Reshaping Liturgy in Postcolonial Indonesia

Abstract

Hybridity is a distinctive feature in the Sunday worship of Indonesian churches. The churches have adopted the liturgies and theologies of eurocentric Christian traditions introduced by the missionaries: Roman Catholics, various Protestants, Anglicans, and the Orthodox. At the same time, churches draw on their own ethnicity’s cultural elements. Here is a description of Sunday worship in a Javanese Reformed congregation: The basic liturgical order follows the missionary’s liturgy with some adjustments. The entire liturgy is conducted in Bahasa Indonesia (the national language), but the Bible readings are in Javanese or other ethnic languages. A wide variety of congregational songs are sung in Bahasa Indonesia or Javanese. Some songs are locally composed using traditional ethnic musical elements, others are in Western metrical, strophic hymn style. This congregation also sings Praise and Worship songs. Not surprisingly, Western hymns translated into the vernacular remain an important part of the congregation’s repertoire. Adding to the mix, this congregation also sings the “Kyrie Eleison” from the Eastern Orthodox tradition and songs from the Taiz e community. In keeping with the missionary’s teaching, liturgical texts, such as the votum, the assurance of pardon, and the blessing, are mostly taken from the Bible. Newly composed prayers (written and extempor e) reflect the people’s daily experiences. This article explains how churches in Indonesia have shaped their liturgy in the postcolonial era through a hybrid approach or, in the Indonesian cooking metaphor, it can be called “Gadogado.” We base this article on our experiences as planners, leaders, teachers, and scholars of liturgy in Indonesia.