Christian liturgy

Christian liturgy refers to the regular worship pattern followed—whether as a recommendation or a requirement—by a Christian congregation or denomination. The word “liturgy” comes from Greek, meaning “public work.” When Christians gather for worship, they perform this work, offering service to God together. Liturgies that share a common origin in region, denomination, or culture are known as ritual families or rites. Most Christian groups hold their main service on Sunday, the first day of the week, called the Lord’s Day. Some denominations hold daily liturgies, including prayers at fixed hours (canonical hours) and Eucharistic services like Mass, among other forms. Many Christians also attend services on holy days such as Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Ascension Thursday, depending on their tradition. Clergy typically preside over liturgies where possible, though lay leaders often lead services in some traditions.

The practice of holding church services is tied to observing the Lord’s Day. The Bible provides a pattern of morning and evening worship, which led to Sunday morning and evening services in many churches today—a structure meant to help families sanctify the Lord’s Day. In Numbers 28:1–10 and Exodus 29:38–39, God commanded daily offerings in the tabernacle, once in the morning and again at twilight. Psalm 92, a prayer about Sabbath observance, includes David’s words: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night” (cf. Psalm 134:1). Church father Eusebius of Caesarea noted that throughout the world, in God’s churches, hymns and praises are offered at morning and evening, calling these “truly divine delights.”

Communion liturgies are those where the Eucharist is celebrated. In the Roman Catholic Church, this liturgy is called the Mass, from the Latin *Missa*, taken from the dismissal “Ite, Missa est” (“Go, it is the dismissal”), now translated idiomatically as “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” The Eastern Orthodox Church (Byzantine Rite) calls it the Divine Liturgy, a term also used by some Oriental Orthodox churches, Eastern Lutheran Churches, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Churches descended from the Church of the East and other Syriac Churches call their liturgy the Holy Qurbana, meaning “Holy Offering.” In Europe, Lutheran churches commonly use “Mass,” while in North America it is often called Divine Service, Holy Communion, or Holy Eucharist. Lutherans retained much of the Roman Catholic Mass after Martin Luther’s early modifications, keeping similar orders and many aspects; Latin titles for sections, psalms, and days were widely retained, though recent reforms have omitted them, and some Lutherans have adapted their Mass to align with post-Vatican II changes. Anglicans use Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, Mass, or Holy Eucharist, depending on churchmanship. Other Protestant traditions, such as Reformed and Methodist denominations, vary in their liturgies or “orders of worship.” Many mainline Western traditions have been influenced by the 20th-century Liturgical Movement, developing remarkably similar patterns drawn from ancient sources, with a focus on a unified Word and Sacrament in Lord’s Day liturgy. Other Protestant groups, like Pentecostal/Charismatic, Assembly of God, and non-denominational churches, often follow a fixed order of worship but have practices that differ from broader Christian tradition.

Common elements in most Western liturgical churches—including Catholic, Lutheran, some Reformed, Anglican, and Methodist denominations—include: the procession with the cross, followed by acolytes, deacons, and the priest; the invocation beginning with the Sign of the Cross; confession at the foot of the altar; absolution; the Introit, psalms, hymns, and chants; the Litany; the Kyrie and Gloria; the Salutation; the Collect; liturgical readings with call and response; the Alleluia verse and other responses; Scripture readings culminating in a Gospel reading; the Creed; prayers; the Lord’s Prayer; commemoration of saints and prayers for the faithful departed; intercessory prayers for the church, its leadership, and often earthly rulers; incense; the offering; and a division between the first half of the liturgy (open to members and those learning about the church) and the second half, the Eucharist proper (open only to baptized believers).