Christian worship
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHR : Christian worship
In Christianity, worship has been considered by most Christians to be the central act of Christian identity throughout history. Many Christian theologians have defined humanity as homo adorans, that is, the "worshipping man," and thus the worship of God is at the very core of what it means to be human. Opinions have, however, run a gamut — and continue to do so — about the relative importance of formal or ritual worship, spontaneous praise and prayer, and the expression of praise integrated with daily life.
History
Overview
Throughout most centuries of Church history, Christian worship has been primarily liturgical, characterized by formal, set prayers and hymns done in a particular order according to specific rituals, whose texts were rooted in, or closely related to, the Scripture, and particularly the Psalter. Set times for prayer during the day were established (based substantially on Jewish models), and a festal cycle throughout the Church year governed the celebration of feasts and holy days pertaining to the events in the life of Jesus, the lives of the saints, and aspects of the Church's perception of God.
A great deal of emphasis was placed on the forms of worship, as they were seen in terms of the Latin phrase lex orandi, lex credendi ("the rule of prayer is the rule of belief")—that is, the specifics of one's worship express, teach, and govern the doctrinal beliefs of the community. To alter the patterns and content of worship were to change the faith itself. Thus even though there was always a certain amount of variety in the early Church's liturgical worship, there was also a great deal of unity. Each time a heresy arose in the Church, it was typically accompanied by a shift in worship for the heretical group. Orthodoxy in faith also meant orthodoxy in worship, and vice versa. Thus, unity in Christian worship was understood to be a fulfilment of Jesus' words that the time was at hand when true worshippers would worship "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).
Development
The very early development of Christian worship is lost in the mists of history, but Christian worship is, in general, rooted in the worship of Judaism of the Second Temple period. The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles present the very early Christians, then still very much a part of the Jewish scene, as frequenting both the Temple and synagogues, as well as worshipping in private homes, frequently to "break bread," a term which connotes both the sharing of a meal and, within that context, celebrating the Eucharist. Acts 2:42 presents the very early Church of Jerusalem as "continuing in the Apostles' teaching and fellowship [or "communion], the breaking of bread, and the prayers."Psalms and hymns based on them were a regular feature of Jewish worship in the synagogues, and these were also incorporated into Christian hymns. The Psalms are still frequently quoted and paraphrased in nearly all the different Christian traditions and denominations.
Worship as singing underwent great changes for some Christians with the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a music lover, composed hymns that are still sung today, and expected congregations to be active participants in the service, singing along. John Calvin, in Geneva, argued that while instrumental music had its time with the Levites of the Old Testament, it was no longer a proper expression for the church.
In general, worship for both the Eastern (Orthodox) churches and the Catholic branch of the Western church is based on regular celebration of the "Lord's Supper", celebrated by a priest with more or less participation from the whole body of believers present. This tradition, variously known as the Mass, Eucharist or Communion, continues in the Anglican branch of the church and among some Protestants. A worship service in these traditions is centred on the sharing of bread (or bread and wine, or substitutes for them) although it also includes prayer, the reading of Scripture, and usually song and some form of teaching or sermon.
In many Protestant traditions, however, Communion is celebrated only occasionally, and corporate worship is centred on a formal sermon, which may resemble a lecture or a passionate exhortation. Worship in such a context also generally includes spoken prayer (either spontaneous or carefully prepared), liturgical recitations, Scripture, and music, particularly hymns. It would be unusual to have a worship service that did not also include an offering of money from members of the congregation.
Generally, although not always, worship of the former kind follows the rubrics set out by authority in a prayer book or similar guide, while worship of the latter kind either is spontaneous or follows socially defined norms and the tastes of the minister or other individual who is leading the service.
In virtually all Christian traditions this regular public worship is complemented by other forms of worship, such as individual meditation, prayer and study; small group prayer (often linked with Bible study); and formal ceremonies on special occasions, including weddings, funerals and events of Church or state.
(Please see [[Talk:Christian worship]] for some areas this section needs to address.)
Types of Christian worship
Liturgical traditions common to East and West
See also: Christian liturgy- Canonical hours
- Vespers
- Compline
- Nocturns/Midnight Office
- Orthros/Matins
- Funeral service
- Sacraments/Holy Mysteries
- *Baptism
- *Chrismation (Eastern) / Confirmation (Western)
- *Eucharist
- *Matrimony
- *Ordination
- *Confession
- *Anointing of the Sick (Unction)
- Divine Liturgy
- *Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
- *Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
- *Liturgy of St. James
- *Liturgy of St. Mark
- *Liturgy of Addai and Mari
- *Presanctified Liturgy
- Paraklesis
- Molieben
- Akathist
Major collections
Non-Liturgical traditions
Prayer
Major collections
Non-Liturgical traditions
Prayer
Psalms
Profession of Faith
Other
Music
Chant
Classical & Baroque
Modern
Contemporary
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.