Introduction to Christian Liturgy Quotes

“A. Make sure the liturgy is stable. People participate in something when they know what to expect, and what is expected of them.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“Narthex The narthex of a church is the entrance or vestibule, located at the opposite (west) end of the nave from the church’s main altar. Traditionally, the narthex was not considered part of the church proper. Its purpose was to allow those not eligible for admittance into the general congregation (particularly catechumens and penitents) to hear and partake in the service. The narthex is thus traditionally a place of penitence. Penitents in the ancient church sat in the vestibule asking the faithful to pray for them.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“Whether the music is traditional or contemporary, classical or popular, there are some things that just should not be put before the assembly because some music doesn’t lend itself to group singing. Some songs have been written with a soloist in mind. Some hymns and songs have easily learned refrains but stanzas that are irregular. The stanzas can be sung by cantors or choirs while the people sing the refrain. Responsorial singing is an old practice in the history of liturgy that can make worship more dynamic. It is often used today in Roman Catholic liturgy as a means of singing psalms and canticles.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“In the 1960s both Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants turned to popular genres of music to provide songs for Christian worship. Roman Catholic songs tended to follow the folk idiom, using acoustical instruments such as guitar and flute, whereas evangelical Protestants turned to rock music, using electronic instruments.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“The last judgment is not just a judgment on individuals; it is a judgment on human history. The dialogue between Pontius Pilate and Jesus the Christ in John 18 demonstrates the struggle between the kingdoms (and republics) of this world and the kingdom of God and of his Christ. This gospel, which is not about Christ’s second coming, confronts the believer with a decision about political claims to which we will be answerable at the last judgment. To which kingdom (or republic) do we owe our ultimate allegiance? If we want to get “in” with the coming administration of Christ the King, we had better come to terms with the witness of Revelation: that the one seated on the throne is the Lamb who was slain, and that self-giving love is the agenda throughout his dominions.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“The earliest Christian view was that the dead in Christ await the resurrection when Christ comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“Liturgy is essentially a service that is rendered for the public good. We saw that both individuals and groups may undertake a service project for the good of their community. Using this basic definition, liturgy is also a service that God undertakes for the good of his creation, especially his human creatures.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“To do liturgy decently in the light of the concerns Paul expressed in 1 Corinthians means that liturgy must be theologically grounded and communally sensitive.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“Liturgy is not only the assembly’s public work or service to God (worship proper); it is also God’s public work or service to the assembly.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“But there is a difference between “liturgy” and “worship” in that worship suggests the honor and praise accorded God communally or individually, in the public assembly or in worldly activity, whereas liturgy suggests something that is done communally and publicly, or is at least communal and public in derivation even if it is a ministration extended to those absent from the assembly.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“To which kingdom (or republic) do we owe our ultimate allegiance? If we want to get “in” with the coming administration of Christ the King, we had better come to terms with the witness of Revelation: that the one seated on the throne is the Lamb who was slain, and that self-giving love is the agenda throughout his dominions.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“The Reformation had difficulty with the festivals of All Saints and All Souls on several grounds. All Saints’ Day, with its display of relics (such as those collected by the Elector Frederick the Wise in the Castle Church in Wittenberg), fostered the cult of the saints, in which the faithful asked the saints to intercede on their behalf before God the Father, thus challenging the position of Christ as the sole mediator and advocate with the Father (1 Tim. 2:5; 1 John 2:1). All Souls’ Day depended on the doctrine of purgatory, for which the Reformers could find no evidence in Scripture”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“The season of Advent looks to the coming of Christ the king in glory. But that glory was first set down in an obscure earthly setting. Even so, the celebration of the child born of King David’s line in the city of David prompts consideration of the final fulfillment of the promises to David, that of his house and lineage there would be no end.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“The emphasis throughout the canon is on “our gifts,” which are offered for the church and for particular needs. Martin Luther believed that this was the reverse of the purpose of the sacrament, which was that the faithful receive the gift of communion in Christ.28 The heart of the sacrament is not gifts we offer but gifts we receive. The fact that the most common form of the Mass was the votive mass, the Mass offered for special intentions (paid for with a Mass stipend), Luther saw works righteousness and blasphemy in the heart of the Mass itself.29 People were being taught to offer their gifts in expectation of benefits that Christ has already secured in his once-for-all atoning sacrifice on the cross.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy

“Liturgical practices, rightly used, communicate something right about God (orthodoxy comes from orthodoxia, “right praise”). Christ gives his body and blood, broken and shed for us for forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The Spirit gives gifts that build up the community. These correct beliefs are also communicated in the historic liturgy and all its local uses. The continuing proper use of this liturgy builds up a community of faith in Jesus Christ crucified and risen again.”
― Frank C. Senn, Introduction to Christian Liturgy