Over the past several weeks we have seen how Jewish/Christian worship evolved over the centuries. I use the term evolve intentionally because there were few dramatic changes which took place from the time of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness until the Reformation; a period of almost 2,500 years. Though the entire Jewish sacrificial system ended in 70 CE with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans, Christians had already begun to transition away from the Temple for a couple of decades. The destruction merely ended one phase of worship for both Christian and Jews and moved them into house churches for Christians and synagogues for Jews.
Again, as we have noted, the church once freed from both the Temple and synagogue began to create its own liturgies and traditions. Eventually these became rather standard liturgies (parts and orders of worship) for each of the main branches of Christendom. The focus of these liturgies became the Eucharist or the Mass. The Mass was important because it allowed persons to "witness" the sacrificial death of Jesus on a regular basis. In times when few people could read, symbols (icons, statues, the Mass) became more and more important in passing on the faith traditions of the Church. While the Mass remained and remains the center of worship for much of the world-wide church (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopalian) its importance faltered during the Reformation.
The Reformation (beginning in 1517) was a product of several factors; religious (corruption of the Roman church and ill-trained priests), political (a desire for freedom from autocratic rulers loyal to the Roman church) and technological (the advent of the printing press and rise of literacy). The result of this movement was that Christians in Western Europe broke away from the Roman church and formed multiple denominations. These denominations, including those who would ultimately be known as Presbyterians, moved the focus of worship away from the Mass and toward the scriptures. Rather than the mass (or communion) being at the center of worship, the proclamation of the Word (preaching) became the most important element in the service.
Though many of the churches formed during the Reformation (Lutheran and Episcopalian) retained weekly communion, most of the Reformed churches (Presbyterians among them) refused to continue this tradition. The belief was that there was still too much superstition involved with the practice and that worshippers encountered God more fully in scripture than they did in communion. Opposition to regular communion became so extreme that some churches only practiced it once a year. The church in which I grew up had communion only once a quarter. What is interesting about this is that John Calvin (our theological forbearer) believed that worship was incomplete without communion.
The Reformed churches also moved toward simplicity within the worship service and in the architecture of the worship space. There was no longer a place for incense, bells, large scale musical pieces, elaborate worship clothing or even stained glass windows. Processionals consisted of the Bible and the pastor; music was mainly Psalms sung to simple tunes; ministers wore plain black gowns; and clear windows replaced the stained glass (so one could see God's creation). Even though the focus of worship changed, the central elements remained the same (prayer, scripture, preaching, offering, and singing).
The most significant change to these Reformed practices has come in the last 40 years with the rise of "contemporary" worship. In some places this style of worship has reduced worship to only two elements; singing and preaching. Elements such as prayer and even a cross in the sanctuary have been removed from worship in order that the unchurched are made to feel welcome. In the end what this says is that worship will continue to evolve over time as cultures and people change.
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