The festschrift contributors, many of whom have been students and colleagues of Spinks, attest to the intensity and breadth of Bryan Spinks as a scholar and teacher. The articles are arranged historically, gathered into three sections: (1) Early Church and Eastern Traditions, (2) Patristic and Reformation Eras and (3) Contemporary Liturgical Reform. The articles tend to focus on narrow subjects. Michael Daniel Findikyan's title ‘The “Opening of the Door” Ceremony on Palm Sunday in the Armenian Church’ is typical. These entries demonstrate the intention to mine deeply rather than broadly. The movement from one article to the next can be jarring. Nevertheless, at the conclusion of each section, one cannot help but notice certain continuities. Within the articles, rites are scrutinised in order to demonstrate variation and evolution. Taken as a whole, the collection serves to immerse the reader in the highly ritualised world of the church as it developed through the patristic and Reformation eras.

The third section, ‘Contemporary Liturgical Reform’, offers several close and critical readings of current liturgical scripts and practices in the United Kingdom and the United States. It concludes with an article by John Witvliet which taps a subject many liturgical scholars have been reticent to probe: worship practices of contemporary evangelicalism. Witvliet names a chasm between many of the teachers of liturgical studies and their students. The former may find the ritual world of evangelicalism as inaccessible as the latter find the intricacies of early Eastern eucharistic prayers or Anglican sacramental theology.

The book assumes a certain level of sophisticated understanding of liturgical history and theology. Though arranged historically, it certainly could not take the place of a survey of liturgical studies. It would serve well as an accompaniment to such studies by providing instances of in-depth analysis. Or the book may be received as a collection of parts. Taken separately, the articles add to more narrow foci of scholarship, e.g. East Syrian eucharistic prayers, variations of baptismal anointing in the early church or Bucer's use of the institution narrative in the eucharistic rites. Each article includes copious footnotes. Many of the footnotes refer to foundational articles by Spinks himself.

One may find the enigmatic character of this collection either its flaw or its strength. Ross, in her introduction to the festschrift, suggests that summarising Spinks’ research interests is like trying to stuff an octopus into a matchbox. The metaphor applies to this book as well. It is difficult to categorise. But the ‘business of worship’ defies domestication and easy categorisation. The Serious Business of Worship honours well the scholarly and pastoral contribution of Bryan Spinks. It also honours the complexity of the contemporary liturgical enterprise.