The Liturgy Explained: New Edition

by James W. Farwell

This completely new work replaces the best-selling but woefully outdated Morehouse classic by the same name. This fresh work explains the liturgy in all its aspects for the uninitiated and is written by a respected liturgics scholar in the Episcopal Church.

Genres: Spirituality

57 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: this short little work was written by one of my seminary professors. It is easy to read in one sitting and illuminating for church geeks and church novices alike. If you're interested in dabbling more into ritual and liturgy--and especially in understanding what the Episcopal Church does and why--pick up this book. It is both accessible and deep, a combination that is a rarity.

[Derek DeMars · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, thoughtful introduction to the value of liturgical worship from the perspective of a member of the Episcopal Church. There was a lot of good info packed into a very short book (only 56 pages -- I read it in two brief sittings). Farwell gives a fantastic case for the value of historic liturgy -- it gets our bodies engaged in worship, and it gives us actions and habits that over time will shape our character, desires, and values. His explanations of the elements of liturgical worship are clear and easy for newcomers to grasp.

I would certainly quibble with a few of his theological slants -- for example, he says that in historic Christian preaching "The preacher does not so much tell the people how to understand the Scriptures, but engage in a dialogue with it both 'in front of them' and as one of them" (pg. 28). This might be true in the Episcopal Church, but that would explain the ideological mess it's in currently. Preaching has always classically been understand as explaining the meaning of the Scriptures and how the gospel contained therein should impact the lives of hearers. The Church sits under the Scriptures, not alongside them.

Readers coming to this book for an orientation to liturgy will be informed and encouraged. Just take some of the theological opinions with a grain of salt.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This small book begins with a story of an unsavory young man who dons a mask of a saint and courts a young girl. Eventually he is confronted by "friends" and challenged to remove the mask. He discovers that his real face has become the face of the saint because in his actions he has faithfully taken on the demeanor and behavior of a saint. According to Farwell: "the wisdom is there in the mask story that we become like what we desire, and so we do well to talk care with our desire and place it, above all, in that which is most deeply worthy of being desired." The ultimate purpose of liturgy, he says, is an action in which human beings "practice" who they are, or desire to be, in response to God in Christ. Of course we do not do this alone and it is God who is the author and perfecter of our faith.

The book continues with a detailed explanation of each part of the service including references to the Book of Common Prayer where helpful. Coming from neither an Episcopal nor Anglican background I found this book to be very informative and insightful. I now understand the parts of worship in a deeper way. An enlightening amount of information in a very small package.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I despise his analogy at the Introduction and reference to it at the end but otherwise it is a very good book for introducing the Sunday liturgy to someone.