Liturgy on the Lord’s Day, if biblically formed and properly ordered, is an experiential participation in the gospel. I have been in many worship services where every element of worship was biblical and appropriate but the arrangement of the whole was like a box of Legos, disconnected and subject to arrangement into whatever shape the pastor may have desired. This is not the way worship was structured in the Bible.
When an Israelite brought his sacrifice to the Tabernacle or Temple, there was a gospel-logic to the sequence of events. First he laid his hands on the animal, confessing his sins and identifying with his sacrifice who would die in his place. The sin offering would be followed by an ascension offering, often translated as the burnt offering because the entire animal was consumed in the fire. Here the worshiper’s consecration to God was visibly enacted. The sacrifice stood in the man of Israel’s place on that altar. It was not only the bull that was being given to God but the believer who brought him. Present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable worship. Finally a peace offering would be presented. In this sacrifice, a token portion of the animal was placed on the altar, but the greater part was given to the worshiper and his family to be eaten in the presence of the Lord. The worshiper, having been cleansed and consecrated, now enjoyed communion with the God who had made peace with him.
This same pattern is seen repeatedly in the OT in corporate gatherings and covenant renewal. It is the same order found in sections of the NT: cleansing, consecration, and communion. This is how the Church ought to come before God. We confess our sins and receive his pardon. We sit under the reading and teaching of his Word as we are made holy by the God who declared us to be so by the righteousness of his Son. Then we celebrate our redemption and reconciliation. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. The body of the Lamb whose blood marks the doorpost of our house is now eaten by the worshiper and his family who are hidden safely inside. We know the Destroyer will not visit this house, because it is God’s house, and he sees the blood and remembers his promise to his people.
There are many reasons to use this pattern in the Church’s weekly worship, first and foremost because it is the way we find worship structured in the Word of God. I am not claiming that all churches who do not are in explicit disobedience or unfaithful to the Lord. But this pattern is biblical, pervasive, and purposeful. It has a gospel-logic, so that no matter the subject of the sermon, no matter how well or poorly the congregation sings, no matter the clarity of the Scripture readings, the congregation will be evangelized every week, led once again through the gospel that first called them to Christ, cleansed, comforted, and confirmed in the grace that is theirs in the Lord Jesus.
In many churches, the success and value of the service depends entirely on one or two features. “How was church today?” means was the sermon interesting and powerful, was the singing loud and beautiful, were there enough Boston Creme donuts or did we have too many of the Lemon Filled ones? When worship is arranged by a biblical model of covenant renewal, these individual pieces are placed in the larger context of the Church’s experience of grace in the presence of God. No longer does the service seem to depend on the man up front or the congregation’s participation. “How was church today?” God met with us, forgave us, assured us of his love, encouraged us in our faith, and reminded us that he remembers his promise to save us. We experienced the goodness of our Lord again in the gospel. Thanks be to God. --JME
