REL 370
Acclamations of Praise
Any short statements of praise and thanks- giving offered by the congregation, either prepared or spontaneous.
Advent
The church anticipates the coming of Christ into our world.
Alter Call
An invitation for persons to come to the front of the worship space and kneel or stand (typically at a prayer rail) as a means of surrendering to God for salvation (or for some other purpose designated by the pastor)
Benediction
Words pronounced by the leader to bless worshipers at the end of a service.
Call to Worship
A worship act that establishes the event as God- focused, calls worshipers to acknowledge God-initiated worship, and calls for participation and unity on the part of the people. The call to worship may occur through several different means (Scripture, prepared words, song, choreographed liturgical dance, etc.)
Charge
In conjunction with the benediction, words spoken to the congregants to challenge them to fulfill God’s intentions as citizens of the kingdom of God
Christmas
The church rejoices in the arrival of the Christ child
Closed Communion
communion that is available only to church members of a particular denomination
Comon Cup
One common chalize from which all communications drink
Communion
Partaking of the bread and the cup, emphasizing the fellowship of believers
Creeds
(from the Latin word credo, meaning “I believe”). Statements of orthodox Christian beliefs.
Doxology
Any brief song of praise
Easter Triduum
The three most holy days of the Christian year: from sunset on Maundy Thursday to sunset on easter Sunday (great Triduum)
Easter Vigil
A worship service held on Easter eve that carries over to early Easter morning. It begins as a wake (recalling Christ in the tomb) and ends with the announcement of the resurrection (recalling Christ’s triumph). Early in the life of the church, it became the occasion for the baptism of catechumens
Elements
Material items set apart for sacramental use (eg: bread & wine (eucharist), water for baptism), anointing oil for healing
Entrance rites
Various worship acts that together comprise the gathering.
Epiphany
The church recalls the earthly ministry of Jesus when his divinity was manifested
Eucharist
"Thanksgiving"; Suggests a joyful celebration at the Table
Exhortation
The ministry of encouraging or admonishing believers toward faithfulness in the Christian walk.
Foot Washing
Following Jesus’s example (John 13:1–17), the enactment of washing one another’s feet, with basin of water and towel, as a symbol of humble service
Free Church Worship
Worship that has been influenced historically by the frontier tradition of nineteenth-century America. The term suggests a sense of independence in worship decision making, freedom from denominational controls, and an emphasis on evangelism and spontaneity.
Gosepl Order
The way of ordering the large framework of worship according to the movements of the gospel message. (God gathers, God speaks, God empowers our response, God sends.)
Great Fifty Days
the days from Easter Sunday to the day of Pentecost
Greeting
Faith based words that extend welcome to worshipers to establish the nature of the worship service.
Holy Kiss
The ancient practice of kissing (believer to believer) as a sign of Christian greeting and love.
Institution
A recollection of Jesus' words at the table in the upper room
Intinction
Dipping the bread and wafer into the chalice of wine or juice
Introit
(from Latin roots meaning “entrance” or “to go in”). A song that a soloist or group sings while processing forward to begin to worship—a sung processional.
Lectern
A stand from which the lector reads the Scripture lessons for worship
Lectionary
A systematized list of Scripture passages that indicates readings and preaching texts for public worship.
Lector
Someone who reads aloud the Scripture passages assigned for public worship.
Lent
The church journeys with Jesus on a pilgrimage to the cross; a season of self-examination for the purpose of increasing in Christ- likeness.
Litany
Prayers, readings, etc. in which the congregation uses a re- peated sentence or phrase in alternation to the leader’s text (for example, “Lord, hear our prayer”).
Liturgical Movement
Interpretive form whereby movement depicts a message
Liturgy
(based on the Greek word leitourgia). The sum total of worship acts the people do in the course of any given service. In its original context in ancient Greece, the term had to do with service in municipalities—“public works.”
Lord's Supper
Observing the bread and the cup in memory of Christ's death - sometimes called the memorialist view
Maundy Thursday
"commandment", The church remembers the events of the Upper Room the night before Jesus’s crucifixion
Meditation
Silent reflection on a text or spiritual idea
Missal/missa
(from the Latin word missa, meaning “Mass”). A book con- taining the texts for the Roman Mass throughout the year, which the congregation follows in public worship.
Officiant
the one who officiates at a religious service
Open Communion
Communion that is available to any believer regardless of denomination
Ordinary time
The season after the day of Pentecost - the longest season of the Christian Year
Ordo
(Latin for “order”). The order of service. The term is commonly used in the discipline of liturgical studies.
Pascha
a word that originally referred to the Passover in Jewish tradition and came to mean easter in the Christian tradition
Passing of the peace
The ancient practice of greeting one another with the words “The peace of Christ be with you” to establish community or as an act of reconciliation.
Pentecost
The church celebrates the promised gift of the Holy Spirit within believers to empower them as witnesses to the kingdom of God having come in Jesus Christ.
Postlude
An instrumental piece at the end of the service that provides inspiring music as worshipers are sent back into the world
Prayer Book
A published collection of specified prayers and other worship elements that a congregation uses corporately to guide its worship, providing words that may be prayed or spoken together. The most familiar prayer book is the Book of Common Prayer, used within the Anglican Communion.
Prayers of the people
Prayers of intercession by the gathered community
Prelude
Instrumental music to establish the setting for the gathering.
Recession
An orchestrated leaving of the worship space by clergy, choir, and all leaders, usually by walking down the aisles from the front to the back while music is sung or played: the reversal of the processional.
Responsive Reading
Words spoken in alternation between leader and people (or between two groups); any text performed by worship participants in alternation.
Rite
Any specific liturgical ceremony or progression of worship elements (e.g., entrance rites, baptismal rites). Also, a “family” of ritual practices particular to a geographical territory or liturgical tradition (e.g., Byzantine Rite, Roman Rite).
Sanctoral Cycle
The calendar commemoration the deaths of saints, heroes, and martyrs
Service
A whole worship event that transpires at a given time and place by a worshiping community—hence, a worship service.
Temporal cycle
The easter and Christmas cycles, comprising the six major seasons and days of the Christian Year
Testimony
A personal, verbal witness to a work or experience of God that someone is willing to share