Liturgy has been defined as “the work of the people.” This means people are involved in worship service and not just spectators.
Another way to explain liturgy is that it is the Bible organized, quoted and paraphrased for worship! All churches develop some sort of liturgy for their services, but what Anglicans seek is the distillation of the best Christian worship practices down through the ages.
Anglican liturgy is how the early Christian Church worshiped. The earliest simple liturgy can be traced back to the day of Jesus’ disciples – the apostles – and the unbroken chain of their followers. The richness, depth and authenticity of their early worship are what we seek to emulate today in our rich liturgy.
Liturgy seeks to ensure that the act of worship is never passive or something to be taken for granted. Christian worship should not be administered by the few and observed by the many. There are no spectators in Anglican liturgy; all are invited to be active participants in worship.
Those who are not familiar with the liturgy or who are not ready for active participation are welcome to say nothing and to join in when they are more comfortable.