Worship Liturgy Guide

Liturgy is an essential element of every life. The term “liturgy” may not be familiar to many or even desirable at first. However, it is more common and comforting than perhaps expected since liturgy is simply an order, rhythm, or way of being. It derives from two Greek words that when combined mean “the work of the people.” Liturgy is merely what we do and how we do it. This means we all live with liturgies, whether conscious or unconscious, simple or complex, planned or unplanned.

We can begin to notice our liturgies—these shared, consistent activities—in our family relationships, workplace habits, church gatherings, cultural dynamics, and neighborhood expectations. In the context of Christian worship, liturgy is the activity of our whole person, body and soul, meeting with the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the same way that a worship service in a local church benefits from a liturgy with order, diversity, and rhythm, so does our personal or household worship. Liturgy gives shape to our time with God, forming us into the people he called us to become.

Our Daily Worship is a tool designed to encourage people in using God’s means of grace through regular worship in solitude and community. While the structure and rhythm are the same each day, this is complimented by varied content in the prayers, confessions, and scriptures for a balance of familiarity and flexibility. The daily liturgies follow the seasons of the Christian year, also known as the liturgical calendar.

The Christian Year

In the first century church, God’s people gathered for worship weekly on Sundays, known as the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10), marking Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Weekly worship on the Lord’s Day remains the core of the Christian calendar. Over time, the early Church began to observe other times and seasons that focused on particular elements of God’s redemptive story. Easter seems to appear the earliest, in the second century, followed by Christmas, Lent, Advent, and others. Within a few centuries, these all came together forming what we now call the Christian year. 

Living in God’s Story. The seven seasons of the Christian year are built around the story of God’s redeeming work. As we observe these seasons, we’re rehearsing the gospel and shaping our time by its narrative. Rather than be shaped by the world’s time narrative of busyness, consumerism, and despair, we invite the gospel to form our lives. The first three seasons—Advent, Christmas, Epiphany—are often called the “cycle of light” as they look to the coming and revealing of Jesus Christ. The next three seasons—Lent, Easter, Pentecost—form the “cycle of life,” following the story of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The extended six-month season between these two cycles is called Ordinary Time. Each year begins with Advent, renewing our hearts as we tell the Story once again.

Advent. The Christian year begins with waiting. Advent is the first four weeks, leading up to Christmas, that holds this tension “in between the times.” We live between Jesus’ first coming, his birth, and his second coming at his return. In this season, we lament the pain and sorrow of a sinful and weary world. Our hearts cry, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20). Advent anticipates the fulfillment of all God’s promises, when one day he will make all things new. We remember the hope of his righteous rule and reign over all creation.

Christmas. On December 25th, we rejoice in our Savior’s birth, the mystery and miracle of “God with us” (Mt 1:23). During Advent, we longed for his presence; now, in Christmas, we enjoy it. God took on human flesh, becoming like us in order to redeem us in Christ. As a season of feasting, Christmas invites all of us into an abundance of celebration, wonder, and generosity.  The gladness and delight of Christmas continues for 12 days until January 5th.

Epiphany. Beginning January 6th, which is the Feast of Epiphany, the calendar moves us to remember how Christ was revealed to the nations. Epiphany means “to manifest or reveal” and emphasizes the glory of Jesus. Traditionally, biblical stories like the visit of the Magi, his water baptism, and his transfiguration call us to manifest Christ’s glory in our life and make him known to the world. It’s a season of wonder and witness. The length of Epiphany varies each year based on the start date of Lent.

Lent. Lent is a journey into death that ultimately ends with new life in Christ. Ash Wednesday begins this death-to-life journey with fasting for 40 days (excludes Sundays, which are always feast days). As we fast and seek the Lord, our hearts will “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Mt 5:6). We walk with Jesus in the wilderness, on the way to the cross. Lent invites us to the freedom of repentance and renewal in the gospel.

Holy Week. The final week of Lent is considered Holy Week and begins with Palm Sunday, when Jesus made his triumphal entry toward his death. On Maundy Thursday, we sit with Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper as he is betrayed. Good Friday bids us to kneel at the foot of the cross as the Suffering Savior sheds his blood for sinners. Holy Saturday enters the silence and sadness of the grave, waiting and praying for God’s resurrection power.

Easter. Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian year. This season lasts for the Great Fifty Days, the “week of weeks,” beginning with Resurrection Sunday. We rejoice in the reality and hope that Jesus’ resurrection has secured the resurrection of his people. Death has been defeated! Christ is victorious! During the season of Easter we observe Ascension Day, when the resurrected Son sat down at his Father’s side, where he lives to intercede for his Church (Heb 7:25).

Pentecost. Before his heavenly ascent, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The Spirit came on Pentecost, empowering the Church with his very presence. God’s Spirit comes to those of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue—filling them for gospel mission. Pentecost Sunday brings to completion the cycle of life and sends the Church into the ongoing and ordinary work of God’s kingdom.

Ordinary Time. The long stretch between Pentecost and Advent is called Ordinary Time, not because it is boring or useless. Ordinary refers to the Sundays being ordinal, or simply “numbered.” In this season, we live out God’s story with the regular day-to-day, week-to-week people and places of our world. We love God and love our neighbor. We share the gospel and make disciples. We worship by working “heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col 3:23).

The Daily Liturgies

The amount of time spent in daily worship is determined by the person, but might be around 15-30+ minutes depending on how long someone lingers or prays. While the structure and rhythm are the same each day, it is complimented by diverse content for each liturgical season in the prayers, confessions, and scripture readings. This creates a balance of familiarity, intentionality, and flexibility.

The scripture readings for each day are adapted from the plan developed by Robert Murray M’Cheyne in the 19th century. He was a minister in the Church of Scotland who desired his church to read through the Bible on a consistent basis. The schedule provided in Appendix B has modified his original plan into a two-year plan with usually two chapters per day. This slower pace walks through the New Testament and Psalms each year and the Old Testament once in two years. It is recommended to begin Year A on odd-numbered years (e.g., 2027, 2029, etc.) and Year B on even-numbered years. This allows people to read the scriptures with others in community.

An explanation of the order and content of the daily liturgy is as follows:

Silence. We begin in silence to prepare our hearts and become present to God. Often we are coming to worship with rushed and distracted minds, so we need to slow down. This might be for a few seconds or even a few minutes, but takes the time to unhurry.

Call to Worship. God gets the first word as he calls us to worship through the scriptures. The passages will be thematically related to the current season of the Christian year, inviting us to respond with our whole person—body and soul.

Adoration. Our first response is adoration for who God is and what he has done. We express this by alternating between two simple, historical hymns: Gloria Patri and The Doxology. Originating from the 4th century, the Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father) has a rich history in the ancient and global church. The other short hymn, often known as simply The Doxology, is from the 17th century. There are multiple musical tunes for both, and each can be either sung or simply spoken.

Confession of Sin. After seeing God in his holiness, we become aware of our unholiness, so we confess our sin. The liturgy guides and informs our words by using confessions from scripture and selections from the historical Book of Common Prayer (1662) with slightly modernized language. Silent confession might also be used before or after this time.

Assurance of Grace. Having confessed our sins before God, we are eager to hear the good news of grace for sinners. The gospel assures us of redemption for those with faith in Jesus Christ. These scriptures will also be connected to the liturgical season of the year.

Affirmation of Faith. Following our assurance of grace in the gospel of Jesus, we affirm what we believe about the Christian faith. The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed from the early church assist in teaching, renewing, and deepening our faith.

Scripture Readings. We read the assigned scriptures for the day from the reading plan provided. Take time to digest these by slowly, attentively, and prayerfully listening to God’s word.

Prayer. In response to God’s voice in the scriptures, we speak to him by sharing our hearts in prayer. It is a time to pray for the needs of our lives, community, church, and the world.

The Lord’s Prayer. We end our prayers with the words Jesus taught us to use in The Lord’s Prayer. It could also be a framework for our prayers, walking through the requests with our own words.

Benediction.We go forth, after worshipping God, to live our life with him. The benediction sends us out with God declaring over us, by the scriptures, the blessings we have by faith alone in Jesus.