Bringing Life Into Liturgical Worship
Liturgy
- λειτουργία – work of the people or public service
- Listlessness – a lack of interest, energy, or spirit
- Let’s look at 8 ways we might help avoid liturgy listlessness
1.Use Technology
- PowerPoint, Keynote, Proclaim, ProPresenter, MediaShout, EasyWorship and others.
2. Use graphics that make Hebrew available as well as transliterations.
3. Mix it Up
- Keep the main thing the main thing, but vary what you do around your Torah service
4. Branch Out
- Learn new liturgical pieces and integrate them into your services
- Make small changes and not sweeping liturgical reform
- Shepherd your people into these changes a little at a time
- Difficult does not equal anointed
- Teach these in culture of context but keep it “Yeshua-centric”
5. Integrate Music Into Your Liturgy
- A cappella as well as instrumental
- Parading the Torah
- Flowing in between spoken text/prayers/Scripture and songs
- Change the familiar occasionally with a new melody (Micha mocha, V’Shamru, etc.)
6. It is the Work of the People… Use Your People!
- Use your congregation to do the liturgy, and not just staff/leadership
- Call people to Torah on a rotating basis – keep a record!
- Levitical priesthood was on a rotating basis… do the same here
7. Use the Nations and Languages
- Use people from the nations to aid in your liturgy
- Hebrew, English, Spanish, Russian, etc…
8. Practice Multigenerational Worship
- Involve your young people and college/university folks
- Use your singles as well
- Use your bar/bat mitzvah young people
Final thought:
Breathe life into it… for Liturgy is Worship!