the Spirit.” 36 Tongues indicates a divine–human encounter and is a site
in which grace fl ows, characteristics that signify its sacramental nature.
Thus, sacraments are implicitly affi rmed in Pentecostal praxis and iden-
tity. Adapting sacramental language then affords more appropriate alli-
ance with the practices of Pentecostal spirituality than the language
of ordinance. Because sacraments in the broader sense do not restrict
God’s divine action to certain actions, a Pentecostal appropriation of
the sacraments retains the “freedom of the Spirit in a unique kind of
sacramental spirituality.” 37 As Pentecostals warm to the idea of sacra-
mental worship, I believe that their worship will be even more enriched
since the formerly inchoate will be recognized and appreciated at the
cognitive level, so that the affect will not be the sole element engaged
in worship. The mind and the heart will engage together, mutually
informing one another, and will lead to even more vigilance for the
unpredictable blowing of the Spirit.
When Pentecostals accept their own spirituality as sacramentally
formed, they will be able to better affi rm liturgy. In fact, they are already
liturgical. For Simon Chan, “liturgy... is simply an attempt to be faithful
to the christologically and pneumatically shaped revelation.” 38 According
to Rex Davis and John Miller respectively, liturgy means “what the peo-
ple owe, or should do, as a public service” 39 and is “the public worship of
the Church... the Church adequately understood as the Mystical Body
of Christ, the worship of both Head and members: Christ worshiping
the Father in and with His members, the members worshiping God in
and through their Head, Christ.” 40 Thus, all worship services are liturgi-
cal, and Pentecostals, traditionally held to be anti-liturgical, have their
own unique liturgy. Stephen Dove confi rms this in his study on the use
of hymnody during the Azusa Street Revival between 1906 and 1908.
Pentecostals eschewed traditional forms of liturgy such as the use of
lectionaries, but this led to the creation of “a unique liturgical experi-
ence at Azusa Street that was refl ected in both the development and the
use of hymns in the revival.” 41 Granted, they did not have a set order of
service, and those led by the Spirit could approach the front to preach.
However, the shape of a distinct liturgy is evident. Many times, hymns
were sung in the Spirit, sometimes accompanied by an interpretation.
In addition, interpretations of the hymns sometimes acted as introduc-
tions to sermons. 42 Spontaneity of the Spirit was evident and these early
Pentecostals were correct in their insistence that it was the Spirit that led
their service. However, their worship services had a pattern nonetheless.
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