Reflection on the New Testament in a (Holy Week or Advent) Worship Service

The goal of this assignment is to help you draw connections between the disciplines of biblical studies and other, specifically churchly Christian practices — between the Bible we have been learning in class and the Bible as it lives in the worshiping Church.

Offer an analysis of major ways the New Testament is used in the worship service at the church service of your choice. In the spring I strongly suggest a 'Holy Week' service that happens between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, since those are particularly rich scripturally. In the fall, an 'Advent' service will work well too, but these come late in the semester.

Before you attend the service, review my article "Evangelicals in the Factory of Scripture" for suggestions on various metaphors that describe the roles the Bible plays in different Christian and evangelical traditions.

After you attend the service, write an analysis of the parts that the Bible plays in a church service you attend (but not a chapel service at school), drawing on course materials as applicable to make your points. What metaphors (such as the ones on my list in the article, or others that occur to you) are most important in this church's worship service?

Please include the printed program of the worship service you attend, so I can follow along. If none is available (or if the program is not descriptive enough), outline it yourself. Don't forget details like the name and denomination of the church, which service you attended, and so on.

Look at:

• Physical as well as verbal roles for Scripture (is the Bible on display? is it brought in the course of a procession? are Bible verses displayed?).
• Biblical reading, quotation, citation, and allusion in prayers, hymns, and the like.
• Sermon text(s). "Liturgical" churches often have a set of readings preselected from a lectionary. Others pick them ad hoc.
• The place of the Bible in the sermon's argument.
• The relationship between the New Testament and the Old.
• Other less obvious allusions: movement, dress, decorations, and themes that draw substantially on New Testament language, teaching, or patterns.

Uh-oh! What if the service is biblically thin or the Bible is abused rather than used?

• First, don't condemn it too quickly. Before you give up on the service, look again with a spirit of charity. Be responsive to the fact that the church may simply be doing things in an unfamiliar way, so that you have to "translate."
• If the Bible's role in the service simply needs improvement, then tell me how you would improve it. Again, here I would be most impressed with suggestions that tie the New Testament in with real Christian worship practice in a compelling and natural way.

Please keep your paper three pages, double-spaced, and follow the directions in my handout for writing papers. Remember, I want to see proper style, clear writing, a thorough answer to the question, and explicit citations of course materials. Of course, cite any sources you draw on, whether directly or indirectly, or you're plagiarizing.