Today I continue on my series of posts dealing with the four flow elements of a worship service by focusing on the third element. This third element is described as God’s Word for Us in Hymns of the Saints and in The Priesthood Manual (2004 Edition) as Proclamation and Affirmation. As I have reflected on the 21 May worship service and it’s theme of “Create a Better World,” I have developed the working title of “We Seek Guidance for a Better World.” These titles are the starting point for the reflection of this third flow element of worship and also for my personal preparation and planning for the 21 May service at Tuality Community of Christ.
The format of this post will be similar to the two previous posts on the flow elements. That is I will start by presenting descriptions of the element and then a brief reflection on this element, what it contains…
The Priesthood Manual presents this element of worship with the following:
Words of Confession are answered by God’s forgiveness. Isaiah experienced this as a live coal from the alter touching and purifying his lips: “Your guilt has departed, iniquity is taken away, and your sin is blotted out.”
Central to Worship is the proclamation of the word of God. This proclamation focuses on the good news brought through Jesus Christ. It is the proclamation that those who are in bondage shall be freed; those who are in sorrow shall find joy; and those who seek meaning and purpose for life shall find it. Proclamation is at the heart of the church’s mission: “We proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope love, and peace.”
God’s word is the word of hope for ongoing salvation. It is the declaration of Jesus Christ as the revelation of God among us and for us. The proclamation calls us to the promotion of community, so thatall of God’s people may live in mutual regard for one another and with the resources of the earth being shared equitably by all. Proclamation comes in many forms in the church, but is effectively found in corporate worship through the preaching of sermon-based sermons.
“Worship in the Life of the Church: The Elements of Worship,” The Priesthood Manual 2004 Edition, (Herald Publishing House — Independence, MO)2004; 151-2.
For 21 May worship service this element has a working description of:
We turn to the written, experienced, and living Word. We listen to the telling of the Word. We Reflect upon the Word.
L. Anderson II, “21 May TCC Worship Service: Working Draft.” 2 Apr 2006; 1.
You can easily see that my description of this part of the service is very brief compared to the description in The Priesthood Manual, as it tries to express concept and purpose of this element as a whole and in a larger context, while my description is meant to reflect in part the actions that we, the congregation, are doing during this element for a particular service. The use of “written, experienced, and living” before “Word” is to be clear that “Word” does not mean scripture. Rather it is the message of Christ, which is in part expressed by the written scripture, but is also expressed in our day to day lives and in many other ways. It is more than just the message of Christ though, for it is also Christ. That is, when we turn to the Word we are turning to Christ, when we listen and read and tell the Word we proclaim the Living Christ , When we reflect we reflect on Christ and our encounters as a people and as individuals with Christ. We are disciples of the Risen Christ, and it is through the life and ministry of Christ and the counting presence of the Living Christ that we come to right relationship with ourselves, all of creation, and the Creating One.
During this time of proclamation, we proclaim that message of Christ. We challenge each other to embrace our call as disciples of the Risen Christ. This is done through the reading of scripture, through sermons, through testimonies, through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, through drama, through music, meditation, and so much more. Thus it is rightfully the element that we often focus the service around. For we have gathered and praised, we have recognized our failings, and now we embrace the Risen Christ’s message of peace and hope. We are challenged to follow that example which we were given in the life and ministry of Jesus the Christ. We challenged to embrace the call of the Restoration. We are called to recognize “the essential meaning of the Restoration as healing and redeeming agent” (D&C 156:5). It is here after recognizing the wonder of creation, the pain which we inflict, that we are called to embrace the never ending love of the Almighty One, embrace that love and strive to heal that pain, to be with the unloved, the neglected, the hungry… Just as Jesus the Christ was with the marginalized so so should we be. That even though we have done wrong the Loving One’s love has no end and loves us still. It is here where we can be comforted from our sins by the forgiving love of the Almighty One. It is in this flow element that we reaffirm our belief in the worth of all persons. It is here where we are reaffirmed that we are loved, that we are called to share that love, called to create a better world. A world that embraces the love of the Eternal One. A world where the worth of all persons is recognized. A world of joy, hope love and peace. The peaceable Kingdom, yea even Zion.
So by the time these first three flow elements are done where are we? We have gathered, we have praised and given thanks, we have recognized our failures and the pain we cause, we have sought forgiveness, we have been reaffirmed of the Eternal One’s never-ending love, and we have been called to action. So what do we do now? That, my friend, is for the next post of this series where we deal with element four.
Peace be with you,
— Lyle II