High Church--Low Church (part 24)--The Overall Effect

                                          The Second Wednesday of Lent

Lectionary Texts for Today:

OT: Genesis 15:7-24

NT: Romans 4:6-12

First, thank to Chris for his comments. I'll think about other people's faith journeys. Thomas Merton, C.S. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, John Wesley, St. Teresa of Avila come most readily to mind at this point. To write about my own faith journey did not require any research. With these others it will.

I originally envisioned this High Church--Low Church series as having four or five parts, but--one thing leads to another. Up to now I have been examining individual aspects of the their differences. Today I want to look toward the overall effect. 

High Church tends to imply God's transcendence; low church, God's immanence. Contrast the words to these two hymns:

High Church:

"Immortal, invisible, God only wise. In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, 

Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise." (UMH #103)

Low Church:

"What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.

What a privileged to carry, everything to God in prayer." (UMH #526)

The focus of the high church hymn is God. The focus of the low church hymn is the congregation.

The God of the high church hymn is powerful but remote. The God of the low church hymn is personal, a friend, Jesus. High church--we praise God. Low church--God helps us. 

In high church the movement of the service is toward God. The choir processes toward the altar and the cross. Another cross, the processional cross, in the hands of the crucifer, leads the choir. The choir members and clergy bow to the cross. The priests/ministers face the cross when they say the creed. The cross, and the Christ it represents, are the focus of the worship. 

In low church worship the choir comes in through a side door and faces the congregation. If the creed is said, the ministers and choir face the congregation, not the cross. In contemporary worship the musicians come in before the service starts and tune up. 

High church has pipe organs, the most powerful of all musical instruments, echoing the power of God. Low church prefers the piano; CW, the guitar.

Generally speaking, the larger the size of the sanctuary, the more likely the worship is high church. The smaller; low church. 

In high church the ancient, though frequently updated, liturgy is read. The emphasis is on the continuity of worship throughout the ages. Low church prefers the extemporaneous and the present moment. 

In high church the priests/ministers, clad in clergy attire, emphasize the sacredness of the space and time. The sacred is different from the secular and ordinary. In low church, the clergy dress no differently and act no differently from the way they do in secular settings. High church emphasizes the extraordinary; low church, the ordinary. In high church the worship is holy. In low church the worship is--what shall I say-- chummy.

All the things we have talked about in the last 23 parts of this series do their small parts to create these large, overall effects. Both high church and low church forms of worship and all the gradations in between are true expressions of our worship of God. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

O Lord who is the Holy Spirit,

Help us to worship you in spirit and in truth.

In the name of Jesus, who spoke these words. Amen.

Faithfully,

Christian