Worship Liturgy Guide
Liturgy is essential to every life. The term “liturgy” may not be familiar at first, or even desirable with many people. However, it is more common and comforting than perhaps expected because liturgy is simply an order, rhythm, or way of being. It derives from two root words that when combined mean “the work of the people.” Liturgy is merely what we do and how we do it. Therefore, we all have liturgies whether conscious or unconscious, simple or complex, planned or unplanned.
We might begin to notice our liturgies—the shared, consistent activities—in our family dynamics, workplace habits, church gatherings, cultural aspects, and neighborhood expectations. In the context of worship, liturgy is the activity of our whole person, body and soul, meeting with the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the same way that a worship service in a local church benefits from a liturgy with structure, diversity, and rhythm, so will our personal or household worship.
Our Daily Worship is a tool designed to encourage God’s means of grace through the regular rhythms of worship in solitude and in community. There are two kinds of similar liturgies provided: one for personal use called “Liturgies for Daily Worship,” and another for use with others called “Liturgy for Household Worship.” The former is organized by days of the week with a fixed order for each day. While the structure and rhythm are the same each day, this is complimented by diverse content in the prayers, confessions, and scriptures. This creates a balance of familiarity and flexibility.
The scripture readings for each day are adapted from the widely-used plan developed by Robert Murray M’Cheyne in the 19th century. He was a minister in the Church of Scotland who desired for his congregation to read through the Bible on a regular basis. His original plan provided four chapters per day, reading through the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year and through the Old Testament once. We have modified his original to be a two-year plan with usually two chapters per day. At this slower pace, it will walk through the New Testament and Psalms each year and the Old Testament once in two years. It is recommended to begin Year A on odd-numbered years (e.g., 2025, 2027, etc.) and Year B on even-numbered years. This allows people to read the scriptures with others in community.
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The amount of time to use the Liturgies for Daily Worship is determined by the person, but might be around 15-60+ minutes depending on how long someone lingers or prays. An explanation of the order and content of the liturgy is as follows:
Silence. We begin in silence to prepare our hearts and become present to God. Often we are coming to worship with rushed and distracted minds, so we need to slow down. This might be for a few seconds or even a few minutes, but take the time to unhurry.
Call to Worship. God gets the first word as he calls us to worship in the scriptures. The passage read will alternate between Old Testament and New Testament, inviting us to respond with our whole person—body and soul.
Adoration. Our first response is adoration for who God is and what he has done. We express this by rotating between three simple, historical hymns: Gloria Patri, The Doxology, and Gloria in Excelsis. Originating from the 4th century, the Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father) is also called the “Lesser Doxology” as it is shorter than the “Greater Doxology” or Gloria in Excelsis (Glory in the highest). Both of these praises have a rich history in the ancient and global church. The short hymn often known as simply The Doxology is from the 17th century. There are multiple musical tunes to be found for all three, so feel free to either sing it or simply say it.
Confession of Sin. After seeing God in his holiness, we become aware of our unholiness, so we confess our sin. The liturgy guides and informs our words by using confessions from scripture and selections from the historical Book of Common Prayer (1662) with slightly modernized language. Silent confession might also be used during this time.
Assurance of Grace. Having confessed our sins before God, we are eager to hear the good news of grace for sinners. The gospel assures us of redemption for those with faith in Jesus Christ.
Affirmation of Faith. Following our assurance of grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we affirm what we believe about the Christian faith. The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed from the early church assist in teaching, renewing, and deepening our faith.
Scripture Readings. We read the assigned scriptures for the day from the reading plan provided. Take time to digest these by slowly, attentively, and prayerfully listening to God’s word.
Prayer. In response to the scriptures, we speak to God sharing our hearts with him. It is a time to pray for the needs of our lives, community, church, and the world.
The Lord’s Prayer. We end our prayers with the words Jesus taught us in The Lord’s Prayer. It could also be a framework for our prayers, walking through the requests with our own words.
Benediction. We go forth, after worshipping God, to live our life with God. The benediction sends us out with God declaring over us, by the scriptures, the blessings we have by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
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The Liturgy for Household Worship is a simplified format designed to be used with our families, friends, roommates, small groups, or anyone else. It takes the same basic rhythm with fewer elements, yet adds a brief reflection time to discuss the scriptures read in community. There is freedom to modify this format, adding or removing elements, to fit the context and needs—perhaps especially with young children or new believers. The primary hope is to create a regular rhythm of communing with Jesus together.