Assembling The People

In both early Israel and the church, the assembly of the people is essential to worship. The act of assembling constitutes the ekklesia, the people of God, who come together in response to the Lord's call and celebrate communally Word and sacrament. This act of assembly begins by gathering together the people of God.

The worship assembly is the gathering of baptized Christians who, in response to God's call, come together at periodic but regular intervals to celebrate the liturgy of the church. The assembly of a local church is the subject of the liturgy; what the assembly does is the corporate action of worship. Worship assemblies are also events in the life of the church: they are Christian communities called to assembly. These events are not only regular meetings of the church for the central celebrations of Word and Eucharist but also for other liturgical occasions in the life of specific Christian communities. Worship assemblies can be understood as gatherings to celebrate the official liturgies of those churches that have authorized books of worship, but they can also refer to gatherings for worship that is not so clearly designated as the "official prayer of the church." In either case, gathering in assembly for worship at regular intervals constitutes an essential dimension of Christian life. There is no Christian church without assembly. The renewed interest in recent years in the worship assembly and the emphasis on the central role of assembling for worship in Christian identity and life is the fruit of the biblical and liturgical renewal movements of the earlier part of this century. During the 1950s, Roman Catholic scholars in particular explored the meaning and practice of assembling in an effort to overcome what they saw as the clericalizing tendencies within Roman Catholic worship and the lack of full participation of all members of the gathered church. Their research included a study of a biblical theology of the assembly (both Old and New Testament), early church theology and practice of assembling, and the fate of the assembly from the early church to the present time. Their judgment at mid-century was that a retrieval of a theology of the liturgical assembly was central to a renewal of Christian life in general and a renewal of the liturgy in particular. The impact of their research on Roman Catholic liturgical reforms cannot be underestimated, but it would be a mistake to suggest that their influence was limited to Roman Catholic practice alone. However, a systematic treatment of the liturgical assembly in the practice and theology across all the Christian denominations remains to be done. Biblical Theology In an effort to enlarge their understanding of the mystery of the church, biblical scholars and theologians of the first half of the twentieth century traced Christian images, structures, vocabulary, and liturgical practices to their Jewish antecedents. The examination of the New Testament term ekklesia led to studies of the Septuagint's use of ekklesia and synagoge and the Hebrew equivalents of qahal and edah. For those interested in the worship assembly, the Hebrew term qahal and the theology which developed around qahal were of primary interest. Thierry Maertens argues that the Hebrew Scriptures testify to a practice and a theology of the assembly that developed over a period of four centuries (seventh to third centuries bce), starting with the Deuteronomic reforms. During this time, both practice and theology were shaped by the religious, cultural, political, and historical factors influencing Israel's life. Maertens suggests that a distinctive character of Israel's solemn assemblies and a basic structure of the assembly event were sustained into the New Testament period. In his judgment, an emerging theology of assembly also helped Israel interpret its identity and God's intention for its people. This theology included past events, present experience, and future promise. The assembly of Israel was a divine convocation: God took the initiative and called together a disparate crowd, making them one. God was the great assembler (Jer. 23:3; 29:14), although various personages throughout Israel's history called the assembly together in God's name (Num. 16:3, 8–11). The people thus created were the assembly of God, the qahal YHWH. There was an intimate connection between the act of assembling and the identity of the people. In their solemn assemblies Israel could take cognizance of itself as a people called by God: the qahal YHWH. In this sense, the assembly could be understood as the gathering of the people themselves. It was in their physically coming together that their identity as God's assembly was instilled and strengthened. Their identity was tied to God and God's intention for them; God's holiness was communicated to them in the assembly (Lev. 24:16; Num. 19:20). Formative events in the life of Israel, such as the Sinai covenant, evidenced a theology of the assembly. The whole Sinai event could be seen as the "Day of Assembly" (Deut. 4:10; 9:10; 10:4; 18:16). God gathered the people together by means of a word (Deut. 4:10) in order to proclaim a word to them (Deut. 9:10). The Scriptures not only testified to God's action in history; they constituted the divine presence in the local assembly. The dynamic of the assembly was call and response; it was an event of encounter. God initiated the assembly and the community responded by gathering, by listening, and by making a response in the form of a profession of faith, a sacrifice, or prayers of blessing and thanksgiving. Covenant relationships were renewed through solemn liturgical assemblies. The assembly as event in the life of the people had a clear structure and organization. The Scriptures were central, as was instruction in the Scriptures in the later postexilic assemblies. After the response of the assembly to the Scriptures, dismissals constituted a final structural element of the assembly. Dismissals had a dual purpose. They marked the boundary between the solemn assembly and the rest of the life of the people. Second, they sent the people back to their daily tasks imbued with a moral imperative to carry out the exigencies of the covenant or to rejoice in the knowledge of what God had done (1 Kings 8:66; Josh. 24:28; 2 Chron. 7:10; 31:1). The issue of who was allowed to participate in the solemn assemblies was a matter of considerable importance. Especially in the Deuteronomic period, the call to assembly was notably inclusive; the assembly was ecumenical in nature: God's call was ultimately universal. Experiences of exile and growing nationalistic tendencies modified practices and theology of inclusion and exclusion (cf. Lev. 21:18; 2 Sam. 5:8; Neh. 10:31). Particularly under priestly influence, notions of distinction, separation, holiness, and uncleanness were brought to bear. Once again stressing God's universal call, the prophetic literature reintroduced the inclusive nature of the liturgical assembly (Jer. 23:3; 29:14). The prophets portrayed God as shepherd, gathering the peoples and leading them to good pasture (Mic. 2:12; 4:6; Ezek. 11:17; 34:13). The prophets also added an eschatological emphasis to their theology of assembly. Solemn liturgical assemblies were understood as signs of the definitive assembly that is yet to take place. In the final section of Isaiah, to be part of the assembly even then was to be a part in sign and in action of God's intention to gather all peoples. Research into the New Testament reveals that Jesus redefined and reinterpreted the theology of the assembly, as did the early Christian community. Jesus now became the "great assembler"; he is the true shepherd calling all, particularly the lost, to good pasture. His ministry was especially to those who were excluded from assemblies and/or places of assembly or given secondary status in them—those with physical ailments, sinners, and whole classes of people such as women, children, and pagans. It was to these that Jesus reached out often for their inclusion in the assemblies. The blind and lame were healed, frequently in the temple surroundings; the banquet parables repeatedly stressed the inclusion of all; women and children were noticeably included in the gatherings around Jesus. Jesus' own person became the new focus of the assembly, replacing the temple and other cultic places as the gathering place of the assembly (Matt. 23:37–39). While the revelation of God in the assembly was always a central element of the assembly, within the Christian dispensation Jesus the Christ was God's new word of disclosure. In the Christian assembly God's presence is communicated in both Word and in sign, most fully in the eucharistic sign of eating and drinking. Christian Assemblies Apostolic and postapostolic accounts suggest that the early church understood itself as the continuation of Israel in general and of the qahal YHWH in particular. A typological reading of the Hebrew scriptures allowed the apostolic church to see itself as the new "people of God," "a chosen race," "a holy nation," "a people set apart." The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew qahal YHWH, ekklesia tou Theou, with its rich heritage described above, was applied to the whole Christian people and its assembly, while the term epi to auto (gathering together in one place) also became a technical term for Christian assemblies of prayer. Gregory Dix suggests that until the third century the word ekklesia (church) was used to refer not to the building for worship but to the "solemn assembly for the liturgy, and by extension those who have a right to take part in this" (The Shape of the Liturgy [Westminster: Dacre Press, 1945], 19). The apostolic church also took over the eschatological meaning of the assembly. Just as the final assembly gathers all peoples from all nations and overcomes all divisions, so too must the Christian assembly show forth these characteristics, even if imperfectly. The most obvious difference of Christian assemblies was, of course, the centrality of Christ. Their prayer was in and through Christ, and their liturgies were in memorial of the saving action of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. At the earliest stage of church life, the leadership of the assemblies was tied to witness to the risen Christ. In the post-apostolic period, numerous church orders, accounts of the martyrs, and patristic writings indicate that gathering in assembly stood at the heart of ecclesial life. To be a Christian was to be one who assembled, and this assembly had a profoundly social character. The body of Christ was built up by each one's presence and diminished by each one's absence. Individual faith was nourished and strengthened in these gatherings, and the prayer of the whole body gathered into one voice had an efficacy beyond that of individual prayer. All had a responsibility to attend and to encourage other members to do so as well. The Sunday assembly took on greater prominence in the post-apostolic period, and its meaning was developed. The preeminence of Sunday rested on the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week. Sunday became the "Lord's Day" and the "Day of the Resurrection." It was also the first and eighth day, the day of the new creation inaugurated in Christ and the eschatological sign of the world to come. Characteristics of the Assembly As well as retrieving the biblical and early church foundations for a theology of the worshiping assembly, liturgical scholars of this century also outlined abiding characteristics of the assembly and its relationship with ecclesial life. An important methodological move was to consider the assembly in light of its relationship to the church. The conclusion of the worshiping scholars studying this issue at mid-century was that the assembly, like the church, can be considered in the realm of mystery. In other words, it is a theological reality rooted in God's call and sustained by God's grace. While the church precedes and supersedes the liturgical assembly, the assembly is a sign and manifestation of the church. Through the actual gathering in assembly for worship, the church actualizes itself in its essential nature. Although the life of the church encompasses more than its gathering for worship, the action of gathering into assembly for worship is so tied to ecclesial identity that A.-G. Martimort can say that there is no church without assembly ("Dimanche, assemblée et paroisse." La Maison Dieu 57 [1959]: 58). Assembling for worship is constitutive of the church's being; it is the church in action, becoming itself and expressing the fullness of its being. If the worship assembly is a sign and manifestation of the church, then what characterizes the church in its apostolic ministry characterizes the assembly as well. The assembly, like the church, is a sign of salvation. The assembly nourishes and builds the faith of the baptized, but it also is a sign to those outside the baptized community of the unity and charity of all in God. Like the assembly of Israel, to participate in the assembly is to participate in God's mission, now seen through the life and mission of Christ Jesus, of gathering all into one. At another level, to claim that the assembly manifests the church means that the particular structure and organization of the church will be manifest in the assembly. It is the consensus of liturgical scholarship that the worship assembly is a united but differentiated body. Not all members do the same thing, but all members have an essential role to play in the celebration of the liturgy. While this general statement can be made across all Christian communions, the actual assignment of roles and responsibilities within the assembly will be related to the actual ordering of a particular church and to its theology of ministry. While recognizing the many differences on ministry and order that still remain among the Christian churches, it is fair to say that the scholarship on the worship assembly helped to focus contemporary efforts in liturgical renewal on a new role for liturgical ministers and more enhanced participation of the entire assembly. Particularly for the churches that had succumbed to a clericalization of the liturgy, this scholarship pointed to the need for worship ministers to focus their attention on the assembly as well as on the unfolding of the rites. A.-G. Martimort was particularly responsible for reclaiming the ordained minister's role as "president" or "presider" of the assembly. By situating the ordained celebrant as leader, facilitator, or mediator within a community of active participants, both the communal nature of the assembly and the communal nature of the liturgy are maintained. The revival of ancient ministries of lector or reader and the creation of new ministries (such as that of lay eucharistic ministers) has broken the presiding celebrant's hold on liturgical ministries and has opened those ministries to many more of the Christian faithful, both women and men. Investigation of individual church practices would reveal distinct legislation on the participation of the laity in these ministries as well as a possible distinction between women and men in some ministries. Some scholars have suggested that entrance into the assembly and departure from it makes stringent demands on the participants. Because the assembly is a sign of the eschatological gathering of all into unity and charity, actual Christian assemblies need to reflect that unity in concrete ways. Accordingly, participants are challenged to set aside the prejudices and biases that mark daily life and allow the promised grace to transform their behavior and attitudes. More recent scholarship has addressed this issue in terms of justice. Our liturgical gatherings must be manifestations of just relationships or we risk losing the authenticity of our worship. On the other hand, the vision and patterns of justice expressed in assembly must be carried beyond the confines of the assembly into every aspect of life. Function of Liturgical Assemblies It is clear from what has been said above that recent liturgical scholarship places great emphasis on the necessity for worship assemblies for the very existence of the church. However it is possible to explore more deliberately the function of such assemblies in the life of the Christian people. Liturgical assemblies are events where the Christian community responds to God's call, expresses its faith, and celebrates its salvation in Christ Jesus and the power of the Spirit. Thus it can be said that Christians have a right to assembly for worship and a right to the eucharistic assembly as the preeminent assembly to which all others are ordered. This challenges all churches to overcome any obstacles that would inhibit the gathering of the community or the celebration of its central mystery. Worship assemblies are also events that continually shape the faith of the baptized and form the faith of those seeking to join the community. This implies that individual Christians can expect both presence and active participation in the liturgical assemblies. The communal nature of the assembly and the liturgy demands them; the faith of the participants is nourished or impoverished by them. This challenges the churches to address the quality of their assemblies and to consider the role of assembling in the formation of new members. Finally, by insisting on the relationship between participation in the worship assembly and Christian identity, churches must consider whether the actual practice of the church supports such extravagant claims. If not, they must consider what changes at the level of liturgical praxis and catechesis would enable such a conviction to take root once again. Conclusions While the impetus for the research into the liturgical assembly arose from a specific pastoral concern of the Roman Catholic church, the fruit of this research has much to offer all Christian churches in their current efforts at liturgical renewal. There is need, however, for each denomination to review its own history and explore the fate of the assembly within its own specific context. More constructive work on the theology of the assembly also needs to be done. As in all cases, there are no liturgical concerns that are not ecclesial concerns. A theology of the liturgical assembly and its actual organization, structure, and practice will be conditioned by the particular ecclesiology of the church gathering. At the same time, the actual practice of liturgical assembling will shape the faith and identity of the church. The liturgy of the Eucharist is best understood as a journey or procession. It is the journey of the church into the dimension of the kingdom.… Our entrance into the presence of Christ is an entrance into a fourth dimension that allows us to see the ultimate reality of life. It is not an escape from the world, rather it is the arrival at a vantage point from which we can see more deeply into the reality of the world. The journey begins when Christians leave their homes and beds. They leave, indeed, their life in this present and concrete world, and whether they have to drive fifteen minutes or walk a few blocks, a sacramental act is already taking place, an act that is the very condition of everything else that is to happen. For they are now on their way to constitute the church, or to be more exact, to be transformed into the church of God. They have been individuals, some white, some black, some poor, some rich, they have been the "natural" world and a natural community. And now they have been called to "come together in one place," to bring their lives, their very "world" with them and to be more than they were: a new community with a new life. We are already far beyond the categories of common worship and prayer. The purpose of this "coming together" is not simply to add a religious dimension to the natural community, to make it "better"—more responsible, more Christian. The purpose is to fulfill the church, and that means to make present the One in whom all things are at their end, and all things are at their beginning.