WORSHIP AS DRAMA
The Very Rev. Dr. Donald P. Richmond, Obl. OSB.
Worship, particularly Christian worship, is the celebratory reenactment of “the saving acts of God” throughout human history (Robert E. Webber and others). When we enter into the process of liturgical worship, that is the public act of fixed and formal worship, our heads, hearts and hands all have a coordinated and cooperative role to play in both celebration (the vertical dimension) and communication (the horizontal dimension). Public worship involves, therefore, both a God-ward and Man-ward focus whereby a personal encounter with God is publically proclaimed and enjoyed. That is, in other words, public worship is Theo-Drama (Von Balthasar) on the grandest scale. Worship is THE grand drama in which all Christians have a role to play.
In order to more deeply appreciate worship as drama, it is useful to consider worship as a four-act play in which the pastor and the people play important roles – God, by the Holy Spirit, being both Director and Producer. According to both the Rev. Dr. Andrew Greeley and Dr. Robert E. Webber, worship involves Gathering, Speaking, Eating, and Departing. These, in my opinion, are the four “acts” of the drama we call worship.
GATHERING. Act I of worship as drama sets the stage of our participation. It is, so to speak, the priority and the process by which we understand our role and learn our lines so that, when we enter into worship, we are able to fully engage with both God and others. At this stage we must know the Script (God’s saving revelation in and through Jesus Christ as mediated through Holy Scripture) and commit and conform ourselves to the role we are about to play.
A practical illustration may be in order. How often, when we arrive at church, are we really ready to worship? More often than not, we are wearied from the week and rushed before worship. No matter how hard we try, it seems like we are always running late. Our hearts and minds are often so crammed with the remains of the week that it may take half of an hour before we are actually participating. And, if we have not entirely shaken off the week, we are only “mouthing the words” without real meaning.
The first act of worship as drama means, therefore, that we must be prepared for worship BEFORE we even arrive. Priest, worship team, and people must all be willing and ready to play their unique roles in worship if our encounter with God is going to have the impact it is intended to have. What would you think of an actor who was not prepared to play his or her role, who just showed up unprepared? Worship as drama demands preparation!
SPEAKING. Act II in worship as drama is when we deliver our well-crafted lines. The priest must be prepared to call people to worship, direct the singing (sometimes), read the Bible, lead in prayer, and deliver the sermon. These are speaking roles. For a priest to not be fully prepared to play his or her role in worship would be unconscionable. Similarly, because worship is engagement and not entertainment, the people must always be ready and willing to speak their part – they must engage in worship by using their tongues to glorify God.
There are, in worship, no bit-parts or extras. In worship, EVERYONE is expected to play his or her role, listening and responding as appropriate to each part of the worship service. To borrow the words of the late Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, there are no “little people” or “little places” in worship. We must all play our role. When we do not play our part, verbalizing in prayer and praise the saving acts of God, we compromise the Script and the integrity of the production. All must engage, or the drama loses some of its personal and public impact.
EATING. All worship involves two parts: words (noted above) and action. Action is Act III of our four-act drama. On the night in which our Lord was betrayed, in which he offered the Holy Communion, he did not just say things; Jesus did things! He “took,” “blessed,” “broke,” and “gave” the bread and wine to his disciples. This was a dramatic foreshadowing of what was about to occur on Calvary. And, most pointedly, Jesus said to “DO this” in his remembrance.
Have we ever taken the time to think about the word remembrance? Think about it. To remember is not simply to look back and recall events from the past. Rather, and far more importantly, to remember is to re-member, or re-populate the past. To remember is to make the past present by our actions. Is this not acting? Is this not drama? The critical drama of God’s saving actions is our Lord’s death and resurrection. What, given these things, should be the critical action of our weekly worship? It is the re-membering of Christ’s saving work on our behalf!
We do not just speak about the saving actions of God, we ACT upon the saving actions of God. Every action taken by the priest and the worship team must, therefore, be a well-orchestrated action that “proclaims the Lord’s death [and resurrection] until he comes [again].” It is the same with the people in the pews. We too must, through our worshipping actions, re-member Christ’s death so that those who observe this part of the drama will be able to encounter God. A good actor can fill his or her role in such a way as to have other people genuinely encounter the character they are playing. The same is true for the good worshipper. Good worship dramatizes God’s words and actions so that both the participants and the general public may truly experience God. Russia was converted to Christ when their ambassadors, upon seeing Byzantine worship, were not sure whether they were in heaven or on earth.
DEPARTING. Often, after a good movie or theatrical production, I like to talk about it with my friends. I like to analyze what just took place. Was the film well-made? Did the actors fit and fill their parts? Was there an integrity of sight and sound, or did the production produce some cognitive dissonance in me? If there was some measure of cognitive dissonance, was it intentional or unintentional? Was there integrity between script, score, scenery, effects, and performers? These considerations become all the more pronounced when the script has emerged from a book.
Worship, as well, must have integrity of script (Bible), score (Music), scenery (Place), sound (Proclamation) and people if it is to have its intended impact. Everything must be perfectly coordinated if the message is to be effectively communicated. If it is not perfectly coordinated to effectively communicate Christ’s “good news” it is a Limp-Along Production that will actually undermine both conversation and commitment.
This is Act IV: live it, don’t just give it lip-service! If worship does not help us effectively walk through our week, it has missed its potent purpose. To leave the service of worship is (ideally and intentionally!) to LIVE our worship as service throughout the week. Worship is grand drama, a re-membering of Christ’s saving actions in a public setting. Are we each playing our role?
The Very Rev. Dr. Donald P. Richmond, a priest-oblate with the Reformed Episcopal Church and Order of Saint Benedict, is a widely published author and illustrator.