The Gathering Church⤒🔗

In the worship service the church gathers together around Word and sacrament, in prayer and praise. The term “worship service” reminds us that the goal of this gathering is to worship God’s great Name. The Lord is the praise of Israel (Ps. 22:3). For the form of this gathering, the order of service, we also use the word liturgy, a word that in the Greek translation of the Old Testament designates the priestly service in the sanctuary (e.g. Num. 8:22). In the New Testament this word is used in the same way for the service in the temple (Luke 1:23; Heb. 8:6), the eternal priestly ministry of Christ (Heb. 8:2), and the ministry of the angels (Heb.1:14). Furthermore, it is used in connection with the collection for the church of Jerusalem (Rom. 15:27; 2 Cor. 9:12), the devotion of the church to the service of the Lord (Phil. 2:17), and the missionary work of Paul (Rom. 15:16). With the exception of Acts 13:2, where the word is used in connection with a prayer meeting in the church at Antioch, it is not used in the New Testament for the gathering of the church. This is significant! It reminds us that the actual liturgy of the church begins as soon as the people exit the church! (A.F.N. Lekkerkerker).

The worship service — a gathering of the Christian church around Word and sacrament. We could also speak of a meeting. In Christ and through his Spirit, God wants to meet with his people in a special way in the gathering of the church. In the Word, in baptism and in the Lord’s Supper he shows his love to us. The focal point of the gathering is the proclamation of the gospel of reconciliation in the preaching and in the celebration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. That is what we are gathering for. Because God wants to have fellowship with us, the church seeks to meet with God in order to deepen our fellowship with him and grow in the knowledge of his Name, his justice and his mercy (M.J.G. van der Velden).

By using the words “meeting” and “fellowship,” we also acknowledge the movement between God’s Word and our response, a movement that occurs throughout the worship service. God has the first Word. In the magnetic field of the worship service, the God who speaks is the one pole. The church who responds is the other pole (H. Jonker). The church responds in confession and praise, in coming to the table of the Lord, in the confession of faith, in intercession, and in love offerings. This is how the covenant of God with his church functions in the worship service. This covenant, which is initiated and established by God, is comprised of two parts: Word and response.

Especially in our cultural climate, where individualism reigns supreme, it is good to emphasize and express the aspect of fellowship in the gathering of the church. Forms can alternate, in keeping with the cultural situation in which the church finds itself. But the constant factor is the aspect of fellowship in that dual movement: fellowship with the Lord and with each other. The word “fellowship” (koinonia) is a diaconal word par excellence.

Worship and Life←⤒🔗

We should note that the worship service is not isolated from ordinary life. The church service may be something of a shelter where we can take refuge. As long as we don’t see it as a chance to withdraw from the world and its needs. The One who gathers us together around Word and sacrament is the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord of the world. The gathering church has to be an open fellowship. The church doors are open to the world. The proclamation of the gospel can have this appeal: “Come with us and do as we do.” In the prayers, the church gives voice to the groaning of creation. In the songs we sing, we praise God’s mighty deeds throughout his creation.

The gathering on the Sunday is focused on the week. On a Sunday we are equipped for practicing our faith on Monday. The Heidelberg Catechism expresses this relationship as follows, in its explanation of the fourth commandment (Lord’s Day 38): “[It requires that] I diligently attend the church of God to hear God’s Word, to use the sacraments, to call publicly upon the LORD, and to give Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that all the days of my life I rest from my evil works, let the LORD work in me through his Holy Spirit, and so begin in this life the eternal Sabbath.” The worship service is not a ghetto, but is focused on the practice of godliness in everyday life. O. Noordmans warned us in his response to the liturgical movement (van der Leeuw) against using the liturgy as an escape. He points to the close connection that existed for the Reformers between liturgy and life. “That God is present in the worship service will have to be proven most of all in everyday life; that he was present on Sunday will have to be shown throughout the week” (Liturgy, p. 40).

This coherence is also in line with Scripture. In Romans 12:1 we find the word “worship” used in this way: “your spiritual act of worship” (or “your reasonable service”). It concerns — as becomes evident from the context of the passage — the consecration of our whole life in service of God, resulting in blessing for our neighbour. This spiritual worship is the diakonia (service) of the church in the world. Recall those words from earlier in the article: the actual liturgy begins as soon as the members exit the church. Liturgy on the street: the believer is — in Calvin’s words — “the host of God” in everyday life.

Worship and life! Let us not separate what God has ordered together. A.A. van Ruler points out that we must not lapse into the error of emphasizing the secular service of Christians in social and political life to such an extent that there is no room left for the church service. The church of Christ gathers together in worship to find again the “tune” that they should sing. “For that reason we go to church. With that purpose we celebrate the liturgy. So that, through it, our entire life would become a song of praise in worship of God, a worship service in itself. Someone who never attends church anymore to celebrate the liturgy there, can no longer go through the world in the proper, liturgical way. All his actions in the world come to nothing; his deeds fall like dry leaves from the tree of life” (A.A. van Ruler in Op gezag van een apostel (On the authority of an apostle), p. 21).

From all of this it becomes clear that the diaconal service of the church is closely related to the worship service. The stream of the diakonia (service) to each other and to society has its fountain in the worship service. The existence of the church is based on the great sacrifice of Christ. On the basis of this sacrifice and through the power of the Spirit, we may respond with sacrifices of confession and song, intercession and deeds of service. Therefore the deacon, called to lead the church in deeds of service, has his place in the worship service.

The Liturgical and the Social Deacon←⤒🔗

We can illustrate this from another angle as well. In Luke 22:27 Jesus says, “But I am among you as one who serves.” And he urges his disciples to serve one another. In this regard, attention is often and rightfully drawn to the story of the feetwashing, as recorded in John 13. Jesus reveals his servant love to his disciples in the act of washing their feet. He, the Christ Diakonos, takes on the form of a servant and serves us in his sufferings, death and resurrection (cf. Phil. 2:6-11). At the same time, based on his acts of service, he calls those who belong to him to imitate him. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14-15).

It is not going too far to state that the church’s acts of service toward each other and the world have their origin at the table of Christ. Worship and diaconate meet at the table where the deacon has his starting point. Unfortunately, this connection has all too often been lost among us.

Nevertheless, history shows a remarkable pattern in this regard. While in the early church there was initially a close relationship between the function of the deacon in the worship service and his social task, at the crossroads of Christ’s Supper, this relationship was gradually lost. The deacon became “the biggest loser” (J.C. van Dongen). He increasingly became an “assistant priest.” The diaconate became a transitional phase toward the priesthood. Despite renewed efforts by the Second Vatican Council, the office of deacon remains embedded in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of Rome, the emphasis being on the liturgical function of the service at the altar. Also in the Eastern Orthodox churches, the deacon is primarily a liturgical figure. The Church of England also mainly describes the work of the deacons as providing assistance to the leader during the worship service.

If the Roman Catholic, the Eastern Orthodox and the Anglican churches focus on the liturgical deacon, the social deacon is something that we find especially in reformed Protestantism. Calvin had few good words to say about the liturgical deacon in the Roman church of his days. “They say that it belongs to their deacons to assist the priests, and minister at all the things which are done in the sacraments, as in baptism, in chrism, the patena, and chalice, to bring the offerings and lay them on the altar, to prepare and dress the table of the Lord, to carry the cross, announce and read out the gospel and epistle to the people. Is there here one word about the true office of deacon?” (Institutes IV.19.32). Calvin removed the deacon from the worship service and gave him his place in society. His task is described in Institutes IV.3.9 as caring for the poor, while in the Genevan church order of 1541, the care of the sick is also included as a diaconal duty.

Calvin’s act of having the deacon reappear from the Mass, where he had been hidden away since the Middle Ages, and placing him once again on the border of church and society, has rightly been called historic (van Dongen). In the footsteps of Calvin, our Church Order of 1951 also focuses fully on this social aspect of the diaconate.

However, this does not mean that there is an irreconcilable contradiction between the “liturgical” and the “social” deacon. Calvin’s words quoted above must be understood against the background of a development in which the diaconate had shrunk into the arena of liturgical assistance. On the other hand, we need to remember in our Reformed tradition not to disconnect the deacon from the worship service, making of diaconal work a purely civil and societal matter.

In an article about the deacon in the worship service, A.F.N. Lekkerkerker pointed out in 1966 how the secularization of all kinds of diaconal work, and the de-confessionalization of many agencies in the field of welfare and social services, should again urge us to reflect on the connection between the diaconate and the worship service. Service to our neighbour receives its impetus in the serving love of God in Christ. The worship service is the source and centre for a diaconal church. It is therefore not a coincidence, but biblically and theologically to the point, when the Church Order article on the ministry of mercy (Art. XIX) follows after the article that deals with the Lord’s Supper. For: “by virtue of the fellowship in the Lord’s Supper and in imitation of its Lord, the church fulfills its diaconal mission in church and world.”

The Diaconate and the Preaching←⤒🔗

When reflecting on the relationship between the worship service and service to others, liturgy and deaconry, we tend to focus our attention in the first place on the collection of love offerings. Of course we do not want to ignore this aspect in this essay, but it would be wrong to see this as the ultimate aspect. The connection between the church gathering and its diaconal mission is multi-faceted. In the reformed tradition, the place of preaching is central. The church is gathered around the pulpit, baptismal font, and table.

The preaching therefore also has a diaconal outlook. To avoid misunderstanding: the diaconal is not the only aspect in the existence of the church. There are also the apostolic and the evangelistic aspects, the experiential and the professing, consolation and encouragement.

Having said this, we still ask your attention here for the diaconal outlook of preaching. The ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21) has implications for the lifestyle of the church in a conflict-torn world, a world that manifests itself all too well in the church as well. Out of the proclamation of God’s mercy, we are called to show mercy toward one another. Many fundamental words in Scripture (mercy, justice, love, peace, salvation, redemption, healing, help) have a diaconal outlook. The preaching of the kingdom of God also calls people to make themselves available, in Christ’s name, for Christ’s service to others.

Paul tries to move the church of Corinth toward sacrificial love to the poor of Jerusalem, by reminding them of the love of God in Christ, who became poor so as to make us rich (2 Cor. 8:9).

A “diaconal” sermon is therefore decidedly different from a feat of propaganda in support of a diaconal action. It is about a much deeper relation: that between salvation and sanctification, Sacrifice and sacrifice.

In what way can preaching give shape to this diaconal aspect? We are not thinking so much of specific “diaconal Sundays.” The danger in this is that the diaconal element remains “special,” something which people give thought to a few times a year and then forget. Rather, the diaconal aspect should perfuse the preaching like yeast, with the content of the Scripture text and passage setting the tone.

Variety in the choice of texts — for example, by working through a Bible book or a series of consecutive Bible chapters (a practice known as lectio continua) — will automatically bring us on this diaconal track. We should guard against one-sidedness and absolutizing! In the course of the church year there is plenty of room to address the diaconal mission out of the proclamation of God’s salvation. Added to that, we have a World Diaconate Sunday in early February that offers a unique opportunity to teach the church about its diaconal calling.

The diaconal aspect should receive attention in preaching also as part of equipping the deacons. The diaconal home visit then becomes an extension of the preaching. The classical form for the ordination of deacons speaks of “words of consolation” with which the deacons may come to the aid of the poor, in addition to giving material support. How will deacons and members (who all stand in the office of believer) be able to do this pastoral and diaconal work without being equipped through preaching! Deacons may and should ask attention for this diaconal aspect of preaching, as part of the church council’s reflection on the preaching and worship service. In turn, it is good practice to invite the minister regularly to a deacon meeting, so that he can get expert information about diaconal problems and concerns. This can help him to make more concrete applications in his sermons. A precondition for all this is of course that attention will be paid to the diaconate in the training that the ministers of the Word receive. “It is essential that the heart of the gospel will beat in the diaconal life of the church” (D.J. Karres). Preaching may contribute to this.

The Diaconate and the Holy Supper←⤒🔗

We have already referred to the close relationship between diaconal service and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Christ has instituted this meal for his church so that we might exercise communion with him and thereby also with each other (see 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:17-34). The important question is whether this last aspect is still sufficiently recognized among us. Is there not a danger of individualism in those “right-wing” Reformed churches where the focus is wholly placed on the question: “May I, can I attend the table?” If this is the focus, then the aspect of mutual communion threatens to disappear out of view. We do not want to ignore the aspect of assurance and all the pastoral implications that accompany it, but we believe it to be the teaching of Scripture that the questions of the individual are only heard and answered within the fellowship of the church! Both in Israel and in the early church, the meal was a sign of fellowship. The Holy Supper as an act is in itself a call to service and fellowship.

All of this becomes even clearer when we give thought to the ministry of the deacons in the celebration of this sacrament. In the early church the deacons brought the offerings, assisted in the preparation of the table, shared the bread and wine. Their social task was nourished and stimulated by this ministry. The abuse and the one-sidedness of their office in the Middle Ages, which we discussed earlier, do not invalidate this good custom.

In his booklet about the church and its diaconate, D.J. Karres points out that the well-known Strasbourg Reformer Martin Bucer acknowledged the liturgical task of the deacon at the celebration of this sacrament, while also Valerandus Pollanus in his Liturgia Sacra (Holy Liturgy, 1551) argued that the deacon has an important role to fulfill in the celebration of the Supper. He (or the minister) puts the bread and wine on the table to be visible and prepares it for the celebration. The deacon is served first after the minister. From his hand one receives the cup, with which he also pronounces the words with which Christ has instituted the Supper.

The service of the deacons in the preparation of the table and in the distribution is entirely in line with the practice of the early church and the Reformation. The task of the deacon should also take shape in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper with the sick. It often happens that the minister visits the sick together with an elder, but without a deacon. The absence of the deacon appears to us to be improper, in light of the connection between the diaconate and the Supper. “His [i.e., the deacon’s] office is to serve at the table of the Lords and thus also to bring the gifts of bread to the sick; the elder supervises to ensure that everything is done in good order” (A.F.N. Lekkerkerker).

The collection at the Supper also underlines the connection between the Lord’s Supper and the diakonia (service). In the early Christian church, the Supper and love feast (agape) were still connected to each other. The church brought gifts in the form of bread and wine to the table or to the deacons, so that the Lord’s Supper would be celebrated and the gifts be distributed to help the poor. Of Monica, the mother of Augustine, we read that she brought a love offering to the table in the church every day. Gradually this gift, the offertorium, was surrounded with all kinds of ceremonies and connected with the idea of ​​a bloodless repetition of the sacrifice to the Father, in the bread and wine of the Mass.

The Reformers broke radically with this idea. The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrifice to God from us, but it is Christ’s gift to us on the basis of the sacrifice that he made once and for all. This sacrifice wants to take shape in us living our lives as a thank offering. That is why it makes sense to maintain the early Christian practice of bringing gifts to the table in the form of a collection as people come to sit at the table of the Lord. It is precisely the remembrance of the one and great Sacrifice that calls us to give ourselves in service to the Lord and to each other. The collection at the Lord’s Supper should therefore be a diaconal collection, as a tangible sign of fellowship in response to Christ’s sacrifice. It is profoundly meaningful to dedicate this diaconal Lord’s Supper collection to a worldwide diaconal goal. In one of the oldest prayers at the Lord’s Supper in the Didachè, an old Christian writing from approximately AD 125, we read, “As this broken bread was spread over the mountains and brought together as a whole, so let your church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.” In celebrating the Meal of fellowship, we may experience in the collection this worldwide fellowship with the church of all places.

The Diaconate and Prayers←⤒🔗

Prayers have their own place and meaning in the worship service. In the prayer of supplication, the church brings the needs of the world before God and pleads for God’s compassion for itself and for the world. “Kyrie Eleison — Lord, have mercy on us!”

In intercession we are expressing the communion of saints. We bring each other’s joys and concerns before God. We pray for the church and the churches, for its mission and calling in the world, for governments and peoples, for peace and justice. A.A. van Ruler has connected intercession with our position of being God’s fellow rulers over the world. In the intercession “we take up the whole world and present it to God. In our church service we nominate the world to God as a candidate, and we plead its case with the power of arguments. Prayer, simply put, is this: that we discuss things — and then all things — with God” (Waarom zou ik naar de kerk gaan (Why should I go to church), pp. 55-56). We could call this the kingly aspect of intercession. There is also the priestly moment: we pray for each other, for the world, for those that no one prays for, in priestly solidarity with all distress.

Such prayer is certainly not without obligation. Praying against injustice may not be an alibi to escape from seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Praying for those who are hungry, for those who are ill, for those in need, demands at the same time our diaconal service, our efforts to help, that we share of what we have received.

Intercession is therefore a diaconal matter par excellence. In some churches this is also expressed in the liturgy, by having the deacons lead the prayer for the needs of the church and the world. Karres has defended the proposition that this diaconal task could be based on the words of 1 Timothy 3:13, which speaks of the deacons’ “excellent standing” and “great assurance in their faith.” He relates the word “standing” to going up to the temple. Whether this novel exegesis is correct is doubtful. Ridderbos and others relate the text to the recognition of the office by the church and to the deacons’ boldness of speech.

Regardless of the appeal to 1 Timothy 3:13, it does make sense to involve deacons in the intercession. Even when the minister leads the intercession, there remains a diaconal task. Is the deacon not the ideal person to communicate the themes of the intercession and the names of those whom intercession is asked for? Giving shape to the worship service is not only the minister’s responsibility, is it? Moreover, when it is not the church’s own minister but a visitor who is preaching, it will be especially helpful if the deacons perform this service. It is not good when there is a painful silence after the minister inquires whether there are special concerns for the intercession, or when the embarrassment and ignorance clearly appear on the members’ faces. Clearly, the deacons may be expected to know the church.

The deacons are those who are called to lead the church in acts of service. Involving them in intercession also serves to underline the unity between prayer and deeds.

The Collection of Love Offerings←⤒🔗

The worship service does not consist of words only, we are also required to put a meaningful amount into the collection bag. One’s purse is involved. Elsewhere in this book we have pled for a restoration of the place of the diaconal collection in the worship service. From 1 Corinthians 16:2 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 it can be concluded that the diaconal collection is an essential part of the church gathering. The deacon is then the ideal person to announce the diaconal collection. In doing so, one should beware of using grand words, or emotional expressions that speculate about the generosity of the church. A collection announcement is not an opportunity to beg, even less a means of manipulating the people. That is contrary to the nature of worship, the character of the love offering and the uniqueness of the church. The purpose of the collection should be described in sober and concrete terms. A targeted destination promotes targeted giving and prevents the collection from becoming mindless routine. A single Bible text can serve to underscore the calling and joy of giving. Targeted information given through the church bulletin or other means is also useful for informing the church members about what their offerings are asked for.

Do the deacons have to collect the offerings in person? Here too we would like to argue for the involvement of church members. After all, the diaconate is the task of the entire church.

Just one word about the timing of the collection. In many churches the collection is still taken during (the prelude for) the song before the preaching. The power of custom no doubt plays a role in the placement of the collection between the Scripture reading and preaching. In our opinion this is less ideal, and for two reasons. Firstly, in this way the unity of Scripture reading and preaching is interrupted. Secondly, the connection between intercession and the act of the collection of offerings also gets lost. According to A.F.N. Lekkerkerker, in practically all the old reformed orders of service from the 16^th century the church is called upon at the end of the preaching service to help the poor through almsgiving. Valerandus Pollanus (1551) and Marten Micron (1554) place the collection at the exit or after the prayer for all the needs of Christendom. From a historical point of view, there is thus every reason to have the collection after the prayers, during the prelude before the final song. From a theological perspective there is also much in favour of this approach. First of all, the service of the collection of offerings is a response to the proclamation of the gospel. In the second place, in this way the connection with the service of prayers is recognized. We pray in the intercessory prayer for those who are in need, who are suffering, and who are poor. In the collection after the prayer service we open our folded hands and give our offerings as a tangible sign of brotherly solidarity.

In Conclusion←⤒🔗

The thoughts shared here are by no means complete. Various aspects could only be discussed very concisely within the space allowed. May this essay nevertheless give a clear indication of the importance of our worship service as the source of a vigilant and active diaconate. On the other hand, it is also true that the diaconate of the Christian church will impact our worship service, since both the diaconate and the worship service involve our whole life. It is a good thing to look critically at the design and content of our church services. Do they indeed have that diaconal quality that Scripture and our confessions require of them? Are the deacons indeed given their rightful place in worship? We gather together in the church service to learn the “tune” again. How much we are in need of this, in a world where the needs are so alarmingly great and diaconal help often seems like a drop in the ocean. The hardness of persons and systems can so easily give rise to apathy and discouragement within the church. In the church we come together to keep the song of praise going. But the church doors are open to the world around us. The deacon who finds his starting point at Christ’s table may lead the church on its way out, into the world. For the church lives by the promise that it may be the salt of the earth and the light of the world — to the praise and glory of our God!