A handy reference on liturgy

By Jamie Arpin-Ricci and ChristianWeek | February 12, 2010

Growing up attending an Evangelical Covenant Church in a small rural community in northwestern Ontario, the word "liturgy" was virtually unused. While I attended mass with my Roman Catholic grandmother on occasion—swept up by the beauty and mystery of it all—I lacked the deeper understanding necessary to more fully appreciate what was happening around me. While it was not easy to navigate at first, over time I slowly gleaned the necessary knowledge to understand this rich tradition.

In truth, all churches practice liturgy in some form or another. The word liturgy, after all, simply refers to the customs and practices of public worship. We may call it something different, such as an "order of service" or "worship time," but it is liturgy nonetheless.

However, when people use the word "liturgy," they are more often referring to the more formal rituals of the high church traditions, such as those found in Roman Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican churches. It is these historic pageants and practice that increasing numbers of evangelicals are being drawn to.

Drawn by the history, tapestry and unity of the liturgies, Christians of all stripes are incorporating practices into both their personal disciplines and congregational worship that have otherwise been foreign (even openly rejected) by their own traditions. This is a natural and even healthy movement, correcting the often over-compensating trends of rejection and fear so often attached the traditions out of which these liturgies come. It offers deep enrichment and historical continuity to an evangelicalism that too often thinks the Church began in the 16th (or even 19th) century.

However, this increasing fascination with the liturgical traditions is not without risk. Deeply influenced and shaped by the consumerism of our culture, many Christians are sampling from these liturgies with little understanding or respect for the wider context of the traditions that birthed them. By treating these liturgies as novelties, we misappropriate something sacred with casual, but harmful ignorance. Therefore, our need for greater awareness and understanding of these liturgies and the traditions of their origins has never been more critical.

That is why I was excited to discover a new resource: The Pocket Dictionary of Liturgy & Worship, by Brett Scott Provance. This small volume has more than 600 entries explaining the meaning behind a wide range of liturgical practices, prayers, vestments and more. It provides a helpful, even necessary glossary to begin our journey to better understand the richness and beauty of Christian liturgy.

It covers:
- practices such as altar calls and benedictions;
- rites including baptism and Eucharist;
- symbols like incense and doves;
- texts including the Book of Common Prayer and Apostolic Constitutions;
- gestures such as genuflection and kneeling;

and much more, including vestments, holy days an architectural features of churches.

This book is made for quick reference. It does not offer an in-depth study of the history of these traditions. However, anyone beginning to explore liturgy and worship will find this resource a helpful complement to deeper research.