…but all things should be done decently
and in order.—1 Corinthians 14:40
This verse from 1 Corinthians is often described as the “unofficial motto” of the Presbyterian church, particularly with respect to gathered worship. The idea behind that description is that the Presbyterian Church is open to new ideas and is willing to experiment–so long as any new ideas are “decent” and “orderly.” The problem with this description is that “decent” and “orderly” are subjective criteria. One person’s decency is another persons’ outrage, and we all have different understandings of “orderly.”
Still, Presbyterian churches tend to be more restrained about worship than many others. We are the last church in town to abandon suit-and-tie, and even afterward, we tend to raise our eyebrows at the “undignified” churches across town where people wear shorts and flip-flops.
I happened recently to be reading 1 Corinthians. When I came to chapter 14, I was reminded of the context in which our “unofficial motto” appears: it concludes the sentence, “be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but….” The Corinthian church experienced the charismatic gifts of speaking in unknown tongues as well as of prophecy (possibly among others). According to Paul, the important distinction between the two is that the gift of tongues is used to speak to God (14:2), while prophecy is used to speak to other people (14:3). It appears that in the Corinthian church, the gift of tongues seems to have been considered to be better than prophecy. Since tongues enabled the recipient to converse with God, that may have seemed more exalted, perhaps, than mere prophecy. That perspective, Paul says, leads to this problem: “if the whole church…speaks in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy…that person will bow down before God…declaring, ‘God is really among you.'” (14:23-25)
I’m concerned that many aspects of our worship service tend to exclude outsiders and unbelievers. What, for example, do they make of the minister’s robes I wear? The robe signifies that the minister is educated; the bright stole around my neck represents the towel Christ used when he washed his disciples’ feet. But who knows that symbolism? What about our special jargon? What do outsiders do with words like “liturgy” and “hallelujah” or even “grace” and “sin?” (I’ve promised myself never to utter the word “vouchsafe.”) Even many “insiders” don’t understand all the words we use. I couldn’t guess how many people have asked me why, in the Apostles’ Creed, we affirm “one holy catholic church,” if we’re Protestants. (The answer is that catholic means “universal” and encompasses the whole church, Eastern as well as Western, Protestant as well as Catholic–but that’s a topic for another article.) What about the rest of our worship service? What about–dare I say it?–the type of music we sing?
Are we oriented toward the “outsider” or the “insider?” How can we apply in our worship what Paul said to the Corinthians: “since you are eager for spiritual gifts, strive to excel in them for building up the church” (14:12)? What are your thoughts about worship aimed at “outsiders?”