The Divine Liturgy

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” I Corinthians 13:11


Many, many years when I was a senior in high school I was a member of a movement called the “Jesus Freaks”. Later we were called the “Jesus People”. A very good friend of mine had a girl friend who was a LCMS Lutheran. Attending one of her services I (we all) thought how structured how ridged it was. Our churches were all much less structured. Our prayer meetings before school in one of the main hallways were always free flowing including extemporaneous prayers, many “praise Jesus”, singing not so churchy songs, guitar playing &c. A few years later I met my wife. Then our daughter was born and baptized. Then God gave us (and me) another lesson in church. Mary had back surgery and wanted to receive communion. I called the new Lutheran pastor in town and he came over. When he offered me communion I declined because I wasn’t Lutheran. One thing led to another and I took instruction. Then before you knew it I was a Lutheran.

Now look at me. I have never attended a “High Church” Lutheran service I think I would like it. I very much like the Liturgy. The older the better. Anything less than the Divine Service setting three from the Lutheran Service Book is darn near contemporary service as far as I am concerned. I have even been known to recite the Litany and Compline. I draw great solace from the Liturgy.

So it would not surprise anyone that I sometimes research the Liturgy or parts of it like the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Creeds. Being a history buff and a searcher of knowledge I read the books I can find and surf the Net looking for information. Looking for history on the Liturgy I ran across a reference to the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. St. John was a church father who lived c. 347-407 AD. As an aside the name Chrysostom is the English for the Greek word Chrysostomo which translates as “golden mouthed”. Apparently St. John was quite the talker and given this title “Chrysostomo”. Unfortunately I could not find any copy of his Liturgy older than a few hundred years old. But what I could find was interesting. If laid it side by side with our Divine Service setting three you can see many similarities.

I then found that St. John’s Liturgy was a shortened version of St. Basil’s Liturgy. St. Basil was an contemporary of St. John and was Bishop of Caesarea from 370-379 AD. Again I could not find anything close to an original copy but what I could find looked similar to what we use today. St. Basil based his Liturgy on the Liturgy of St. James. St. James was the brother of Jesus and some have dated his Liturgy to the First Century. Scholars today place it around the late Third or early Fourth Centuries. Regardless no copies of the Liturgy of St. James can be found before the Tenth Century. The Liturgy of St. James was reported to be very long taking two to three hours to complete. This is why St. Basil and then St. John Chrysostom shorten the service. The length had grown to the point where the laity would not, or could not, spend the time to attend.

I was also surprised to find out that a hymn used in the Liturgy of St. James is still in use today. “Let all Mortal flesh keep silence” hymn number 621 in our Lutheran Service Book. Amazing this ancient chant of Eucharistic devotion is still being sung today in our churches after sixteen or more centuries.

Two points I found struck me when I read about these Liturgies. First was the fact that at a point in the service everyone who was not taking communion, i.e.: the catechumens and visitors were asked to leave. In an example of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom the Deacon would announce “Doors, doors. Let us give heed to wisdom”. None but the faithful were admitted into the church at this period of the Divine Liturgy. Again in the Liturgy of St. James the Deacon proclaims “Let none remain of the catechumens, none of the unbaptized, none of those who are unable to join in prayer. Look at one another. (Shut) the door. All erect; let us again pray to the Lord”.

Deacons would post themselves at the doors to guard against entry. This part of the service impressed me as a nod to the “Holy of Holies” where the “mysteries of Christ” were revealed. This also made the receiving of the Body and Blood a really big thing that only those who have received these “mysteries” were able to comprehend and receive worthily. It seams we Christians in this modern age have forgotten this mystery. I sometimes wonder if we think we are above that being “modern man” and not some ancient uneducated people in awe. We go to communion not looking back at the whole birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. We commune “ex opere operato”. Which means “from the work done”. In other words by simply going through the motions without our heart in what we are doing. To quote the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV 63 “They imagine that the Sacraments give the Holy Spirit by the outward act (ex opere operato), without good emotion in the one receiving them. As though, indeed, the gift of the Holy Spirit were a useless matter.”

Again, when reading the more modern copies of the ancient Liturgies you come away with a service that focuses more intently on the sufferings of Christ and what that means to us. While it lengthened the services these Liturgies drove the penitent to his knees before the altar. Not in some pious pose but as a truly repentant sinner clinging to the foot of the Cross begging for the Body and Blood that brings Salvation. A focus we would do well to remember.

The second item that struck me was the similarities in these ancient Liturgies and our own. Including the hymn “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”. When we set in church on Sundays and chant our Liturgy we are saying almost the very same words chanted by the faithful for the last 17, 18 or 19 centuries. Think of it. Millions of Christians have chanted the same words for hundreds of years we chant today. So the Saints from the beginning of the Church, to today, to however long God allows into the future chant the same Liturgy. God in His Omnipotence looks at the Church seeing all in all times and places worshiping using the same words. If that don’t make you want to worship through the Liturgy then think on this. In our service the Pastor chants, “with angels and archangels and all the company of Heaven…” we then sing the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy). “All the company of Heaven” includes, among others, all the Saints who have gone before. So when we use the traditional Liturgy we not only worship in the same manner as Christians have for centuries before us. We also worship with those very same Christians in Heaven. Worshiping with the same words.

Think about that whenever someone wants to remove, reduce or back off celebrating Communion. Or when someone wants to have guitars, drum sets, clowns and dancers in the service. Or more importantly, when you are sitting through the Liturgy and your mind wonders……