Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

service of Christian worship in the second century as the readings of the “memoirs of the apostles” (that is, the Gospels), along with the Prophets (books of the Old Testament) were read aloud “as long as time allowed" ( First Apology , 67). Justin’s descriptions reveal that the churches embraced a definite order to their services due to the tradition that they shared, although it was quite simple. From evidence we also see that baptized believers assembled and celebrated the Lord’s Supper, associated with a fully stocked meal to be shared by all, but the meal was separated from the celebration of the Lord’s Supper very early in the Church’s history (Clement of Alexandria, Paedagogos 2.1; Stromata 3.2; Tertullian, Apology 39; Chaplet 3). This meal associated with the Lord’s Supper came to be called the “agape feast,” i.e., love feast, but according to our records, it died out by the fourth century because of the great disorders of conduct associated with it (Augustine, Letter to Aurelium 22.4). Deeply affected by the Jewish observance of festivals throughout the year, Christians gave rise early to the idea of a “Church year,” analogous to the Jewish year. This was the beginnings of the modern idea of “liturgical year,” which was an early Christian effort to set apart the year through a retelling of the Christian story through an ongoing succession of sacred events and celebrations. That the actual selection and inclusion of certain festivals and holidays occurred slowly over a period of time is universally acknowledged. For instance, the celebrations of Christmas and Epiphany, although a central part of the Christian story, were not added to the liturgical calendar till the fourth century, and the present calendar evolved until completion at the end of the sixth century. This emphasis on liturgy should probably be seen as a Christian reliance on Jewish roots and orientations, which serves as the ground and foundation of today’s modern liturgy. In dealing with the concepts of this discussion session, it is critical that you make certain distinctions for the students which will hopefully enable them to keep in mind the critical differences associated with the Church at worship. Underscore for the students that although the Bible refers to certain principles and predispositions associated with worshiping God, there are no formulas, fixed patterns, or mandated ritual programs connected with worship. While the Lord’s Supper and baptism are

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