This article originally appeared on Doxology in February of this year.  I thought it might be a helpful follow-up to my previous post.

God has created every human being in His image.  As His image-bearers we are drawn to beauty as is our Creator.  We have been given five wondrous senses with which we can enjoy freshly baked bread lathered with real melting butter straight from the oven; the bouquet of wine mingled with the delight of an exquisitely prepared entrée; the wonder of marital sexual intimacy; the fresh, crisp smell of grass after the first spring lawn mowing; the excellence of an orchestra performing any piece by Bach.  Contrary to the “-isms” of the platonic and Gnostic varieties, as well as much of two or three centuries of Evangelicalism, we were not made as a collection of souls imprisoned by our bodies looking for an exit.  The Psalmist did not say, “think and know that the Lord is good”, but rather “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8, emphasis mine).  As orthodox Christians, we confess that “…on the third day, [Jesus] rose again from the dead…”  He rose again with a resurrected, glorified, real, flesh and blood, body, as all of us who are united to Christ will have when He “…come[s] again to judge both the quick and the dead.”  We cannot be fully human in this world or the next without our bodies and our senses. 

As I sat in the sanctuary of First  __________ Church during the annual Christmas choir concert, I gazed upon many multi-colored window panes that progressively tell the story of redemption, heard the choir’s cherub-like voices ascending through the high vaulted ceiling toward heaven, observed the flickering of countless candles, felt the pealing of the pipe organ accompanying the congregational singing of “O Come All Ye Faithful”, I experienced an overpowering sense of the holiness, beauty, and greatness of our God.

Perhaps your experience is similar to mine.  Have you ever attended a worship service, wedding, or funeral in a majestic, aesthetically-appealing church or cathedral?  While you stood, sat, or kneeled there, have you been overcome with awe over the beauty of your surroundings?  Have you felt the transcendence, yet immanence, of our Triune God in such a place?  Have you sensed the holiness of God as you gazed on the stained glass windows, observed the beauty of the pastor’s and/or choir’s vestments, or saw and smelled the incense rising to the high vaulted ceiling?  If you are like many conservative, Bible-believing Christians, you wonder if you should also feel guilty for basking in the glorious radiance of this beauty in a place such as this.  It is sadly the case that in many of these beautiful sanctuaries anything but true worship of our Triune God occurs.  We must not, however, “throw out the baby with the bath water” and conclude that, because true worship does not occur there, that the space in which it does not occur is therefore evil.  In the same way, because my unbelieving neighbor gets drunk on the weekend and engages in all kinds of sexual perversion, I do not therefore conclude that I must abstain from a moderate and pleasurable enjoyment of a cold beer or glass of wine and making love to my wife.   We should at least consider that the hands that labored many generations ago in building these beautiful buildings did so out of a genuine and sincere desire to glorify the Triune God that we worship, even if their descendants are engaged in the modern equivalent of genuflecting before a golden calf.

Obviously, our Lord seems to think that beauty in the context of His worship is rather important.  Just review the detailed descriptions of the tabernacle and later temple in the Old Testament and the vision of heavenly worship in the Revelation to St. John in the New.  Some well-meaning Christians will ask why we should fund such ornate and expensive buildings, furniture, paraments, etc. when there is so much poverty and need in our communities and the world around us.  This question seems related to an event recorded in the Gospels in which our Lord was anointed with oil:

                Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.(Matthew 26:6-13 ESV)

We cannot and must not ignore the plight of the poor and genuine need in the world.  Neither should we content ourselves to worship in the most basic and ugly facilities if we have been blessed with adequate funding to improve the appearance of those facilities.

For many of us, we sincerely desire to make our places of worship appear more conducive to worship, but either do not have the funds to do so, or rent buildings in which this simply is not possible.  We may even sinfully wonder when those old codgers in the beautiful mainline church in town will finally go to their reward and their building will be up for sale… cheap.  This may be a real temptation to those who have been forced out of those churches by an entrenched mainline ecclesiastical bureaucracy that has no toleration for those who have faithfully stood for the truth in the face of unbelief.  If the place of worship is rented, you will likely have to use items that can be moved with relative ease Sunday after Sunday.  Consider what you can afford and what is most important in your worship.  Invest in a well-constructed, durable, and of course beautiful Communion set.  Use good quality bread and wine that actually taste good.  Unless you want to move a large baptismal font every week, purchase a silver or gold bowl to contain the baptismal water.  Begin to invest in seasonal vestments (at least a stole) for your pastor and seasonal paraments for the pulpit and lectern (if such furniture exists in your building).   Find a good musician, a good piano or keyboard.   As your numbers and financial support grow, you may be able to afford your own building… maybe even that beautiful mainline church building in town you have been secretly coveting for years. 

As new faces enter into our places of worship, whether believers or unbelievers, we certainly desire that they be attracted for the right reasons (I Corinthians 14:25 comes to mind).  We want them (and us) to know when they leave that they have experienced the holy presence of the Triune God.  We want them (and us) to know that to escape the wrath of God, they must seek shelter at the foot of the Cross of Him Who bore that wrath for us.  The Gospel is true.  The Gospel is good. The Gospel is also beautiful.  Our corporate worship  should present this truth, goodness, and beauty to ourselves, as well as to the world around us.

There is a church in Odessa, Ukraine that has a backstory that has fascinated me for many years.  The Evangelical Presbyterian Reformed Church of Odessa has worshipped in its newly refurbished ornate building since the late 1990’s.  If this was all that could be said about this church, there wouldn’t be much point in writing about it.  The building in which this church worships however, has an enthralling history to tell.  She is like the old grandma who could sit for hours and talk about the past so long as anyone would listen.  This grandma’s story can also both captivate and educate. 

The building was birthed in 1898 of Reformed Presbyterian parentage.  Her appearance shared similarities with other ornate buildings in the city.  As she grew to maturity, she fed, sheltered, and clothed many pilgrims along the way.  1917 would see the Bolshevik Revolution break out in Russia.  Churches would be seized and destroyed, Christians slaughtered, starved, and imprisoned.   The Presbyterian Church building of Odessa would be seized and turned into a puppet theatre.  Thus ends the story of this beautiful building, this beacon of hope in a very dark time.  Or does it?  She would see the rise of the Soviet Union and the enslavement of millions to its godless ideology.  For a time two decades later, she would see the rise of yet another godless ideology in the form of German National Socialism.  During this time, Ukraine would be subjugated to Hitler and his Third Reich.  Hitler and Nazism would soon fall, only to be replaced by the previous evil of Stalin and the Soviet Union.  For decades she would be used for other purposes than the divine worship for which she was created.  Eventually, she would even see the Soviet Union fall in 1991.  Throughout those dark days, old timers in Odessa knew that this once great building was once a church.  Those interviewed have said that whether Soviet or Nazi was in charge, they could look at this once glorious structure and find hope.  Soviet and Nazi have fallen, but the church still stands. 

In 1998, the Reformed Presbyterian denomination in Ukraine convinced the City of Odessa to turn the building back over to the purpose for which it was intended.  With the financial assistance of other Reformed Presbyterian bodies throughout the world, a massive project was begun to repair, restore, and return her to a majesty more stunning than she enjoyed nearly a century earlier.  At this time, as the building was inspected by her new owners, a large, rusty, iron, Celtic-looking cross was discovered resting flat on the roof.  It had been knocked over by the Communists just after the 1917 revolution.  Now it has been repaired, restored, lifted up, returned to its original position, and pointing to the greater Cross, continuing to draw all men to the Savior.      

We should see in the Evangelical Presbyterian Reformed Church of Odessa a living, visible symbol of the Church throughout all ages.  Tyrants, monarchs, and political systems have risen and have fallen.   Programs, pogroms, and politics have always been, and continue to be, used in efforts to eradicate the Church from the earth.  All have failed, and all will continue to fail.  The Church, the Bride of Christ, will always prevail until she is properly adorned for her Glorious Nuptials to her Groom.

The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain and cherish
Is with her to the end;
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.  

-From the hymn, The Church’s One Foundation, by Church of England Bishop Samuel  John Stone

So, the time has come for you to venture out of the familiar, casual atmosphere of your family life center/gymnasium/worship center to attend a (gasp!) liturgical worship service at another church.   Before you either talk yourself out of the idea, or embrace it without a great deal of forethought, perhaps you should ask yourself a few questions.  But before you do this, I should explain what I mean by “liturgical worship”.  Every service has a liturgy of some sort.  An old-fashioned Southern Baptist would reject any suggestion that his church has a liturgy, but you can expect at least three 19th century revivalist hymns, a sermon calling sinners to come to Jesus, others to re-dedicate their lives, and concluding with numerous verses of “Just as I Am”… every Sunday.  Even the contemporary services have a liturgy (though they would deny it) of warm up music, short extemporaneous prayers, praise choruses, and a short sermon… every Sunday.  The question is not whether a service will follow a certain liturgy, but rather, which one?  Wherever you go to church, your service has a fair bit of predictability to it.  It has a liturgy.  For the purpose of this brief essay, in referring to a “liturgical service”, I am including those elements that most Christians have in mind when they think of liturgical worship, such as formal written prayers, collects, unified responses from the congregation, weekly Communion, majestic hymns and Psalms, weekly Communion, vestments, and use of a church calendar.  Now, to your questions.

·         What is the appeal of a liturgical service to you?  Good answers would include a sense of the majesty and holiness of the Triune God that is experienced in such a service, the abundant Biblical language of the prayers, collects, responses, etc.  Bad answers would include a simple fascination with colors, smoke, and fancy robes.

·         Why has the church you currently attend lost its appeal to you?  If you have become weary of the rock band, entertainment driven, and “me” centered atmosphere, you probably have a good reason for looking elsewhere.  If you are looking for a new “high” that you think a liturgical service can provide, you will likely be disappointed.  Your motivation should be the pursuit of a more Biblical “style” of worship.

·         What type of liturgical service are you planning to attend?  All such services may not necessarily be valid expressions of the true worship of the True God revealed in Holy Scripture.  If the service you intend to attend includes prayers to someone whose body long ago was planted in the earth from which it was formed; if it includes the union of your lips to the lips of a one dimensional image in a frame; if the service is led by a very ornately robed person who very clearly has boobs; well, you might consider just staying “put”.  Dr. R.C. Sproul once observed that there is nothing more beautiful than the Gospel of grace.  It is possible for the Gospel to be so obscured in some of these very aesthetically-appealing settings as to be completely unrecognizable.  Consider reading Jim Jordan’s little book, The Liturgy Trap.

If you are sure your motives for attending a liturgical service are God-honoring and not self-serving, what may you expect in such a service?  Believe it or not, there is a fair amount of variety among very good churches that practice liturgical worship.  Vestments may range from very colorful and ornate to black.  The sign of the Cross will be made by pastor and congregation at various portions of the services of some churches, not at all at others.  Some will receive Holy Communion kneeling at the altar rail, others will receive it in their pews.  In spite of the differences, there is a certain consistency that all liturgical services seem to have.  There is a discernible pattern that all tend to follow.

·         Atmosphere of Reverence.  Though there are exceptions, particularly when some congregations out of economic necessity must use buildings that are less than conducive to a liturgical worship atmosphere, the music, building, vestments, even smells (such as incense if it is used, as well as the bread and wine for Holy Communion) should unite to produce a sense of reverence and awe as the worshipper is brought into the presence of a Holy, Triune God.

·         Covenant Renewal.  Pastors and theologians such as Jeff Meyers (see especially his excellent book, The Lord’s Service), James Jordan, and Peter Leithart have demonstrated conclusively that corporate worship in both Old and New Testaments, as well as the majority position throughout church history, follows a “covenant renewal” pattern.   That is, regardless of the varieties that exist, there is a progression from confession, to consecration, and finally to communion.  All liturgical services will include a corporate confession of sin.  Usually this will occur early in the service as the worshippers recognize that they have come into God’s holy presence and, just as people in the Bible who were confronted with His holy presence, must confess their unworthiness and sin, seeking God’s mercy in Jesus Christ.  The pastor will offer an Assurance of Pardon or Declaration of Absolution based on God’s Word and promise.  The response to God’s grace usually occurs in song as mighty hymns of thanksgiving and praise are sung with enthusiasm and gusto.  To demonstrate the unity that this body of believers has with others throughout the world and in heaven, one of the Ecumenical Creeds (Apostles’ or Nicene) is recited, sung, or chanted.  There are usually prayers and collects at different portions of the service in which the congregation is expected to participate.  Sermons will either be taken from the Scripture readings listed in a lectionary (such as in The Book of Common Prayer) or from a book of the Bible in a series preached “verse by verse”.  The whole service culminates in the celebration of Holy Communion.  So important it is, the rest of the service would make little liturgical sense without it. 

·         Posture and the Five Senses.  Most evangelical churches are accustomed to only two postures in worship: sitting and standing.  A liturgical service will typically also include kneeling.  Kneeling is the posture of the supplicant before God, so the expectation is that in corporate prayer, particularly confession of sin, the worshippers will (if physically able) kneel.  Personally, I have found that my attention is far more focused on the prayer and the words that I am praying when I am kneeling than when I am sitting.  Also, it will not be uncommon for the worshippers to lift their hands at different portions of the service, such as at the benediction.  A liturgical service recognizes that God has given human beings four senses in addition to the sense of hearing.  Such a service certainly requires the hearing of the Word, music, and prayers, but also sight, taste, touch, and smell.  One should see the beauty of the service itself, the Sacraments, vestments, etc.; taste the bread and wine of the Eucharist; touch the sacramental elements, shake hands, hug pew mates; smell the wine and perhaps incense if it is used.

·         Sing, Sing, Sing.   Music is extremely important to liturgical worship.  Of course there are varieties of musical expression in such services.  Some will include more contemporary sounding hymns and Psalms accompanied with such instruments as guitars, drums, and violins.  Others will include old majestic hymns from centuries past accompanied by pipe organs and grand pianos.  There may be chanting of Psalms, or other prayers and responses.  Most of the service music (Gloria, Sanctus, etc.) will be sung or chanted.  I have come to love the singing/chanting of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.  Singing it always makes it easier to remember than simply reciting it.

So, why liturgical worship?  Many reasons have been offered, but one is the benefit to worshippers from very young to very old.  Children learn by rote.  The things that they repeated over and over for as long as they can remember that they did not understand, later become the basis of all that they believe.  The day may come in which the years ravage the memories of all that we hold dear.  Those songs, prayers, and creeds repeated over and over since our early childhood will usually survive.  They certainly will outlive us.  G.K Chesterton offers the following wisdom from his wonderful book, Orthodoxy:

Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

I didn’t think I could walk another step… exhausted, dirty, sweaty, dying of thirst.  I had been traversing this arid desert in the hot sun for days it seemed.  I felt faint and lost consciousness.  Was I dead or alive?

I knew I was being carried by someone.  I could hear the soothing sound of music and singing in the distance.  I then awoke in the embrace of one who was clearly of royal lineage.  His embrace was familiar, as that of a friend.  Had he carried me through the desert to his glorious mansion?  I noticed that I had been washed and clothed in new garments.  This king invited me to join the celebration taking place in the courtyard outside.  The music and singing continued perpetually, from the time I neared his city in my comatose state until the present.  Laughter, wine, every delectable food my palate could desire, all united with music and singing more beautiful than I had ever heard.

As I entered the courtyard, I was greeted by many I recognized that I had not seen in a very long time.  Strangely, they seemed much more real than I remembered them.  Warmly they welcomed me to the society they referred to as the “Fellowship of the Mystery”.  As I inquired about the meaning of this grand celebration, I was told that the king of this city, the same king that had brought me to this most delightful place, had been killed by his great enemy, but mystery of mysteries, had come back to life, and vanquished his great foe far into the desert.  Now this fellowship was preparing for the great king’s upcoming wedding.  We danced and feasted before the warm, inviting, loving smile of our great king.  He was not, however, aloof royalty, as he also gladly participated in the festivities with us.

All too quickly the time came for me to leave this oasis of rest, this city of peace, this embassy of mercy.  “But sire, I want to stay here, I do not want to leave this place.  And why must I leave, while the others remain?” I protested.  “My son”, said the king, “the day will come in which you will never have to leave again.  But now, I have others wandering in the desert that need you to show them the way to our city.  Also, I need you to expand our city’s borders.  Besides, you know the way now and I expect you to return each week.”

As I departed this beloved city, no matter how far away I walked, I could still hear the music in my ears.  Music that made me sad to be away, yet happy that I would soon return to this city.  It also seemed that the city’s borders had expanded since I first arrived.  One of the lords that I met in the courtyard said that the desert would continue to decline and the city continue to increase until the desert would be no more.  Could it be that this was already happening?