[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=angry+teacher&iid=155546″ src=”0151/b4891893-d860-46c4-bae7-95afe27c4146.jpg?adImageId=11415448&imageId=155546″ width=”380″ height=”253″ /]I was privileged to have some really good teachers in junior high school.  One of my favorites was Glennis Coulter, a 5′ 0″ (or smaller) spitfire of a woman.  I remember her pulling me out of class one day and bawling me out over my score on her eighth grade science exam.  Her eyes were bugging and the veins are her neck were bulging, she was red hot and looked it.

“Mrs. Coulter, I got a 94…that’s an A-” I protested.

“You can do better than that,” she growled, “and that’s what I expect of you.”

I kept my adolescent thoughts to myself and remained silent.  At her urging, I promised to do better the next round of exams.  The line between respect for her and my thinking that she was bonker-nuts existed because I knew she was a fellow learner.  The school I attended practiced advance placement.  I was studying high school level biology, and so was she.  She had never taught the subject at that level before and so every day she showed up with the fire of “guess what I learned” lighting her eyes.  Even as a young man, I committed to emulate being a fellow learner, especially if I ever became a teacher.

Well, I learned something new today.  I learned that the word “liturgy” has a completely secular origin.  For those unfamiliar with the now entirely religious meaning of the word, it commonly refers to the order and content of a service of worship.  It’s the “plan” for what goes on at church services.  The word was originally the term used for a public service project provided the populace by a person of means.  The word was co-opted by the church. 

Consider, if you will, what liturgy means if our understanding is colored by its origin.  When the congregation gathers should it come with the understanding that the ability to engage in worship is a gift from its benefactor, God?  Additionally, when the congregation gathers, how should the outcome of its service effect the public good? Pressing further, when the congregation gathers, should it have a deep awareness that the treasure dispensed by the benefactor is the presence and power of Christ? 

The things most often assigned value in worship gatherings are lessor gifts.  Stained glass, eloquent clergy, engaging programming should all pale before the manifest glory of the One who is really supposed to be the center of attention and devotion.  Perhaps restoring the early use of liturgy would do the modern church some good.  What do you think?