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On March 19 I ended my post with the following “but that is for the next post….” When I wrote those words I thought it would end up being the next post and that the post would come within a weeks time, however that is not the case and instead this post comes now, a month later with a few posts in-between. One might be able to say I meant “that’s for the next post in this series” and not “this is for the next post in this blog” but I meant both things when I wrote it. Maybe though it is a good thing that my plan and reality did not match up due to the flow element of worship that this post is about. Hymns of the Saints describes this second element of worship as Contemplation and Renewal and The Priesthood Manual (2004 edition) describes it as Confession and Repentance. In reflection the the theme for the day, “Create a Better World” these titles comes my working title for this element, “We Realize Our Failings and Seek thy Renewing Grace.” These titles, as I stated in the discussion of the first flow element, are a place to start from for both my personal perpetration for the 21 May service and for the discussion here about these elements.

As I did last time, I wish to start with presenting both the description of this movement as found in The Priesthood Manual and also my working description of this element for the 21 May service at Tuality Community of Christ.

The Priesthood Manual presents this element of worship with the following:

When Isaiah experienced the presence of God, he immediately sensed his own unworthiness and exclaimed, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” For Isaiah, unclean lips were the symbol of his human inadequacy. His confession acknowledged his sinfulness and dependence on God. The mood of his confession is one of humility and of appreciation of a God who hears our cries and responds with grace.

Repentance involves contrition that leads to change. It is not the act of remorse that is at the heart of repentance, but rather the use of one’s energies to bring about a change in attitude, behavior, or perception.

“Worship in the Life of the Church: The Elements of Worship,” The Priesthood Manual 2004 Edition, (Herald Publishing House — Independence, MO)2004; 151.

For 21 May worship service this element has a working description of:

We sing of the pain we cause and suffer from in this world. We tell of our failures, and ask forgiveness. We pray together and individually for Peace in this world. We seek thy renewing Grace.

L. Anderson II, “21 May TCC Worship Service: Working Draft.” 2 Apr 2006; 1.

The Priesthood Manual and I present this element in different ways. As I have stated in this four element flow of worship reflects both the flow of life and also arises from Isaiah 6:1-8. In The Priesthood Manual’s presentation reflects on the element as a whole outside of a particular worship service. It also presents it by describing what Isaiah did in response to experiencing the presence of God and then by stating what repentance involves. My presentation of this element, like the other three, is rooted in “we” statements and it also takes the theme into account.

In the first movement the congregation came together, welcomed one another, opened themselves up to the presence of the Spirit, and gave praise and thanks to the Almighty One. As we express our praise and thanksgiving, we come to realize though our own failings, and thus we easily move into the second movement. It is here that we reflect on what we as individuals, as a community, as humanity have done. We recognize our personal and communal failings. We feel the pain of our brothers and sisters. As we do, we seek forgiveness for what we have done, and we seek ways in which we can change this world for the better. We seek renewal for ourselves, our communities, humanity, and all of creation. In the first element we recognized the wonders of creation, in this element we recognize the current state of things as a result of our actions and call out for, hope for, look for renewal and change. This in turn drives us to look at the living Word for guidance… that is the third flow element of the service and will be for the next post in this series.

From my personal experience in Community of Christ this second element is typically where we spend the least amount of time during many services. There are services where this element is embraced, but often it seems we try to pas through it as quickly as we can. We enjoy giving praise and thanksgiving to the Almighty One, we like to hear and experience the Word in various ways, (Sermons, drama, reading of scripture…), we even like being challenged to go and act, but to reflect on our failures as humanity, as communities, and as individuals, is hard. Thus, I think we often end up spending less time on this element than with the other three. While often the amount of time devoted to this element minimal, we do not forget it, and it is embraced to various degrees into the other elements, as they all are.

In some services this element is represented by a single song, possibly a prayer, or a passage of scripture. Sometimes the song may even truly be a transition reflecting both this movement and either the movement before or the third. Other times we spend a bit more time here. We may have a special ministry of music as part of this movement. At times we have the Disciple’s Generous Response (Offertory) as part of this movement, but often the offertory is in the fourth movement, and I think when we use the term “Disciple’s Generous Response” to refer to it that the fourth movement is the best place, as that is a movement of response. Thus in the end we often spend a brief period of time here, though in the third movement as we turn to the Word we often see reflection back to this element’s central ideas, now mater how little we truly spent on it. Personally, I feel that we do ourselves a disfavor by routinely allowing the second element of the flow of worship to be so short. I believe it is a good thing to have it short some of the time, but other times it is not.

It is my hope that on occasion we will spend more time on this portion of the service than we typically do, and I am doing my part to see that we do. In the Worship Helps proposed service for 21 May I feel that this element of the service is extremely brief, composing of I John 5:1-6 adapted into a responsive reading. The 21 May service for Tuality Community of Christ as currently envisioned also has this scripture being read, but not as a responsive reading and not as part of the second element, but rather as part of the third.

So, what am I currently placing within this element?

At present it starts with a hymn, is followed by a prayer of Recognition/ a period of prayer reflecting on the world and peace, and ends with a special Ministry of Music, which may be partly this element and partly the next, we will see.

I think that is all I have for now to say about this element.. Next time we will explore element three. I hope to discuss the last two elements within the next week. On 21 May, this series on the Flow of worship will probably conclude with the posting of the order of the worship service as planed for, though not necessarily the service that takes place, since events, circumstances, and the needs of the congregation that morning… may dictate alterations to the service, or possibly a different service altogether.

Peace be with you,