Editing Liturgy (section)

==Christianity==
{{main|Christian liturgy}}
[[File:Jan Babjak SJ.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|A [[bishop]] celebrating the [[Divine Liturgy]] in an [[Eastern Catholic Church]] in [[Prešov]], [[Slovakia]]]]
[[File:Vihkimistilaisuus Kiuruveden kirkossa.JPG|thumb|upright=0.9|Wedding ceremony inside the [[Kiuruvesi Church]] in [[Kiuruvesi]], [[Finland]]]]
Frequently in [[Christianity]], a distinction is made between "liturgical" and "non-liturgical" churches based on how elaborate or formal the worship; in this usage, churches whose services are unscripted or improvised are called "non-liturgical".  Others object to this distinction, arguing that this terminology obscures the universality of public worship as a religious phenomenon.<ref>Underhill, E., ''Worship'' (London:  Bradford and Dickens, 1938), pp. 3&ndash;19.</ref> Thus, even the ''open'' or ''waiting'' worship of [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] is liturgical, since the waiting itself until the Holy Spirit moves individuals to speak is a prescribed form of Quaker worship, sometimes referred to as "the liturgy of silence".<ref>Dandelion, P., ''The Liturgies of Quakerism'', Liturgy, Worship and Society Series (Aldershot, England and Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2005).</ref>  Typically in Christianity, however, the term "the liturgy" normally refers to a standardised order of events observed during a religious service, be it a [[sacrament]]al service or a service of public [[Christian prayer|prayer]]; usually the former is the referent. In the ancient tradition, sacramental liturgy especially is the participation of the people in the work of God, which is primarily the saving work of Jesus Christ; in this liturgy, Christ continues the work of redemption.<ref>Catechism of the Catholic Church 1069 (London: Chapman, 1994).</ref>

The term "liturgy" in Greek literally means to "work for the people", but a better translation is "public service" or "public work", as made clear from the origin of the term as described above. The early Christians adopted the word to describe their principal act of worship, the Sunday service (referred to by various terms, including Holy Eucharist, Holy Communion, Mass or Divine Liturgy), which they considered to be a [[Sacrifice#By religion|sacrifice]]. This service, liturgy, or ministry (from the Latin "ministerium") is a duty for Christians as a priestly people by their baptism into Christ and participation in His high priestly ministry. It is also God's ministry or service to the worshippers. It is a reciprocal service. Historically, there was a Christian thought that stresses the idea of the entire liturgy being needed to transform the bread and wine into Eucharistic elements (see [[Eucharist]]). This may have been prevalent especially in Egypt.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zakhary |first=Beniamin |date=2024-09-19 |title=Moment or Process? Eucharistic Consecration and Epiclesis in Egyptian Thought: A Survey of Liturgical, Patristic, and Medieval Sources |url=https://academic.oup.com/jts/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jts/flae049/7762005 |journal=The Journal of Theological Studies |language=en |doi=10.1093/jts/flae049 |issn=0022-5185}}</ref> Usually, many Christian churches designate one person who participates in the worship service as the liturgist. The liturgist may read announcements, scriptures, and calls to worship, while the minister preaches the sermon, offers prayers, and blesses sacraments.  The liturgist may be either an ordained minister or a lay person. The entire congregation participates in and offers the liturgy to God.