‘Why worship?’: Schleiermacher speaks to the question

Abstract

A study of the origins, acts and efficacy, aims and ends of worship according to Friedrich Schleiermacher. Worship originates in inexpressible feeling, is ‘incarnate’ within a particular community, and functions dialectically. Worship consists of singing, preaching, prayer, baptism, the Lord's Supper and the ‘Power of the Keys’ (forgiveness). The efficacy of these acts derives from the mission and ministry of Christ, supported by the power of the Holy Spirit, and made effective through human action, insofar as it is conformed to the divine governance of the world. The chief aim of worship is to communicate the ‘religious moments in life’. Viewed negatively, worship can have no real or intended impact on God. Viewed positively, worship ends in the perfection of the common consciousness of the church. At its best, worship assists the human community in its proper development by ‘tuning us in’ to those feelings and dispositions that will best help us to act in accord with God's design. When this is true, worship can be said to truly continue and reflect the mission and ministry of Christ.