Often the liturgy in Sunday worship can cause a variety of reactions. For some, the word conjures up lifeless recitations of scripture or prayers; declarations that sound and feel antiquated or impersonal. For some, liturgy is associated with duty instead of choice and, potentially, a component of worship left behind in search of a new, authentic, more personal connection with Jesus through lively music and relevant sermons. Maybe it feels like a tacky quilt inherited from great-grandparents; it’s entirely unusable, but you’d feel horrible throwing it away!
So, what is liturgy?
James K.A. Smith, a philosophy professor from Calvin College, weighs in with this definition: rhythms, routines, and rituals that have formative power.
This definition certainly re-positions a word or even idea-centric pathway of formation. First, within the definition, we are always practicing liturgy – in service or out of service. Second, as liturgy plays out specifically in worship, all churches have an order of service that, oftentimes, reflects the core beliefs of that family of faith. The degree of the order varies but there is almost always an order of some sort.
At Kairos we aim to create rhythms, routines, and rituals that can interface with our day-to-day in a way that, over time, becomes formative. This is the essence, I believe, of the transformational liturgy. Our souls can use liturgy (which I’d include songs and sermons in this category as well) as a way of informing our perspective for the week ahead. A perspective that we cannot will, coerce, or force as our North Star; we are more sinful than we could have ever imagined and we are more loved than we could ever have hoped. Every call to worship, benediction, communion moment, community prayer, interview, and piece of our order of worship forms our desires towards their most real origin – Jesus Christ.
– Micah