SYNAGOGUE WORSHIP Call to Worship Psalm of Praise

SYNAGOGUE WORSHIP Call to Worship Psalm of Praise Prayers: n Prayer of Adoration for God as Creator of all things (Yotzer) n Prayer of Remembrance for God’s Love for People of God (Ahabah) n Shema (“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord”—a confession of faith and glad benediction Eighteen Benedictions (~long pastoral prayer with praises, petitions, intercessions) Instruction Reading of Law Translation into Vernacular (Aramaic) Reading of Prophets Translation Homily/Sermon based on passages read by anyone considered suitable Blessing

Ordo Orandi, ORDO SALUTIS, Ordo Vivendi • The order of worship is a dramatic movement from the world of human beings into the world of God where we encounter the living presence of God, which transforms us and the way in which we live in the human world. • The order of worship is what directs this movement into more intimacy with God. • Thus, the order of worship (ordo orandi) itself communicates how we think we grow in the knowledge of the Lord (ordo salutis). • Since love of God is also love of neighbor, the order of worship that sets down a ritual pattern for how we are to live before God is also a pattern for how we are to live with other human beings in the world.

Richard of st. victor: four periods of growth in prayer 1. Purgation —getting rid of all that gets in the way of our relationship with God 2. Illumination —asking for God to enlighten us about how to live 3. Union with Christ–Participation in God’s redemptive mission in Christ through communion with God and acting as little christs (praying for world, helping others) 4. Service to Others –Continues prayer as we serve in the world

Different Orders of Worship Two Basic Ordos Used in U. S. Worship Today: n Four-Fold Pattern n n Entrance Word Response to Word Communion Sending Revival Pattern (Finney’s New Measures) n n n Preliminaries (preparing soil for reception of Word) Word (sowing the seed of God’s grace in Christ) Harvest (response to grace)

FOUR-FOLD ORDO Growing through deeper ritual entry into the world of God (basileia) n Entrance: We enter into God’s presence n n Call to Worship and Gathering in Praise, Prayer, Confession, Peace Word: God speaks to us n n [Prayer for Illumination] Scripture readings [Children’s sermon, anthem, hymn] Sermon Response to Word: We enter more deeply into communion with God in grateful response to the gift of God’s Word in Christ n n n {Confession of Faith/Baptism/Reception of New Members Hymn of Response} Prayers of the People for the World Offering of Self Communion as God offers self to us in grand gift exchange Praise and thanksgiving Sending We are sent forth into the world to continue our worship by living as people of God n n Charge Benediction

Revival Pattern Growing through encounter of living Lord in preaching Preliminaries: preaching n Preparing soil for sowoing of gospel seed in Gathering in Praise, Prayer, Confession of Faith, Offering, Peace –often a mish mash of various traditional components of worship Word: God continues to speak to us through scripture and mostly in preaching as the turning point of the liturgy’s dramatic action n n Scripture Sermon Harvest: to Christ n n n The church grows through individual’s giving hearts Invitation Hymn Individual Prayer at Altar, Offering of Self to God

Gathering n Four-Fold Pattern of church as body of Christ n Revival Pattern of individuals often unchurched

Gathering n Four-Fold Pattern Greeting One Another as Brothers and Sisters in Christ n Revival Pattern Greeting/Silence [Light? ] Announcements Entrance of Light Call to Worship Prelude—quiet preparation Prelude/Praise Music for worship

Four-Fold ordo pattern Entrance through praise and music Prelude—quiet preparation for worship [Choral Introit]—an indication the communion of saints are with us, according to Amalor, 9 th century [quoted in Jungmann, Mass of Roman Rite, 97 ff) Call to Worship—God’s call to us, and our response. God initiates worship even when we think we do, for all true worship done in, by, through, with Holy Spirit who assembles us (Jer. 23: 3; 29: 14) Processional Hymn of Praise—in grateful response to God’s desire to be in communion with us

Four-Fold ordo pattern Entrance through confession Call to Confession —like Isaiah 6’s “woe is me!” As enter into God’s presence through praise, we realize in the awesomeness of God we fall short (sin). Yet our merciful God realizes our fear of abiding in God’s presence (“Who may abide the day of God’s coming? Only those with clean lives. ”) Our lives are not clean, so we want to run away, but we’re reassured of God’s love for us in the promises of God/in Christ. Confession of Sin—often a unison prayer to indicate the corporate nature of sin. Silence to Confess Individual Sin Assurance of Pardon Response of Thanksgiving Peace (Pax)

Four-Fold ordo pattern LISTENING TO THE WORD OF God Prayer for Illumination (Reformed) Old Testament Reading Singing of Psalm Epistle Reading Gospel Reading Sermon {Children’s sermon, Anthem, Drama, Liturgical Dance may be inserted if God’s Word to us}

Four-Fold ordo pattern RESPONDING TO THE WORD OF God Hymn of Consecration Giving of Self to God/Baptism/New Members Confession of Faith Minute for Mission/Announcements Prayers of the People/Intercession for the World Offering/Anthem/Liturgical Dance Thanksgiving for God’s Gifts and Dedication of Gifts to God

Four-Fold ordo pattern RESPONDING TO THE WORD OF God The height of the dramatic action of the liturgy is communion with God in the Holy Meal that is n n n Eucharist (thanksgiving) for God’s self-giving in Christ with grateful response of offering ourselves as a thank offering before God The Lord’s Supper anamnesis of Christ through remembrance of his table fellowship, especially the Last Supper Communion like covenant meal where we eat and drink with God in covenant relationship

Four-Fold ordo pattern the sending Hymn-- We are sent on our way rejoicing, singing with all the saints’ praise resounding in God’s world, even if persecution awaits us Charge Benediction Postlude/Recessional following the Light of Christ into the world to continue our worship through ethical life of witness to Christ’s sovereign lordship over all of creation (moral living and prophetic witness both!)