What elements comprise a solemn assembly?
An intense and intentional time of prayer and spiritual preparation beforehand will help create the awareness that the particular time set aside for a solemn assembly is special and holy. Mindful of the Spirit, you will want to spend much time in prayer and preparation and encourage those who will attend to also spend time in individual prayer and spiritual preparation. People should congregate with anticipation of meeting God in a special way during the solemn assembly. It is imperative that preparation for the solemn assembly be considered an important part of the solemn assembly.
The flow of the service moves from an awareness of our distance from God’s good intentions through confession, to an assurance of pardon and celebration of grace, to a listening anew for God’s renewing Word in scripture and preaching, to a recommitment of our lives to Christ and His service in ministry to the world, to a reengagement with the world with joy and renewed vigor.
The assembly is called to worship by God. This is not the time to declare why we’re here in namby-pamby language. Listen to the strong, commanding words of God through the prophet Joel:
“Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly!
Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord!
Our call to worship needs to be as strong and come from God’s voice calling us together.
We gather with a song of praise on our lips. Each time the congregation gathers it is like a return from exile. “So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing,” Isaiah 51:11 says. He goes on to remind us:
Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
This is the promise offered us in gathering together in solemn assembly. How can we not go to meet our Lord with a song of joy in our hearts?
Confession of sin and lament of the current state of affairs. We not only confess our individual sins and complicity in various corporate sins; we also lament the broken condition of the world. This call to solemn assemblies is a call to lament the situation we find ourselves in as individuals, the church and the world; to confess our responsibility for this state of affairs and to seek the One who redeems us from our slavery to sin and empowers us to proceed in the power of resurrection hope. There needs to be an extended period of confession and/or prayers of lament for our current state of affairs as a result of personal, ecclesial and global sin. Time is often set aside for any who want to confess sin before the assembly in a variety of ways, but this is not coerced.
Silent waiting for God to speak and act. Despite the discomfort this may cause, there needs to be much silence for serious prayer and reflection. It may be necessary to give some guidance as to what people are being asked to consider in their silence before God.
Proclamation of God’s grace with the assurance of pardon. The Lord is not interested in psychological self-flagellation. God wants us to confess our sin in order to be relieved of its burden that keeps us from fulfilling our purpose as human beings. God assures us that Christ has conquered sin, and that in Christ and His righteousness we are forgiven and freed to love as God’s people. Recognition of this sheer grace in Jesus Christ is cause for praise as we are released into freedom with a song of thanksgiving. This may involve the joy of dance or other physical expression of praise.
We may also have an extended period of time in which we pass the peace after the assurance of pardon. Since God has reconciled us, so we are to be reconciled with Christ’s peace. This is also a time when we acknowledge God’s image imprinted in each person gathered there under Christ’s grace. In places where there is conflict, this passing of the peace could come after the sermon and/or before communion as a time when people are intentionally encouraged to reach beyond themselves and their own perspectives. In the Spirit of Christ’s reconciliation of us, this is the time to at least begin the process of reconciliation by reaching out to others with whom we are in disagreement by recognizing Christ dwells within and among us all.
Proclamation of God’s promises after a prayer for illumination and scripture readings. Without the Spirit, the Bible and all our preaching are nothing but dead–letter law. This is why we ask that the Spirit illumine us so that we might hear God speak in all the human words set before us. The prayer for illumination goes before the scripture readings, not after. Scripture, too, needs to be heard in the Spirit.
Preaching at a solemn assembly is not about frightening people with the condemnation of hell but of setting before us the faithful love of God who will do whatever it takes to be in communion with us and who wants to give good gifts to us, the beloved children of God. Indeed, God promises to renew and restore all who repent. Preaching the gospel that Christ’s righteousness frees us from our bondage to sin, we thus proclaim the joy of salvation.
Choose scriptures that focus on God’s desire for harmonious relationship. Do not abuse your power by choosing scripture that will aid your condemnation of something the church is doing that you don’t like.
Time of renewal. There needs to be a time to renew our commitment to the Lord. This can be done in a variety of ways — through a renewal of baptismal vows as we come to the table the Lord provides. There can be a symbolic offering of ourselves. People can sign up to work on a mission project and present this commitment in writing as an offering. People can come forward for prayer with those who will mentor them in the faith in the weeks ahead. The church can enter into a time of deep prayer for themselves and the world. There are many different ways to ritualize renewal. Communion that emphasizes our intimate connection with God and one another is particularly appropriate during this time. Exactly what you will do is something you and your team will need to discern together.
Sending and going on our way rejoicing. While the assembly begins in solemnity, it often ends with joy in God’s good gospel grace even as we are sent out to participate in Christ’s renewal of the world, offering whatever gifts God has given us in service to the world in our everyday lives.
Music is also an important part of solemn assemblies, as is obvious in just two biblical references to music during festival days:
Zephaniah 3:17-18 The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.
Isaiah 30:29 [At the time of the Lord’s deliverance] You shall have a song as in the night when a feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
The imagery reminds us that even as we are singing praise to God, God is exulting over us with a love song intent upon drawing all of humanity into divine harmony.
Use music to do what the service itself needs to be doing at that time — praising, lamenting, praying for help, giving honor to God. The music needs to fit into the flow of the overall service as it seeks to move us deeper into communion with Christ.
