Beloved saints in Christ, grace and peace to you.
Recently, I’ve been contemplating the significance of liturgy. Every Sunday, as we gather to praise the Lord, the liturgical order of worship serves as a thermometer, its outward sequence helping me to regulate the inward order of my life. A few years ago, as a staunch individualist, I felt uncomfortable with church liturgy. I equated “free” worship with “self-directed” worship, believing that genuine freedom meant acting solely on my own volition, letting everything flow spontaneously from within. I recall a time when Elder Xue shared his thoughts with the choir. He pointed out that the biggest challenge we faced in singing was the influence of popular music on our individual styles, making it difficult to blend our voices as one. Outwardly, this manifested as a lack of melodic unity; inwardly, it revealed a lack of unity in the order of our lives.
Popular music emphasizes the expression of unique personal experiences. Everyone has their own flair, their own embellishments. Public worship, however, is a journey of finding true freedom through the discipline of self-denial. When we worship God as individuals, our self-centeredness often goes unnoticed. We become the presider, the speaker, and the congregation all at once. Our worship may seem deeply moving, but only because we are in complete control. Consequently, it becomes difficult to discern whether our emotions stem from genuine surrender before God or from our own personal preferences and stylistic choices. This is precisely why even saints in the prosaic sense of the word need public worship. The word “liturgy” originally meant “the work of the people”—the collective acts of worship performed when we gather on the Lord’s Day. Humans and animals alike experience birth, mating, and death. However, for humans, merely “experiencing” these events is not enough; we need to “express” them. Liturgical worship is the outward expression of the soul towards her King. Why does a bride walk slowly down the aisle? Why do we dim the lights when blowing out birthday candles? It’s not because someone is reluctant or sorrowful. It’s because the joy and dignity of life in those moments demand to be showcased.
Nothing necessitates a more meticulous, solemn, and collective expression than the worship of God. True freedom in worship is when a dozen voices in the choir blend into a multifaceted yet unified sound. It’s when the breath of each singer flows as if the Holy Spirit is breathing within them simultaneously. It’s when each person overcomes their individualistic tendencies, relinquishing self-centeredness, and through service, collaboration, submission, and mutual care, they sing a song of perfect harmony. In that moment, every choir member will cry out with joy, “I am finally free!”
Without worshiping alongside others, we remain ignorant of the cruciform nature of worship. When a husband and wife join hands in prayer, praise, and Scripture reading,
when a mother and child overcome generational gaps and relinquish control to draw near to God and to each other through prayer and worship at the dinner table or on the sofa, they too will exclaim, “We are finally free!”
The collaborative work of believers is worship within fellowship. When you and your fellow workers are refined through service, gradually conforming to the image of Christ, you too will rejoice, proclaiming, “I am finally free!”
Brothers and sisters, I thank God for you and for myself. For true freedom can only be experienced in Christ, within the Church, and among the saints. Therefore, remember this: if you must argue, argue with your brothers and sisters in Christ, for disputes with unbelievers are ultimately unprofitable. Some may say that liturgy seems lifeless and rigid. But I would argue that if you cannot reconcile with your brother or sister before partaking in communion; if you are solely absorbed in your own world of emotional fervor; that is what truly lacks life. Even your joy carries the stench of death. It is not liturgical worship that needs to die; it is you, as a worshiper of the Lord Jesus, who needs to come alive. Worship devoid of liturgy is impoverished worship. It may have outward excitement, but it is merely a collection of individualistic expressions. For faith is not a solo performance; faith is joining the entire cosmic choir.
In Him,
Your servant in Christ,
Wang Yi
March 25, 2010
