Lent & Liturgy: Ritual as Response
What is Lent??
Lent begins with Ash
Wednesday, which occured this year (2013) on February 13th. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a season
in the Church Calendar, or “Liturgical” Calendar, called "Lent."
The word "Lent" derives from Germanic and Saxon
root words meaning "a lengthening of days," or
"springtime." Lent is roughly
40 days (40 days of temptation) or six weeks, stretching from Ash Wednesday
through Maundy Thursday (trad.) or Easter Eve (Modern).
The word “Liturgy” comes from the Greek word, “leitourgia,”
which is most often translated in English as “service.” This would make the phrase “liturgical
service” somewhat redundant. In ancient
Greece, the leitourgia pertained to acts of civic or public service, which
became in Christian tradition “public services” or formal public worship events
such as Catholic Mass or other worship services, feasts, and observances.
The outlines and formats for worship services of many
denominations are called “liturgy.” Denominations that still maintain true
liturgical services include Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal/Anglican, Methodist
and others. But some evangelical and
emerging churches are rediscovering liturgy as a valid component of
worship. Organizations like Bifrost Arts
and others are devoted to reviving liturgy and sacred hymns in the modern
church.
So the liturgical calendar is simply a roadmap for worship
services throughout the church year that follows the life and ministry of Jesus
(and in Catholicism incorporates the various feast days of the saints),
beginning with Advent (before Christmas) and ending with Pentecost, which
happens 50 days after Easter, usually some time in early May.
During Lent, Sundays are feast days when one can partake of
whatever has been “given up” for the season.
Lent is typified by solemnity, mourning, and penance, which stands in
stark contrast to Advent, which is a season of expectancy and hope.
The Sadness of Lent culminates in the celebration of Easter.
Before the joy of Easter, we have the events of Holy Week:
1.
Maundy Thursday.
This is a remembrance of Christ's washing of the disciple's feet, and
the Lord's Supper and surrounding events.
It's also called the Feast of the Lord's Supper or the Feast of Holy
Communion. The word "Maundy"
come from the latin "mandatum," which is where we get the word
"mandate." This is because the
early Catholic church believed that in the act of washing His disciples' feet,
Christ issued one of his direct mandates (or specific commands) in John 13:14:
"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to
wash one another’s feet." Today
"The Maundy" has come to refer to "the washing of feet" as
a ritual of the church.
2.
Good Friday -- the Crucifixion.
3.
Easter Eve -- a sabbath day.
During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving
up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence. The Stations of the Cross,
a devotional commemoration of Christ's carrying the Cross and of his execution,
are often observed. Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches devoid
their altars of flowers, while crucifixes, religious statues, and other
elaborate religious paraphernalia are often veiled in violet fabrics in solemn
observance of this event. In certain
pious Catholic countries, the consumption of meat is traditionally halted
during lent.
The Seven Churches Visitation.
There is a Lenten tradition of visiting seven Christian
sites, churches, or parishes. Originally
done on Maundy Thursday, but in modern culture throughout Holy Week. There are many associations with the number 7
that are said to be the origins of this tradition, but the most common are the
seven events of Christ's capture, and the seven statements of Christ on the
cross.
Events of Christ's Capture:
1. Jesus
taken to High Priest Annas — John 18:12-23;
2. From Annas
to High Priest Caiphas — Mark 14:53-63
3. From Caiphas
to the Sanhedrin — Mattew 26:56-67
4. From the Sanhedrin
to Pilate — Luke 23:1-5
5. From Pilate
to Herod — Luke 23:6-12
6. From Herod
to Pilate — Luke 23:13-25
7. From Pilate
to Calvary — John 19:1-6
Seven Statements from the Cross:
1. Father forgive
them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
2. Truly, I
say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
3. Woman,
behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
4. My God,
My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
5. I thirst
(John 19:28).
6. It is
finished (John 19:30).
7. Father,
into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).
So now we have a little bit of definition and history of
Lent.
Now I want to speak a little about the role of liturgy -- and
really of ritual and religion in general -- as part of our relationship with
God through Jesus Christ, and our lives of faith and following.
The Reformation
The modern Protestant Church, and especially the Evangelical
denominations, has been running away from all things ritualistic for
generations, beginning almost 500 years ago with the Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German
Augustinian Monk, nailed his 95 Thesis to the doors of a church in Wittenberg,
and thereby sparked a movement away from the ritualism and ecclesiastical
culture of the Roman Catholic Church that would continue over half a millennium
later.
Luther took issue with the Church's selling of indulgences
(granting absolution from sin in exchange for money), stating that only God
could absolve anyone of sin, and only by His Grace through Jesus Christ. The Pope and the priesthood did not have this
power to grant forgiveness, according to Luther. He also spoke out against the very idea of
the priesthood, stating that all baptized Christians were part of a royal
priesthood, as stated in 1 Peter 2:9 and Rev 5:10. And He proclaimed the Bible as the only
doctrinal authority, not the Church or the Pope, or the priesthood. Luther believed that it was not physical
penance that overcame sin, but rather a changing of the heart. He was excommunicated for his refusal to take
back his statements, and he was declared an outlaw by the Roman Emperor,
Charles V.
But what began in Wittenberg grew rapidly, spread throughout
Europe and all of Christendom and became the impetus of a reformation that
would see the founding of just about every Protestant denomination today,
including Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc.
The reformation planted the idea of Scripture as the only
true authority when it came to doctrine.
And so over the centuries more and more of the religious trappings that
were not found in Scripture but rather were invented or instituted by the
church were questioned and very often discarded as unnecessary or even
detrimental. The Evangelical movement
would take this even further than the previous Protestant denominations, doing
away with formal liturgies, traditional imagery and icons, and discarding much
of the rigid formality of more traditional church services.
The Modern Church
Non-denominational evangelical churches would take it even
further, doing away with hymnals, traditional church instruments (organ), vestments
for clergy, altars, and very idea of "Sunday best" in an effort to
create a comfortable, informal environment that was inviting and not
intimidating.
There are many variations within the Evangelical
denominations and churches, but they all share some common traits.
Evangelicalism de-emphasizes ritual and emphasizes the piety
of the individual, believing that God works certain changes in the individual,
including:
1.
Personal conversion, or being "born
again" based on passages in The Gospel of John chapter 3 and 1:12-13
2.
Creating a high regard for Biblical authority and
an identification with the Biblical story
3.
Drawing particular attention to teachings that
proclaim the saving death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ as
forgiveness of sins and new life
4.
Motivating towards the active expression and
sharing of the gospel
Now the Evangelical movement has given rise to the emerging
church movement (of which the "house church" phenomenon is considered
part) that ultimately says "we don't have to do church the way it's always
been done, or how our parents did it."
There are emerging churches that are extremely fundamental and
conservative and some that are very liberal and progressive, but they all share
this idea that church can and should be what we need it to be, and not what
tradition tells us it should be.
Our services here in this church are a far cry from a Roman
Catholic High Mass, with little formal structure and certainly no liturgy. In some ways we are the ultimate result, that
furthest reaching ripple, that was begun when Luther hammered his Theses to the
doors at Wittenberg.
But as different as my weekly worship looks from a High Mass,
I can't help but think it bears a strong resemblance to the gathering in the
upper room on Maundy Thursday. An
informal gathering of brothers and sisters who shared a faith, loved each
other, and who hung on every word their Lord had to say.
The Baby Out With Bath Water?
We've gained much. But
I also wonder if we have not lost much.
The Evangelical movement away from ritual is completely
understandable. Rituals can and very
often do overshadow or even supplant relationship. Luther saw this. Luther saw the Catholic priests manipulating
the rituals of confession and penance to exert power and control over their
flocks, taking away a personal relationship with God through Christ and turning
it into a relationship with the church.
I believe the greatest danger of ritual and religion is that
when used in the absence of a personal saving relationship with God through
Christ and an indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they can give a false sense of
security.
Jesus knew this. This
is why He said in Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is
in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name
perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Think back to the selling of indulgences. How many poor souls believed it when their
priest told them that by paying money they could avoid condemnation for sins
and be saved from hell (and/or purgatory) all because of a false ritual?
And how many church-goers over the centuries -- and this very
day right here in North Texas -- have thought that by attending a service,
giving money, saying and/or singing some words, partaking in a sacrament
(communion, baptism, etc), etc. etc., that they had done what needed to be
done, what God required -- or at least what they themselves required to make
themselves feel better -- and that salvation, a ticket to heaven, was
secured? How many will close eyes and
raise hands this Sunday in order to fit in or appear pious rather than out of
reverence and worship for the God they are singing about and with Whom they
have a personal relationship?
So we've tried to strip all of this away to avoid any
confusion. It's relationship with God
through Jesus that matters, not ritual.
But in the process I believe we have lost a sense of
reverence. We have lost some respect. It has become more and more difficult to
approach the throne of Grace with a sense of awe because nothing about our
modern services of worship are designed to inspire awe. Quite the opposite, in fact. Many newer non-denominational churches are
designed to be familiar and comfortable, even mundane, looking more like a
trendy coffee shop than a holy sanctuary for the gathering of a people come to
humbly worship and commune with the God of the universe.
We scoff at the expense and extravagance -- the waste -- of
the great cathedrals. But who among us
when we enter into one does not catch his breath and look up? This was the purpose of the designers,
architects, and artists: to point to God.
To inspire a sense of awe appropriate for the God whom the people were
coming to meet and encounter.
The Catholic church taxing the people to build a great
basilica bears striking resemblance to God's words to Moses in Exodus, as he
gave instructions on the building of the Tabernacle:
"Then the Lord spoke to
Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from
every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. 3 This is the
contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4 blue,
purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red,
porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil
and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod
and for the breastpiece. 8 Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may
dwell among them." Exodus 25:1-8
Of course today we are the Tabernacle, the dwelling
place of the Spirit of the Most High God.
We are the Church. We are the
Temple. God no longer requires a
physical building made of the purest most valuable things this world has to
offer in which to dwell, because His Spirit now dwells inside bodies that He
made in His very own image, bodies that are washed by the blood of His
Son. All of the world's pure gold and
silk and gems couldn't come close.
The Fear of the Lord is The Beginning of Wisdom (Prov 9:10)
So we don't need to build cathedrals. But I submit to you that we need to bring
reverence, respect, and awe back to our services of worship, and to our
relationship with God in general. We
have become too flippant and familiar, I think.
From the pulpit we're told that praying is easy. "God just wants you to talk to him as
you would anyone else." And yet
Jesus says, "When you pray, pray like this: Our Father, who are in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name..." We know
God as "friend," "comforter," "healer"... Our "Abba" Father. Our "Daddy." But we rarely are reminded that He is Lord,
King, Master. He is Almighty. And He is a God of Wrath, of such
unfathomable holiness that were it not for the intercession of Christ, we could
not come near Him without being consumed, utterly destroyed. We have lost a "fear" of God, a
respect born from an understanding of how far above us He is in every way, and
that apart from Christ we have no right to approach Him.
Rituals and traditions can help us regain some of this. Simple things, like:
• Dressing a little nicer for worship. Like a spouse dressing up for a date. We are the "Bride of Christ," after
all.
•
our posture.
•
Bowing our heads,
• Clasping hands
• Removing hats
• Kneeling before God.
•
Reciting the Lord's Prayer, not by rote, but in
a contemplative way, considering what it means to pray in the manner our Savior
instructed us.
•
Standing for the reading of the Gospel
•
Responsive readings of Scripture
•
Fasting
Even liturgical observances, like Lent, can be very powerful
and effective ways of helping us focus our attention on God. They can help us meditate on Christ, His
life, ministry, sacrifice, and victory.
Giving something up for lent because it's traditional or helps you feel
less guilty is a waste of time. But
giving some favorite thing up as a heartfelt way to show God that you love Him
more than the things of this world --
much like tithes and offerings -- is a beautiful act of worship. And every time you crave that thing you are
abstaining from, your thoughts will be drawn to Him and your love for Him. And we can think about how trivial our
sacrifice is in light of what Christ sacrificed for us during His final days
and moments before His resurrection.
Lent is a time to solemnly contemplate the terrible price
paid to restore us to God. This type of
contemplation is vital if we are to the ever know "the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death..." Phil 3:10.
We spoke a little about Advent over Christmas time, and
traditions like the lighting of the Advent Wreath Candles and having Advent
devotionals. These can have the same
impact. They focus our thoughts and
prayers on the gravity and majesty of just what God did for us when He sent His
Son to earth to be born as a babe in a manger.
And all of sudden Christmas, with all of its wonder, joy and expectancy,
lasts for a month and not just a few days blurred with presents, food, and
retail commerce.
So in closing, let me say this: ritual, tradition, and
religion are not evil things. But in the
absence of or as substitutes for a personal relationship with God through Jesus
Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they are a waste of time and of
no value to God whatsoever. They have
been destructive over the centuries by giving a false hope of salvation to
millions. But ritual, tradition, and
religion can be beautiful and effective tools to use in our worship of
God. They can help us focus, and they
can restore the reverence and awe that God so deserves. Bottom line is this: rituals are to be a
response, an outpouring of our love for and worship of God. They are a means, not the end. They help us focus on our Lord, but they are
not to be the focus in and of themselves.
And they are not necessary for all Christ Followers. The absence or presence of rituals and
traditions in your personal faith life is no indicator of the depth of that
faith, or whether or not you are rightly relating to God. We have freedom in Christ, and we should feel
free to exercise that freedom to observe the rituals and traditions we want to
as we worship.
As for me, I am overwhelmed every day by all the many and
varied ways God loves me and cares for me.
When I worship Him, I want to do so in as wide a variety of ways as
possible. And in a world that is so
often typified by disrespect -- not just for God, but for everything -- and
apathy, and in our work-a-day lives that can often seem filled to the brim with
the mundane, I long for moments of awe, and reverence. I long to be in the presence of the Divine and
know that He is God and I am not. And
over the past 1600 years, the Church has instituted many beautiful rituals and
traditions to help me do this.
Let us pray...
Lee Mayhew
Worship Pastor, Ekklesia House, Dallas
February 17th, 2013
