Why liturgy?
Former religion reporter connects rituals to history, theology and geography to make worship more real for people in the pews
My fellow Christians and I have been streaming into churches this week to mark the most holy days of the church calendar.
As we gather, we recite words and repeat actions in prescribed programs known as liturgy.
I suspect few of us know the reasons why we say those specific words or repeat those particular rituals.
Being absent from church for nearly 40 years, until my recent return, I certainly didn’t know the reasons.
So as I was getting reacquainted with the liturgy, I started exploring the reasons we say the words we say, and perform the actions we perform during worship. Why?
Because for me investigating the history and theology of liturgy made it less abstract — more real.
My curiosity has resulted in the online project Why Liturgy? A Lenten pilgrimage through Evangelical Lutheran liturgy.
I launched the online journey on Ash Wednesday. And for the next three weeks I posted daily instalments focusing on particular parts of the liturgy.
You can view the project, and find links to versions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at whyliturgy.ca.
Although the project focuses on the Evangelical Lutheran liturgy, the origins of the rituals pre-date Martin Luther’s Reformation in the 16th century. So, much of the project relates to the liturgies practised by other churches including Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, United, Orthodox, and more.
Each instalment includes photos that visually connect liturgical words and rituals to relevant locations in the Holy Land, Turkey and Rome.
Many of the posts also include personal reflections on my yearslong pilgrimage back to faith and church, where I and countless others plan to gather for Easter vigils this evening.