Spirit-Empowered Liturgy: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Traditional Christian Worship

Abstract

Sometimes perceived as dead ritual in contemporary Christian churches, liturgy provides a time-tested means of experiencing the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in corporate worship. When understood within its own historical use, liturgy, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, enables a community of faith to consistently remember and participate in God’s saving acts in history, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and actively look forward to the eschatological hope of Jesus’ return. Like the banks of a river, liturgy plays an important role to effectively facilitate the consistent and reliable movement of the Holy Spirit in communal worship. This study 1) provides a brief scriptural and historical background of liturgical worship; 2) explores examples of liturgical prayers from Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican traditions that reflect a Spirit-empowered ethos; and 3) suggests unity and mission are two of the primary purposes of Spirit-empowerment in liturgical worship. This study is not by any means exhaustive on the topic of liturgy but functions as a reminder for those familiar with it and an introduction for those who are not.