage anyone who has a special need: physical, emotional, spiritual, et cetera to receive the Body and Blood and then go to our Eucharistic Healing Team for special prayer. God has moved mightily during this time for healing.

We receive the elements of Holy Communion in the front of the Nave. As you come forward and stand in front of the minister distributing the host (the consecrated bread) place your hands out flat – right over left – to receive. The priest will say, "The body of Christ, the bread of heaven." After you respond by saying "Amen," he will place the bread in your hand. The same response is used with the cup (called a chalice) when you stand in front of the chalice bearer. You may eat the host and then drink from the chalice when each is offered to you, or you may wait and hold the bread as you received it in front of the chalice bearer. He will take the bread and dip it in the cup (a method called intinction) instead. If you do not want to receive communion (usually if you are not baptized or are prohibited from taking communion by your denomination) but would like to receive a blessing from the priest, just cross your arms over your chest and stand before him. He will lay his hand on you and bless you.

We do a lot of singing during Communion. We believe this is one of the most intimate times of worship available to the believer, thus we encourage you to use this time to focus upon the Lord.

Following Communion, we say a Post-Communion prayer and receive a benediction from the celebrant.

Recessional

Those involved in worship recess as they came. Again, as the cross passes, the people bow their heads. Following the recessional hymn, one of the deacons officially dismisses the congregation to go forth to love and serve God. The people respond: “Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!”

We believe that God will be glorified and the Church edified as we together enter into God’s presence to worship and adore Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24).