Liturgy

One of the ways that lay people participate in a liturgical service is by reading the Bible lessons. This is the Bible that is used at Immanuel.

In the Episcopal Church, as in Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox churches, you will often hear people refer to the service – its words, music and hymns, readings and prayers – as the liturgy. This unusual word, which comes from two Greek words, laos (people) and ergon (work) actually helps us express an important truth. Liturgy, literally "the work of the people" helps us remember that the audience of worship is God and not the congregation.

In a liturgical church, the people in the congregation get actively involved in the service. This is something that is actually easier to do when there is common prayer. The singing and standing, sitting and listening, and kneeling in prayer, no matter how rich the ceremony or artistic expression, is directed toward God as worship, and not to the people as performance.

The Daily Office Liturgies of Morning and Evening Prayer move back and forth between scripture, prayer, and praise. The Eucharistic Liturgy, or main Sunday service, adds the Sacrament of Christ's meal, nourishing us as we are sent back into the world to spend ourselves as servants of the one, true God.