On the Liturgy of Baseball

When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up… For God is not a God of confusion but of peace… But all things should be done decently and in order.
(1 Cor 14.26, 33, 40, ESV).

The middle of the seventh; you know what that means – time to stretch. We all stood in the manner of the ancient rhythm (“Take me out to the ball game; take me out to the crowd”); singing in harmony (“buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks; I don’t care if I never get back”); the children are being catechized in the rituals of America’s pastime; elderly saints have sung this hymn for decades (“Let me root, root, root for the Tigers; if they don’t win it’s a shame); our hands rise in benediction (“For it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out; at the old ball game.” [1]). I attended more Tigers’ games this year than I have ever. To our surprise and delight my dad bought season tickets and blessed our family with a season filled with fun experiences and memories.

Frequent visits to the ballpark this season meant immersing myself in the liturgy of baseball. Of course, there are certain rituals present regardless of venue – the national anthem before the game, the seventh inning stretch, etc. And then there are others unique to Comerica Park, like the military salute in the middle of the fourth, or Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the middle of the eighth. Every game followed a similar pattern; a liturgy.

The liturgy of baseball is embodied. There is a rhythm of call and response – the crack of the bat; the leather-on-leather thud of a strike; your favorite hitter’s walkup music all beckon the cheer of the masses. Proportionately, the rival’s success, the umpire’s unpopular call, or the opposing ace’s attempt to out the runner at first, all elicit the jeer of the faithful. The incense of this temple: beer, cinnamon sugar almonds, hot dogs, and the best Little Caesar’s pizza on God’s green earth. With all our senses we participate in the liturgy.

The word liturgy comes from the Greek λειτουργια (leitourgia), which means the work of the people (Greek - λαοσ, laos = people; εργον, ergon = work). In classical Athens it referred to public service or civil duty. Wealthy citizens funded public works, festivals, or military equipment as a civic leitourgia. During the Hellenistic period and in the Septuagint (LXX) the word evolved to describe the ministry of the priests in the temple. In the Christian tradition it was applied to the order of the worship service, specifically denoting the work of the Word and sacrament for or on behalf of the people.

Historically the weekly liturgy in the Reformed tradition has been intentionally existential - based in the experience of the gospel - specifically moving from guilt through grace to gratitude. There are five basic movements in historic Reformed liturgy:

Call to Worship: Every service begins with the Call to Worship from sacred Scripture. Inaugurating each Lord’s Day through the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim 4.13) is the formative and experiential manner by which we remember and proclaim that the world was born by God’s Word and by it we are born again.

Confession and Pardon: As a result of the Call to Worship, we are confronted with the holiness of God and the depravity of our sin. That’s why the Confession and Pardon is such a beautiful, necessary, and grace-fill segment of our liturgy. 1 John 1.8 tells us that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. We don’t want to live a lie, so we first confess our sins individually and collectively. In the Confession we acknowledge our guilt before God in a regular weekly way; and in receiving the pardon, we are refreshed by the gospel – if you confess your sin [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1.9).

Preaching of the Word: The climax and cornerstone of Christian worship is the preaching of the Word of God. The Scriptures contain the gospel. Preaching is our spiritual substance. Like the calories we need daily for nutrition and energy, we need the weekly preaching of the gospel through expository preaching to sustain us spiritually. Therefore, nothing is more important and necessary in the weekly rhythm of the Christian life than the preaching of the Word of God.

Sacrament: Historically the preaching of the Word has always been accompanied by the sacrament – the Holy Eucharist. Complemented by the Lord’s Prayer, the Eucharist is our response to the preaching of God’s Word – our immediate gratitude to the good news of Jesus proclaimed.

Benediction: The gathering begins with the Word, in the Call to Worship; it concludes with the Word in the Benediction. God gets the first word, and he gets the final word. The Benediction is the announcement of God’s blessing on his people as we go out into our week and the world.

This season I was struck by the beauty of the liturgy of baseball. It really is a beautiful game that cultivates a formative communal experience. Does not the gospel cultivate an even more beautiful, formative, embodied experience every Sunday?  I witnessed a great deal of reverence this summer at Comerica Park – the national anthem and the military tributes always felt like religious communal experiences; the dedication of fans in the extremes of weather; the loyalty amid losing streaks – Detroit loves the Tigers. That’s a good thing; I loved it too! May we revere the liturgy of Word and sacrament like we do the old ball game.

[1]1908 by Jack Norworth (lyrics) and Albert Von Tilzer (music).