The Place of the Liturgy in the Church

A paper delivered to the Edinburgh University Theological Society

The Church is liturgy. Early Reformed documents stress this, but to glorify liturgy to the point of apotheosis is wrong. Liturgy should be understood as all we do as Christians; distinction should not be made between worship and work. In worship, the reality of salvation is represented to us and God calls, challenges and empowers us to respond, a transforming encounter. An account is given of the Liturgical Movement, as well as the new understandings that have come as a result of liturgical studies. The establishment of the Church Service Society, and publications and movements that led to this, are noted. The writings of Max Thurian are appealed to in discussing liturgical practice today: worship should be God-ward not man-ward, emphasizing doxology rather than didacticism, it should be sacramental, it should be ecumenical, and it should be missionary.