Liturgy for Life : INTRO

Liturgy is not a word many of us are accustomed to hearing in our daily lives. It is not a term that my religious heritage growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever used. However, when you study and realize that our very DNA as Christians is woven through various aspects and expressions of God’s activity in the history of humanity and the church, you will encounter this word, liturgy. Even before the church existed, the Jewish people of Israel and Judah practiced liturgy.

Many of the festivals and festivities you may have heard of, such as Passover, are significant. The Jewish people had a liturgy (although they didn’t use this term) that included rituals of worship, thanksgiving, celebration, prayer, and various spiritual practices, which encouraged them to live an intentional life focused on living a present life to God throughout the different seasons of the year. The festivals were centered around agriculture, particularly the planting and harvesting seasons. God’s people relied on Him for their sustenance and recognized Him as the source of their life and blessings; thus, their liturgy incorporated prayers trusting in God to provide the necessary rains and celebrations to rejoice in the harvest He provided.

As Christ established His Church and salvation history continued to unfold, certain expressions of the Church developed a liturgy centered on the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. This is known as the liturgical year or calendar. It includes Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. I wish my Adventist heritage practiced something like a liturgical calendar, as it keeps each calendar year focused on Christ as our Lord and Savior. We anticipate the coming of the Messiah, celebrate His birth, contemplate His death on the cross, rejoice in His resurrection, and welcome the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The literal definition of the word "liturgy" refers to public service or the work of the people, originating from the Greek word "leitourgia" (λειτουργία). For Christians, it provides an intentional and strategic framework to both live in and live out our relationship and discipleship with our Triune God. It helps us stay present with God... to abide with God.

To live a life of liturgy means choosing to live ritually. Now, before you get nervous, I say this because often within Protestant Christianity, the word ritual feels like a negative term. But let me explain. Think about this: anything we truly value or want to grow in, we must live out ritually. If I want a good relationship with my wife, I can’t approach it halfhazardly and hope we serendipitously wind up sharing decades together, loving and appreciating each other, and ultimately growing into one in Christ. Living ritually means living with routine. Christian ritual involves embracing routines and various religious practices that we believe are valuable and necessary to experience a full life alive in Christ and His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

Living a liturgy for life with God is our response to His love and grace revealed through Jesus and experienced in His Spirit. This allows us to participate in His divine presence through our worship, celebration, lamentation, prayers, and much more. A liturgy for life serves as a sacred ritual and routine, enabling us to grow in our relationship with God and engage in His mission of love and reconciliation in the world.