Worship at Ascension
I’ve had a few conversations recently about worship at our church that have included questions about why we do some things and why we don’t do others. I thought I would write a little bit about the process of putting Worship - Liturgy and Music - together at Ascension. We are also going to hold a “Worship Town Hall” in September to allow for a fuller conversation and for you, the people of Ascension, to offer your input, ideas, and suggestions for how we can make our Worship together meaningful, inclusive and hopeful.
Let me start with one truth that I have always experienced as a priest - not everyone in the church is happy with every part of the Sunday service.
These are excerpts from an American Newspaper objecting to new trends in worship:
“There are several reasons for opposing it…The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style…there are so many songs, you can’t learn them all…This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly…The preceding generation got along without it.”
This particular article was written in 1723 and was directed at the music of Isaac Watts, composer and author of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”, “Joy to the World” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”.
Some things never change.
However, it is important for us to listen to one another as we share in worshipping God. Our prayers, our singing, our silences are shared with one another and meant for mutual encouragement, learning and love. Our worship is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, and to equip us with spiritual gifts and tools that help us live our day to day lives in a world that seems increasingly troubled.
The Process
In the Anglican tradition, the Priest is the Chief Liturgical Officer, overseeing and making decisions about liturgy and worship each week. The Diocese and the Anglican Church of Canada guide this task with authorised resources. The Book of Alternative Services being the main one, but allowing the use of other resources for prayers, collects and alternative liturgies. Anything outside of these requires the permission of the Bishop.
What guides me, as the parish priest, in putting our liturgies together is what I am hearing from you, the people who come to church either in person or virtually. I’ll go into greater detail on some items below, but I am always attempting to include a variety of age groups, church experiences and preferences. It is not an exact science, more of an art.
Planning and Preparing our Worship
Language & Prayers
Our language has changed dramatically in the past half century. No longer do we use the word “man” to mean all of humanity. And as Canadians we have learned a lot about colonial language that is no longer suitable. Along with these realities, our faith and understanding of God is always evolving as well - not away from orthodoxy, but towards a truer expression of all that Jesus taught.
For example:
Prayer over the Gifts for Harvest Thanksgiving - “Source of all life, the heavens and earth are yours, yet you have given us dominion over all things…” The use of the word “dominion” evokes for many people an attitude of entitlement with creation and land. It is a reflection of a colonial past when “new lands” were for the taking of European and other settlers. This, of course, is not how we think of our relationship with creation and land now. And so our prayers have changed.
Though we still refer to God, from time to time, as our Father, God is also our Mother (Isaiah 66:13) and a Parent. Using a variety of titles for God, all biblical and traditional, allows for people in our congregation to engage with a lived faith that invites them in, doesn’t exclude them. This is why I will say, at the time of blessing, “In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit” and “Creator, Redeemer and Sustaining Spirit”.
Music
Music is always a challenging aspect to our worship as it always involves personal preferences. We try, at Ascension, to use both older and favourite hymns, along with newer music. Some of the older, more beloved hymns have lyrics that are no longer easy to sing for many people. Our theology has evolved.
For example:
“Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war…” - I completely understand that this hymn is often a favourite for some, but I use it here as an example because the language is so blatantly difficult to sing in an era of wars that break our hearts.
Each week our Music Director, Michelle Kettrick, and I go back and forth on what hymns to sing. This depends on what lectionary readings I am using and what I am preaching on. We do our best to offer singing opportunities that are familiar, along with learning new pieces.
The Creed
The Creeds were written during a very particular time in Church history. They were written to educate people (long before bibles and liturgies could be distributed and read) about their faith and also to keep particular heresies from entering the church. Neither of these reasons are necessary when everyone has access to both our prayer book and the bible (whether in print or online.)
One critique of the creeds is that they leave a large portion of Jesus' life and teaching out.
For this reason and others, we have gone back to the authorized affirmation of faith known as the Shema. It is biblical and covers the essential nature of our lived and shared faith.
However, knowing that the creed is something that some of our people value saying, we do include it at special services and through some of the church seasons.
Planning and Adapting- Looking and Moving Forward
What a joy it has been to see not only new people attending at Ascension, but also some younger folks (no offence to those of us who are a bit older!). With the variety of age groups and preferences, we are undertaking to expand our worship experiences, while at the same time, honouring the familiar and comforting traditions we share.
In this light, we are….
- Inviting you to our Worship Town Hall - Sunday September 29th following the 10 am service - an opportunity to hear what people are thinking and share ideas - Everyone is encourage to participate
- going to offer “Dinner Church” once a month as a way for younger families and others who prefer a more relaxed and casual church experience to find a place of worship - First Date is Sunday September 22nd, 4:30 pm
- Scheduling our Sounds of Worship once a month, as our church calendar allows, and will include an opening time of hymn singing when you can request your favourites - usually on the 4th Sunday of the month
- Looking at further resources to compliment the music we currently use - hymns with updated lyrics and more contemporary music for both the choir and congregation to learn and sing together.
"Without worship, we go about miserable." - A.W. Tozer
I hope this article has given you some food for thought. The conversation is always on-going as our worship of God is a living and changing experience. If you can’t come on September 29th, please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me directly - ruthanne@ascensionportperry.com
With gratitude for our shared worship and life of faith,
Ruthanne