The Central Place of Christ in Christian Worship

William A  Knowles traces the beginnings of his theme to the early Christians’ sense of Christ in their midst and in the eucharist.  He identifies the four great families of liturgies, all distinguished by the same belief in the presence of Christ.  In some of these, worship is addressed directly to Christ.  Knowles would see the prayers of the Church ideally “presented to God the Father in the Name of the Eternal Son”.  The Roman tradition diverges from our own at certain points, but not in the supreme honour given to Christ.  In mediaeval times, the “mystery” of the Mass obscured rather than revealed Christ – a situation the Reformers set out to remedy.  The “work” of Christ was rediscovered, only to be obscured again in the worship of 18th century Scotland.  The rise of hymnody in the 19th century, the study of liturgies, the Church Service Society and a greater frequency of Holy Communion have done much to reinstate Christ at the heart of the Scottish Church’s life and worship.