Worship Dialogue

In our worship you are likely to hear our worship leaders say things unique to Christian worship and to our congregation. Some may sound a little dated or passé, but these connect us in a unique way with our spiritual ancestors and with Christians around the world. In FirstLight we try to project everything someone in the congregation needs in order to participate in worship; in our 11 AM service we try to get everything in print in the Guide to Worship. These elements happen so fast and often so spontaneously that we felt the need to give a brief description here. Below are a couple of possibilities, with suggestions for how to respond to them.

Following a Bible reading, the reader might say something like, “The word of the Lord.” A good response to this is a hearty, “Thanks be to God!” On some special occasions you may hear after a reading from one of the gospels, “The gospel of our Lord.” The response to that is, “Praise be to you, Lord Christ.” The exact wording is not as important as the listener giving their assent to what they have heard.

At almost any moment you may hear “The Lord be with you.” The customary response is, “And also with you.” What follows may be a prayer or simply an announcement. A friend once called this exchange the “holy attention-getter!” (Actually Debi T. called it the "holy shut-up," but that was in the context of dealing with 170 second- third-, fourth and fifth-graders at summer music camp!!) Another friend described her experience of trying, while eating, to mumble her response, in “mid-munch.” Finish your bite or sip if it comes to that! There's no such thing as a "holy spew!"

At almost any time one of the leaders may say, “Praise the Lord!” The best response to that is a loud, “Amen!” Learn to do that on a dime, and your evangelical and charismatic church-y friends will be amazed!

We've not tried this one at BMPCNC, but it's common in African-American congregations:
Leader: God is good.
Everyone: All the time.
Leader: All the time.
Everyone: God is good.
I've been tempted to try that with our congregation, and may yet. But if ever find yourself at worship with African-Americans, you're liable to hear that exchange.

When passing the peace, greeting each other, one person may say something like, “The peace of Christ be with you.” The other person responds with something along the lines of, “And also with you.” Handshakes and hugs are very common with this exchange, but are certainly not required.

Your involvement in our worship is vital; it’s what makes worship come alive. Your worship leaders hope these tips will help you feel more at ease with what takes place during worship, and enable you to participate to the fullest.

Lenten Observance: Alleluia

For years I have, as musician, followed the tradition of suspending or at least reducing use of the word "alleluia" in worship music during the season of Lent. No one generally except perhaps the choristers knew it was happening. However, during Lent the congregational songs and the choral music did not include the word "alleluia" at least in its most festive expression. It would return with renewed vigor on Easter Day.

It's certainly not a part of Presbyterian tradition nor even of the larger Reformed tradition. However, this suspension of the use of "alleluia" does connect us with parts of the larger Christian tradition and can deepen our appreciation of the nature of the Lenten season.

There are a couple of links ( here and here) that give great detail about the history of the liturgical act of suspending "alleluias" during Lent. From the United Methodist and Lutheran traditions these can be helpful for us Presbyterians to understand this aspect of our worship in the upcoming season.

This Sunday in our worship, there will be many "alleluias" said and sung. With the help of our children, we'll pack them away near the end of the service. We'll have some home-made banners and a box to help us pack away the alleluias. They'll be back at Easter!

Blessing and Open House

The Barker family had a short liturgy this afternoon to bless their new home. That was followed with an open house for the whole church family and neighbors. It was tremendous! For the liturgy we walked around the whole house and shared readings and a prayer for various rooms. Bob Ratchford and Kevin Frederick did a fine job leading us in the liturgy and around the home. Once the formalities were out of the way, food and drink flowed for the church family to help celebrate! There was a huge crowd for the open house. It was wonderful to see so many new church friends. So many folks here had been curious about Barker's Folly, we thought it would just be easiest to invite everyone over to see for themselves! Special thanks go to Charlotte S. and Ellen F. who helped with final preparations, and who helped keep food and drink moving; also Alice S. who worked the punch bowl later in the afternoon. And thanks to all the choir singers who brought tons of food! It was a wonderful spread. We are blessed with a wonderfully caring church family, who have outdone themselves in kindness today. One highlight must be mentioned: the impromptu concert by a spontaneously formed youth choir (on their way to youth conference at Montreat) was a truly moving experience. I'm not sure when I have heard a more "stirring" rendition of "Jesus Loves Me!"