A Word on the ministerial formula followed by Rev. JS Lowther.
Pastors are shepherd and Overseers, which number those whom the Lord has called to their ministry, as such their is an obligation to teach the Scriptures according to covenant doctrines and worship as outlined by the Word of God, a liturgy is among the most affective and biblical ways to manage this immense task, every time of Holy Convocation.
Protestants are not often familiar with the term “liturgy “these days, so please let me expound.
Liturgy comes from the Greek word λειτουργία (leitourgia), meaning “public service” or “work of the people.” Historically, it has meant a structured form of worship within a covenant community, often involving prescribed prayers and readings ritually enjoined. While the Worship service of any church could be vaguely titles a liturgy and the more structured protestants more so the format of the service, it is sadly that the unreformed have historically clung to a more systematic liturgy based in tradition and non-biblical calendar reckonings.
Use of a Scriptural Liturgical Calendar
The Christian church, pre-reformed and reformed, has drifted from a Scriptural liturgy, based in what the Prophets, Apostles and Christ Himself would have based their practice upon as per the Law of God, especially by the lead of a Liturgical Calendar as part of organizing the remembrances of Scripture with the churches remembrance in the present, God has ordained themes to be remembered at times of the year which are beneficial the Church on a Worshipful level.
As a Reformed Protestant Church devoted to Sola Scriptura and Semper Reformanda- the Liturgy of Re-Newed Covenant Ministry seeks to reform this aspect of Worship, specifically by our use of Israel’s Callendar as directly given to Moses his faithful servant and lawgiver. It is upon the original calendar ordained in Creation that both Moses was commanded to use as well as the Prophets and Histories continued to make their remembrances on as progressive revelation worked its way out in the time of men; in such a way we may, with God’s agreement lay our liturgical remembrances upon an inspired foundation and not on the traditions of men, as the history of Christendom had fallen pray to in the East and West.
When we speak of the Genesis calendar or the Calendar of Israel we are speaking of an Agricultural and Astronomical, that is that we acknowledge that the Agriculture of a region is instrumental in the worship of God in both past offerings according to the Law of the Levites as well as now in our personal application of those Laws of Worship to our own life in such a way we are bound to calibrate the agricultural celebrations of Israel in association with the feasts to our own celebrations as to produce a timing that is satisfactory to the senses and the spirit of the Worship.
Our calendar of Worship is astronomical in that it recognizes the Sun, Moon and Stars in accordance with the scriptural command of Genesis’ 1:14-18 organic Law. We may by this astronomical redundancy assign periods of time to correspond to Years, Months, Weeks and days mentioned in scripture in a similar agricultural reality as Israel had once worshiped in Canaan.
In this way the Holy Feast of the LORD as well as the Month of the numbered and named New Moons as well as the regular weekly Sabbath all have a significance in our yearly circuit of Worship.
As an Example, we as Christians have a deep relationship to the Last Supper the Death, Resurrection and ascension of Christ as well as the pouring of the Holy Spirit- Yet most Christians have relatively no knowledge or understanding of the feast days that Israel had commanded them that these remembrances happened upon: Passover, Feast of Unleavened-Bread, the Wave Sheaf and it’s integral relationship to Pentecost and the feast of Weeks the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Lev 23). Most Christians who know these feasts by name and the remembrances spoken of associate their timing with traditional remembrances not named in Scripture, such as good friday, saturday sabbath, resurrection sunday and easter. It is our goal to abandon what God never thought of for men to worship by and to replace it with what may be observed in the heavens, enjoyed in agriculture and read out of Scripture and that with the thoughts YHWH God did intend for His people to think after Him in Christ.
Holy Convocation
The Bible commands times of Holy Convocation and assembly on a weekly basis called the Sabbath, in fact the Sabbath day of the 4th Commandment is specifically set aside as a Holy Rest for the purpose of Worshiping God with one’s household (Ex 20:8, 31:13-18, Lev 23, Deut 5). Holy Convocations are held also on the Monthly New Moon (Num 10:10) as well as other High Holy day which are called and overlap weekly sabbaths.
A Convocation is the act of assembling with others of a common covenant to invoke the LORD together.
In Convocation we:
- Pray to God,
- Praise God,
- Sing to God and of Him
- Speak and of God’s Works
- Hear God’s Commandments and confess them,
- Hear of Christ’s Salvation and believe it by the aid of the Holy Spirit
- Adore the Almighty Power of God the Creator,
- Confess our sins together
- Acknowledge our need for forgiveness of sin and guidance
- Confirm a joint fellowship in Christ
Use of the Psalms
Our Liturgy involves a Call to Worship that is either in the rotation of the Psalms from Psalm 1- 150 being used in General Worship or by the specific liturgical calendar remembrance that is associated with particular Psalms and other reading from the Scripture to be used.
The Call to Worship, the Prayer and the general Psalm to be sung by the congregation after the sermon is all to be taken normally from the same Psalm that the weekly Sabbath is devoted to by a rotational lot.
Likewise, we start every Worship Service after the Call and the Scriptural Prayer by the General Psalm with a Psalm of Praise, that is a Psalm in Scripture that actually contains the Word Halleluiah in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures. These Psalms are also sung in a rotation that all Psalms of Praise might be sung to the LORD through out the year every Sabbath.
Likewise again, are the responses to the Reading of the Law taken from Psalm 119 parts 1-22 sung in rotation after the reading.
Reading of the Law and Gospel
Sabbath by Sabbath a regular progression through the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and the Gospel (Mathew-John) are read and proclaimed in rotation, one chapter after the other with the discretion of the minister to read or appoint readings of portions and useful language, in this way the Righteousness of the Law and the Glory of the Gospel of Christ might be learned and or remembered by the congregation regularly and redundantly.
According to the time of the liturgical calendar year, the readings of the Law and the Gospel should reflect the relevant feasts and their associated historical and spiritual applications for the benefit of the congregation.
Sermon
The Sermon is often the focal point of the protestant Church, and while it is an important part of what Church the Church needs it is not to dwarf the other acts of liturgical convocation which flow forth from the Scripture.
It is at this time of sermon that a minister or elder might teach and expound the meaning of a text of Scripture which the Lord has placed upon his heart and mind to share for the edification and admonition and exhortation of the present body of Christ, the Church; or a text might be also selected from that which has naturally be enjoined by the liturgical calendar, reading of the Law or Gospel or by the psalm liturgy used that day.
It is encouraged that the Prophets and Apostles or the History of Israel become the focus of the Sermon in association with the liturgy used, as these parts of the Holy Scripture are not part of the regular Reading but are reserved for the carful lesson of a Called minister.
Confession of Sin and Fellowship
Part of the liturgy should always include a place for a time to call ever attendee to confess their sin to God together and to acknowledge that every member is in need of Christ’s forgiveness for breaking YHWH God’s Holy Law.
At this time the 10 commandments are used as the Head of all sins committed, and we do not only confess our sins but also our obligated adherence to the 10 commandments as a more perfect way to live as Christians in the world.
A Text of scripture such as the 1 John 1:5-2:8 should be used to assure the guilt of sin to the Believer as well as their ability in Christ to be forgiven for sin.
Creeds and Confessions
Many Scriptures are provided by the LORD as a great tool for the learning and memorizing of His Faith’s principles, as well compilations of essential Christian Doctrines have been organized into such works for the use of the Church, that young and old might learn in a condensed form the simple and deeper theologies of our Faith.
