Reviewed Book: Norén, Carol M. What happens Sunday morning: a layperson\u27s guide to worship. Louisville, Ky: Westminster/John Knox Pr, 1992

Lisinski, Peter

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What happens Sunday morning: a layperson\u27s guide to worship

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 23Issue 1 Essays in the History of Interpretation Article 205-1-1997What happens Sunday morning: a layperson'sguide to worshipPeter LisinskiFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationLisinski, Peter (1997) "What happens Sunday morning: a layperson's guide to worship," Consensus: Vol. 23 : Iss. 1 , Article 20.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol23/iss1/20Book Reviews 99Lutheran Worship along the way. The book ends with a brief conclusionand sources or end notes.My major frustration is at this last point. He has 17 endnotes, andyet the book is full of anecdotal and other material for which no referencesare given. The anecdotal material, with which the book abounds, is, inmy opinion, what makes the book worthwhile. However, one might liketo know the exact source before reusing some of the excellent illustrativestories he relates.There are unfortunately a few places in the book which are weak, whereeither too little is said or the information is incomplete or incorrect. HereI would cite particularly the sections on the lectionary readings and on theEucharistic prayer.The author suggests the book might be used for personal or familydevotions. I would question such usage as well as his suggestion that itbe used for classes on worship and the liturgy. However, as a generalistbook on Lutheran worship, it could be a useful addition to a church library.Most pastors would also find good fodder for a few sermons in the delightfulstories that are sprinkled throughout the book.K. L. PetersonSaskatoon, SaskatchewanWhat Happens Sunday Morning: A Layperson’s Guideto WorshipCarol M. NorenLouisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992109 pp.What Happens Sunday Morning, written by Carol M. Noren, AssistantProfessor of Homiletics at The Divinity School of Duke University, offersmuch to affirm and little to lament. Noteworthy examples of the latterinclude use of the word ‘minister’ as a synonym for ‘pastor’ or the ordainedclergy. A book intended to educate laypersons might have initiated theirthinking of ministers as inclusive of all the baptized, even themselves. Eventhis perceived shortcoming, however, reflects one of the book’s strengths,namely, a consistent sensitivity to the average layperson’s less specializedknowledge in the fields of biblical scholarship and church history. At thesame time. Professor Noren does not shield the reader from inquiry intothese issues. The questions of inclusive language, or whether or not theLast Supper was an authentic Passover meal, for example, are treated in astraightforward and impartial manner.Professor Noren is consistently impartial in dealing with particular pref-erences and practices in worship, while firm in expressing its universals:100 Consensusintent to please and praise God, to inspire a sense of mission, and to buildcommunity among believers. Though brief and concise, the book’s six chap-ters provide a thorough discussion of their respective topics—context, archi-tecture, music. Word and ritual—and how these various dynamics combineto enhance or inhibit the promised benefits of corporate worship.I especially appreciated the emphasis on the Jewish roots of Christianworship, and how these are reflected in the New Testament. In addition,the book’s strong mission orientation is reinforced in the questions providedfor group discussion at the end of each chapter—perhaps the book’s mostvaluable feature. For example, in the final chapter Professor Noren suggests,“Strictly speaking, the word liturgy denotes the Eucharist; some traditionsuse the word as a synonym for Holy Communion” (p. 85). I am intriguedby the discussions this might generate in congregations where ‘liturgy’ is afamiliar word, though not yet connected with a weekly celebration of theLord’s Supper.The book’s stated purpose—to “achieve a better understanding of. ..worship” and to help laypersons “evaluate and plan what happens on Sun-day morning” (p. 11)—is more than met, and I am particularly encouragedby the potential for ecumenical understanding that may be fostered as thebook is read and shared according to its design.Peter LisinskiFaith Evangelical Lutheran ChurchFergus, OntarioOrdination Rites of the Ancient Churches of East andWestPaul BradshawNew York: Pueblo Publishing Company, 1992$24.50Noted British liturgical scholar Paul Bradshaw has here written a bookwhich evinces his interest and authority in the area of liturgical history,and which is the most significant contribution to the field of ordinationstudies since H. B. Porter’s 1967 monograph. The Ordination Prayers ofthe Ancient Western Churches (SPCK/Alcuin). However, Bradshaw takesus beyond this earlier work, by venturing into the murky waters of theEastern rites.The book has two parts. In the first, Bradshaw gives historical back-ground on the various rites, their sources and structures, and then walksus through the shape surrounding the various rites for bishops, presbyters,deacons, deaconesses, and other minor orders.In the second part, Bradshaw provides translations of the variousprayers, which he divides into three categories: patristic texts, eastern

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What happens Sunday morning: a layperson\u27s guide to worship

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