The "Thirteenth" Spiritual Discipline: The Discipline of Liturgy

 Remember? The Purpose of the Disciplines?

As I wrote at the beginning of this series on the Disciplines: "Of course only God can make a seed grow or change a heart. But, if you're looking for a change of heart the Disciplines are an effective and purposeful way of presenting yourself before the Throne of Grace for a heart change." Now, last week we finished discussing the last of the classic Spiritual Disciplines. That liturgy can also be a Discipline is not an idea original with me, but I agree with it. I am using the term "liturgy" in the broadest possible sense to include reverent, Christ-centered ceremonial. What follows is my take on the "Discipline of Liturgy."

Dead Liturgy

I grew up in a Christian religious tradition in which liturgy, while not particularly well done, figured as the core of my spirituality. Liturgy, of course, does not serve well as the core of one's spirituality. This is not liturgy's fault. As late Bishop Festo Kivengere of Uganda once said at our dinner table, "It is not liturgy which is dead, rather it is the participants who are dead." This is the same thing as saying that liturgy is pointless, unless we have a vital personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Some Questions.

Why do we stand for the singing of the "Star-Spangled Banner"? Why do we have graduation ceremonies at every level of education, starting with kindergarten. When the judge enters his courtroom, why does everyone stand up? These questions can be asked about innumerable ceremonies which we human beings observe in the course of our everyday lives. The answer is that there are many things the significance of which we do not grasp unless we invoke some kind of ceremonial observance. That is just how we are made. God has given us physical bodies and a physical environment and he has built into us the need to employ the physical in order to fully understand the transcendent meaning of many things.

The Physical Serves the Spiritual.

 Liturgy, at a minimum, falls into the category of employing the physical to help us understand the spiritual. For example, we Anglicans might dip our fingers into holy water and make the sign of the cross as we enter or leave our churches. The validity of this act from a Christian standpoint is based on that it serves as a reminder of our baptismal vows, or that it is a briefly-acted-out prayer of submission to God. We don't need holy water to do this, but the act of intentionally making the sign of the cross with holy water somehow deepens the reminder of our vows or of our prayer of submission, making it more meaningful to us.

The Other Side of the Horse.  

A common mistake, of course, is to fall into seeing liturgy as the end rather than as a God-given means. Unfortunately, some people like ceremony for ceremony's sake. Liturgy, like the classic Spiritual Disciplines, is in the nature of a help along the way in our spiritual growth. It is, above all, a gift to be used in seeking the Giver.

A Challenge.

Therefore, let us look upon reverent Christian ceremonial as a gift from God intended as an aid to our knowing Him better and to our entering into his presence more fully – even as we avoid an over emphasis upon it.

Continued Advent Blessings,

Fr. Dennis