
Recommended Reading
To Be a Christian, An
Anglican Catechism
The Anglican Way
The Work of the Church
Liturgy has become, rightly so, one of the buzzwords in current church culture. Many Christians are discovering liturgical practices for the first time and others are seeking to incorporate the ancient liturgies into their more modern evangelical modes of worship. Whatever the case, Christian worship has always walked the spectrum between participation and performance.
The word leitourgia appears six times in the New Testament. Saint Paul writes, asking the Corinthian Church to contribute to an offering for the church in Jerusalem: "You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service (leitourgia) is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God." Isn't it interesting that this word liturgy is used in reference to the work of giving to supply the needs of the Saints? Here is the heart of the matter: Paul sees the work of every Christian as a liturgical work, because that is precisely what the word means. It is not confined to worship, or to rites, or to forms. Liturgy is the work of every Christian.