Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

I shared this old Latin phrase of the church with our praise team last night at our rehearsal for the Sunday morning worship service.  Roughly translated it means something like, "Law of prayer/worship, law of faith."  It's shorthand for basically, "show me how you pray/worship, and I'll show you what you believe."

So I challenged our group to think about every minute thing we do on a Sunday morning--what are we demonstrating that we believe...

...when we gather on a Sunday morning for worship instead of a Saturday night or some other day/night of the week?

...when we sing songs with lots of "I's" and "me's" in them but very few "we's" and "us's" in them?

...when we take Communion/the Eucharist/the Lord's Supper every few weeks?

...when we turn up our microphones so loudly that we cannot hear the congregation singing?

...when we welcome visitors (or don't welcome visitors) at the doors of our church building?

...when we invite people (or don't invite people) to the altar for prayer?

...when we read the scriptures out loud in the service?

...when we set up a 'stage' in front of an 'audience' for 'worship'?

...when we have a time of 'fellowship' in which we encourage everyone to say hello to one another during the service?

...when we bring drinks into the worship service?

...when we tithe and give offerings to the church and those in need?

Lex orandi, Lex credendi.  Show me how you worship/pray and I will show you what you believe.  Every little thing that we do in our worship services--even the subtle or non-conscious things, even the type of building we choose to meet in--shape our theology, shape what we believe about God and our relationship to him and others.  People often think you get theology from the sermon, and maybe occasionally from the songs you sing on Sunday morning.  The fact of the matter is that for the average Christ, most of our theology is shaped by the countless subtle, small, individually insignificant things that we do (and don't do) in worship.

When I abstain from taking my latte in the worship service, I am doing so because of a subtle already formed in me concerning reverence for God.

When I choose to welcome a visitor at the door of our church, not simply by handing them a bulletin, but by inviting them to a seat in the service, I do so because of an already formed belief about the hospitality of Christ's Church.

More passively, when I see technicians in the church who run lights, sound, and computers, but who do not participate in singing the songs of worship, tithing, or taking the Eucharist, I am sent a distinct--though subtle--message about God and his church.

The very name of the place where we meet sends a theological message--like whether or not the name has the word "church" anywhere in it, or is a bit more hip like "Crossroads" (I only use this name because I see it everywhere--not trying to bash it).

So how about you?  What credendi (beliefs) do you and your church's orandi (worship and prayer) demonstrate?