Liturgy And Innovation

TUES., OCT. 17, 1989, 6:11 AM
FARM, STUDY

I have told you many times in these Teachings we “do” together that I like liturgy. I like a developed form that is repeated, without variation, and without desire for variation. Words are memorized, actions become virtually automatic, and innovation, even for improvement, is not valued. Variations in the words or the form will occur, because humans are imperfect, but these variations are not desired, planned, nor valued.

However, I also like innovation, for an important aspect of the creation of humans was this capacity to innovate. Capacities vary in individuals, but all humans have some tendencies toward “doing things differently.” So, like unto justice and mercy, these opposites must be eternally balanced and rebalanced.

We have established a liturgy around these Teachings. The paper is always the same, in type and in shade. This red and silver pen is the only one to be used, and it is not to be used in any other way. Most of the Teachings are received here at this desk, and you have a ritual that is necessary for a proper commencement. The pages always are three in number, which, in printed form, come out to one page. You do not edit these in any ways other than to correct mistakes that are obviously yours, in writing or in punctuation. The handwritten originals are gathered together in volumes, identified by date, title, and place. The liturgical practice is to complete a Teaching without interruption.

Now in over ten years of this liturgy there have been times when you have varied the ritual, of necessity. You now always have with you a refill for your pen (remember, for this upcoming trip). You plan ahead to have sufficient paper. You plan for sufficient time in a place where you will not be interrupted. You have met emergencies well, with even a liturgy of noting times when some break is necessary. Yet innovations have developed, to make the ritual better, and you do respect and try to maintain the developed liturgy.

The Lord’s Prayers is part of liturgy. Attempts are now underway (and you experienced one on World Communion Sunday) to improve that wording and perhaps establish an improved liturgy. More obviously, the Apostles’ Creed is being improved, but this shall require new memorization if it is to an effective part of the liturgy. Hymns and Scripture are being reworded to diminish the sexism of the past. The motive is good, but the liturgy suffers. The challenge is to unlearn the old and learn and memorize the new so that a new liturgy is established.

Now, if innovation were the supreme good, no two services of worship, in a particular church, would be the same. The order of worship would be varied… the number and placement of hymns… the length and nature of prayers… The service in your church is a balance, with some repeated and expected liturgical elements and some planned innovations. When you lead in worship you offer what you consider to be relevant prayers, and yet you always close with your accepted form of the Lord’s Prayer. I like that balance.

I encourage you to have your basic Bible but also to read and study in other translations. You should know some Scripture, memorized word for word, and some by content, paraphrased. (You have a rememorization task for this trip… don’t put this off.)

7:10 / 7:13 (Retain the ritual!)

In your professional work you did want to change your Wellsprings model, but you did. Now you must reintroduce this in its new form, developing it into a liturgy.