Conversational Liturgy
You gave and received gifts, many gifts most likely, to one another this Christmas season. And, responding appropriately to one another, you spoke, smiled, and addressed one another in a little liturgy of kindness. Thank you, you said, when you received the gift – we love you, you might have said, as you gave the gift. You’re welcome, you responded, when thanked for your kindness. We are people – incarnational beings, with minds, hearts, and bodies. And we are told to stir one another up to love and good deeds – and we are to use our mouths and bodies to do so.
This occurs in little ways of showing kindness and honor to one another throughout our lives – and it is the reason why we should consider how to display our thanks to God – as well as our conversation with Him in this service of worship. It is with this in mind that we are making a couple of changes here in our liturgy of worship.
After we have confessed our sins, it is appropriate for the minister of the gospel to declare to you that your sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ. And you should hear these words corporately and very personally as you receive Christ by faith. But what we would like to add to this is the opportunity for us to respond corporately, as the body, to these words of forgiveness from Jesus. And so, after the confession, the minister will say that your sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ – and you, the body of Christ, will respond together with “Thanks be to God!” I exhort you to do so with sincere and boisterous thanksgiving, realizing what has been declared.
In addition, when the minister comes up to begin our time of worship, He begins with a call to stand and worship the Triune God. This ought to be a moment of great anticipation. Once we stand, the first words out of his mouth will be a representative greeting from God to His people, much like the greetings in the epistles of Paul – but again there will be an opportunity to respond in faith and words by the people. The minister will say something like, “Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” – and corporately you will respond back to the minister, “and also with you!”
What’s the point? Never forget, we are gathered together “at church” because God has summoned us to His throne. He really is meeting us here and binding us together in the love of Christ to Himself and one another. We want to do all we can to answer that call with attention, thoughtfulness, passion, and encouragement to one another – stirring one another up to worship God, to humble ourselves before Him, to receive His kindness, and to grow in our joy and expression of our joy that we are here before the living God.