INTRODUCTION

TO

WORSHIP

PAS 1012-1

COURSE NOTES

AUSTRALIAN LUTHERAN COLLEGE

Dr John W Kleinig

Printed by the Australian Lutheran College 

104 Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide South Australia

2009

INTRODUCTION TO WORSHIP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Worship as Divine Service

     1. The Importance of Worship (5)

     2. Terminology (5-9)

B. Biblical and Theological Foundations

              1.  The Holy Scriptures and the Divine Service (10-13)

     2.  The Teaching of the Gospels on Worship (13-16)

    3.  The Theology of Worship in the Epistles (16-22)

         a. Paul's teaching on worship (16-18)

         b. The theology of worship in Hebrews (18-22)

              4.  The Origins and Development of Christian Worship (23-27)

    5.  The Shape of Christian Worship (27-29)

    6.  The Arrangement of Worship in the Early Church (29-30)

              7.  New Testament Liturgical Texts and Formulae (30-33)

INTRODUCTION  TO  WORSHIP

A.  Worship as Divine Service

1.	The Importance of Worship

a.	The goal of Christ's work is to create a single assembly of Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:15b-22).

(1)	Both have access to God the Father through his Son by the one Spirit (Eph 2:18), because they have been justified by his grace through their faith in Jesus (Rom 5:2; cf. Eph 3:12; 1 Pet 3:18).

(2)	Both constitute God's holy temple together with Christ on earth
	(Eph 2:19-22).

b.	We have been saved in order to worship the Triune God
•	Conversion from idolatry to divine service (1Thess 1:9b-10)
•	Redemption for royal priestly service of God (Rev 5:9-10; cf. Luke 1:74f)
•	Cleansing of consciences for service of the living God (Heb 9:14; cf. Rev 1:5b-6)

c.	God's people who begin to worship him now on earth will worship him perfectly in heaven (Rev 7:14-17; 22:3).

2.	Terminology

a. 	The term “worship” in English

	(1)	Dubious derivation of sense from etymology: “worthship” = ascription of “worth”

	(2)	Modern usage
•	Praise and adoration of God (charismatics)
•	Homage and acknowledgment of God in prayer, praise and
	life (Reformed)
•	Honouring of God with religious rites (Anglicans)

	(3)	Problem	
•	Worship as response to God’s activity
•	Private rather than public activity
•	General lifestyle rather than specific enactment

b.	Lack of words in the NT for what we call worship

(1)	Lack of a single general term

(2)	Avoidance of pagan terms

(3)	Influence of the OT via the Septuagint (LXX)
•	Service of God
•	Liturgy
•	Prostration in Hebrew and Greek = worship in English
•	Church/assembly

(4)	Practical, ritual terms for certain distinctive aspects of worship (eg. the Breaking of the Bread in Acts 2:42,46; 20:7; the Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor 11:20; the Thanksgiving/Eucharist in 2 Cor 4:15)

(5)	Bias in modern translations towards a mental, psychological understanding of ritual terms (eg. rejoice in Phil 4:4)

c.	Biblical terms
   
	(1)	Readings
•	Lecuyer, Joseph. "The Liturgical Assembly: Biblical and Patristic  
		Foundations" (Reader 1)
•	Lathrop, Gordon W. "Assembly" (Reader 2)
•	Kleinig, John W. "The Biblical View of Worship" (Reader 3)
•	Worship at Luther Campus: A Declaration and Appeal, 1995 (Reader 4)
      
(2)	Assembly/church

(a)	The Greek noun “assembly,” ekklêsia, means both the people who assemble (eg. 1 Cor 11:18) and the place of assembly (eg. 1 Cor 14:19).

(b)	This was a largely secular Greek term for a public assembly of people (Acts 19:32,41).

(c)	In the LXX it translates the Hebrew term qâhâl which was used for the liturgical assembly of Israel for the festivals at the temple in Jerusalem.

(d)	The NT uses it to describe the people assembled in the presence of the Triune God (eg. 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 2:1).

(e)	While a congregation is a local assembly which gathers for worship in a particular place (eg. Acts 14:27), it is part of a regional (eg. 2 Cor 1:1), international (eg. Eph 3:10), universal (eg. Col 1:18) and heavenly assembly (eg. Heb 12:23).

(f)	As the church of God it consists of all those whom he has “gathered” into his presence (1 Cor 1:2). See the use of “gather” (Greek sunagô) in Matt 12:30; 18:20, Acts 4:31; 11:26; 14:27; 15:30; 20:7,8; 1 Cor 5:4, and the term “gathering” (Greek synaxis) which was later used for the Communion Service in the Early Church.

(g)	The church is the assembly of the saints for the divine service in a particular place (1 Cor 14:33) as part of the heavenly assembly of all the faithful people of God together with the angels (Heb 12:23).

(2)	Prostration

(a)	The English word “worship” translates the Greek verb: proskuneô which refers to the act of prostration before a person or a god.

(b)	Pagans worshipped their gods by making prostration before their idols.

(c)	The people of Israel made prostration before God at the altar in the temple    
during the presentation of the daily burnt offering and the performance of the Lord's song by the Levitical choir (2 Chron 29:27-28). Hence for the Israelites prostration was associated ritually with sacrifice and praise.

(d)	During his life on earth both Gentiles and Jews prostrated themselves before Jesus.
•	They acknowledged him as the Messiah (Matt 2:2,8,11; cf. Mark 15:19), the Son of God (Matt 14:23; Mark 5:6), and Lord (John 9:38). 
•	They sought help from him (Matt 8:2; 9:18; 15:25; 20:20).

(e)	These acts of prostration culminated in the prostration of the disciples before the risen Lord Jesus as their divine, heavenly king (Matt 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52).

(f)	In the NT this term is used literally for prostration before God the Father and Jesus his Son (eg. Rev 4:10; 5:14) and metaphorically for the homage and adoration paid to them by this ritual enactment (eg. John 4:22-24).

(g)	In modern Bibles it is commonly translated by “worship.”

(3)	Service of God

(a)	The use of the Greek verb “serve” (latreuô) and its noun “service” (latreia) in the LXX, the NT and the Early Church comes from use of the Hebrew verb 'abâd (serve) in the OT to for the presentation of the divinely instituted offerings at the tabernacle (eg. Exod 3:2; 4:23; 7:16; 8:1,20; 9:1,13; 10:3,7,8,11,24,26; 12:31; 23:25). 

(b) While the Hebrew term “service” (‘abôdâh) is at times used in the 
Pentateuch for a particular ceremony such as the Passover (Exod 12:26), it is used in the post-exilic sections of the OT for the daily sacrificial ritual performed at the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chron 29:35).

(c)	In the classical Greek and the LXX the verb “serve” (latreuô) was used for the performance of religious ritual duties rather than the service of a master by a slave or the work of an employee.

(d)	The NT uses the Greek verb latreuô: serve (Matt 4:10; Luke 1:74; 2:37; Acts 24:14; 26:7; 27:23; Rom 1:9,25; Phil 3:3; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 8:5; 9:9,14; 10:2; 12:28; 13:10; Rev 7:15; 22:3) as well as the noun latreia: service (Rom 9:4; 12:1; Heb 9:1,6) for the public worship of God.

(d)	The term: the divine service has become the general word for public worship of God according to his word in our Lutheran tradition (German: Gottesdienst; Latin: cultus dei).

(4)	Liturgy
	(a)	The Greek noun “liturgy” (leitourgia) means “work on behalf of the 
				people.”

(b)	In ancient Greek the word was used for an act of public service by a person or a group of people for the benefit of the whole community.

(c)	In the LXX its verbal form “liturgise” (leitourgeô) translates the Hebrew verb “minister/assist” (shêrêth). It is used for the performance of the sacrificial ritual by the priests and Levites on behalf of and for the benefit of the congregation of Israel (eg. Luke 1:23).

(d)	In the NT and the early church it was used for the work of divine service by Jesus (Heb 8:2,6), together with angels (Heb 1:14) and the congregation (Acts 13:2), for the benefit of the world.

(e)	The Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXIV, 80-83 defines liturgy as the “public service” which the church performs by the public administration of the gospel and the sacraments.

(f)	In the Orthodox Churches and in modern theology the holy liturgy or the divine liturgy has become the term for the divinely instituted pattern of worship for the Lord's Supper and its public enactment.

(g)	In modern English the term liturgy is commonly used for a scripted order of service.

(5)	My Use of Terminology

(a)	Worship
	Noun: the public rites performed by a congregation as instituted by the Triune God
	Verb: the performance of divinely instituted rites in honour of the Triune God

(b)	The Divine Service
	Public act of worship with the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the sacrament
	God's service of his people together with their service of him in an act of public worship

(c)	The Liturgy
	The public administration of word and sacrament in the divine service for the benefit of the world
	The traditional pattern of the divine service with its four parts: the word, the offering, the Lord's Supper, and intercessory prayer

(d)	The Common Service
	The English orders for Holy Communion, Matins and Vespers derived from German Lutheran models and adopted by the Lutheran Churches in America from 1888-1906
	The orders for public worship found on pages 6-54 of the LHS

B.    Biblical  and  Theological  Foundations

1.	The Bible and  the  Divine  Service

	a.	Readings
•	Dix, Gregory. "The Performance of the Liturgy" (Reader 5)
•	Pittelko, Roger D. "Worship and the Community of Faith" (Reader 6)

b.	Self-devised Worship as Idolatry

      	(1)	In Matthew 15:3-9 Jesus distinguishes worship according to God’s word from worship according to human tradition.

	(2)	Human beings do not determine how to serve the Triune God.

(3)	People do not discover the right way of worship from their individual and
      collective experience but fall into idolatry.

(4)	Apart from God's word and the Holy Spirit, subjective human 
experience results in idolatry.

(5)	Fallen human beings are ingrained idolaters rather than atheists (Rom 
1:21-25).

(6)	Idolatry is the worship of self-made “gods” instead of the living God as 
well as the worship of the living God in a self-devised way (cf. Deut 12:2-
4,29-31). All “self-devised worship” is idolatry (see the use of the term: 
‘ethelothrêskia in Col 2:23).

b.	Access to God's Gracious Presence through his Word

	(1)	The hidden God is present everywhere with his law in power and wrath.

(2)	Apart from God's word we have no access to his grace and mercy.
	See Luther (LW 37, 68): "It is one thing if God is present, and another if he is present for you. He is there for you when he adds his word and binds himself saying, ‘Here you are to find me’. Now when you have the word, you can grasp and have him certainly and say, ‘Here I have you, according to your word.’"

(3)	Through the apostolic preaching of the gospel God the Father gives his Holy Spirit to the faithful and reveals his heart to them (1 Cor 2:7-13).

(4)	Through God’s word the Holy Spirit initiates people into the mystery of Christ's presence in the church (Col 1:25-27).

      	(5)	Through his word God reveals how he makes himself accessible and his grace 
            	available to human beings in the divine service.

c.	The Institution of the Divine Service by God in the Old Testament

(1)	Through the law of Moses God established the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the sacrificial ritual (Exodus 25-31).

(2)	Through the law of Moses God revealed what he did for his people in and through the sacrificial ritual (eg. Exod 20:24; 29:42-46).

(3)	Through Moses God gave them his “sanctifying decrees” by which he made and kept them holy through their service of him (Lev 20:7-8).

(4)	Through the words of the prophets God condemned all forms of idolatry and whatever was inconsistent with the true worship of him.

(5)	The risen Lord Jesus uses the Old Testament to preach himself to his disciples in their worship (Luke 24:27, 44-47).

d.	The Institution of the Divine Service of the Church by Jesus

(1)	As our high priest and sacrificial victim he has fulfilled the ceremonial 
law of Moses (Matt 5:17-18; cf. Luke 16:17; Rom 8:3-4).

(2)	By his commands and promises he established the liturgy of the church.

(3)	By his word and deeds he determined the continuity and discontinuity of Christian worship with the worship of Israel. See the reference to the service as part of the legacy of the church from Israel in Romans 9:4b-5.

(4)	By his word he reveals his presence and activity in the church (Matt 
18:20; Luke 22:19-20, 24-30).

(5)	His words and the apostolic testimony to him were canonised for 
reading and use in the liturgy of the church.

e.	The Determination of the Content, Shape and Manner of Worship in the Church by God's Word

(1)	Christ's promises and commands determine what is done in worship 
and how worship is to be ordered.

(2)	God's word is read, proclaimed, and enacted in the liturgy of the 
church.

(3)	God's word determines how we confess our sins, praise him, pray to
him and confess our faith in him (cf. John 15:7; Col 3:16).

(4)	Through the Holy Spirit God's word teaches and empowers us to 
worship the Triune God faithfully. It sanctifies us and our service.

(5)	If we worship God as he has determined in his word, we can be sure that God is “pleased” with our service of him (Rom 12:1; 15:16; Phil 4:18; Heb 12:28; 13:16; 1 Pet 2:4-5; 1 John 3:21-22; cf. Apol XV,17; XXVII,70).

f. The Divinely Instituted Parts of the Divine Service

Instituted Practice	Command by Jesus	Promise by Jesus	Command and promise by Apostles	Apostolic Precedent	
Use of the name of Jesus		

Gathering 		Matt 18:20		1 Cor 5:4	
Baptising	Matt 28:19
		Acts 2:28
	Acts 8:16; 10:48; 19:5	
Preaching	Luke 24:49
			Acts 4:18; 5:28,40; 9:27	
Praying to the Father 	John 16:24
	John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23	Eph 5:20	Eph 3:14-19	
Casting out demons		Mark 16:17		Mark 9:38; Acts 16:18	
Forgiving sins				Acts 10:43;
1 Jn 2:12	
Anointing 			James 5:14	Mark 6:13	
Speaking and acting			Col 3:17		
Baptism	Matt 28:17	Mark 16:16	Acts 2:38	Acts 2:41; 8:12,16; 8:38; 10:48; 16:15,
33; 18:8; 19:5	
Use of God’s words/words of Jesus					
Preaching
God’s word	Matt 10:7; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47		2 Tim 4:2	Acts 4:31; 13:5; 15:36; 16:32 etc	
Teaching the word	Matt 28:19-20		1 Tim 4:13	Acts 15:35; 18:11	
Hearing God’s word	Matt 13:9; Mark 4:9,23,24; Luke 8:8,18	Matt 13:16-17; Luke 8:21; 10:16; 11;28	Rev 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22	Acts 4:4; 10:44 etc	
Praying		John 15:7			
Singing			Col 3:14		
Lord’s Supper					
Performance	Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24,25				
Reception	Matt 26:26-27;
Mark 14:22-23				
Prayer					
Lord’s Prayer	Matt 6:9-13; Lk 11:2-4				
To Father in the name of Jesus	John 16:24
	John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23	Eph 5:20		
Asking for own needs	Matt 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10; John 15:7; 16:24	Matt 7:7-8; 18:19; Mark 11:24;  Luke 11:9-10; John 15:7; 16:24	Rom 12:12; Phil 4:4; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17		
Praying for others			Col 4:3-4; 1 Thess 3:1-3
1 Tim 2:1-5		
Forgiveness					
Repenting	Matt 4:17; Mark 1:15		Acts 2:28		
Confessing sins			1 John 1:9		
Absolving	Luke 24:47 	Matt 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23			
Confession of faith		Matt 10:32; Luke 12:18			

2.	The Teaching of the Gospels on Worship

       a.	Optional Reading
•	Cullman, Oscar. Early Christian Worship, London: SCM, 1953, 7-35
•	Just, Arthur A Jr. “The Emmaus Journey and Recognition of Jesus,” Luke 9:51-24:53, Concordia Commentary, St Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1997, 972-1020.

b.	The presence of Jesus in worship

	See Matthew 18:18-20.

(1)	God the Father “gathers” the church through Jesus. Note the divine passive sense of “gathered” (Greek: synêgmenoi).

(2)	The church gathers together to invoke Jesus by name and to use his 
name to proclaim his presence.

(3)	Wherever the name of Jesus is used in an assembly of his disciples he 
is present with them and leads them in their prayers.

(4)	The Jewish rabbis used the term bind for what the law required and loose for
 	what it permitted. They are therefore technical terms for teaching and applying God’s law.

(5)	In this assembly Jesus bridges heaven and earth and enables human his  
       disciples to do the work of God the Father together with him. By proclaiming    
       the law (binding) and the gospel (loosing), the church does the eschatological  
       heavenly work of God on earth.

God the Father in heaven
		works    agree on what to ask in binding and loosing
			   Disciples together with Jesus present with them on earth
			  	                       do God’s work on earth
   		     Binding with his word
•	Retaining sin and keep under judgment (John 20:23)
•	Excluding from God’s presence (Matt 16:19)
•	Binding Satan and the evil spirits with a word of command (Matt 12:29)
•	Binding the conscience by teaching God’s law
				Loosing with his word
•	Forgiving sin and freeing from condemnation (John 20:23)
•	Admitting into God’s presence (Matt 16:19)
•	Freeing people from Satan and the evil spirits with a word of deliverance (Luke 13:12)
•	Releasing the conscience by teaching the gospel

b.	The place and manner of worship.

	See John 4:19-24: note the emphasis on “now.”

(1)	The worship is performed in the presence of the Father and is offered to him.

		(2)	In the worship of the church the Father “seeks” people so that they too will “seek” him. Note the reversal from the OT where the people of Israel “seek” God in their worship of him (Ps 27:8; 105:4).

(3)	Through his Son he gives them his Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:34, 7:37-39; 
16:13-15), so that they will actually and truly worship him in their spirits by  
the power of his Spirit. Note the ambiguity of “in spirit” which refers both to God’s Spirit and the spirit of the regenerated person.

	See Luther (LW 37, 95):
“The Spirit cannot be with us, except in material and physical things such as the Word, water, and Christ’s body, and in his saints on earth”.

(4)	By the use of “we” in 4:22 Jesus implies that he “worships/adores” the
	Father together with both Jesus and Gentiles in the new age. He therefore leads them in the adoration of his heavenly Father.

(5)	The place for worship in the new age is the body of Jesus which is the
temple of the Father (John 2:21; cf. 1:14).

(a)	Jesus is the truth. He is our way to the Father and the Father's way to us (John 14:6).

(b)	His word which sanctifies us for divine service is truth (John 17:18). By it he teaches us the truth about ourselves and the grace of his Father (John 1:14, 17; 8:40, 45; 18:37).

(c)	We worship the Father in truth in Christ and according to his word.

(6)	Christ therefore reveals the Trinitarian character and dynamic of our worship.

c.	Christ's service of his apostles in Holy Communion

	See Luke 22:14, 19-30.

(1)	Christ commands his apostles to celebrate the Eucharist in remembrance of him.

(2)	Jesus waits on his disciples in his royal banquet.

(3)	He “serves” them by giving them his body and blood.

(4)	As his guests they eat and drink at his royal table and reign together with him.

		People of God as guests at royal table
						judge and rule by serving at his table
			Apostles as his guests at his royal table
						serves by giving body and blood  and confers kingship 
			Jesus as the royal host
	has conferred kingship
			God the Father

d.	The shape and content of worship

See Luke 24:13-35 (cf. Apology of the Augsburg Confession 22,7).

(1)	The risen Lord Jesus made himself known to his disciples in two 
related ways.

(a)	He preached himself to them from the law and the prophets which were read in the synagogues (cf. Luke 4:14-21; 24:44-47).

(b)	He revealed himself to them in the “breaking of the bread” (cf. Acts 2:42; 20:7).

(2)	By this story Luke taught his readers about the worship of the early church.

(a)	The church assembled for worship on Sundays (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:1; Rev 1:10).

(b)	In its worship the risen Lord who was otherwise invisibly present with his disciples made himself known to them.

(c)	He revealed himself to them through his word and his meal (cf. the fellowship meals in Luke 5:27-39; 7:36-50; 11:37-52; 14:1-24 and 15:1-32 where Jesus teaches and eats with people).

(d)	By reading from the Old Testament and teaching about Jesus from it, the church proclaimed Christ's death and its significance.

(e)	By celebrating a meal with Jesus as both its guest and its host, the church made his presence known in its midst.

(f)	Every service on Sunday was therefore regarded as an Easter appearance of the risen Lord.

(g)	The gospel was preached and the gospels were read to proclaim the ongoing work of Christ in the Church (cf. Acts 1:1-2).

3.	The Theology of Worship in the Epistles

a.	Paul's teaching on worship

(1)	The content of the service
•	The reading and teaching of the Scriptures (1 Tim 4:13)
•	Celebration of the Lord’s supper (1 Cor 11:23-26)
•	Offering of prayers for the world (1 Tim 2:1-6)
•	Singing of songs (Eph 5:18-20; Col 3:16)
•	Presentation of an offering (Rom 12:13; 1 Cor 16:1-4; cf. 2 Cor 8-9)

(2)	The church assembled in the name of Jesus (1 Cor 5:4).

(a)	It invoked him as Lord (1 Cor 1:2).

(b)	It preached and confessed him as Lord (Rom 10:8-21) and Christ (1 Cor 2:1-5).

(c)	It prayed for the world together with him, since he is the only mediator between God and humankind (1 Tim 2:1-6).

(d)	It gave thanks to the Father in his name (Eph 5:20) and through him (Col 3:17; cf. Rom 1:8; 7:25).

(e)	It glorified the Father through the Son (Rom 16:27; cf. 1 Pet 4:11; Jude 24) and in him (Eph 3:21).

(f)	Everything that is done in the Church is to be done in the name of Jesus (Col 3:17).

(3)	By its worship the church participated in the mystery of Christ.
	See Colossians 1:24-28.

(a)	The risen Lord Jesus was present in the church.

(b)	The mystery of his hidden presence was revealed to the saints by the preaching of the apostolic testimony to him.

(c)	As divinely appointed mystagogues the apostles and their chosen successors were “stewards/housekeepers” of God’s house/temple and its mysteries (cf. 1 Cor 4:1).

(d)	By his word God revealed what he granted to his people in and through his Son.

(4)	God the Father was present with the assembled congregation (1 Cor 14:25).

(a)	The preacher of God's word spoke from God “in the presence of God” (2 Cor 2:17; 12:19).

(b)	The members of the church, who sat with Christ in the heavenly realm (Eph 2:6), were holy and blameless in “God's presence” (Eph 1:3; Col 1:22) and were blessed by him with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:3-4).

(4)	Christians “served” God the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit
	(Phil 3:3; cf. Rom 7:6).

(a)	They received the Holy Spirit by hearing the gospel (Gal 3:1-5)

(b)  By the Holy Spirit they confessed Jesus as Lord (1 Cor 12:3).

(c)	By the Holy Spirit they addressed God as “Father” (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).

(d)	The Holy Spirit prompted them to pray according to the will of God (Rom 8:26-28) and inspired them to give thanks to the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus (Eph 5:18b-20).

(e)	The charismata were given in worship for the “building up” of the congregation as the house/temple of God (1 Cor 14:12; cf.1 Cor 12:7;
	14:3-7).

(5) The Church was the holy temple of the triune God (Eph 2:21; cf. 1 Cor 3:9-
		17; 1 Peter 2:4-6).

(a)	God the Father reconciled Jews and Gentiles to himself and brought them near to himself through the blood and the body of Jesus (Eph 2:11-17).

(b)	God the Father resided in the church as his dwelling place (Eph 2:22).

(c)	Through Jesus both Jews and Gentiles had access (prosagôgê) to the Father and his grace by the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:18; cf. Rom 5:2; 1 Peter 3:18). They had the privilege of “freedom of speech” or “open access” (parrêsia) to God the Father (Eph 3:12).

(d)	Through the church the Father now in this age shows his incomparable grace to the world (Eph 2:6-7) and his varied wisdom to the cosmic powers (Eph 3:10-11).

(6)	In worship everything must be done according to divinely instituted order and in the right way (1 Cor 14:40).

      b.  	The theology of worship in Hebrews

            	(1)	Readings 
•	Kleinig, John W. "Worship and the Full Assurance of Faith" (Reader 7).
•	Kleinig, John W. "Entrance into the Heavenly Sanctuary" (Reader 8).
           
            	(2)	Faith is the presupposition for Christian worship. 

    	(a) 	Like the worship of Israel in the Old Testament, Christian worship	was founded on God's promises (Heb 8:6; cf. 4:1; 6:12-20; 7:6; 9:15;  
         	10:36; 11:39).

    	(b)	In these promises God declares that Jesus is his eternal Son whom 
         	he has established as the high priest in the heavenly sanctuary (1:4-
         	13; 5:5-10; 7:1-28).

    		(c)	They are “the sure basis” (hupostasis) for our participation in Christ 
         	(3:14; cf. 11:1), for through him we have “the freedom of access”
	   	(parrêsia) to the Father's presence (3:6; 4:16; 10:19,35).

    	(d)	By proclaiming Jesus as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary,  
         	they provide “encouragement” (paraklêsis) for us to take refuge with 
         	God there (6:18).

    	(e)	Faith in the unseen things that God grants us in Jesus is the  
         	presupposition for participation in Christian worship (11:1).
•	Only those who have faith can offer God-pleasing service to him (11:1-2,4-6; cf. 12:28; 13:16,21).
•	By faith that hears God's voice/word (3:7,15; 4:7,12,13) and obeys Jesus (5:9), we enter the heavenly place of rest (4:3), approach God the Father in the heavenly sanctuary (10:22), and receive our promised inheritance from him (6:12; cf. 1:14; 9:15).

            	(3)		Jesus is our high priest and liturgist.

    	(a)	The ascended Lord Jesus now acts as our high priest (2:17; 3:1,2;  
          	4:14-15; 5:10; 6:20; 7:21,24; 8:1; 9:11; 10:21) and liturgist (8:2,6) in 
          	the heavenly sanctuary.
•	He appears before God the Father on our behalf (9:24; cf 6:20).
•	He presents us with himself to the Father (2:13).
•	He makes atonement for our sins (2:17).
•	He intercedes with God the Father on our behalf (7:25).	
•	He praises his heavenly Father and proclaims his name to us (2:12).

    	(b)		We therefore approach God the Father through him (7:25; cf. 7:19)  
         		and offer our sacrifices of praise through him (13:15,16).

(4)		In worship we rest with God.
	
            	See Hebrews 4:1-13.

(a)	In ancient Babylon the gods made humans serve them by providing for 
	their necessities, such as food, housing, clothing and entertainment, so that they could have rest.

(b)	According to Genesis 2:2-3, God created humans to rest with him.
•	At Sinai he instituted the sabbath as the day of rest for them (Exod 16:26-29; 20:8-11; 31:12-17).
•	Instead of working for him in their worship, they rested with him.
•	He blessed and sanctified them through their resting with him on that day.

    	(c)	He gave them the land (Deut 12:9; Josh 1:13) and the temple (1 Kings   
         	8:56) as their place of rest with him (Ps 132:8,14; 1 Chron 28:2; 2 Chron   
         	6:41).

    	(d)		In Psalm 95 the priests called on the people to join with them in   
          		praising the Lord at the temple on the Sabbath day.
•	They urged the people to listen to God's voice.
•	They warned the people that they, like the Israelites in the desert, would not enter God's place of rest if they did not listen to his voice.

     	(e)	Hebrews maintains that Jesus has fulfilled God's promise to provide  
           	rest for his people.
•	The Israelites did not enter God's heavenly place of rest, because they did not believe in the gospel (Heb 4:2,6; cf. 3:16-19).
•	We who have believed the gospel, can enter that heavenly place of rest (Heb 4:3) and enjoy God's final day of rest (Heb 4:7-10).
•	Through faith in the gospel we cease from our labours, as God did from his (Heb 4:10).  We do not have to justify ourselves before God and make something of ourselves. We rely on what Christ has accomplished for us and receive the benefits of his work (cf. Heb 3:6,17).

    	(f)	We enter God's rest by listening to the word of God which judges and  
        		saves us (Heb 4:12-13).
•	His living word makes and keeps us spiritually alive.
•	His energising word changes and empowers us.
•	His penetrating word deals with the evil at the very core of our bodies and spirits.
•	His critical word judges and exposes the secrets of our hearts.

    	(g)	We enter God's rest by listening to that word as it is preached to us in  
          		our worship.
•	There God's word is spoken powerfully to us.
•	There God does his work with us and in us through his word.
•	There we rest from our work listening to God and letting him do his work in us.

      	(5)	In worship we meet with our heavenly king
	     	See Hebrews 4:14-16.

(a)	In the ancient world kings made themselves publicly available to their citizens on certain occasions to receive petitions and complaints from them.
•	They sat on a throne in a public place.
•	People could approach and petition them there for mercy and help.

	            	(b)		In the OT God was enthroned on the mercy seat in the temple between the      
                         	cherubim.
•	It was Israel's throne of grace.
•	They addressed their petitions to him there (See 1 Kings 8:27-53).

(c) 	As God's royal Son Jesus has open access to his Father's presence.
•	By his ascension he has bridged the gap between the Father and us.
•	As our high priest he sympathises with us and brings us with him into the Father's presence.

    	(d)		We can approach God the heavenly king with boldness and 
          		confidence in worship.
•	We receive his grace: pardon for sin and acceptance as royal “sons.”
•	We receive help from the king for our own needs and for the needs of others.

    		(e)	Worship is therefore basically a matter of reception from God.
							
  		(6)		In worship we earthlings have access to the heavenly sanctuary.
		  See Hebrews 10:19-22.

    	(a)	Note the use of  parresia in Heb 3:6; 4:16; 10:19,35; cf. Eph 3:12).
	Right of speech in a public assembly
	Frankness, boldness of speech in public
	Unrestricted access to a person.
	Confidence in approaching and addressing a person.

    	(b)	Ground plan of the tabernacle.	

(c)	In the OT the high priest alone had restricted access to God's    
       presence at the temple.
	Access to the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement
	Way through the double-layered curtain
	Entrance with blood for mercy-seat
	Result: purification and sanctification

(d)	Through Jesus we have unrestricted access to the Father's presence here on earth.
	Place: heavenly sanctuary
	High priest: Jesus
	Way: flesh and blood Jesus (cf. Heb 2:13-18)
	Qualification for entry: conscience sprinkled with Christ's blood and bodies washed with the waters of baptism
	Manner: faith which is complete assurance of favourable reception

       (7)	Through worship we participate in the heavenly liturgy.
		     	See Hebrews 12:18-25 

     	(a)		God manifested his inaccessible presence at Sinai in seven fearful ways  
          		12:18-21).
•	A tangible, fenced mountain (cf. Exod 19:11-13; Deut 4:11; 5:22).
•	Blazing fire (Exod 19:18; Deut 4:11,33,36; 5:22-26).
•	Darkness (Deut 4:11; 5:23).
•	Eerie gloom (Exod 20:21; Deut 4:11; 5:22).
•	Storm cloud (Exod 19:16; 20:18; Deut 4:11; 5:22).
•	Sound of trumpet (Exod 19:16, 19; 20:18).
•	Voice speaking the Decalogue (Exod 19:19; 20:19; Deut 4:12,33,36; 5:22-27).

    		(b)	By contrast with the Israelites at Mt Sinai, we may “approach” God's gracious presence in heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Heb 4:16; 7:27; 10:1,2; 11:6).

    	(c)		There we have access to seven invisible realities.
•	Heavenly Jerusalem where God is present and heaven meets earth
•	Angels who assist the faithful in adoration and praise (See public assembly to honour and praise public figures; cf. Heb 1:14; Luke 2:13-14; Rev 4:8-11; 5:9-14)
•	Heavenly assembly of God's people: first born sons with full rights of inheritance
•	God the Judge condemns sin and pardons penitent people
•	Departed saints with their perfect adoration and praise (cf. Heb 12:1)
•	Jesus as the mediator of new covenant in the Lord's Supper
•	Blood for sprinkling: speaks pardon, cleansing and holiness (cf. Heb 9:14; 10:22; 1 Pet 1:2)

                 	  (d)	In the divine service the risen Lord Jesus speaks to the faithful from 
                       	heaven (Heb12:25).

4.    The Origins and Development of Christian Worship

a. 	Readings
•	Required Reading
•	Kleinig, John W. "The Ritual Function of Sacred Song" (Reader 9).
•	Morris, Leon "The Saints and the Synagogue" (Reader 10).
•	Additional Reading
•	Beckwith, Roger. Daily and Weekly Worship. Jewish to Christian. Grove Books: Bramcote, 1987.
•	Martin, Ralph P. Worship in the Early Church, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 18-27, 1964.

	b. 	Historically, the worship in the early church was based on and derived from
      	Jewish worship.

(1)	Since the disciples of Jesus were almost all Jews, they continued to worship as their ancestors had (eg. Acts 24:14-16).

(2)	They differed from their fellow Jews in their belief that Jesus was the Messiah and their adherence to his teaching.

c.	At the time of Jesus the people of Israel worshipped the Lord in the temple at Jerusalem as well as in their local synagogues and in their homes.

d.	The sacrificial ritual at the temple was their main service of worship.

(1)	The priests performed this service twice a day, first in the morning and then in mid-afternoon.

(2)	The people were usually present only on the three great pilgrim festivals: Passover; Pentecost and Tabernacles.

(3)	This service was built on “the burnt offering” (‘ôlâh): the sacrifice of a male lamb together with the burning of “the cereal offering” (minhâh).

(4)	The service consisted of the following main ritual components.

(a)	The pouring out of blood from the lamb and other animals followed by the recitation of the Decalogue and the Shema by the priests and the people: cleansing from the impurity by God.

(b)	The burning of incense on the altar in the holy place by the priest on duty as the people were praying (cf. Luke 1:8-10): acceptance by God.

(c)	The burning of the lamb on the main altar as the choir sang the Lord's song and the people prostrated themselves: meeting with God.

(d)	The performance of Aaronic benediction by the priest on duty as the people prostrated themselves: blessing by God.

(e)	The eating of the sacrificial banquet in the temple precincts: fellowship with God.

(5)	Through the performance of the sacrificial ritual the Lord acted upon his people in the following ways.

(a)	By the rite of atonement with blood he cleansed them from impurity and sin.

(b)	Through the offering of the incense he accepted them and their sacrifices.

(c)	Through the presentation of the burnt offering he met with them to receive and answer their petitions for help.

(d)	Through the pronouncement of the Aaronic benediction he blessed them.

(e)	In the sacrificial banquet he was their host and fed them as his guests with holy food.

d.    The service at the temple was accompanied by the services held in the local 
    	synagogues.

    	(1)	While the second temple still existed, the synagogue was regarded as an 
             	extension of the temple and its service into that location.

   	(2)	The local community met there on the Sabbath under the leadership of its elders (cf. Mark 5:22; Luke 13:14; Acts 13:15; 18:8,17).

(3)	At the time of Jesus the following acts of worship were performed at the 
	synagogue.
•	Chanting of psalms from the temple service [?]
•	Call to bless with invocation: “Bless the Lord who is to be blessed.”
•	The Shema (Deut 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Num 15:37-41): confession of faith in one God and recitation of the command to love him (with two to four blessings [?]). This may have been preceded by the recitation of the Ten Commandments and accompanied by three or four prayers of thanksgiving.
•	The Tephillah or Amidah: 18 prayers of thanksgiving and petition called the Berakoth (Blessed be..) which were synchronised with the presentation of the burnt offering at the temple
•	The Aaronic benediction [?]
•	Public reading of the law and the prophets (Luke 4:16-21; Acts 13:15,27; 15:21)
•	Chanting of psalms between the readings [?]
•	Sermon: teaching of the law (Acts 13:15-21)

e.   Jesus regarded the temple as his Father's house (John 2:16) where his Father's business was transacted (Luke 2:49).

(1)	He was presented at the temple as a firstborn son and was redeemed as     
	prescribed by the law (Luke 2:22-39).

(2)	When he was twelve he accompanied his parents on their annual pilgrimage to 
	Jerusalem for the Passover (Luke 2:41-52).

            	(3)	He went regularly with his disciples to Jerusalem for the great festivals 
	(eg. John 2:13; 5:1; 7:2,10; 10:22; 12:12).

(4)  He taught the Scriptures (eg. John 7:14; Mark 12:35) and preached the gospel 
	in the temple (eg. Luke 20:1).
(5)  He taught that the sacrificial ritual was meant to enact God's mercy (Matt 12:5-	7; cf. 9:13).

	(6)	He announced that, since the temple did not receive him, it would be 
abandoned and destroyed by God (Matt 23:37–24:2; cf. Luke 13:35). His body would replace it as the eschatological temple of God (John 2:18-22; cf. Matt 12:6).

f.	Jesus attended the synagogue regularly every Sabbath (Luke 4:16).

(1)	He inaugurated his Messianic ministry of preaching the gospel at the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30).

(2)	He taught the Scriptures in the synagogue (Mark 1:21; 6:2; Luke 4:15; 6:6; John 6:59; 18:20).

(3)	He preached the gospel and cast out demons in the synagogue (Matt 4:23-24; 9:35; Mark 1:39; Luke 4:44).

(4)	He healed people in the synagogue (Matt 4:23; 9:35; 12:9-14; Luke 13:10-17)

(5)	He was glorified by the people in their synagogues (Luke 4:15).

(6)	He participated in the sacred meals on the evening of the Sabbath (Luke 14:1-24; cf. 5:27-39; 7:36-50).

g.     In his gospel Mark shows how Jesus set a precedent for later worship in house 
churches (cf. Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Philem 2) by his ministry at his home in Capernaum and in other houses.
	
(1)	There he healed the sick (Mark 1:29-34; 2:1-12) and raised the dead daughter of Jairus (5:38).

(2)	There he preached the word to his disciples (Mark 2:1-2) and taught them (Mark 3:19b-35; 7:14-23; 9:28, 29, 33-50; 10:10-12).

(3)	There he forgave sinners (Mark 2:5).

(4)	There he ate and drank with sinners together with his disciples (Mark 2:15-17).

(5)	There he answered the pleas of a pagan woman for the deliverance of her possessed daughter (Mark 7:24-30).

(6)	There he received children and blessed them (Mark 10:10-16).

(7)	There he instituted Holy Communion in his last Passover meal with his disciples (Mark 14:12-26).

h.	The early Christians continued to worship with their fellow Jews for as long as
	they could do so.

(1)	The Christians in Jerusalem attended the temple for the morning and evening sacrifice to pray there (Luke 24:53; Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:2;). This continued until they left Jerusalem for Pella in 66 AD (Acts 21:26,27; 22:17; 24:11, 17,18).

(2)	They also met together (Acts 2:1) in homes to pray (Acts 1:12-14; 12:12), celebrate the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:46), and praise God (Acts 2:47).

(3)	While the apostles preached and taught Jesus as the Christ in the temple 
	(Acts 3:11–4:2; 5:20,21,25,42), Paul used the synagogues to preach and teach until he and his converts were evicted (Acts 9:20; 13:5,14; 14:1; 17:1,10,17; 18:4,19; 19:8).

(4)	The weekly service of the church was therefore derived in part from the weekly service in the synagogues.

i.	Three things determined the content of Christian worship.

(1)	The service at the synagogue: the confession of faith in one God, the reading and teaching of the Scriptures, and the intercession for the church and the world.

(2)	The service at the temple: the presentation of offerings, the song of praise, the sacred meal, and the benediction

(3)	The teaching of Jesus with his promises and commands
•	Preaching the gospel with the proclamation of God’s kingdom (Matt 10:7; Mark 16:15; cf. Mark 3:14-15; Luke 9:1-2; 10:6; 24:47)
•	Teaching what Jesus had commanded (Matt 28:20)
•	Baptising in the name of the Triune God (Matt 28:18-19; 
cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5)
•	Forgiving and retaining sins (John 20:22-23; cf. Matt 16:18-19) 
•	Offering gifts to God (Matt 4:24) and alms to the poor (Matt 6:3-4; Luke 12:33)
•	Praying corporately (Matt 6:7-8; 7:7-11; 18:19; Luke 11:9-13; John 15:17) to God the Father (Matt 6:6) in faith (Matt 21:21-22; Mark 11:22-25) with the Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4) or in the name of Jesus (John 14:14; 15:16; 16:23-24,26)
•	Celebrating the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26)

j.	Christian worship was not regarded as something completely new but as the fulfilment of Jewish worship (Matt 5:17-18; Luke 16:17; cf. Heb 9:8-14).

(1)	By his words and deeds Jesus shaped the worship of the church.

(2)	By the baptism which he instituted, people were brought into the church and were qualified to participate in its worship (Acts 2:37-41).

(3)	Since Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples on Sunday, the church assembled to celebrate the Lord's Supper on Sunday rather than Friday or Saturday (Acts 20:7; cf. 1 Cor 16:2; Rev 1:10).

k.	Comparison of Christian worship with Jewish worship.

	Aspect	Judaism	Church	
	God	One God	One God	
	Scriptures	Old Testament	Old Testament	
	Praises	Psalms	Psalms as prayed by Jesus	
	Offerings	Clergy and needy	Clergy and needy	
	Intercession	Israel and the Emperor	Church and the Emperor	
	Divine Name	Yahweh	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit	
	Teaching 	Law of Moses	Gospel of Jesus	
	Meal	Sacrificial banquet	Lord's Supper	
	Place	Temple	Body of Jesus/Church	
	Time	Sabbath	Sunday	
	Qualification	Circumcision	Baptism	
	Priesthood	Levites	Jesus and all the saints.	

5.   	The Shape of Christian Worship

a.	Reading: Dix, Gregory. 
•	"The Classical Shape of the Liturgy" (Reader 11).	
	
b.    Debate over the shape of Christian worship since the Reformation.
		
(1)	Roman Catholic Church: fixed order of the Mass as received by tradition
•	Institution of the Mass by the apostles and their successors and development by the authority of the pope and the councils
•	Problem: contradiction of the gospel

(2)	Lutherans: acceptance of basic Catholic tradition
•	Emphasis on what was instituted by Christ and his apostles
•	Rejection of what was contrary to the Scriptures and the gospel

(3)	Liberal Protestants: order from the synagogue
•	Emphasis on preaching as teaching rather than proclamation
•	Problem: neglect of the Lord’s supper

(4)	Anglicans (Dix): Christ’s institution in Luke 22:19,20

(a)	 Mandatory fourfold shape
•	Taking of bread and wine: offering of gifts
•	Breaking of bread: re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice
•	Giving of thanks over bread and wine: consecratory table grace
•	Giving of bread and wine: distribution

(b)	 Problems.
•	Theological rather than functional interpretation of breaking    
		the bread
•	Neglect of preaching
•	Consecration by prayer rather than the words of institution

(5)	Pentecostals: sharing of spiritual gifts as directed in 1 Cor 14:26

(a)	Four mandatory components
•	Hymns and songs
•	Word of teaching
•	Prophecy
•	Tongues with interpretation

(b)	Problems
•	Confusion of what is permitted with what is commanded
•	Neglect of what Christ has instituted.

(6)	Charismatics and other Protestants: praise singing as modelled on the architecture of the temple

(a) Three kinds of praise
•	Thanksgiving in the “court” for what Christ has done.
•	Praise in “the Holy Place” for the present work of the Holy Spirit.
•	Adoration of the Father in “the Holy of Holies” for speaking in tongues or presentation of offering

(b) Problems
•	Discarnate praise.
•	Neglect of preaching, the sacrament, and intercession.

	c. 	The shape of early Christian worship as recorded in Acts 2:42
•	The teaching of the apostles about Jesus from the Old Testament and 
		the words of Jesus (cf. Acts 4:33; 5:42; 6:4)
•	The sharing of offerings for the work of the church and the care of the 
needy (See the use of  koinônia in Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 8:4; 9:13; Heb 13:16  as a common offering and koinôneô in Rom 12:13; 15:27; Phil 4:15 as the presentation of a communal offering)
•	The Lord’s Supper (cf. Acts 2:46; 20:7)
•	Common Prayers (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:47; 4:24-31; 6:4; 12:12)

6.	The Arrangement of Worship in the Early Church

	a. 	Readings
•	Cabaniss, A. Pattern in Early Christian Worship (Reader 12)
•	Lathrop, Gordon W. Holy Things (Reader 13)
b.	We do not have much data on how the service with Holy Communion was celebrated in the early church.

(1)	It was celebrated in the homes of Christians (Acts 2:46; 5:42).

(2)	The people who gathered together formed house churches (Acts 12:12; 20:20; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Philemon 2).

	c.	In Acts 20:7-11 we have a description of a service at Troas.
•	Gathering on Sunday (Saturday or Sunday evening ?)
•	Preaching by Paul.
•	Discussion (7,9)
•	Address (11)
•	The celebration of the Lord's Supper.

	d.	Since the letters of Paul were read in the communion service of the congregation (eg I Thess 5:27), we have some liturgical references and snippets from some pre-communion texts at the end of them. These are found most extensively in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4,20-24 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28.
•	Presentation of offerings (1 Cor 16:1-4; cf. Phil 4:10-20)?
•	Intercessory prayer (1 Thess 5:16-18,25; cf. Rom 15:30-32; 2 Cor 13:7-9; Eph 6:19-20; Col 4:2-4; 2 Thess 3:1-2)
•	The exchange of the holy kiss (1 Cor 16:20; 1 Thess 5:27; cf. Rom 16:16; 2 Cor 13:12).  This was associated with greeting and the peace of the Lord.
•	The anathema with the exclusion of the unbaptised and unbelievers from the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 16:22; cf. Didache 10:6)
•	The prayer Maranatha, “Lord come” (1 Cor 16:22; cf. Rev 22:17,20; Didache 10:6)
•	Greeting with the bestowal of Christ's grace (1 Cor 16:23; 1 Thess 5:28; cf. Rom 16:20; 2 Cor 13:14; Gal 6:18; Eph 6:24; Phil 4:23; Col 4:18; 1 Thess 5:28; 2 Thess 3:18).

e.	In 1 Timothy Paul mentions the following aspects of public worship in Ephesus.
•	Leadership by the “bishop” (1 Tim 3:1-7)
•	Deacons as assistants (1 Tim 3:8)
•	Reading and exposition of the Scriptures (1 Tim 4:13)
•	Intercessory prayer (1 Tim 2:1-7)

f.	The Didache (c. 90-110 AD) mentions the following as regular features of public worship.
•	Exclusion of the unbaptised from the Eucharist (9:5)
•	Gathering on the Lord's Day for confession of sins, breaking of bread and the giving of thanks (14:1-3)
•	Leadership by bishops and deacons (15:1)
•	Model prayers of thanksgiving with the cup and the bread (9:1-4)
•	Model prayer of thanksgiving after the reception of the Lord's Supper (10:1-4) with model intercession for the church (10:5)
•	The greeting for grace: “Let your grace come and this world pass away” (10:6)
•	The Hosanna (10:6)
•	Formula of invitation and warning before the Sacrament: “If anyone is holy, let him come; if anyone is not, let him repent” (10:6)
•	The Maranatha prayer: “Lord, come quickly. Amen.” (10:7).

	g.	In the letter to Emperor Trajan Pliny (c. 112 AD) mentions three Christian customs.
•	Meeting on an appointed day before daybreak.
•	Antiphonal recitation/chant of a hymn to Christ as God.
•	Eating of a common meal.

h.	In his letters Ignatius of Antioch (c. 115 AD) mentions the following practices associated with the assembly of the church.
•	Observance of the Lord's Day (Mag 9:1,2)
•	Meeting together in one place for the Eucharist and the glorification of God (Eph 5:30; 13:1-2)
•	Leadership of the Eucharist by the bishop and elders with the deacons as their assistants (Eph 20:2; Magn 4; Smyr 8:1,2)
•	Singing to God the Father through Jesus Christ (Rom 2:2; cf. Eph 4,5)
•	Common prayer led by the bishop (Eph 5:1-3; 10:1-3; Magn 6:1,7)
•	The celebration of the Eucharist as the lifegiving flesh and blood of Jesus (Phil 4; Smyr 7:1).

i.	The most complete description of a communion service at Rome is found in the First Apology of Justin, 65-67 (c. 155 AD).
•	Baptism and confession of faith as the prerequisite for participation in the Eucharist
•	Meeting at a designated place on Sunday
•	Reading from the Old Testament and the records of the apostles
•	Preaching by the presiding minister
•	Standing for intercessory prayer for the church and the world
•	Exchange of the holy kiss
•	Presentation of bread and wine to the presiding minister
•	Eucharistic prayer to God the Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit by presiding minister with the congregational response: Amen
•	Distribution of the consecrated bread and wine by deacons (assistants) to communicants and absent members
•	Presentation of offerings for the needy

7.	New Testament Liturgical Texts and Formulae

	a. 	Readings
•	Cabaniss, A. "The New Testament Evidence of Liturgy" (Reader 14)
•	Delling, D G. "Fixed Forms" (Reader 15)
•	Robinson, John A T. "The Earliest Christian Liturgical Sequence" (Reader 16)
b.	Eulogies
•	Form: “Blessed (Hebrew: bârûk = Greek: eulogêtos) be God who ... Amen.”
•	Origin: synagogue as response to the Shema and Scripture readings as an introduction to the 18 prayers of intercession that are called the Berakoth
•	Function: acknowledgment, proclamation and praise of God as the source of a blessing (in and through Jesus)
•	Occurrence in the NT
•	Spoken about God the Father: Luke 1:68-79; Rom 1:25; 2 Cor 1:3-4; 11:31; Eph 1:13-14; 1 Pet 1:3-5
•	Spoken about Jesus: Matt 21:9; 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; John 12:13; Rom 9:5
•	Use by the angels in Rev 5:13 and 7:12 (cf. Ps 103 20-22)

c.	Doxologies
•	Form: “To God ... glory (for ever and ever). Amen.”
•	Origin: song of the angels in Luke 2:13 (cf. Ps 29:9; Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8)
•	Function: proclamation and adoration of God together with the angels in his heavenly presence
•	Occurrence in the NT
•	Spoken about God (the Father): Luke 2:13; 9:38; Rom 11:36; Gal 1:5; Phil 4:20; 1 Tim 1:17; Rev 7:12; cf. 1 Pet 5:11; 1 Tim 6:16
•	Spoken about God the Father through Jesus: Rom 16:25-27; 1 Pet 4:11; Jude 25
•	Spoken about God the Father in Jesus and the church: Eph 3:21
•	Spoken about Jesus as Lord: 2 Tim 4:18; Heb 13:21; 2 Pet 3:18; Rev 1:5-6; cf. Phil 2:11
•	God and Jesus: Rev 5:13

d.	Hosanna 
•	Form: “Hosanna (to the Son of David/ in the highest)”
•	Origin: Messianic use of Ps 118: 25 at the Feast of Tabernacles
•	Function: acclamation of Jesus as Messiah present for the salvation of his people. It was originally an appeal for salvation: "Please save us" which was then used as a victory cry: "Salvation/ deliverance."
•	Occurrence in the NT: Matt 21:9, 15; Mark 11:9-10; 12:13
•	Translation: "Peace in heaven" (Luke 19:38) and "Salvation belongs to 
                    		our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb! (Rev 7:10)"

e.	Maranatha
•	Form: “Maranatha”
•	Origin: Aramaic church in Jerusalem or Antioch
•	Function: eucharistic prayer or proclamation
•	Occurrence: 1 Cor 16:22; Did 10:7
•	Translation: "Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev 22:17,20; cf. 22:7, 12,17,20) or "The Lord has come".

f.	Benedictory Greetings

(1)	Christological formula for the bestowal of grace
•	Form: “(The) grace (of our Lord Jesus Christ) with you (all who ...). Amen.”
•	Origin: introduction to the communion liturgy in the early church (?)
•	Function: bestowal of God's grace as a gift through the risen Lord Jesus
•	Occurrence: Rom 16:20; 1 Cor 16:23; Gal 6:18 (your spirit); Eph 6:24; Phil 4:23 (your spirit); Col 4:18; 1 Thess 5:28; 2 Thess 3:18; 1 Tim 6:21; 2 Tim 4:22; Tit 3:15; Philem 25 (your spirit); Heb 13:25; Rev 22:21.

(2)	Binitarian formula for the bestowal of grace and peace
•	Form: “Grace (to you) and peace (from God our Father) (and the Lord Jesus) (our saviour).”
•	Origin: introduction to the sermon in the early church (?)
•	Function: bestowal of divine grace and peace through the preaching of the apostolic word
•	Occurrence in the NT: Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3-5; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2 (Father); 1 Thess 1:1 (no source); 2 Thess 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2/2 Tim 1:2 (addition of mercy); Tit 1:4; Phil 3; 2 John 3 ('us' form with additions); Rev 1:4-5 (expanded).

(3)	Binitarian formula for the increase of grace and peace
•	Form: “Grace and peace (and love) be multiplied to you (in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord).”
•	Origin: introduction to sermon in early church (?)
•	Function: increase of divine grace and peace through the apostolic teaching
•	Occurrence in the NT: 1 Pet 1:2; 2 Pet 1:2; Jude 2.

(4)	Christological formula for the bestowal of peace
•	Form: “Peace to you (all in Christ).”
•	Origin
•	Secular Semitic greeting
•	Greeting of the risen Lord (Luke 24:36; John 20:19,21,26)
•	Function: bestowal of peace
•	Occurrence in the NT: Luke 24:36; John 20:19,21,26; 1 Pet 5:14; 3 John 15

(5)	Formula for the bestowal of the Christ and hiss assistance
•	Form: “The Lord (be) with you (all) /with your spirit.”
•	Origin: Christ's promise in Matt 28:20 and the word of the angel to Mary in Luke 1:28
•	Function: proclamation and bestowal of Christ's assistance as high priest in the divine service
•	Occurrence in the NT: Luke 1:28; 2 Thess 3:16; 2 Tim 4:22; cf. Rom 15:33; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9.

f.	Benedictions for the bestowal of divine blessings

See Rom 15:13,33; 2 Cor 13:11,14; Eph 6:23; Phil 4:7(?); 1 Thess 3:11-13; 5:23; 2 Thess 2:16-17; 3:5,16; Heb 13:20,21)

g.	Amen
•	Origin: congregational response in the temple and synagogue to a eulogy, or to an act of praise, or a blessing (Ps 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48; cf. Isa 65:16)
•	Function: congregational affirmation of faith in Jesus as its leader in doxology, praise, and prayer to God the Father (2 Cor 1:20; cf. Rev 3:14)
•	Translation: “Yes” (2 Cor 1:20) or “So shall it be” (Rev 1:7)
•	Occurrence and use after the following acts of speech in the NT
•	Doxology: Rom 9:5; 11:36; 16:27; Gal 1:5; Eph 3:21; Phil 4:20; 
			1 Tim 1:17; 6:16; Heb 13:21; 1 Pet 4:11; 5:11; Jude 25;
			Rev 1:6; 5:14; 7:12
•	Eulogy (“Blessed be..): Rom 1:25
•	Thanksgiving: 1 Cor 14:16
•	Praise: Rev 1:7; 19:4 (Hallelujah)
•	Performance of blessing: Rom 15:33; Gal 6:18; Phil 4:23; Heb 13:21,25
•	Prayer: Rev 22:20
•	Amen came to be used to end prayers because they usually ended with a doxology in the Early Church.