Loving the Lord through the Liturgy - Bulletin Insert
Danny Hyde
in Loving the Lord through the Liturgy
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Loving the Lord through the Liturgy
Silent Prayer (#1)
© 2006 Daniel R. Hyde
As you have noticed, when we assemble for the service on the Lord’s Day, we begin by entering the presence of God in silence. Worship is a dramatic event in which the Creator meets with his creatures, the Redeemer with the redeemed. The moment of silence is the anticipation of God’s opening the curtain and welcoming us into his heavenly presence.
Beginning in silence, then, is an acknowledgment of God’s grandeur as well as our meekness. In Scripture to be in the presence of a holy God is to keep silence: “the LORD is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Hab. 2:14); to be in the presence of God is to stand on “holy ground” (Ex. 3:5).
Admittedly, this is a bit awkward – good, it is meant to be. Although we were created for the purpose of worship, our sinful condition means that it is not “natural” to approach the great King. The moment of silence should cause in both believers and unbelievers a sense of our own sin before God so that we will seek forgiveness in Jesus Christ. We have become way too accustomed in our churches with the culture’s methods of entertainment, in which worship is informal and only upbeat, and the culture’s methods of therapy, in which worship only emphasizes the love of God. What we as image bearers of God need to recapture is a healthy balance between reverence for God’s holiness and transcendence with celebration for God’s grace and immanence. Silence helps us do that.
Practically speaking, the opening silence gives us a point in our worship to gather our thoughts and to set ourselves aside for worship. Set aside your anxieties, your worries, and your stresses and give yourself wholly to God, “as living sacrifices” (Rom. 12:1), “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
So as we gather as the church, let us do so in humility, with “reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29).
Reader Comments (4)
hey, i have been going through a lot of your stuff and have a question. geez, sorry, i hate when i come up with questions not directly related to the post proper, but it really has been on my mind lately...
you make the case for weekly communion. and like most arguments along these lines, pieces just fall into place nicley. but i was wondering though, what arguments are there for NOT observing weekly (i.e. beyond a much more passive, "that's just how we do it" and more a more active case for NOT weekly). and i will further strap the hand of this position by saying you can't put on the table 1) "it's too roman catholic" or any other guilt by association case, and 2) "it's too special." given those parameters, what do "once a month" positions sound like? are there any arguments made for this common practice? seems like since it's so common someone must have an argument for WHAT they DON'T/DO...
zrim
Silence may be appropriate <i>before</i> the service begins, it seems to me. But in keeping with Psalm 100, we're not to be silent when we draw near but we're to draw near with joy, thanksgiving, praise, and singing, not silence -- and that, in spite of the fact that our first liturgical act after drawing near in praise is to humble ourselves, kneel, and confess our sins so that God may lift us up again.
At least, that's how it appears to me. Thoughts?
i agree, in regards to ps. 100, especially given our place in redemptive history. also, the silence is a transition from gathing together and then entering the liturgy proper.
here's how things go on sunday am: we have catechism from 10:30-11, then 15 minutes of snacks and informal fellowship outside the sanctuary - overlooking the ocean. obviously it takes a while to get people inside!
while people come in there is a musical prelude. after i enter with the elders and deacons, i give a welcome to visitors and mention a few announcements. then, to transition, we have silence as we prepare to enter the presence of god...you'll notice that my call to worship this sunday is psalm 100!
given the evangelical stuff that goes on around here, silence and reverence helps us to stand out a different from the crowd.
(I put "entrance" in quotation marks because the whole church isn't physically entering the building at the time, which would be hard to accomplish. Here in Medford, I proceed to the front as we sing our opening song, in a sense representing the whole congregation drawing near to God. When we have baptisms, I do the baptism at the entryway of the church before the call to worship with the congregation gathered around, and then the congregation proceeds in with me leading the procession into the house of God, like David. But that might not work if the church grows bigger.)