Nielsen’s Nook

The Church Liturgy is divided into two parts: 1) the Word Spoken and 2) the Word Broken. In the first part one will experience the reading and preaching of the Word of God. There is in our church an Old Testament reading, the singing of a Psalm, the Epistle reading and then the reading from the Gospel. There is a processional from the altar to the middle of the sanctuary, in the midst of the people, where a formation occurs and the reading of the Holy Gospel occurs. The formation looks something like this:

The crucifer (i.e., the person carrying the crucifix) stands at the head of the formation. The torch bearers stand to either side and forward, shining light upon the Gospel Book held by the Lay Reader in between them. And at the foot of this cruciform formation stands the priest who reads the Gospel. Something is profoundly and purposefully communicated to both clergy and laity, that is to everyone, at this point. Whatever the Gospel is, we come to it at the foot of the Cross. It is a visible lesson on hermeneutics, that we must always seek to understand Jesus at the foot of the Cross. We cannot read His book on any other terms than the terms that were given at the foot of the Cross. Thus, it is that St. Paul has told us that he decided to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Want to learn more about Christian Liturgy? Check out Thomas Howard’s Liturgy Explained.

For that is what worship is: an act. It is not primarily an “experience,” although we often hear people talking about having had “a beautiful worship experience.” This is a fine sentiment, but partly misses the point. God commands us to worship him, and you cannot command an experience. Like love (which is also commanded), worship may be attended by exalted feelings; but the thing itself is the act of bringing laud and honor to the Most High…. Worship is the act in which we approach the highest mystery of all, namely, God.

Thomas Howard. The Liturgy Explained. (Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, 2006), 9-10.