Methodist Worship

The Methodist movement, led by John and Charles Wesley, began in the Church of England in the eighteenth century and spread beyond England and the Church of England into America. Born in the revival fires of Wesley, Methodist worship remained respectful of its Anglican roots and expressed the warmth of the presence of the Holy Spirit, which infused its worship with enthusiasm and joy. This warmth found expression in gospel song and evangelistic worship which gave shape not only to Methodist worship but also worship in numerous independent evangelical associations and local churches. The United Methodist Church has been impacted by the liturgical renewal, and now in its publications and new hymnal urges congregations to adopt the fourfold model of worship.

The Basic Pattern The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989 A SERVICE OF WORD AND TABLE I A congregation may use this text for the entire service. Parts of the service marked in brackets [ ] are optional. Entrance/Gathering In the United Methodist tradition we see our gathering for worship as a statement of the grace of God at work in us and in our world. The church gathers in answer to the prior action of God's grace. Worship is social, and as we prepare for it we are particularly aware of our community. We see our friends and greet them. We take a moment to catch up on the latest news. Children seek out the friends they hope to sit with during worship. More often than not the organ music serves as background music for the hive of activity as the community prepares for the hour ahead. Some churchgoers find this raucous form of gathering to be inappropriate, even irreverent. But we appreciate this time to bring our relationships, our social identity, before the altar of God. Wherever the Spirit comes there is a stir. Greeting Worship is ordered by the very presence of God, and so the pastor greets the congregation in the name of the Lord. This can be formal or informal, but it is important to set the context for worship: we are human beings who have come before the presence of the living Christ. The holy God is in our midst. And our response to God is praise and thanksgiving and supplication. And so we worship. This greeting time is an important place to interpret worship to the congregation. Once worship has begun, we should avoid the temptation to talk continually about what we are doing. But it can be very helpful, at this point, to be reminded that our time of worship is ordered by God's presence. Any announcements and prayer requests can be made at this time. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. And also with you. The risen Christ is with us. Praise the Lord! The following (or a prayer of the day) is offered: Opening Prayers and Praise The opening of worship is always in a major key. Here we confidently proclaim the goodness of our God: we look to the Father's faithfulness, Christ's majesty, the Holy Spirit's nearness. Opening prayers and responses may often speak of the human needs that our God addresses, but the primary focus at this point in the service is on God's being. Opening hymns should be brisk and objective (rather than subjective). Other ways of representing God's glory are appropriate at this time, including processional banners, crosses, and candles. As helpful as liturgical art can be, however, it should never be so overwhelming or intrusive that it becomes an end in itself; God must always be the focus of our wonder and praise. Good liturgical art grabs our attention and directs it at God. It should be straightforward and thoroughly integrated into the pattern of worship itself. Almighty God, To you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Act of Praise/Proclamation and Response/Scripture The Word of God orders our worship. The Word isn't a matter of proposition only, but of presence: the Book is always in the hands of the Master even as we hold it in our hands. We proclaim the Word through readings from the Old and New Testaments. Readings may be few or many, long or short. They should be read with clarity and understanding and with a sense of reverence. In striving to make worship "comfortable" we are sometimes tempted to paraphrase or "retell" passages of Scripture. This practice patronizingly assumes that the rough edges of Scripture are too offensive for the congregation; it deprives worship of its "objective" focus in God's activity and plunges it into a muddle of subjectivism. Scripture should be discussed in the sermon. Scripture may be used creatively at other points in the service, for example, as prayers and response. The Word addresses us through Scripture, but these words also direct our address of God. Prayer for Illumination Lord, open our hears and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen. Scripture Lesson [Psalm] May be sung or spoken. Scripture Lesson/Hymn or Song/Gospel Lesson/Sermon The Word must always be proclaimed. The proclaimed Word is appropriate to the field and streets, but always in the church. And it is the task of the preacher to make Christ known to the congregation. Preaching is integral to the sacramental presence; it is a means by which God draws us into his presence. Sermons should be engaging communication, but they are not essentially entertainment. The job of the preacher is to bring God's Word to the doorsteps of our lives. The job of the listener is not to critique the sermon, but to listen for God's Word to herself or himself. Response to the Word Our response to God's Word will be both ritualized and spontaneous, personal and social. The order of worship moves us to review our lives as framed by the Word: as individuals (How is God's redeeming work being carried on in my life?), our life as a church (How are we as people being sanctified and bringing God's holiness into the word?), and as members of the human race (What are the needs set before us in God's love?). Having drawn near to God, we find ourselves better able to love the world that Christ so loves. Response to the Word may include a creed (though this may also be used as a summary of Scripture), concerns and prayers, confession, pardon, and the peace. In addition to personal confession we confess our sins as a church. The congregation offers pardon to the pastor even as the pastor offers Christ's pardon to the people. Silent prayer is particularly effective at this time in that it gives people an opportunity for spontaneous and deeply personal response. Response may include one or more of the following acts: "¢ Invitation to Christian discipleship, followed by a hymn of invitation or of response, or a baptism or confirmation hymn "¢ Baptism, confirmation, reaffirmation of faith, or other reception of members "¢ The following or another creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Concerns and Prayers Brief intercessions, petitions, and thanksgivings may be prayed by the leader, or spontaneously by members of the congregation. To each of these, all may make a common response, such as: "Lord, hear our prayer." Or, a litany of intercession and petition may be prayed. Or, a pastoral prayer may be prayed. Invitation Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another. Confession and Pardon Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All pray in silence.

Leader to People:

Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us. People to leader: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! People to leader: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Leader and People: Glory to God. Amen.

The Peace. Let us offer one another signs of reconciliation and love.

All exchange signs and words of God's peace.

Offering As we make our offering to God, we offer our lives as well as our tithes. And so we move toward the Lord's Table, where our offerings to God meet God's offering to us in Jesus Christ. At the Table of the Lord we offer our gifts to God and receive them back again transformed by God's holiness. Wesley emphasized this connection between our worship and our daily work when he said "make all you can, save all you can, give all you can." As forgiven and reconciled people, let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God. A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung as the offering is received. The bread and wine are brought by representatives of the people to the Lord's Table with the other gifts, or uncovered if already in place. A hymn, doxology, or other response may be sung as the gifts are presented. If a Great Thanksgiving other than that which follows here is to be used,the service proceeds with "A Service of Word and Table III." Otherwise, the service continues as follows: Thanksgiving and Communion Communion has often been a somber affair focused primarily on our unworthiness (this we inherited in part through the influences of Cranmer's liturgy and Pietism). As it becomes a more regular element in our Sunday worship, it reflects the range of tones appropriate to the seasons of the church year: it can be somber; it can be festive; it can be appreciative; it can emphasize Christ's sacrifice or Christ's resurrection; it can emphasize our need for God or our union with God. Taking the Bread and Cup The pastor takes the bread and cup, and the bread and wine are prepared for the meal. Great Thanksgiving The prayer of thanksgiving can be varied according to the liturgical season, but its substance remains the same: we address the Father with gratitude for the mighty works of salvation; we remember the Son and his great sacrifice of love for us and pray its work upon us and in us. We call upon the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. United Methodists have been particularly sensitive to issues of gender and language about God. But the formal liturgy of the church retains the formative ancient economy of prayer: to the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Alternative forms of address (such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer) that do not clearly articulate the relationship of persons in the triune God are not recommended in the formal liturgy. This prayer is not only read, it is dramatized in the gestures of the pastor. The pastor stretches out her hands in gratitude; she holds up the bread and the cup as the prayer continues and offers them across the table to the hungry congregation; she holds out her hands over the elements and the gathered community as the Spirit is called upon. The prayer alternates between the recitation of God's great works and our response as God's people to them. Congregational responses, including the Sanctus, the Acclamation, and the Amen, may be sung as a way of highlighting their responsive character. The musical settings on pages 17–25 (The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989) may be used if desired. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen. Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer is never a private prayer. The prayer directs us to "our" Father. And as we come before "our Father," we are made aware of the needs of the kingdom. Even before Communion we are not allowed to think only about ourselves. The pastor says: And now, with the confidence of children of God, let us pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. Breaking of the Bread and Giving the Bread and the Cup United Methodists (in the tradition of the Wesleys) are prodigal in their invitation: children are invited to the Lord's Supper; sincere seekers (baptized or unbaptized) are encouraged to come. Let them all come and meet the Lord their God. The congregation comes forward to receive the Communion meal at Christ's invitation. In doing so we present ourselves to Christ. This is the altar call of the early church, and our movement from pew to altar and back again is a crucial means of confirming our commitment to God with gratitude and loving humility. It is one way we open our lives to Christ's continuing work of sanctifying love. We receive by kneeling or standing (this depends, in part, on the mood and focus of the service) but the physical act of coming forward is crucial to our understanding of this meal. The pastor breaks the bread in silence, or while saying: Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ. The pastor lifts the cup in silence, or while saying: The cup over which we give thanks is a sharing in the blood of Christ. Giving the Bread and Cup The bread and wine are given to the people, with these or other words being exchanged: The body of Christ, given for you. Amen. The blood of Christ, given for you. Amen. The congregation sings hymns while the bread and cup are given. When all have received, the Lord's Table is put in order. The following prayer is then offered by the pastor or by all: Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Sending Forth/Dismissal. The dismissal is full of expectation. We go forth as Christ's people to a world which he is already redeeming and sanctifying; a world in which much remains to be done. It is never enough to be sent out with a blessing; we are sent as a blessing to the world. Hymn or Song Dismissal with Blessing Go forth in peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.