Sunday worship is a rich mosaic of word and song, movement and gesture, symbol and ritual, silence and stillness. Some parts may be familiar and some not - but all are done with intention and purpose, which is to say that there is a deeper meaning behind everything we do. To give you a window into this meaning, we offer a brief question and answer.

Why, in the liturgy, do we always pray for needs beyond our own?
We hear from 1st Peter that the church is a "royal priesthood" (2:9). Part of our baptismal vocation is to bear to God the needs of the world even as we bear to the world the presence and love of God for the broken. Throughout the New Testament, the church is charged to pray for everyone, even our enemies. In the liturgy, such intercessory prayer takes place following scripture and sermon. This sequence is important. Our "priestly" acts are made in obedient response to what we hear from God through God's Word. Usually, such prayer is focused in the Prayers of Intercession with provision for the assembly to respond following each intercession. Such responses are an important means for making this the prayers of the people rather than the prayer of the pastor. Sometimes the intercessions are included in the Great Thanksgiving before Eucharist. This alternative is an ancient practice and reminds us that the meal we share is not for some "in" group but is to be the feast where God will gather all the world's needy and wounded. Thus, our eating always moves us to see those not yet present who must be loved and served in Jesus' name.

Why do we say "Amen" at the end of prayers?
This Hebrew word can be translated as "surely" or "so be it" though it has always been voiced in the liturgy as an English transliteration. Historically, the increasing role of the clergy over the laity in the medieval church led to the loss of this word on the lips of the people and their marginalization as a priestly people. Therefore, one of the most important ways the congregation has recovered its active role in worship is when it affirms what has been prayed in the liturgy on its behalf. In addition to being the assembly’s response to the prayers, the "Amen" voices the congregation’s assent at blessings, baptism, anointing, and the reception of communion.

Why do we have processions in the liturgy?
A procession is an orderly and meaningful movement of persons that reveals our identity as the people of God. Processions evoke the memory of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt, their wilderness journey, and Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Processions help us recall that we are a pilgrim people. Typically, the liturgy has three processions: one at the entrance, at the presentation of eucharistic gifts, and at the communion of the people. Special liturgies will sometimes heighten the meaning of these processions as on Passion/Palm Sunday. Some liturgies add to the number of processions and thereby intensify the meaning of the occasion such as at the Great Vigil of Easter. Participating in a process invites us to express with our bodies the truth of our earthly sojourn anticipating our ultimate destination, the presence of the Triune God.

Why do we have times of "silence" in the liturgy?
We live in a world saturated with noise. In a culture that surrounds us with sound, the church gathers to hear God’s voice in song, scripture, sermon, and prayer. We also gather to listen to the Holy Spirit and respond from our hearts. Silence is the space which the liturgy provides for this to take place. Aidan Kavanagh speaks of silence as "the thunderous quiet of people communicating that which escapes being put into mere words." Gail Ramshaw reflects that "Christian silence is meditation beyond words, when ... we rest, and like Jacob asleep, allow God to come down the ladder into our quiet space and bless us." In our worship, silence is provided at the time of confession, following the sermon, during the intercessions, and after all have been fed from the table. Learning to engage silence requires that we make adjustments - but we are blessed if we try because it can become an oasis of stillness and silence for communion with God. Consider: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10); "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him!" (Habakkuk 2:20.

Why do we "bury" the alleluias at the start of Lent?
What we do with alleluias only makes sense in context with the larger meaning of Lent. So let's start there. Lent arrives each year as the earth prepares to awaken from its winter slumber. So, too, does the church prepare itself for renewal in the springtime of Christ's resurrection. Lent is about the church recovering its center in the dying and rising of Christ and it's about preparing candidates being called by God to baptismal waters. In short, we all learn again how deep is our hunger for God. Marking this spiritual journey are faith practices: communion with God, restraint from excess, and generous sharing. We know these by the names of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. When we bury alleluias at the start of Lent, we begin a "fast" from using a word which is pungent with the fragrance of Easter. Like seed planted in the soil, we put away our alleluias for that time (at the Great Vigil) when their return to the liturgy trumpets the glory of the resurrection. Thus, on Transfiguration Sunday, we sing an entire feast of alleluias and, then, with reverence and joy, place them in a coffin for 40 days.

Why do those reading scripture say, "Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church?"
Instead of giving information about the reading (i.e. book, chapter and verses already provided in the worship aid), lectors (readers) address the meaning of what we are doing together. This statement is theological because it affirms our belief that Triune God continues to speak in the present time through the Holy Spirit. So we are bid to "listen." This moves scripture reading beyond a mere recitation of ancient words. Rather, it is an epiphany (manifestation of audible grace) shining forth in the Word read and proclaimed. Thus, the lector begins with a strong verb - "HEAR"- as a summons for us all to attend to this still-speaking God.

What is a "Lector?"
"Lector" is a Latinized word that means "reader." The church uses this world for the ones who are assigned to read the scriptures in worship. While it might be simpler to use "reader," the church often, as in this case, uses more peculiar words because it wants people to understand that there is something deeper going on. And here is the deeper thing: lectors do not simply read for the gathered community, they serve the gathered assembly a meal of the Word with their voices, their hearts, even their bodies. Thus, lectoring is one of the many ministries without which our worship would be impoverished.

Why are the communion servers ("Eucharistic Ministers") and Presider served the bread and wine last after the congregation?
In a "me-first" culture where so many jockey to claim a place for themselves, the church witnesses to a strange truth. The "abundant life" given us in Christ does not consist in being served but in serving, in diakonia. In serving others before being served ourselves, worship leaders model the servant leadership of Jesus himself.

Why do people touch the water when they pass by the font?
When the great reformer Martin Luther awakened to God's magnificent grace it involved making a connection between the love of God and sacramental meaning. Luther came to declare, "I am baptized!" rather than "I was baptized." Baptism for Luther became his life long comfort because it recalled him again and again amidst a difficult life to the truth of his grace-filled identity as a child of God. When we touch the water in the font, we feel with our skin what we hold in our hearts, that we, too, are God's beloved claimed by grace. Thanks be to God!

Why do we pour water in the font?
The ancients regarded flowing water as living water. Standing water was known to become stagnant; flowing water was a habitat for life. When water is poured in the liturgy, we hear the sound of God's baptismal grace and see anew the water that sustains life on earth and our life with God. This importance of water in the liturgy is expressed in the PCUSA's document Invitation to Christ*: "Water that can be seen and heard . . . brings to our attention our baptismal identity as God's own, to our ongoing need for grace, and to our calling into lives of discipleship."

(*Invitation to Christ: A Guide to Sacramental Practices. Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2006, p. 11.)

Why do we sing the Song of Simeon at the end of the liturgy?
Like John Calvin in Strasbourg (1545), we use Simeon's song (see Luke 2:29-32) because it equips us with words of trust which train our hearts in faith. The connection between these words and the end of the liturgy is significant. As we "depart" worship and "enter" the world to serve, we do so having formed in us a quiet confidence that all our comings and goings (even death, which is our final departure) rest in God's peace. It is this connection with the peace of Christ that Simeon's song is meant to make. Christ's peace, exchanged between us in the liturgy, always accompanies us following the liturgy where we are called to serve. Thanks be to God!

Why do we gather around the font for the confession of sin?
We love God because God first loved us. As the people of God, we assemble for worship filled with baptismal confidence. We believe God moves toward us before we are ever able to step toward God. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, we come to God in baptism because God has drawn us through the Spirit. Knowing we are God's own and washed in love, we are able to approach the time of confession in honesty and vulnerability.

Why do we process the cross, the Bible, and the water at the start of each service?
When the church meets for worship, it gathers around those symbols that speak of our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ. The cross is one of the most ancient symbols speaking to us of Christ's self-giving death. The Bible is our story book, the treasured book of memories concerning God's saving deeds. The water calls us to remember our baptism, that gift of God through which we are born anew for a life of service. By processing these things weekly, we intend to call attention to these essential truths about who we are as the body of Christ.