Continuing some thoughts on Hoyt Hickman's worship work

The late Hoyt Hickman, one of the Deans of modern United Methodist liturgical thought, wrote a book titled Worshiping with United Methodists.¹  In it, he sought to answer the question, “What is Christian worship?” He listed five principles that characterize Christian worship.  His third principle is:

Spontaneity and order are both important.

This is one of the great tensions in both worship planning and worship execution.  Some communions have a worship service that is almost completely scripted.  The Roman Catholic Missal or the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer contain almost every word that the worship leader and congregation speaks.  Take out the parish notices and the sermon/homily and everything else is there.  These traditions find comfort in these ordered services.

On the other hand, thee are worship traditions that have little or no printed matter.  A worship bulletin may serve to convey announcements and calendars.  But the worship portion itself may do little more than list hymn numbers and scripture references.  The position here is that worship should be almost completely spontaneous.  These traditions hold up the ideal that God “inspires” the worship service and that the entire event takes place under the direction of God.

I must note that these “spontaneous” services are often as rigidly scripted as any prayer book-directed meeting.  While there may be no printed order, or no widely distributed plan, these gatherings often commence in an unalterable fashion.  The call to worship may be a song leader announcing, “All that will, come to the choir.”  The worship time often has a strict (if unprinted) order.  Hymns, prayers, the offering, “special music,” sermon, altar call – the various elements take place in an unalterable order.  Yet the planners and congregants will insist that they are spontaneous and inspired divinely week by week.

I have rarely experienced for myself a worship time that was truly spontaneous, and never at the principal service of worship that a congregation held on Sunday morning.

Hickman says about this principle:

Worship should be open to both the planned and the unexpected movings of the Holy Spirit, who can speak not only through the preacher but through anyone present.  People feel free to follow the Spirit if they have a basic sense of pattern and structure, within which there is freedom and from which one may occasionally depart.  Both rigidity on the one hand and chaos on the other make most people withdraw into their shells. 

I believe that this is a wonderful sentiment.  But truth be known, I don’t have any idea how to exercise the intent with any practicality.  It may only be a slight caricature to suggest, “OK, we’ve had the hymn and the offering, does anyone have anything spontaneous to express before we move on to the prayer?”

Worship requires a certain flexibility.  This expresses itself in different ways in different traditions.  But, as much respect as I have for Hickman, I wish he had said a little more here, because I just don’t get it.  Balance?  Yes.  Order? You bet.  Willingness to adapt to occurrences on a given Sunday?  I’m all about that.  Planning for spontaneity?  That’s still going to take some work.

¹Nashville: Abingdon, 1996