Order of Service: Part I
Understanding Our Worship at FBC
At the top of your bulletin, you'll see the words "Order of Service." The bygone term for this is liturgy. Wait, liturgy? Isn’t that something associated with Roman Catholic or high-church traditions? Surely, Baptists aren't liturgical! But here’s the thing: the word liturgy comes from the Greek word leitourgia, which combines two other Greek words: laos (people) and ergon (work). In other words, a liturgy simply means “work of the people” — or we could say, “a public service.” Sounds less intimidating and “high-churchy,” doesn’t it?
Simply put, a liturgy is an order of service, and an order of service is a liturgy.
That said, have you ever wondered, Why do we worship the way we do? Why is our liturgy at First Baptist structured the way it is? Is there a biblical or theological basis for what we do, or is it just the pastor’s preference? Should our liturgy appeal to newcomers or those unfamiliar with Christianity? Should it reflect current cultural or Christian trends? Does it matter who leads the service? Does it matter that there's an order at all? And perhaps most importantly, does the Bible really give us guidance on how we should worship God in our gatherings?
In this series of short articles, titled Our Worship at FBC, I’ll address these questions — especially the central one: Why do we worship the way we do at FBC? By answering this, I hope to address the others as well. Let’s start at the beginning: the Welcome and Prayer.
The Welcome and Prayer
It's 10:30 (or more like 10:35), and I walk up to the pulpit to welcome everyone and share announcements. Essentially, I'm saying, "Here's what's happening in the life of our church." Then comes the "meet and greet" — a few minutes where we catch up with that one person or family we didn’t get to say hello to on the way in, continue conversations that were interrupted during announcements, or, if you're an introvert, pray that the time passes quickly! Standard church practice, one might say. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
But then comes the moment of — wait for it — silence.
What? Silence? You might ask. Why silence? Shouldn’t the praise and worship team start us off with an upbeat song — a warm-up tune to get the blood flowing, build momentum, and get people excited to be at church? Why do we begin with silence instead of shouts of praise? With quiet instead of excitement?
Let’s consider just two texts: Habakkuk 2:18-20 and Revelation 8:1.
In Habakkuk 2:18-20, the prophet says:
“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, ‘Awake!’ to a silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Habakkuk was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah just before its fall to the Babylonian Empire in 605 BC. Before this tragic end, Judah was steeped in moral and spiritual corruption, bent on worshiping false deities, and politically aligning itself with the values of neighboring nations. In short, Judah had forgotten God. The noise of idolatry, personal ambitions, and the political buzz of the day drowned out God's voice, which had been calling His people back to true worship: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
But the people of Israel spent more time voicing their own desires, admiring their own wisdom, and commanding their false gods to do their bidding. Their gods were speechless echoes of their own hearts’ desires, unable to teach or guide them. As a result, God’s Word was no longer heard, and because it was no longer heard, it was no longer obeyed or cherished.
Throughout Israel’s history, the root cause of their sin and wandering was their failure to hear the Word of the Lord. Immediately following a moment of silence, I’ll say, “Hear the Word of the Lord from [Scripture reference].” Why is this?
It's simple: For God’s people then, and for us today, worship begins not with our words, but with God’s. True knowledge and obedience come not from voicing our own insights, impressions, or even prayers, but from hearing the voice of the living God. Personal and corporate revival begin with the pages of the Bible being read and heard. It is God’s Word that breaks the silence and pierces our hearts, discerning the thoughts and intentions of our minds (Hebrews 4:12).
Fast forward to the New Testament: from Israel to the church, now composed of every tribe, tongue, and nation. In Revelation 8:1, we read, “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Here, the Apostle John gives us a glimpse of the worship taking place in heaven, where the saints of God stand in the very presence of the resurrected Christ. And how do they respond to His ineffable majesty and glory? Silence.
As the author of Ecclesiastes teaches us, there is a time for everything—including silence (Ecclesiastes 3:1,7). In our world of constant noise, particularly within the church, we would do well to remember that sometimes, silence is not only appropriate, but it may be the most fitting way to honor and proclaim the beauty and holiness of God.
The Purpose of Silence in Worship
The point is this: When we begin our service with silence followed by “Hear, O Church,” we are effectively allowing God to have the first word. We are humbling ourselves before His authority, allowing His Word to set the tone for our worship — to teach, reprove, correct, comfort, and train us in thought, attitude, and deed, that we may be complete where our mind and heart have faltered throughout the week. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Moreover, as a church grounded in the five sola’s of the protestant Reformation, our silence at the beginning of our service is a powerful, albeit silent, declaration of Sola Scriptura!
Ultimately, we want to sit in silence after a week of noise, waiting patiently for God to speak — to break through the clamor of our flesh, the world, and the devil.