Christian Worship
At look at what Worship Means and Does
We live in a day and age where things are measured in their usefulness. If we don’t see
how something is useful right at the moment, throw it away and get something else. If
something doesn’t please us, just buy a new one. This attitude has even crept into the Church,
where many in the Church are beginning to judge things simply in terms of their utility. This
becomes problematic when it comes to the matter of worship. Many people today look at the
historic liturgy and say that it serves no real purpose and willy-nilly get rid of it, like one might
do with old clothes that have fallen out of fashion. Or, as we see more and more, the desire is to
be trendy – be multicultural – experience different nuances – not in order to learn, but just for a
change of pace, like trying a different ethnic restaurant. We end up shaping things to our wants
and our whims simply on what we think is good.
The thing we forget is that we may not know the true utility of things, and hence not
appreciate or guard them like we ought. Countless mothers have thrown away thousands of
dollars of baseball cards, men have surely ruined many things that their wives have cherished,
and I, having the mechanical skills of a snail, fail to appreciate the wonders of a nice tool shop.
When we don’t know how something works or it’s value, we can under appreciate it, even if we
are familiar with it. This means that the judgments we make – especially our decisions to get rid
of things, can be flawed. This is the whole point behind garage sales and auctions – maybe you
will find a treasure that someone has overlooked (like the copy of the book Les Miserable,
illustrated, from 1880, that my mom found for me for a dollar).
The purpose of this study will be to take some time studying in detail the way in which
we as Christians have historical worshipped, so we can see what a treasure we have in our
historic liturgy. The liturgy has taken shape over 2000 years, and has 2000 years of meaning and
import given to it – but not only that – it is a time tested vehicle and order for God’s Word to be
proclaimed and forgiveness given to sinners around the Globe.
We will look at our Worship and see how it works. As we are using the Lutheran Service
Book, the primary thing we will look at is Divine Service III, but also the other services in the
hymnal as well. Here is how we will approach this topic. First, we will look at some general
terms dealing with worship so we can understand what they mean. Second, we will look at the
structure of the Church Building itself and various items used in worship. Third, we will look at
the service (DS III on LSB pg. 184) in detail. Fourth, we will look briefly at other services (like
baptism, marriage, etc). Finally, we will close by looking at the Church Year.
One note about this study. I am by no means a liturgical expert. There are dozens of
people I know who know more about the history or the conduct of the service – but this study
should help us to see more about what is going on every Sunday when we gather here for
worship. While I might not be able to give as much on the various variations and go into detail
on the more ornate aspects that some places use – I can show what’s going on with what we do.
So let’s dive in.
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Part 1 – Various Terms
In putting this study together, I didn’t know where exactly to start, so I figured we would
start by looking at some general terms about worship so that we can understand the how we as
Lutherans approach worship in general. God’s way is not the typical way of the world, so some
of these terms will be used slightly differently than they are in the world.
Worship – Worship in the general mind refers to where a human being acknowledges and is
directed towards and serves a deity. This “service” is generally understood to be a matter of
people doing things for their god – where prayers, or acts of obedience, sacrifices, or rites are
done to please, impress, or placate the god in question.
To a certain extent, this is also the idea that comes up in Christian Worship – however,
we have an important nuance. Worship is generally tied to a service, an order – but when we
think of Christians as our service to God, our devoting ourselves to God – where does that
primarily take place? One might consider Matthew 25 (“as you did it to one of the least of these
My brothers, you did it to Me”) or Romans 12 (“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world. . .”). As Christians, if we speak of
worship as us serving God, our entire lives are ones of worship where we serve God and offer
ourselves up to Him through our lives and care for the neighbors.
However, we will use the word worship to describe the gathering together into the
Church building for worship services. But we also have a different understanding of what goes
on in Worship than the rest of the world does. That comes up in the proper term that Lutherans
have used for our chief worship service – Divine Service.
Divine Service – If you look in the hymnal, the official title of the main service is “Divine
Service” This comes from the German word “Gottensdienst” – literally “God’s service”. The
heart of the Christian approach to the Divine Service is the understanding that God is present and
active, God meets us in worship, and He acts and serves us.
Concerning God being present – a great example of this being our belief is the hymn
“LSB 907 - God Himself is Present”. The idea that we have is that God is in and at our worship
– and our various structures and reverential actions speak to this. And this idea of God being
present at worship isn’t a new thing – it is an Old Testament thing. Can you think of examples
of God being present from the Old Testament? It is also a New Testament thing as well – can
you think of what Christ promises us concerning His presence? (Hints off the top of my head –
Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:18-20, I Corinthians 11:27).
Going along with this idea of God being present is the idea that God is active for us.
When God is present, He acts for our benefit – and the chief benefit is the giving of forgiveness.
Consider Isaiah 6:1-7, which is a vital, vital passage for our understanding of worship – one that
you will know well by the time this study is finished. God is present, and when He is present,
He brings with Him forgiveness so that we can be in His presence.
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Again, this is an idea that is also the shape of New Testament worship. Here we can look
at John 20:19-23. Again, we see the idea of Christ being present and then providing
forgiveness. This will end up being the focus and main thrust of the traditional Christian
understanding of worship – God comes and serves us by giving us forgiveness.
Now, as part of the Divine Service, we respond with thanksgiving. We do act in the
service – but our actions are a response, either to God’s Invitation or to God’s Word being
proclaimed. This will be important – our hymns, our speaking in the service are not placatory,
but are thanks and praise. A simple way to describe this is “God’s Love, our response”. We
receive God’s love and then we respond with thanks and praise.
Liturgy – There is an order to how we go through the Divine Service – and this is called
“liturgy”. Liturgy comes from the Greek word “leitourgia” – which means “public work”. The
idea behind the word does tie into the old pagan idea that worship is mainly service towards a
god, but when this worship was done publically, there would be an order, a liturgy, that would
shape and direct this public work of service to a god.
Christians have adapted that same word to describe the order of Divine Service. God’s people
have always, always followed liturgies, orders of worship. On Maundy Thursday Jesus
celebrated the Passover with His disciples. This celebration is called the “seder” – which is the
Hebrew word for “order” – there was a structured order. This came out in the Synagogue
worship as well – consider Luke 4:16-21.
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And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as
was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and
he stood up to read. 17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was
given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it
was written,
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"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to( proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
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to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
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And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and
sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
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And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing."
A few quick things to note. First, there is a custom – there is an order that is repeated. The time
is the same, the actions and movements are the same. Scripture is read, and then Scripture is
commented and preached on. Same thing we do today.
The Christian order of worship grew out of the Jewish synagogue worship – which means
it had liturgy. Consider Acts 2:42 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and
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fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” This is the order of worship which we
have today. We hear teaching. We celebrate the Supper (the breaking of bread). We follow
“the prayers” – the order of prayers that come up. This is liturgy. And it is to be done in good
order. Our praise and worship is shaped and orderly because God is present and we are to be
focused upon God. This leads to another important word – praise.
Praise – I will try not to go off onto a rant here, and it may be very hard. We have lost, in
modern culture, the idea of what praise is. When you praise someone, what you are doing is
speaking about what that person has done. The praise is about what the person being praised has
done. That’s what makes praise praise. If I wish to praise a baseball player, I must praise the
way he has played baseball. If I wish to praise someone for their community service, I must
speak about how they have served their community. Otherwise, it’s not praise.
A good, classical Christian example of this would be “LSB 790 – Praise to the Lord, the
Almighty”. God is our health, our salvation, He reigns, He uplifts, He sustains, He graciously
provides all that is needed, He has made us, He has given health and kept us from falling, He has
relieved our need and grief, He befriends us. And in response, we praise and declare what He
has done. God is much, much more active in the hymn than we our.
However, there has been a change in modern understanding of what a praise song should
look like. This can be seen when you see the best of “Contemporary Christian Praise Songs” –
often advertised on TV. As an example of this, consider part of the song “Come, Now is the
Time to Worship” by Brian Doerkson.
Come, now is the time to worship
Come, now is the time to give your heart
Come, just as you are to worship
Come, just as you are before your God
Come
(Spoken: One day)
One day ev'ry tongue will confess You are God
One day ev'ry knee will bow
Still the greatest treasure remains for those,
Who gladly choose you now
Or as another example – “Here I Am to Worship” by Chris Tomlin
Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You
(Refrain)Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
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Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me
King of all days
oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor
Refrain
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross (repeated to conclusion)
Now, hopefully you can see in these examples how the focus is shifted. In a classic
hymn of praise, the movement of “God’s love, my response” is maintained – the majority of the
focus is upon what God has done – the majority of the action is on what God has done and is
doing. These songs, though, shift the focus on to our reaction and love towards God, with God’s
action getting the secondary billing. One might argue that I have picked bad examples as these
hymns are calls to worship. However, worship isn’t primarily our action – and that is even
demonstrated by some of our beginning of service hymns – just consider the titles of hymns 900916 - “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty – Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now – This is the Day
that the Lord Has Made – Blessed Jesus, at Your Word – Come, Thou Almighty King – O Day
of Rest and Gladness – God Himself is Present – Lord, Open Now My Heart to Hear – Christ is
Made the Sure Foundation – Now the Silence (a newer one) – Lord, This Day We’ve Come to
Worship (a new one) – Christ Is Our Cornerstone – O Holy Spirit, Enter In – Light of Light, O
Sole- Begotten – Today Your Mercy Calls Us – Only-Begotten, Word of God Eternal.” The
focus, even of the titles, tends to be on the activity of God for us.
Now, this is not to say that the modern “praise” songs are bad – but rather they don’t
function as praise songs – they are love songs. The modern praise song is really a love song to
God – and comes with all the emotional focus on how the person makes me feel and what I’m
going to do for them that love songs bring with them. I enjoy a good love song as much as the
next guy – but there is a time and place for that. There is a time to focus on our response and
how God makes us feel – but worship is the time for God to act, and our praise is to be about
God’s action.
Setting – This is another word that should be brought up in brief. We generally speak about the
Liturgy, in the singular. There is One God, there is One liturgy, there is the same basic order.
However, there are variations in that order, and these are called “settings”.
In the LSB, the Divine Service is given in 5 different settings. The Settings specifically
refer to the musical accompaniment (if I went and rewrote the music to the liturgy, I would have
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created a new setting). This is part of the way in which changes happen over time – the liturgy
can be set to new music and new instrumentation. However – when this is done it needs to be
done with care so that the focus of worship remains on God’s Presence and Action for us – not
simply our emotions (which can easily be manipulated by music – and there are plenty of books
by clergy on how to manipulate people with music – the stereotype of this in the church would
be the preacher preaching with the organ swelling in the background.) As such, when new
settings are considered, how they use music and what the music is meant to do needs to be taken
under consideration.
Now, in our modern settings, there is also a bit of structural variation between the various
settings (the location of the Creed is the main one) and even some different songs (what hymn is
used for the offertory or the Kyrie). Much of this difference is simply a product of the fact that
the Church is catholic – is universal. It has spread out all over the place, and there are regional
variations that pop up. Divine Service 1 and 2 hearken back to the older orders of worship.
Divine 3 (which we use) is also called the “Common Service” from the book of Common Prayer.
When we went to English, we took the traditional English order of service. Divine Service 4 was
a new setting of the Common service with the service hymns changed to rhyme (as we tend to in
modern English song). And then Divine Service 5 is basically Luther’s German Mass translated
into English.
Mass – Sometimes in the Western Church the service is called “Mass”. In fact, the term “Mass”
in Luther’s day could refer to the service as a whole, the Lord’s Supper, or the liturgy around the
Lord’s Supper. We have moved away from using the word “Mass” as part of our modern
distinction from Rome and it’s errors (and there were many in their understanding of the Supper
and the liturgy around the Supper) – but if you read the older Lutherans you’ll come across the
word often. It also is making a comeback.
The word “mass” comes from the last line of the old Roman order of service. We end with the
benediction (an addition by Luther), but before that the service simply closed with prayers. Then
the priest would say, “Ite, missa est” – which is literally “Go, you are dismissed”. The only
problem was, people ended up not going Latin well, confused Ite (Go) with “it” – and so it was
understood as “It is a mass” – or the mass is done. So the term “Mass” basically meant “Go
home already”, but got mistranslated into a title.
Rubrics – One other note. In the hymnal in the services, you will see lines in red. These are
called “rubrics” (which is Latin for red). These are the instructions for the liturgy. If the rubrics
say “is” or “shall” that is something that should be done – if the rubrics say “may” implies that
there is local variation.
We will pay some attention to the rubrics, and I’ll actually share some more that includes
the actual instructions for pastors, because this helps to maintain the order of worship.
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Part 2 – The Worship Space
The people of God traditionally have always had an idea or there being “Sacred Space” –
places where the Omnipresent God would come to be present with His people – and they would
set aside these spaces, they would say that they are “holy” – for the word “holy” simply means
something set aside, set apart, for God’s use. We see this early on in Scripture – and a great
example is Jacob’s reaction to his dream. Look at Genesis 28:18-19. When Jacob realizes that
God has been present for him, Jacob builds and altar, and then names the place “Bethel” – which
means “House of God”.
The idea of a house for God continued throughout the Old Testament. You have the
tabernacle built under Moses, you have the Temple built under Solomon. The idea of having a
space, a place for God, was a vital part of worship. Indeed, this was a service to us men – for we
knew exactly where we could go to find the Lord’s Presence. Even for the study of the Word,
you would have synagogues – established spaces where the main thing done is worship.
This idea continued in the times of the New Testament. The idea of being gathered to a
place for worship was vital to the Church’s understanding of what it was. In fact, the word that
gets translated as “Church” is Ecclesia – those who are “called out” from what they had been
doing to a common assembly. At first, in the Early Church, the Christians met in the
synagogues, until they got tossed out. Then they would meet in houses – however, this usually
meant that they would basically have a patron (or patroness) who would set aside a room or
courtyard in his house specifically for worship. When Christianity became legal under Emperor
Constantine in the 4th Century, Christians finally began making Churches which would look
more like the structures we have today. They were at first called “Basilicas” – and a Basilica
was simply a public building (normally for the courts or markets). Christians began to fill this
space.
The construction of Churches ended up fueling the development of architecture in
Europe. In the middle ages you get the development of the Gothic style of architecture to
provide more light into the Church – new techniques are designed to build domes – the famous
artists of the past we almost always people hired by the Church to provide decoration.
And even to this day, there are now a multitude of different styles of buildings and
shapes. The shape of the worship space impacts how worship is done. In fact, how the building
is designed teaches theology and how we understand what worship is. What we will do in this
section is look primarily at our Church – why our forefathers designed this church the way they
did – and then we will also talk about other options that you may see.
Narthex – The entryway outside the inside of the Church is called the “Narthex” – it is a
gathering place where people might gather and mix (unless you have one as small as ours). The
Narthex isn’t considered part of the Church, but rather it’s a lobby that let’s people prepare to
enter the Church proper. That’s why our coat rack is there – when it’s raining, that’s where you
shake off your umbrella or gentlemen take off their hats. Again, this just shows that there is
something special that is going to happen in the Church – there is a transitional space.
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Sanctuary – Once you pass through the Church doors you have entered the Sanctuary. That is
the Sacred space, that is considered the Church proper – it is the place where heaven and earth
meet, where heavenly things happen on Earth.. The Sanctuary is divided into two parts. The
main part is called the Nave. The Nave is the “earthly” part of the Sanctuary. The front
(generally on a higher level – up a step or multiple steps) is called the Chancel. That is where
the heavenly things take place – where the readings are made, where the prayers are prayed,
where the Supper is Consecrated. The reason the Chancel tends to be a step higher is to visually
remind a person that they are approaching the heavenly space.
Altar – The Central feature of the Chancel is the Altar. The Altar is the physical center of
Christian Worship – because that is where our Lord comes to us in the Supper. The prayers to
God are prayed at the altar. The altar is reserved for the things of worship – we don’t put things
not related to worship upon the altar because that is a special place. In fact, in a simple Church,
everything gets done from the altar – the readings would be done from the “horns” of the altar,
the sermon would be delivered from the middle of the altar – right where there prayers are done.
There are two main styles of altars that are prevalent today in the Western Church (the
Eastern Orthodox have a different tradition of building structure). There is what is called a high
altar (which is the style we have) where the altar is placed against a backing (called either an
“altarpiece” or a reredos). In this style the focus is that the altar is the joining place between
heaven and earth – and often you will see semi circles (even squared off ones like we have)
coming off of it to denote that our worship continues in heaven along with the Angels and
Archangels and all the company of heaven. The other style (that is becoming a bit more popular)
is called a free standing altar, where the altar is pulled forward from the back of the chancel an
the pastor may stand behind the altar and face the congregation. The main difference in how
they are used comes in which way the “celebrant” (or the person who does the Communion
service) faces during the Words of Institution. With a freestanding altar, one can face the
congregation during the Consecration.
Lectern and Pulpit – If a Church had the means, separate spaces where dedicated in the
Chancel for the reading of the Word and for the preaching of the Gospel. If you only have one,
it’s technically called an “ambo” – but if you have two as we do they are called a lectern and
pulpit. The lectern is there for the reading of God’s Word (“lecto” is Latin for “I read”). That is
why I am old fashioned and stubborn and don’t let anything be read from the Lectern. The other
space is the Pulpit (which is a Latin word meaning platform or stage) – which is for the
preaching of sermons. Typically the pulpit is on the Congregation’s left – but this is not a hard
and fast rule. Sometimes the Gospel will be read from the pulpit as well (but not normally when
there is an elevated pulpit like we have). The Lectern and Pulpit are considered fancy – they are
part of High Worship (as opposed to Low worship) – this is something that might be shown at
the Seminary – when there were simple matins or vespers, the lectern and pulpit weren’t used –
and in the daily prayer I don’t use the Lectern or pulpit.
Communion Rail/Step - There also is in most churches a communion rail or step. This is the
established place where the reception of the Lord’s Supper generally takes place. This is also the
element of Church construction in which you are going to see the most variation. Generally the
place where people communion will be up a step (so approaching the chancel) but not on the
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same level as the altar – we approach God (or lift up our hearts), and then God comes to us.
Also, many have rails so people receive the Supper while kneeling. Kneeling is a sign of
humility – it happens all the time when people worship Christ (the actual word is “proskunesis” –
or basically get down on all fours like a dog) – so at many places there will be a rail to kneel at
for the Supper, and also kneelers in the pew for prayers.
Typically the Communion rail will be in one of two shapes – it will either be straight
(like ours basically is now), or it will be a semi-circle (like ours was designed). The symbolism
behind the semi-circle style is a confession of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints – the
half-circle we see here on earth is completed in heaven as we enter into Communion with all the
hosts of heaven.
Baptismal Font – Another vital piece of equipment is the Baptismal font. Very early on in the
Church baptism moved indoors. At first, the idea of being baptized in “living” (that is, running)
water was considered ideal – but as the Church had to go underground, having your baptisms out
in the open was a good way to get people killed. In the early church there would be a separate
room with a pool where a person would be baptized (pools were actually a common part of nice
Roman houses). The room was separate because the person being baptized would be baptized in
the nude (which is why in the early church there also were deaconesses, who had the job to
baptize the adult women who convert). Later on, these rooms became separate buildings
(normally 8 sided) called Baptisteries.
Eventually these shrunk to the font – especially in Northern Europe where you don’t want
to be running around between buildings in the middle of winter, especially with wet children. A
few things to note about the typical baptismal font. It will be 8 sided – and the reason for that is
that 8 is a number associated with the Resurrection (and hence new birth of Baptism) – because
Sunday, being the first day of the week, is also the “8th” day. The idea of Baptism is that in
being forgiven Creation is restored, is recreated. This is the imagery that comes up with 8.
Typically, there were two preferred places for the font to be in the Church. One was at the back
of the nave by the rear doors right in the middle. This is because it shows that one enters the
Church through Baptism – that we enter into God’s House because we are part of His family by
Baptism. The other preferred place is front and center – and the idea is the same – we approach
the altar for communion as the Baptized. We have ours off on the side – not something I
particularly like – but there isn’t quite room for it to just stay in the middle (as a note –
symbolism yields to the realities of the physical space). I have the font on the Congregation’s
left for a simple reason – that way when I mention Baptism I get to point with a different hand
than when pointing to the altar. It’s easier to gesture in the sermon that way.
Pews – Pews are a new innovation in the Church. People used to stand. When it was time to
pray, you kneeled. However, as you started getting longer and longer sermons after the
Reformation, people wanted to sit – however, most had kneelers, so you could continue to kneel
for prayer. If you go to an Eastern Orthodox Church, there may not be any pews – most of them
don’t have them unless they are very newly built.
Paraments – The cloth put upon the Altar (and lectern and pulpit) are called Paraments. These
are the cloths that decorate and protect the Altar and other Church furniture. There are two kinds
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– there is the basic cloth that remain there to protect the altar and other paraments – on the altar
this is called the “fair linen” – generally a simple sheet that functions the same way a napkin or
table cloth would. Then, there are the seasonal paraments – the ones that change with the season
or Sunday in the Church Year.
There are three main places that end up having seasonal paraments. The primary place is
the Altar. The colored cloth at the altar is called the “frontal”. There will be Christian symbols
on this as well – for example, ours right now (when I write this) is white, and on this one there
are two crosses and “Alleluia”. These symbols generally point to the season. White is the color
for Easter and other “Christ” days – hence the Alleluia and the cross. The pulpit and lectern also
have paraments on them (called scarfs) – although often they will have a slightly different
symbol. We have a crown and a cross – why would these symbols be associated with Christ?
The paraments serve to not only beautify the Church but to show what time of the Church year it
is and to point and focus us upon Christ.
Communion Ware – When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, there are special vessels which are
used for this. The idea behind having separate, special equipment is again a public confession
of the sacred and holy nature of what happens at Communion. There are a few pieces of
equipment to consider. The first is the Ciborium – which is the covered cup which holds the
consecrated bread. When our Lord’s Body is distributed, it is carried to the communicants on a
plate called the paten. The paten is also there (traditionally) to catch crumbs if a crumbly bread
is used. The flagon holds a great quantity of our Lord’s Blood, which is distributed via the
chalice. The chalice generally is coated with either gold or silver – which also has antiseptic
properties.
We here also end up using individual cups. Individual cups are a newer invention (as
such, they don’t have a cool Latin name) – being introduced around 1900 by Congregationalists
in England who were worried about sanitation. I am not a huge fan of the individual cups –
although it is not wrong to use them – for a few reasons. First – the ideal of “individual” and
“communion” just sort of contradicts – we are communing together, we are brought together in
Christ – that is a truth confessed by the common cup. Second – there are less opportunities for
spills with the common cup. And finally – too often individual cups aren’t treated with the same
reverence as the rest of the communion ware. Ours for example, are disposable and plastic. It
loses some of that reverential nature. Now, it is not wrong to use them (for our reverential nature
isn’t what makes the supper the supper) – but the introduction of the individual cup in
Christendom coincided with a decreasing respect for the Supper.
Candles – Another common sight in Lutheran Sanctuaries are candles. Candles were a matter of
debate in the early days of the Missouri Synod, because many folks thought they were too
“Catholic” – and many of the protestant churches in the US at the time had no candles.
However, we have kept this tradition. Candles denote the idea that God is present. They are a
visual reminder that the Light of Light is here at this place for us – which is why they are lit
when service begins and extinguished when service ends. There are several candles of note.
First, there are the altar candles. We have two on our altar, and they are only lit when the Supper
is going to be celebrated. The candles on the altar are lit when Christ will be present for us upon
the altar in the Supper. There also tend to be a pair of other candelabra flanking the altar which
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are used to denote the beginning of any service. Ours have 3 (why?) – others will have tend to
have 7 (why?). Another candle lit for daily service is the Paschal (or Christ) Candle – which is
the large candle in the front. This candle specifically points to the presence of Christ, as is
shown by its decoration. Normally there will be a Chi-Rho on it (a symbol for Christ) and
fancier ones will have wax nails in it. This is the one that is extinguished last at the Good Friday
Tenebrae service.
The little red candle (or candle in the red glass) is the sanctuary candle (sometimes
referred to as the Eternal Flame) – it remains lit all the time. It serves as a remind that even apart
from service, the sanctuary is a place that the Holy Spirit has hallowed for worship. Often these
are now electric just for ease of care – other places would have candles that would burn for 8
days (to be changed ever week). Other candles are used – we have the Advent Candles which
encircle and lead up to a Christ Candle, denoting our Lord’s Coming. Other services involve
more candlelight – and often this is done to enhance the beauty of the setting. And as a final
note: the lights on a Christmas tree were originally candles (introduced by Luther himself) – so if
you come across some protestant complaining about us Lutherans and our candles, ask them if
they put lights on their tree.
Crosses – In a traditional Christian Church there most likely will be many crosses. Normally
there will be a specific one upon the altar and also one called a “processional cross” which is
used on for opening and closing processions – once again pointing to the presence of Christ at
our worship. Traditionally, crosses in Lutheran churches had a corpus, or a Body of Christ upon
them – hence were “crucifixes”. This was because the main focus of our Church is that we
preach Christ and Him Crucified. However, in the past Century, many Lutheran Churches in the
US (and especially in the bible belt area) have moved to what are often called empty crosses.
Part of this is because there’s a anti-Roman bias that pops up, and crucifixes are often seen as too
Roman Catholic. There is one other option for how a cross might be adorned – many have the
letters “IHS” or “JHS” in the middle of it – as our current altar cross does. IHS is an abbreviation
for Jesus in Greek, and often is placed in a circle (the shape of a wafer from communion) –
making the cross basically a highly stylized crucifix. You may also see an ICXC or a Chi-Rho –
both of which are other shorthand ways of denoting Christ. Sadly, many modern churches are
moving away from having visible crosses, because they are seen as too “sad” or “depressing”.
Vestments – One of the other things that is different about Christian worship is the presence of
“vestments” – or the various articles of clothing that are worn by those assisting in the worship
service. There is a reason, a symbolism behind the things worn. Let’s examine these articles of
clothing.
Alb – The basic piece of clothing is the Alb – which is simply a white robe (Alb is short for the
Latin word “Albus” – which means “white”). The robe is held in place by a white rope called a
“cincture”. The Alb has a somewhat clear meaning – those who participate in the service are not
there because of their own merits, but because they are those who have been washed in the Blood
of the Lamb and clothed in the robes of Righteousness. It is a baptismal garb (indeed, in many
places children who are baptized will wear white robes – and at funerals the casket may be
covered with a white cloth called a Pall – hence Pallbearers) – reminding that our place in God’s
presence is based upon Christ’s righteousness which we receive as the Baptized. However, the
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Alb also serves to hide the individual. It is not important who the acolyte is – but rather that the
candles are lit. It is not important who the Pastor is – but rather that the Scriptures are read and
the Sermon is preached. Which elder is assisting with communion isn’t important – but rather
that the Supper is distributed. The people who serve wearing the white albs are fundamentally
replaceable.
Traditionally Albs are white – although some pastors will have ones that are other colors
(sometimes an off-white or undyed – I even saw a horrid peach-colored one). Some will have
hoods. Also, in some places instead of an alb people will wear a cassock and surplice. The
Cassock is a long, black robe which was standard, everyday clerical wear in the middle ages. It
is black, symbolizing the sin of the individual. Over this is worn a surplice, a white half-robe,
which has the same symbolism as the Alb. Some pastors prefer the cassock and surplice – it
tends to be much warmer so it’s not as common outside of the Northest in the US. I’ve also met
some who wear the Alb when there is communion and the cassock and surplice when there is a
non-communion service. If I had a cassock, I would wear simply it on Good Friday.
Clerical Collar – Another “vestment” is the clerical collar, which is worn by the clergy (or those
in direct training to be clergy). The basic clerical collar is actually an updated cassock – when
men stopped wearing robes like they did in Europe, a black shirt became the standard clergy
garb. There is also a white collar – either a small tab in front, a white band encircling the neck,
or a hybrid of the two. The black symbolizes the sinfulness of the man, but the white points to
the fact that this man is supposed to be speaking God’s Word. I prefer the tab mainly because it
ends up being cooler. Recently, colors in addition to black have gained some popularity.
Originally colors of clericals showed rank – a Bishop would wear purple, so they had purple
clericals. In Rome, a Cardinal wore red, so they had red clericals. Now you’ll also come across
nearly every color of the rainbow – although the symbolism works best with simple black.
Stole – The colored cloth that is draped over a pastor’s shoulders is called a stole. The stole is
worn only by a called and ordained pastor. The stole is actually a yoke – the pastor has been
yoked to the congregation by God through the Divine Call to preach and administer the
Sacrament. This stole generally will match the color of the paraments, and will have symbols on
them just as the paraments will (in fact, when you purchase paraments you can purchase
matching stoles). There are some stoles that are multi-colored, which are used during any
season. Also, you may see a stole that has only one bar strapped across the person’s chest like a
bandolier. This is a “deacon’s stole” – which denotes a lower order of clergy, which we do not
generally have in American Lutheranism.
Chasuble – At some Churches, you will see a pastor wearing a Chasuble during the communion
service – which basically is a large parament-looking cloth draped over him. The Chasuble is
basically a “tent”. This plays off of 1 John 1:14 – the word became flesh and “tented” among
us – like the tabernacle. It is another way of denoting or pointing to God’s presence. This is
what I can think of – if you have questions about something you’ve seen in a Church, please do
ask about it.
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Part 3 – The Divine Service
Now we will begin our look at Divine Service 3, the service as we practice it. For this we will
often refer to the hymnal. The service that we use on Sunday Morning is actually three small
services combined – the Service of Confession and Absolution, the Service of the Word, and the
Service of the Sacrament. We will move through the Order of Worship and see how these three
sections or services play together.
A – The Service of Confession and Absolution (or The Preparatory Service)
Today our service begins with a brief service of confession and absolution. It was not
always like this. Luther would be highly confused as to why we start our service the way we do,
for in his day, the service didn’t begin with Confession and Absolution. If a person wanted to go
to Confession and Absolution (which was considered the appropriate preparation before going to
the Lord’s Supper) – you went and visited your Pastor and went to Confession and Absolution
(which has a rite – see pg 293).
Over the years, especially in the last 200 years, for a variety of reasons, a service of
Confession and Absolution was added to the front of the Sunday Morning worship. Partially this
was due to a scarcity of pastors (if a pastor in handling multiple congregations in multiple places,
it’s hard for him to simply be available for Private Confession). Some of it was due to a decline
in Private Confession, especially in the US as we developed a fear of looking to “Catholic”.
Along the way, the idea came up of taking a condensed form of a service of Corporate
Confession and Absolution (pg. 290). It will be noted that it is often customary to use this longer
Confession and Absolution as the preparation on Maundy Thursday – with Maundy Thursday’s
strong focus on the Supper. Eventually, having the Confession and Absolution attached to the
service became standard (at least in the US) because it actually works well.
The heart of this part of the service is preparation – is reminding people who they are
(poor miserable sinners) and what God has done for them. This ends up putting the worship
service in context – we are not proud people who are here to work for God – we are sinners here
to receive our Lord’s blessings. So, let us dive in.
A Hymn of Invocation may be sung
There are two types of rubrics (instructions in red) that we will see. Some are optional –
they will contain the word “may”. Some churches do not begin with an opening hymn – they
want a more somber approach into confession and absolution (no singing until we hear
forgiveness). Traditionally (as we will see when we get to the Introit), worship has always begun
with singing – and many (as we do) hold to this tradition.
This leads us in to our first big topic – hymns. Hymns are a vital part of our service –
more than you would guess. When we think of hymns, we think of the various songs that change
from week to week – but in reality, most of the liturgy is hymnody. The Gloria is a hymn – our
offertory is a hymn. Some hymns stay the same, week in and week out (or change with the
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setting of the service), and others change week to week. We generally think of the ones that
change from week to week as being “hymns”.
A few things to think about. A hymn isn’t just a song, but it is specifically a song to be
used in worship. As such, there are a few purposes that a hymn is supposed to have (and why
there are some so-called hymns that we don’t end up singing here).
1 – They are to be “Praise” – properly understood – they are to speak of what God does.
2 – They are to teach.
3 – They are to add beauty to our worship.
4 – They function in their place in the order.
We’ve talked about the idea of praise – so let’s get to the idea of teaching. Each Sunday
the readings in Church change – there are different themes that are taught over the course of the
Church year – and so the hymns that we sing are to relate to, are to approach those themes. This
is why we have seasonal hymns – in Easter, we sing Easter Hymns – on Pentecost we sing
Pentecost hymns. The Hymns aren’t just to be songs sticking out like sore thumbs, but they are
to be part and parcel of the teaching that goes on in the service. (As a brief example of how
hymns teach – consider what doctrinal points we learn from “Jesus Loves Me”. Even simple
hymns can teach. We can look at examples here).
Also, hymns are meant to increase the beauty of our worship. This describes how the
music of the hymn is supposed to function. We believe that when we are at worship God
Himself comes to us and gives us the gifts of heaven. Our hymnody, therefore, has a focus on
music that is meant to be (in general) beautiful – that is meant to give a sense of transcending
beyond the mere things of earth and entering into God’s House. Not all musical styles have a
focus on beauty. Some have a focus on movement (think of any examples?). Some have a focus
on creating tension (think of any examples?). Some have a focus on joviality and fun (think of
any examples?). As such, traditionally, these styles of music haven’t been used in worship (until
our godless age when people seem to think worship should simple be entertainment).
Finally, a hymn’s location in the service alters it’s function slightly. A hymn of
invocation (or an opening hymn) is meant to either set the stage in general for worship (think of
hymns like “God Himself is Present”) or set the theme for worship for the day in general.
Stand
Worship is not merely a matter of speaking and singing, but it is also a matter of posture.
Our very bodies confess and point to what is going on. We begin the service by standing. What
implications are given by rising, or standing?
There is one other important posture idea that I will mention quickly. The pastor has a
specific direction to face. If he is speaking with the congregation and addressing God, he will
face towards the altar. If he is speaking God’s word to the people, he will face the people.
Also, note very quickly – all the motions in the service are to be done as one is physically
capable – just as a person who cannot speak is more than welcomed at the service, so a person
who has a hard time rising is more than welcomed and indeed part of the worship.
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The Invocation
The first words of our service are “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit”. This teaches something very important for us to understand what Christian
Worship is. We get these words from Matthew 28:19 – the instruction for Baptism. The
Invocation is simply the Word which God used in giving us the gift of Holy Baptism. When we
enter God’s house for worship, we enter as His children who are washed and redeemed, those in
whom the Old Adam has been drowned (and is being drowned by daily contrition) and in whom
the New Man has arisen. We enter as forgiven sinners who are brought into God’s family.
Upon hearing these words pointing to our Baptism, reminding that our presence at God’s
house is something that flows from His calling us into His family, the Congregation responds
with the word “Amen”. Amen is simply a word that means, “True” or “Truly”. If you see Jesus
begin a quote by saying, “Truly, Truly, I say unto you. . .” – it literally starts “Amen, Amen, lego
emin .” When the Congregation responses with the word “amen” it serves two functions. First,
it is a confession of faith – that what is said is Truth with a capital T. It also says that what is
being done in the service is being done properly – that this is a right way of going about the
service (almost like someone going over a list another person saying “check”).
As a note, this is the first time we see the rubric “The sign of the cross + may be made by
all in remembrance of their Baptism.” Whenever there is a tie to Baptism, the sign of the cross
will end up being made. Sometimes it is made by me over all the congregation (at which point it
is perfectly fine to make the sign of the cross yourself), and sometimes it is simply made by any
individual, including myself. These points are all going to tie to baptism and promises and gifts
given to us by God at these moments.
The Exhortation
After the Invocation comes the exhortation, where we are exhorted by God’s Word to
confess our sins and receive forgiveness. The Pastor speaks an phrase based upon Hebrews
10:22, and then we speak back and forth two Psalm verses. This sets the stage for what our
worship is – speaking back and forth God’s Word to each other. So let’s see what we learn from
each part.
Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our
Father, beseeching Him in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
First, note the word “in” – we are beloved IN the Lord, we approach IN the Name of our
Lord. What we are about to do in confessing our sins and seeking forgiveness is not done unsure
of whether or not God will forgive us – but rather we draw near to God knowing we are in
Christ, we are in the Lord, and so knowing already that God desires completely to forgive us.
We then proclaim the truth of God’s desire to forgive with His own Word to us.
Our Help is in the Name of the Lord/ Who made heaven and earth.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD/ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Our confession is not made because we think it is a wonderful idea, but rather because
God has invited us to make confession, invited us to receive His forgiveness. Even when we are
“exhorted”, this comes from God.
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Confession and Absolution
We then make confession of our sin. There are two options for confession here – the one
on the left is “Confession with Absolution” and the one on the right is “Confession with the
Declaration of Grace”. The main difference is in the fact that the Absolution, with its wording, is
reserved solely for Called and Ordained Pastors, whereas the Declaration of Grace can be used
by any Christian (including the head of the household in family devotions). We will look at
each.
First, the Confession and Absolution. Note how the confession works. We all speak
together what is true of us as individuals – that we are poor, miserable sinners. Again, note how
we approach God – in humility. This is why there is the option of “kneeling” here – kneeling is
the position of humility. Our Confession is one that is humble. Then, when we ask for
forgiveness, we ask for it “for the sake” of Christ’s death. Our only hope is Christ.
Then, the Pastor will stand and turn to face the congregation. Whenever the Pastor faces
the Congregation he is to be speaking the WORD of GOD – speaking as God’s called servant
God’s Word. If the Pastor is facing the altar (just like the rest of the congregation) then he is
confessing, then he is praising. If the Pastor is facing the congregation, then it is the
proclamation of God’s Word. The Absolution is the first such proclamation. And note how
much the individual who is the Pastor is hidden behind the words – “by virtue of my office”,
“called”, “ordained”, “servant of the Word”, “in the stead”, “by the command of” – what the
Pastor speaks he speaks not of his own authority or even because he wants to – but he is ordered
(that’s what “ordained” means) to speak God’s Word in a personal, face to face way. The
Scripture here referenced is John 20:19-23 – where Jesus instructs His Apostles (and by
extension those who follow after them) to speak these words. Even as our God became Man,
until the day we see Him face to face in heaven, He will use men, physical, real men, to speak
His Word of forgiveness directly to people – and it’s not important who that particular person is,
but that God has called and ordered him to speak these words. To which nothing more can be
said than , “Amen”.
The Confession with the Declaration of Grace functions slightly differently. First, there
is a lead-in confession, where the Pastor begins the general confession on behalf of the entire
congregation. “We poor sinners” is said, even though the Pastor is the only one speaking. This
is another thing that a Pastor does – he gathers the thoughts and words of the entire congregation
and speaks on behalf of the congregation unto God. (This is really brought out in the idea that
the Pastor is “called” – that the congregation acknowledges that this particular pastor is to be
their pastor Publicly via a Public Call.) The pastor acknowledges all sorts of sin, in thought,
word and deed. What else is there in human life besides thought, word, and deed? Having thus
confesses that we are completely sinful, the entire congregation joins in with the Pastor in asking
for forgiveness, again, on account of Christ.
Then the Pastor will stand and announce God’s grace. There is a major difference – that
personal statement – “I forgive you” is not used, and instead a general statement is made. The
words of Scripture are proclaimed (Mark 16:16 and John 1:12) unto the people. Then, the
pastor turns and faces the altar saying, “Grant this Lord unto us all.” The promises of God are
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declared, just as they are whenever Scripture is read – but it doesn’t function exactly the same
and the completely personal absolution.
Again, this section is an addition to the service, a supplement to the direct and personal
pastoral care that every parishioner is free to seek from his or her pastor. The declaration of
grace fits the general nature of this idea. This is why in TLH the declaration of grace was used
in the non-communion service, but when there is that intimacy of Communion, the more intimate
words of the Absolution (which was especially understood to be a preparation for Communion)
is used.
B – The Service of the Word
Now we begin what is classically understood as the worship service. The worship Luther
used on Sunday, began here. The worship St. Patrick used, began here. What this service does it
is moves and focuses the Christian upon the hearing of God’s Word and then a Sermon, which is
an exposition of that Word. A crescendo builds up through this Service where the highlight is
the Gospel reading, which then echoes throughout the sermon. This will be the movement we
will see here.
The Introit
Classically, the service began with an introit (which is just the Latin word for
“entrance”). There was an utterly practical reason for this. Back in the old, old day, when
worship was done in a room in a house, there typically was only one door – and the clergy, when
getting ready for worship, weren’t in the sanctuary but in another room. Thus, when it was time
for service, the clergy needed to enter the room and somehow get up front. And there were no
pews, and people would be milling around. Thus, the Bishop and the clergy assisting him
(Presbyters/Priests/Elders and/or deacons) would start singing a Psalm and marching in. When
people heard the signing, they’d get out of the way and the clergy could go up front.
Our Introit today flows straight from this heritage. Today we sing (or speak) a chunk of a
Psalm (and on rare occasion other parts of poetic scripture) – which changes week to week. The
parts of the service that change, like the introit, are called “Propers” – because the text used is
that which is “proper” to the day. The Psalm that will be used will end up fitting and melding
with the Scripture readings that will be used for the specific day of the Church year. Also, there
is a procession as well. During the course of the introit the Pastor will move from the bottom
step up to the altar. . . so there still is that forward movement (again, remember, confession and
absolution is a preparation for entering before the Altar of God – even the Pastor doesn’t hang
out up there before that).
Part of the Psalm may be repeated again at the end – this is called the “antiphon” – which
is a Greek word meaning “against – or bounced – sound” – it’s the part that is sounded back
again. After this, the Gloria Patri (which is Latin for “Glory to the Father”) is spoken. In the
New Testament Church it quickly became a custom to speak the Gloria Patri after a Psalm as a
confession that the God of the Old Testament is the Triune God. It is also customary for heads to
be bowed in reverence at the Name of God which is spoken in the Gloria Patri.
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The Kyrie
What follows next is the Kyrie – Kyrie is the Greek word for “Lord”. Here we call out to
God for mercy. Whenever we enter the presence of God, whenever we go before the Altar of
God, we seek and implore God’s mercy. This is done thrice to be in a Trinitarian fashion. This
also plays off of the repeated calls for mercy that we see made unto our Lord in Scripture (see
Mark 10:47 for example). We join our voices to all those in ages past and in years to come to
call out to Christ for mercy.
The Gloria in Excelsis
The next part of the service is the Gloria in Excelsis (Latin: “Glory to/in the Highest”).
This ancient song is also known as the “Greater Doxology” – for it is the great song of praise of
the Church. It shows up earliest in Greek liturgies of the early Church, easily within the first 200
years. It was written in a verse style specifically for worship – and it pulls upon two parts of
scripture in particular – Luke 2:14 and John 1:29. The Gloria specifically focuses on the fact
that Christ Jesus is present to give the very mercy which we just asked for in the Kyrie, and that
this mercy is the cause of all of our praise and thanks. Also, note that the song is highly
Trinitarian – as all Christian worship is.
The Gloria was used mainly at chief celebratory services – it was considered a “fancy”
song for high services. As such, it wasn’t used during weekday communion services or services
that were more somber in focus. This is demonstrated in the fact that this part of the service is
omitted during Lent and Advent – the penitential seasons. During Advent our focus is upon the
Lord’s coming, so we withhold singing the Angel’s song until Christmas Eve, when we observe
His coming. During Lent we are pondering the depths of His suffering in taking up the sins of
the world, so in solemnity we hold back on singing the bright, happy song.
Salutation and Collect of the Day
What comes next is the “Salutation” – The Lord be with you/ And with thy spirit. This
phrase is used only when a called and ordained Pastor is running the service. There is a specific
idea here. The Pastor is preparing to pray, and before he does so, he says these words. The idea
is an acknowledgment that God is going to be present to hear our prayers – it is a heads-up. The
response “And with thy spirit” is in many ways a mini ordination – we see it in 2 Timothy 4:22
– Paul’s blessing placed upon Timothy, a Pastor whom he had sent to preach. The phrase “and
with thy spirit” is acknowledging that God is working through the servant whom He has called.
Hence, this isn’t used (traditionally) except when a Pastor is doing the service. Also, as a note,
“and with thy spirit” is a much better translation than the “and also with you” which got
introduced during Vatican II in the 60s (and shows up in many other services) – because it’s not
an “also” relationship, but rather a sending of the Pastor to pray for the sake of and in the place
of the rest of the congregation.
What then follows is the “Collect” of the day. A collect is a prayer which collects the
thoughts and concerns of the day (or specific idea) of the entire congregation into one prayer.
This prayer will mesh with the themes of the reads of the day. When this prayer is finished, the
congregation will then sit and prepare to hear the readings of the day.
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The Old Testament Reading
After the collect we then proceed with the reading of Scripture. Today, we typically have
three readings, one from the Old Testament, one from the Epistles, and one from the Gospels.
These readings are set according to a lectionary – we will talk more about the lectionaries later,
but there are two main ones that are in usage in the Missouri Synod today – the three year series
and the one year series (see pgs. xiv – xxiii). We use the one year series, which is basically the
same lectionary which Luther used.
The first reading is from the Old Testament. This is sometimes viewed as an optional
reading (look at the TLH again sometime; it doesn’t specifically give an Old Testament reading),
however, it is widely considered a good idea to include the Old Testament as Christ Jesus is the
Lord of both Testaments, Old and New. The Old Testament reading in the 1 year series is
generally set to align with the Gospel, where the theme or action in the Old Testament lesson
will point forward to what happens in the Gospel for that day. When the reading is over, the
reader will say “This is the Word of the Lord” and the congregation will respond Thanks be to
God. Think about what a powerful confession this is. Every week we say that what we hear is
not merely man’s opinion or musings upon God – but rather God’s Word. God is present with us
by His Word, which is an awesome thing.
Psalm or Gradual
After the reading of the Old Testament a Psalm or Gradual is sung or spoken. We tend
speak the gradual, which is a selection of 2-4 verses (normally from a Psalm). The Gradual
again reiterates the theme of the day – but it also moves slightly closer to the chief theme of the
day – the Gospel (hence the name “Gradual”). There is also a practical function here – the
singing of the Gradual would provide time for the clergy to rearrange themselves if need (if you
have different readers, different books, what have you). This place also serves as a place where a
choral piece could be inserted, which would function the same way.
Epistle
The second reading is generally a reading from one of the Epistles, and again, in the 1
year series it tends to blend in with the theme of the day (although in the 3-year series, they use
what is called a “lectio continuno” – where they basically end up just reading through the
Epistles each week without regard to what the Gospel and Old Testament are talking about).
Here it would be good to note what the Epistles are. The Epistles themselves are very
much like sermons – they are preaching and instructions, based upon the life and example of
Christ (i.e. the Gospel) given to a specific congregation. As such, they will have a lot of
application and personal tie and implications in them. For this reason, I tend to find it hard to
preach using the Epistle lesson as my main text – it’s hard to write a sermon based on another
person’s sermon (even if that person is Paul or Peter). Again, when the Epistle is done, there is
the common response of “This is the Word of the Lord”/ “Thanks be to God.”
Alleluia and Verse
When not in Lent, another, briefer responsorial reading follows, highlighting the use of
the word “Alleluia”. Alleluia is just a Latinized way of saying “Hallelujah” – which simply
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means “Praise the LORD”. This phrasing is used showing that the focus is being built up in
preparation for the reading of the Gospel. Then this is followed by a sung Triple Alleluia.
On occasion, however, the word “Alleluia” is not used. In the season of Lent (and
sometimes in Advent) the word Alleluia is considered too festive for the somber season. As
such, hymns using Alleluia are not used, and the Alleluia and Verse is replaced by a responsory
called the “Tract”.
Stand
One of the common traditions in the Church is to rise for the reading of the Holy Gospel
(when it occurs in the full Divine Service). Again, this functions as a matter of respect. The
Gospels deal directly with the life, words, and deeds of Christ Jesus our Lord, so there is extra
respect given to them.
However, there is a remnant of a fuller ceremony (which we have done here a time or two
when Jay is here to assist), and that is the Gospel Procession. For a Gospel Procession, the
Gospel Book (be it a book with just the Gospels themselves, or a lectionary with all the readings)
is carried down to the center of the congregation (the Congregation will turn to follow, so
everyone is facing the Gospel), and the Gospel is read there. The imagery behind this is that of
the Gospel being taken and brought to the people. Read John 1:14 and Luke 17:20-21. When
we hear Christ’s Word, He is truly among us; when we hear His Word we are brought into His
Kingdom. This idea is physically proclaimed when there is a Gospel Procession. Sometime the
procession will include a Crucifier (carrying the Cross) and also two “torchbearers” – people
carrying candles which flank the Gospel – once again pointing to Christ Jesus as the Light of the
World.
The Gospel
The highlight of the Service of the Word is the reading of the Gospel of our Lord. This is
the reading around which the entirety of the service revolves, and all the other readings revolve
around the ideas presented in this readings – just as the whole Church is centered in Christ Jesus.
The importance of this reading is shown by how it is announced – “The Holy Gospel according
to St. ________, the _______ chapter” – “Glory be to Thee, O Lord.” The fact that there is a
sung response simply to it’s announcement demonstrates its importance. And as a quick
question, can you think of other times when the mere announcement of Christ brings forth song?
As the response is being sung, you may have noted me making the sign of the cross upon
myself three times, once on my forehead, once on my mouth, and once over my heart. This is an
older custom, where the person reading the Gospel would pray quietly “May the Word of God be
upon my mind and upon my lips and upon my heart.” Again, this was the custom for the Gospel
as the chief reading.
The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek Word meaning “Good News” – or evangelion.
This got translated into English as “Good Spell” (as in “sit a spell” . . . sit for a tale, a story) and
from there to Gospel. The Gospels are unique books that are often misunderstood. Although
they contain details about the life of Christ, they are not meant to be biographies. Although they
discuss points of doctrine, they aren’t primarily discussions of theological issues like the
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Epistles. Rather, John tells us in John 20:30-31 what the purpose of the Gospels are. They are
books that show Christ so that we may believe in Him. More than anything, the Gospels reveal
Who Jesus is – that He is True God and True Man who loves us, suffers, dies, and rises for us,
and who comes to us in His Body and Blood in His Supper. The Gospels get to the heart of Who
Christ is, and thus our relationship with Him.
When the Gospel is concluded, the words “This is the Gospel of the Lord” are
proclaimed, followed by another sung response – “Praise be to Thee, O Christ”. Again, our
words acknowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is among us, as we address Him directly in our
praise for giving us His Gospel. One final note – if you are at a non-Divine Service worship, like
Matins or a midweek service, the congregation may not rise and the response may simply be
“This is the Word of the Lord – Thanks be to God.” That is because the other services are more
devotional, and the Gospel may not be the part of scripture being focused on for that devotion.
Hence, you don’t have all the full formality associated with the reading of the Gospel in those
services.
The Creed
Following the reading of the Gospel we have the reading of the Creed. The Creeds act as
a summary of the Christian Faith – a confession of what we as Christians have just heard from
Scripture and what we believe. However, this is not just a personal confession of our own
personal faith – rather, we as a body confess THE FAITH which the Church has confessed all
her days. There are three creeds which are called “Ecumenical” – meaning that the whole
Church throughout the world confesses them. These are the Nicene, the Apostles’, and the
Athanasian Creeds. A few words about each of them will follow.
The Nicene Creed was written in 325 at the Council of Nicaea and revised in 381 (the
original third article was simply “I believe in the Holy Spirit” – the rest was added at the Council
of Constantinople in 381). The Council of Nicaea was the first Church wide gathering of
Christians since the time of the Apostles. It was called by Emperor Constantine, the first
Christian Emperor, to settle various debates of the day. The chief debate was over the Arian
Heresy – a certain Arius from Egypt was claiming that Jesus wasn’t really God – He could claim
the title, but Jesus was just the highest created being whom God the Father (the real God) had
elevated to the rank of God. This heresy was condemned by the Church, and instead the Nicene
Creed was put forth, with its emphasis on the fact that Christ Jesus really, really is God. Think
on the parts of the Nicene Creed that confess this.
The third article of the Nicene Creed was expanded in 381 to combat a group of heretics
called the Pneumatamachians. This word in Greek means “Spirit Fighters” – and this group
denied that the Holy Spirit was truly God. Thus, the third article was expanded, emphasizing the
Divinity of the Holy Spirit and how He does divine things.
The Apostles’ Creed is actually a bit older than the Nicene Creed – and it came about in a
slightly different way. The Apostles’ Creed is a creed that was used in Rome from the 2nd and
3rd Centuries when a person was baptized (and there after in worship). Before Christianity was
legal, churches in different places would have slightly different creeds (which were kept secret
from those who were not members of the Church). The reason for this was that the individual
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Churches had fought differing battles, so the points that they brought up explicitly in their creeds
were different. The Churches that became influenced by Rome (i.e. at some point used Latin)
ended up adopting the Apostles’ Creed as their own – as do we. The Eastern Orthodox,
however, do not use this creed because it was written in Latin, and they never used the things
written in Latin.
The final Creed is the Athanasian Creed – which again is a Latin Creed named in honor
of St. Athanasius, a defender of the doctrine of the Trinity from Alexandria. It was written in the
5th or early 6th Century in Southern France as a way of explaining the Trinity against Arian
barbarians (the folks in the Roman Empire accepted the Nicene Creed, but many barbarians, until
King Clovis I of France were Arian – the Arians we kicked out moved to the boonies and started
teaching the Germanic tribes) who were coming into power in the area. This is why it is the
longest and most detailed of the Creeds. Traditionally, it may be read on Trinity Sunday, when
the Doctrine of the Trinity is discussed.
There is a practice today which you might see which I am vehemently opposed to and
would cause me to walk out of a service (although I tend to read the bulletins ahead, and if I saw
this, I would have left before the service started). Some Pastors will write their own creeds
(usually different each week) and have the congregation confess that creed. What could be
problematic about that? How does that idea contradict the point of confessing The Creed in the
first place?
Excusris – Children’s Sermons
It has become our custom here to have a Children’s Sermon after the
reading of the Creed, so a few words about Children’s sermons are in order. The
Children’s sermon is a newer innovation in the Church, and there are many solid
folks who do not like children’s sermons. The common complaints are as follows:
1 – They break up the flow of the service too much.
2 – They can imply that the whole service isn’t for kids.
3 – Too often people just want cutesy time instead of teaching.
While it is true that Children’s sermons can break up the flow of the
service, I don’t think they are too obtrusive prior to the Sermon Hymn (which
breaks up the flow of the service anyway), and they can be used in such a way that
they don’t exclude the children from the rest of the service, but instruct and
prepare them for it. The complaint that I will concede and agree with is that too
often Children’s Sermons end up being – too cute for their own good. One of the
common things that a Pastor will hear is people want more object lessons in the
children’s sermons – how God’s love is like a butterfly, or some such type of stuff.
The only problem is kids under the age of 8 (no matter how intelligent) don’t put
analogies and object lessons together. If you tell them God’s love is like a
butterfly, and then ask them an hour later what the lesson was about, they will tell
you, “butterflies.” If there is to be a Children’s Sermon, it needs to be a direct
discussion at a level children can understand. That’s why I tend to ask questions
that they can answer (most of the time).
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There are two places where Children’s sermons happen. One is where we
do it, right before the Sermon hymn. Another option (which I do like) is right at
the beginning of service. When the Children’s sermon is done here, you can have
the children listen for things which happen in the service. Also, there are a few
ways of approaching the subject for a Children’s sermon. One option is to simply
make the topic fit the theme of the day – just as one would a sermon. Another
option is what we do right now – and that is to go over the catechism. The
Children’s sermon then serves as preparation for Confirmation Classes. Another
one that I have heard is where the Children’s Sermon goes over the liturgy, so the
kids know what is going to go on and how to do all the things.
Hymn of the Day
The Hymn of the Day (or Sermon Hymn) is sung right before the sermon is preached.
The Synod has suggested a Hymn of the Day for each Sunday – and I try to use it if it is one we
are familiar with (there are some we don’t know, so I will omit them). We will also sing it here,
unless it is a very long hymn, in which case I will move it to communion, or split it in two and
use it as an opening and closing hymn. If I have had to move the hymn of the day, I will select
another hymn which should dovetail with the sermon and the Gospel readings which we have
just heard. There is a book which lists the hymns by their Scriptural references, so I can see
which hymns reference which lessons. This is a fantastic tool that has just come out.
Sermon
So what exactly is a sermon? Is it a study of Scripture? Is it a pep talk? Is it a time of
teaching? These ideas all dance around the issue. First and foremost a sermon is to be
“Proclamation” – it is to be an announcing of what Christ Jesus has done for you. The word in
Greek for preaching is “kerugma” – it’s the same word for a herald. The Sermon is
fundamentally designed to announce and proclaim to the people what the Gospel reading has
itself proclaimed. Luther was adamant that there never be a worship service without Scripture
and without a Sermon. God’s Word is to be read, and then it is to be expounded upon and
proclaimed. A sermon is fundamentally to be an declaration of God’s Word and the application
thereof.
Now, this may involve many things. There will be study of what Scripture says and
explanations of things in Scripture (for if we are to proclaim God’s Word, we preachers must
make sure people know what they are hearing). It will involve encouragement, because God’s
Word often encourages. It will involve teachings, for God’s Word instructs us. But the heart of
a sermon is the proclamation of what Christ Jesus has done for you in dying for your sins and
rising again.
As such a sermon has at its heart two themes – a preaching of the Law (which shows
people their need for a Savior) and a preaching of the Gospel (which shows people their Savior).
And this is done on the basis of the text of Scripture. The various readings point to differing
aspects of the Law and differing aspects of the Gospel each week – and the sermon shows how
what Christ has said impacts and applies to us today. And within the sermon, the Law and
Gospel are to mesh – the Gospel is to be the appropriate counter to the Law. What do I mean by
that? If the Law is “You are a sinner”, the Gospel would be “Christ has died for you and
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forgiven your sins.” If the Law is “In this life there is suffering” the Gospel would be, “Christ
has shared in your sufferings, and He has risen – thus we too are assured of heaven and rescue
from our struggles.” If one says, “You are a sinner, but Heaven is really neat” – while the
second part is true, it doesn’t do you a hill of beans good.
This focus on balance Law and Gospel is what separates a sermon from a Bible study. In
a Bible Study, I don’t worry about specifically balancing Law and Gospel – let’s just see what
the text says. If the text is speaking Law, we will ponder the Law. If the text is speaking the
Gospel, we will ponder the Gospel – and if we run out of time in the middle of a verse, we just
pick it back up next time. A sermon is self-contained, it needs both Law and Gospel and it needs
to wrap up the loose ends within itself. This is where a lot of preaching can fall flat – because it
doesn’t proclaim. If you are proclaiming, you got to get all the points that are needed in.
Traditionally, I will preach (on Sunday Mornings) on the Gospel Reading as my primary
text. Why? Because these are the words of Jesus – they should get top billing in my book (I had
a prof at the Sem who was adamant about this). However, that is not a mandate – one could
preach on any of the texts. Old Testament texts can be preached fairly easily – and many pastors
like preaching on the Epistles, but I don’t (the Epistles are basically sermons already – they are
proclamation to congregations of old – I just find it hard in general to preach on another’s
preaching). One could also do a topical sermon (for example, when there is a Confirmation, I
end up preaching more about confessing the faith – this is the only time I generally preach on an
Epistle – Philippians 2:5-11, which is the Palm Sunday Epistle).
Now, if there are any questions about preaching or what goes into writing a sermon, now
would be a fine time to ask.
The Votum
When the sermon is concluded, the congregation will rise and the pastor will say “The
Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”. I
myself use a slightly older version, which is what I memorized back in the day. However, this is
an important point. It teaches that the Gospel of Christ is to predominate in the Sermon. They
have to end with Christ’s peace – peace is the result of forgiveness, when you are forgiven, there
is peace.
The Offertory
After the Votum we will sing the Offertory. In spite of the fact that we today collect the
offering right after the Offertory, the Offertory has nothing to do with the offering. In fact,
collecting offerings during the service is a rather new invention – one would simply place one’s
offering in a basket or case at the back of the Church. Instead, the Offertory is the time when the
things to be used for the Lord’s Supper are brought forth (or offered) in preparation for
Communion. This will be the time when I unveil the elements, and other Congregations will
bring the elements from wherever they are kept.
While this is being done, the congregation will sing a Psalm. We traditionally sing Psalm
51:10-12. Just as a matter of contemplation, how do the words of this Psalm end up pointing us
towards and preparing us for the Supper?
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The Prayer of the Church
The title of this part of the service is vitally important to understanding what worship is.
The prayers are the prayers of “the Church”. Today in America we are incredibly individualistic,
we think of our own individual taste, we will even key in on our own “personal and private”
prayer. However, prayer is never done alone – when one prays, one is always joined in that
prayer by the Holy Spirit and also by the hosts of heaven. (Can you think of something which
Jesus taught us which demonstrates this truth?) Every prayer is in fact a prayer of the Church –
it is something that we do as believers, as part of the Church, and the voice of our individual
prayer is simply part of the great prayer which is constantly going on before God. Prayer isn’t
just individual – it is corporate – it is something that belongs to the “corpus” – the Body of Christ
– the Church.
This corporate nature of prayer is shown in the Prayer of the Church. In this prayer, ever
week, we will pray for the world and those in it, for the Church and those in it, and for those in
need, be it needs in their vocation (think about the times we pray for teachers, or police, or
students, or the military, or families) or due to illness or struggle. We may even single out
specific folks for our prayer – but we join all these petitions into one big prayer – because all
things, all wants and desires of God’s people, are attended to by the same God. The prayer of the
Church is a reminder that there is more to the Church than just me, or just the few of us here, or
even just the Christians who are living now – the Church is the all the people of all times and
places who have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb – and our prayer and our worship is a
matter of being joined in the fellowship with God with them.
(If there is no Communion, the service concludes). . .
The prayer of the Church ends the service of the Word – always has. The Word has been
heard, and we in response have spoken back the Word to God through prayer. The custom was
that if a Sunday morning service were to occur and no one was to present themselves for
communion, the pastor would add in the Lord’s Prayer (normally prayed as part of the
communion liturgy) and then dismiss people. If things would just be a service of the Word for
some strange reason – the service would end here. This then concludes our look at the Service of
the Word – now would be an appropriate time for any questions.
C – The Service of the Sacrament
One of the bits of Lutheran shorthand that we like is the phrase “Word and Sacrament”.
These describe the “means of grace”, the means by which God brings us His grace, His
forgiveness. We receive forgiveness when we hear the Word proclaimed (as we do in the
preceeding service of the Word), we also receive forgiveness through the blessed Sacraments.
Now, as Baptism is a one-time occasion, it isn’t a regular part of the service. Indeed,
while we now have the custom of adding the service of baptism to Sunday service, that wasn’t
always the custom. Luther was born on November 10th, and on the 11th (St. Martin’s day) his
dad took him to church and had him baptized. Baptisms happened when Baptisms happened. As
such, don’t be surprised if you never see one of my kids baptized on Sunday morning – I firmly
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plan on baptizing them in the hospital, and if aunt whoever can’t make it, well, they aren’t being
baptized for aunt so-and-so’s benefit.
So when we speak of the “Service of the Sacrament” or even “The Sacrament”, we tend
to speak properly about the Lord’s Supper. The Service of the Sacrament mirrors the Service of
the Word – we will have the build up and prayers, the Word of God proclaimed, and then the
Supper. There is a similar movement, which we will see. The pattern is the same.
The Preface
A preface in general is simply that which comes before the main body of something.
Books have prefaces which introduce the rest of the book. The preface to communion introduces
us to what is going to happen in the service of communion. So, let’s see what is going on here.
We begin with the familiar salutation – “The Lord be with you/ And with thy Spirit” This
denotes that the work of God is about to go on and that the pastor should be about his business.
Next we have the phrase “Lift up your hearts/ We lift them up unto the Lord.” This is
actually a slightly poor translation of “Sursum Corda/ Habemus ad Domini” – which is literally,
“Hearts ups!/ We have them towards God.” The word lift didn’t show up prior to English, but
this idea often gets (poorly) translated with that idea of “lift”. When we hear the word “lift”, we
tend to think of ourselves as being active. That’s not what is being described. Rather – it’s the
check list again. Are your hearts pointed, focused toward the heavenly thing? Yes – our hearts
are focused towards God. This is a phrase talking about trust and expectation in God. (This
came out really well in a discussion in our Psalms class a few Wednesdays ago – look at Psalm
25:1-3. Lifting up your soul to God isn’t an offering or a work that you do, rather it is placing
your trust, your “soul” in His hands. To lift up your hearts is a call to faith, not action). Just as
the Pastor is checked before He approaches the altar, the people who will be approaching the
altar are checked to see that they are prepared.
Then there is the phrase, “Let us give thanks unto the Lord/ It is meet and right so to
do.” This then begins our movement in earnest towards the supper. Recall what Christ does
when He institutes the Supper. . . “and when He had given thanks. . .” Likewise, our celebration
of the Supper begins with a giving of thanks – the Pastor says, “We are going to give thanks” and
the congregation replies “That’s the right thing, let’s be about it.” These 6 lines serve as the
preparation, the time to get focused on the service at hand. And then we proceed.
The Proper Preface
The Proper Preface is a proper – it is proper to the season, and as such changes with the
season. The lead in is always the same – “It is truly, meet, right, and salutary, that we should at
all times and in all places give thanks unto You, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting
God:” – and what follows will be the specific thanksgiving which we offer. This will change
based on the season.
If you look at pg. 25 in the TLH you will see a listing of the classic proper prefaces which
are keyed to the day in question. In Lent, we give thanks for Christ going to the Cross, in Easter,
we give thanks for the resurrection, on Pentecost we give thanks for the out pouring of the Holy
Spirit. One change with the LSB is that they have several proper prefaces to choose from during
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the Trinity season – that is the reason for the variation which you will see in the bulletin during
the summer months. These things all are matters of thanking God for His gifts to us.
The proper preface then ends with one of the most beautiful images in all of the Liturgy”
“Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify
Thy glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:” We once again acknowledge that our
prayers are joined with the prayers of the Church, that the song we will sing next (the Sanctus) is
the song of the Church throughout all ages, and also that this Communion which we are to
receive is not merely received by us, but when we receive the Supper we participate directly with
all the Saints of God who have gone before us. When we commune, not only do we receive
Christ’s Body and Blood, but we are joined up into His Body with all those who are present with
Him – the whole host of heaven joins in with us. This is the truth that we confess here.
The Sanctus
The Sanctus is one of the more beautiful parts of the Service, not only for the specific
words, but for the fact that we are being joined in with the heavenly song. To have a song here
on earth that befits such a claim, we pull from two parts of Scripture. The first that we pull from
is Isaiah 6:1-7. If you do not know what happens in this text, you ought to. As part of the
Sanctus we echo the songs of the Angels who are in God’s presence when Isaiah beholds the
Lord – that alone would make these words fitting. However, it goes beyond just that. Note what
happens to Isaiah. He is a man who knows He is a sinner, yet he is welcomed into the presence
of God, and something touches his lips and his sin is taken away. Can we draw any parallels
here? This passage describes what happens in the Lord’s Supper from our perspective – we are
called into the Lord’s Presence and our sins are forgiven so that we can indeed be in His
presence.
There is a second part to the Sanctus, and again, this comes from what should be a very
familiar passage – Matthew 21:1-11. This is the song the crowds sing during the triumphal
entry of Palm Sunday – Hosanna, which means “save us now”. What occasioned the people to
sing this? Christ Jesus came to them in a way that the world would not have respected (what’s
so great about a lowly donkey), so that He might be their Savior and give them forgiveness.
What is Christ Jesus doing every time He gives us His Supper?
These two songs combined really describe the wonder of what is going on in the Supper.
Not only that, they are thoroughly Trinitarian. The Triune God rejoices at our receiving of
Christ’s Body and Blood – we get 3 “Holy” statements, we sing “Hosanna” three times twice,
and we sing “Blessed is He” three times (note: I will cross myself at the line “blessed is He that
cometh in the Name of the Lord – who can tell me why that line would remind me of my
Baptism). This is truly the Lord’s Supper, an awesome working of our God.
The Lord’s Prayer
The Sanctus is then followed by the Lord’s Prayer. Again, this is the prayer that Jesus
taught us, Christian Worship almost always will include it. If Jesus says, “Pray this way” and
worship involves prayer, it follows that this prayer would be part of the service. The Lord’s
Prayer is a prayer that we are quite familiar with, however, I would point out a few things.
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First, notice how there is a part that the Pastor says/sings and then the congregation’s
response. Technically speaking, the congregation’s response isn’t part of the Lord’s Prayer, but
it is the liturgical response to the prayer having been prayed. However, we are so used to having
this response that we automatically default to adding on the response. I bring this up just so you
are aware if you are ever at a service where the prayer goes “… but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
This is actually the way it is taught in the catechism (see the asterisk on page 325).
Second, the petition “but deliver us from evil” is one that we don’t get the full thrust of
often today. In Greek, it says literally deliver us from “the evil” implying “the Evil One”. Now,
the two are interconnected – Satan does evil, so praying against one you are praying against the
other – but this is something to note – we specifically pray against Satan and the forces of
darkness when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. Are we always conscious of this fact, or do we
sometimes just shoot on by it?
Finally, during this petition, I will make the sign of the Cross (note: this is not the
predominate custom – even amongst those who routinely make the sign of the Cross, I’d say less
than 10 do here, but I do). Why would this petition remind me of my Baptism?
The Words of Our Lord
What follows next are the Words of Our Lord (or as you may have learned them – the
Words of Institution). These are the Words which Christ spoke as He instituted the Lord’s
Supper, and they are said whenever the Supper is held. This is a very important idea – for a
Sacrament to be a Sacrament, two things are needed – the Word of God and a visible element. If
for some reason I skipped the Words of Institution, would we really have the Lord’s Supper,
even if I started passing things out? (Note, if I ever do skip these, interrupt me!) Why or why
not?
This is also know as the “Consecration”. I will contend that from the moment God’s
Word is spoken over the bread and wine, they are the True Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, and
whoever receives them receives Christ’s True Body and Blood. I would also argue that the
liturgy following the Consecration and the liturgy of the Distribution points to this. (Pastor’s
note: in some congregations you will see the Pastor genuflect after each half of the consecration
– this is a visible confession that Christ Jesus is now present. Also, there may be an “elevation”
after each part of the consecration, where the Lord’s Body and Blood is lifted)
The Pax Domini
What follows next is the Pax Domini. Here I will turn and present the Supper to the
Congregation (and this is where I do the elevation). The reason why I do this is because when I
say, “The Peace of the Lord be with you always” I am not talking in merely abstract terms – I am
not merely saying, “Have a nice day”. Rather this – behold God’s peace – the Body of our Lord
given for you, the Blood of Christ shed for you. Christ’s death is what makes for peace –
because He has died for us, we have peace.
The Agnus Dei
While the Pastor and those who assist him prepare for distribution, the Agnus Dei is
sung. Agnus Dei simply means “Lamb of God”. This is pulled from John 1:29. When does
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John say these words, what makes him say them? What does this imply about what we say the
Lord’s Supper is? The Congregation sees the Supper at the Pax Domini, and it responds with
John’s words upon seeing Christ. Now, for the song, combine John’s words with a Kyrie –
asking for mercy twice and peace once. This makes sense as we are about to receive mercy and
peace in the Supper.
The Distribution
What follows next is the distribution. The Distribution is to be an orderly way of giving
Christ’s Body and Blood to those who desire communion (provided they are members of the
congregation in good standing or visitors who have presented themselves and have been
determined to be members in good standing of a sister congregation with which we are in
fellowship). Now, this is one of the things that depending upon where you go, things will
happen in multiple, multiple ways. This variation is okay – the point is to distribute Christ’s
Body and Blood – there are many ways to get this done. . . there are some ways which I think are
more respectful of such a momentous gift – but getting the Supper distributed is the important
thing.
First, there are differing ways in which the Lord’s Body and Blood are distributed. As
concerns our Lord’s Body, most congregations will use wafers, which are already set apart for
the individual to receive. You may come across a congregation, however, which uses a loaf (or
loaves) for the Supper, and as people commune a piece is pulled off and given. This is a
beautiful practice, and a few places are doing it – but it can be more messy, which is why it was
moved away from (breaking bread can make crumbs – hence, pre-broken bread knows as wafers
are useful). Some people receive the Lord’s Body upon there hand (which is the primary custom
here) – some people will receive directly upon their tongue. Both methods have their merits.
As concerns our Lord’s Blood, there are two predominate ways of distribution – these are
the common cup and individual cups. On the whole, I prefer the common cup – note how that
fits the word “COMMunion” better. It also fits verses like 1 Corinthians 10:15 better.
However, I can make no rule about it. . . because we use individual bread. There is a focus on
making sure the distribution happens smoothly. That said, individual cups are a new idea – only
around 100-120 years old, coming out of Church bodies that didn’t really think that the Lord’s
Supper was Christ’s Body and Blood. The biggest thing I dislike about them is that they don’t
seem. . . befitting such a Supper. If we are to have individual cups, I would much rather they be
more substantial – either glass or metal – I dislike using disposable on the Lord’s Altar. Doesn’t
mean it’s wrong (I’ve done it for 5 and a half years here) – but as a personal preference, I would
rather ratchet up the decorum a bit.
There are two other options you may come across in terms of how the Lord’s Body and
Blood are received. One option is called “intinction”. In this, the Lord’s Body is dipped in the
chalice just slightly, so that one receives both Christ’s Body and Blood at the same time. There
are a few various reasons why this might happen – sometimes it is just a local custom (as it was
at my vicarage congregation) – other times is an option provided for those who for whatever
reason cannot handle taking a large drink of alcohol. A final option that you probably will never
see (as it tends to be an Eastern Orthodox practice, but some think it is quite neat) is that the
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Lord’s Body will be placed in the chalice, and the Pastor will give the communicant a spoonful
of both the Lord’s Body and Blood.
There are also different ways of getting folks up front to commune. The most common
will be the idea of having “tables” – where groups will approach the altar and be communed.
Also, there can be much variation in terms of where these tables stand or kneel around the altar
(even here, we used to circle the altar, we stand in the front now, or even form a table at the back
of the Church – in many ways I think having the Supper brought to you is the most beautiful
method). Some Churches also handle the distribution in a continuous manner – where basically
there is a line and you go through the line (which turns the entire congregation into one big
table). As long as they are done in good order and to the glory of God, it’s fine. However, as
there are so many options, it can be quite confusing sometimes. When you are visiting a sister
LCMS congregation (or one of the foreign churches with whom we have fellowship), present
yourself to the elder or pastor before service, and do not be afraid to ask them how they handle
the distribution.
As regards the distribution itself – the hymnal gives two options for what is said – either
“Take, eat; this is the true Body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your
sins” or “The true Body of Christ, given for you.” Each of these is responded to with “amen.”
You probably have noted that I go even shorter – “The Body of Christ.” I go shorter because I
don’t like splitting the words between various people. Feel free to say “Amen” if you so desire.
Also, do not be surprised if some Sunday you hear, “(Name), the Body of Christ.” If I weren’t
so absent-minded, I probably would have started that 4 years ago – but that is the way I prefer
communing the shut-ins at private communion and also people the first time they commune at
our altar, either as confirmands or as visitors (to show that I indeed know who they are and that
they are indeed welcome here – if I don’t know who you are, I probably shouldn’t be
communing you!).
When the table is finished, there is a dismissal. Here I go longer than the suggested one
in the hymnal – and I can’t tell you where I learned it – at one of the Churches I’ve been a
member of, and it stuck – “Now may this True Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, strength and preserve you in the One True faith unto life everlasting. All Your sins have
been forgiven by Christ the Crucified – Go now, depart in His Peace.” Yes, it’s long, but it
really does sum up what the Supper is and what it is for and why we do what we do. What
comes out of this dismissal blessing?
Excursus – Communion Age
One thing I will bring up here in passing is the idea of communion age. 50 years
ago, practice in the Missouri Synod was a bit more unified – people communed
once they were confirmed, and this happened no earlier than 8th grade. This is
not necessarily the case – we are seeing a movement towards younger and
younger communion. This happens here as show by the fact that we are
confirming on occasion 7th graders.
However, it is worthy of noting that in all congregations first communion is not
tied to confirmation – in fact, this was the historic practice of the Church. First
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communion was a separate thing, done somewhere between 6-8. People were
allowed to commune once they were able to inform the pastor of what the Supper
is and the other basic doctrines of the faith are (i.e. the 10 Commandments, the
Creed, the Lord’s Prayer – you know, the Small Catechism). Then later would be
confirmation, which was the transition into adult status in the congregation
(remember, in Jewish culture, at 13 you were a man. In Spanish culture, a girl is
officially a woman at 15).
In the age of Pietism, when it was thought that Communion was “too easy” for
people to get, the communion age was pushed back (we had to make sure we knew
whether or not they would be miserable brats before we communed them, after
all!). This trend is reversing. Many congregations are allowing communion
prior to confirmation, but after examination. My vicarage congregation had a
three year confirmation program, but after the first year, if you passed the
examination, you would be allowed to commune. Some congregations may be
even younger.
When I was confirmed, I had the option of communing early (my church had a
separate first communion class that you could go through as early as 5th grade) –
I did not, for I was a nice, old fashioned guy who didn’t want to commune until he
was confirmed. As I have gotten older and looked at the situation, I don’t know if
this is the “best” practice – I think the best would be as soon as the head of the
household has trained his child and that child can tell me what the Supper is and
why he or she needs it – welcome to the table of the Lord. However – it would be
a long time before you would see me do that, because we are in fellowship with
many other congregations, and our practice needs to keep them in mind. (The
exception to this rule – we have a kid on their deathbed, they want the supper,
they know what it is, and their parents don’t mind – I’ll commune them. And if
they survive, they’ll still be welcomed at the altar – if you have faced down death
bolstered by the Lord’s own Body and Blood, you’re probably more well
prepared to receive than I am – but I also pray to God that I never have to face
that possible exception.)
That being said – if say, a 6th grader from a sister congregation has been
examined, I would honor that action of the congregation. If they were very
young, say, only 7 or 8, I’m not sure what I would do. I might ask them to refrain
for the sake of the congregation, or I might announce and confirm their prior
examination before the whole congregation. Either way, the lack of uniformity in
practice can make things slightly messy and confusing on occasion. This is why I
think it is good for the individual congregations of the Missouri Synod to
remember their sister congregations before they go off and do something new.
There is one other sad thing that must be addressed when discussing the distribution of
the Lord’s Supper. The official Missouri Synod practice is that only members of a Missouri
Synod Congregation in good standing and previously examined are to be communed – with the
pastor allowed to make exceptions in “extreme” cases. Those exceptions were intended to be
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“deathbed” type things – if I come across a Roman Catholic who is dying on the side of the road
and desires Christ’s Body and Blood – that confession of the Lord’s Presence and desire for
mercy trumps other thing… the idea is that if we commune someone at our altar, ours is the last
altar they will ever commune at. When we are confirmed, we swear upon pain of death to not
abandon the faith – in cases of emergency. . . we can expedite this. As you can see, this is
supposed to be a rare exception. This idea is known as “closed” communion – communion is
closed off to those who are not part of our fellowship.
Some Pastors and congregation, have used the exception language to run wild. The least
pernicious is the idea of letting folks self-examine – where a statement is given of what the
Supper is, and then the note “If this is what you believe, you are welcome to commune.” This
does two things – one, we might say one thing, but that might not be what they are thinking.
Two, if that is truly what they believe, why in tarnation aren’t they a member of a Lutheran
Church already? It’s sloppy. It’s also, on the basis of 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 most unloving,
although it seems “nicer”.
Some go even well beyond this, where simply anyone and everyone is invited – this is
full bore “open communion.” I’m not going to type anything here, but if you wish a rant against
the lazy, selfish, and false preachers who engage in such abominable practices, I am sure I will
be able to give one.
Distribution Hymns
During the Distribution, it is a common practice to have music played and hymn sung.
Yes, part of this is to provide the rest of the congregation that is not communing something to do
– but it goes beyond this. When we are communing, we are getting as close to heaven as we will
get on earth – and by gum there should be singing, there should be music. That’s just what you
get in heaven.
There are several hymns that were written specifically for usage during the distribution –
these can be found on LSB 617-643. These hymns teach specifically about the Lord’s Supper
and are very appropriate for usage there. Consider, as an example, what 633 – At the Lamb’s
High Feast We Sing teaches and confesses about the Supper while we as a congregation
commune. (As a personal note – I would love having 555 – Salvation Unto Us Has Come sung
every time we commune – but that’s mainly because it is one of my three favorite hymns and
long enough to fit in a distribution).
The Distribution hymns generally are flexible – if they would go longer than the
distribution they can be cut off. I generally don’t pick hymns that should go too long, and if I am
thinking about it, I will make sure the second one is definitely a communion hymn, so if it stops,
we are okay. (At the Pastor’s conference, 555 got cut off after verse 4. . . I almost begged to
organist to play at least 1 more verse).
This will conclude the section on the Lord’s Supper and it’s practices. If there are any
questions that still remain, now is an appropriate time to ask them.
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Nunc Dimittis
When the distribution is completed, the congregation rises and the Nunc Dimittis is sung.
The Nunc Dimittis is the words of Simeon, and old faithful man at the temple of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:25-35 speaks to his story if we do not remember. Now, Simeon knows that he won’t die
until he sees the Messiah – and then, he sees the infant Jesus in the temple, and he holds Him in
his hands, and then Simeon says the words of the Nunc Dimittis. What is Simeon actually
saying with the words of the Nunc Dimittis? For whose benefit does the Messiah come?
This passage was one of Luther’s favorite passages of Scripture – and it was a song that
was normally sung at Compline – the service the monks would sing before they went to bed
(why might it be good to sing this before bed – do we have some prayers that are sort of like it?)
Many early Lutheran Church orders inserted this song after Communion. Why is this something
apt to be sung here?
The Thanksgiving
After the Nunc Dimittis is sung and the altar is made neat again, we say the thanksgiving.
Again, this is just a proper thing to do – when you receive a gift, you say thank you. The typical
thanks that we give is from Psalm 107 – “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good/ and His
mercy endureth forever.” Again, this is a most apt statement because we have just received the
mercy that we have repeatedly asked God for. The TLH had another option, which I liked,
which was 1 Corinthians 11:26 – “As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup/ Ye do show
the Lord’s death till He come.” Again, there is a proclamation of faith that we show forth in
communion – that our God is present for our salvation, and that He always will be until the day
when He returns again.
After the thanksgiving, a collect is prayed. With these prayers we end up moving away
from service and turning our focus towards a return to our lives in the world. There are two
options in the hymnal – so let’s consider each of these. They are on page 201 in the hymnal.
The prayer on the left has a wonderful point directing us to what the benefits of the Supper are –
we ask that through this Supper that God would strengthen us in “faith towards You and in
fervent love toward one another.” Can you think of anything in Scripture, any words of Christ
that teach us about the importance of having right relationship with God and with Neighbor? We
are reminded that the Supper is not just to give forgiveness for the past, but strength for the
future. The other option speaks to the future as well – we ask that God would always, “rule our
hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may be enabled constantly to serve You.” Again,
the idea is that the benefits of this Supper will spill over into our lives. This reminds us that
Church isn’t just a 1-hour thing, but it is what shapes us for life in the world.
Salutation and Benedicamus and Benediction
We are now at the end of the service (and this is where the service ends as well when
there is no communion – after the Lord’s Prayer we jump to this point). We begin with another
salutation – “The Lord be with you/ and with thy spirit.” The pastor is preparing for his final
act and duty of the service. He then instructs the congregation, “Bless we the Lord/ thanks be to
God.” (Benedicamus is Latin for “let us bless”). This is something that always confused me
when I was younger – how am I to “bless” the Lord? The word “Bene-dicamus” and “benediction” litteral refer to speaking good at someone. That’s what a blessing is – to say good to
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them. We “bless” the Lord when we praise Him – when we say the good that He has done and
thank Him for it. Now, when God speaks something good at us – it happens – which is where
we tend to get our typical idea of what a blessing is.
We then have the Aaronic Benediction, which can be found in Numbers 6:24-26. This is
the benediction which the priests of the Old Testament were instructed to bless the people with.
Note a few things – first, it’s Trinitarian – there are really three blessings in one. As for each of
these parts, they hit to slightly different benefits. First, there is the idea of preservation, of being
kept in the world (all those first article gifts). Second, there is the idea of God’s face shining
upon you and giving forgiveness (which person of the Trinity would we especially tie this to).
Finally, we have a call for peace – how might this end up relating to the Holy Spirit (and if you
need a hint, look at John 14:25-27)? We see the Triune God bless us throughout the week until
He gathers us together again in His house. The congregation responds with a three-fold amen.
The Closing Hymn
I was told that when my dad covered the New Year’s Eve service here that he completely
blew by the Closing Hymn. There is a reason for this. Many places do not close with a hymn.
In the hymnal there is no rubric for it (normally there is a red, “a hymn may be sung” or some
such thing). The same was true for the TLH – after the benediction there is just an instruction for
silent prayer.
Now, whether you have a closing hymn or not is a matter of indifference – it doesn’t
matter. I tend to like it. However, those who don’t tend to prefer letting the words of the
benediction basically be the last thing said – God has blessed us, let’s just head on out. Either
way is fine – but just be aware that there will be some congregations that do not have a closing
hymn.
This concludes our look at the service as we know it. If there are any questions on what
we do with our Sunday morning worship, this is the appropriate time to ask. If not we will look
at other services in the Hymnal that we will end up using.
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Part IV – Other Services
There are other services that live in the hymnal. I wish to look at these so we are familiar with
them. Some we will just comment on briefly, and others (that we end up using here) we will
look at in some detail.
A – The Other Divine Services
In the LSB there are 5 “settings” of the Divine service. A setting is specifically the music
that accompanies a service. We use service three, which is also known as the Common Service –
the one that was the basis for page 15 in the TLH. However, many congregations will use the
other four services with some regularity.
Setting One begins on page 151 – and this may be the most popular service in the LCMS
(it is basically the old Divine two - first setting from the LW with some revisions – I’m not
overly familiar with it because I’ve never done it). There are some things that I really like about
this service – for example, I love the use of 1 John 1:8-9 as part of the preparation for confession
and absolution. The confession used also does a very good job of nailing things down so we
can’t worm out of the Confession.
Many parts of this service hearken back to some older forms – the Kyrie (p. 152) is a
very old form of Kyrie that is quite beautiful. Some parts are newer – an example is the song of
praise – “This is the Feast” which pulls from Revelation 5:12-13 and 19:5-9. Also, there is the
option of having what is called a “Eucharistic Prayer” – where the Word of Institution are
encased and surround by prayer (pages 161-2). This is a very old form. Also of note might be
the third thanksgiving prayer (page 166).
Setting Two begins on page 167, and it has the exact same words as Setting one, but with
different melodies. I think this service is an absolutely beautiful service – some of the best
Church music we have. I’d sing it for you, but then you probably wouldn’t think it was
beautiful.
Setting Four (page 203) is the newest setting we have – it was first introduced in
Hymnal Supplement ’98 as a test service (there have been some changes from that first form)
that would try to use phrasing and poetic forms that seem more familiar to the modern ear. In
other words – the songs rhyme. As an example, look at the Gloria in Excelsis on page 204.
Many people really like it – the rhymes seem strange to me.
Setting Five (page 213) is actually the oldest and hardest setting we have – it is basically
an English translation of Luther’s German Mass (excepting the service of Confession and
Absolution, which is an addition from today). The songs in this service are the translation of
Luther’s liturgy – for the Kyrie they use LSB 942. Very few congregations (if any) use this as
their primary service – normally it is used in places on Reformation Sunday or other celebratory
Sundays.
Now, various congregations have various practices regarding which of these services they
use. Some are like us, where we use primarily one of the services. Some will rotate with the
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Sunday (use service 1 on the first and third, 3 on 2nd and forth – or whatever other combination
you can think of). Another option is that the service used will change with the season of the
Church year – maybe using Setting 1 in Advent and 3 in Lent, or Setting two on White Parament
Sundays. Again, each congregation is different.
What is sad, though, is the disappointing number of congregations that do not use these
services but rather things of their own creation. I cannot say that this is. . . wrong morally. I will
say that it is unkind, because part of being in the Synod is the commitment to use only
Synodically approved hymnals. If you do your own thing, you make any visitor from another
congregation an automatic stranger in your midst. I will also say that it is unwise. While I could
craft a service on my own – while I could find other scripture verses to quote – I don’t think I
would capture the beauty of these services – and certainly not if I were simply trying to come up
with something new each week so we don’t get “bored”. I cannot say that these congregations
cannot do such things – but I would ask them how changing worship each week with strange
forms of our own devising better confesses Christ (the same yesterday, today, and forever) and
what He gives us in the service.
B – The Daily Offices
The services between page 219 and 267 all fall into the category of services that are
called Daily Offices. These come from the old monastic tradition, where the monks would
gather seven times a day for services of prayer, song, and hearing the Word. These are services
that are, unlike the Divine Service, designed to be held without communion – and hence, I prefer
them a bit for services where there is no communion. However, as they end up pulling from
monastic traditions, they are very singing heavy – and thus they can be a bit hard to learn.
Matins (page 219) is a morning service – a combination of the old “Matins” which was a
pre-dawn service and “Lauds” which was a service at dawn. There is a lot of focus on the day to
come. Morning Prayer (235) is basically a variation on Matins. Vespers (229) comes from the
service that would be sung at sunset by the monks, and as such it has more of a focus upon the
end of the day. Evening Prayer (243) is another variation on this. Compline (253) is the
service that was done right before bed – and it is a wonderful service. It is also the service that
had confession and absolution as part of it – so it has a stronger focus on forgiveness.
The Service of Prayer and Preaching (260) is a completely new service that was
designed to be used primarily at mid-week services (like Advent and Lent). The Daily Offices
tend to have a focus on our needs at various parts of the day – this service focuses on times of
teaching, which is what Lenten and Advent services are for. I do know of one congregation that
basically puts their catechism class in the middle of this service. I end up using this for midweek
– although we don’t sing the canticles, because they are hard to sing. They are supposed to be
pretty, but hard to sing.
C – The Occasional Services and other resources
From page 268-281 are the Occasional services – services that are designed to fit specific
events – either as part of a full Divine service, or if needs be as a stand alone service. The first of
these is perhaps the most common – the service of Holy Baptism found on page 268. As this is
such an important service, let’s look at it in some detail.
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First, we begin with a reading of Scripture and an explanation of what Baptism is. Then
the person being baptized is asked what their name is. Baptism is about identity, and because we
are baptized we are identified as Christians. The sign of the Cross is given as part of this
identity.
What follows is a prayer Luther wrote, called his “Flood Prayer” – which is a fantastic
prayer, that we will look at now. After addressing the sponsors and praying the Lord’s prayer,
the Baptism itself begins. First, the candidate is asked if they renounce Satan – and then if they
confess the Creed. What we see here is a movement – the person baptized is moved from
Satan’s kingdom unto God’s – it’s a change of allegiance. Then there is the actually Baptism –
which is simply Water and God’s Word. Some congregations will now give a white garment to
the baptized (these congregations will also generally have their confirmands wear white robes at
confirmation and also place a funeral pall over a coffin). Some also will use a baptismal candle.
If there are any questions about the service of baptism, now is the appropriate time.
The next service is Confirmation 272. The idea of Confirmation is that those who were
baptized as youths will confirm that they hold to the faith that they were baptized into and are
ready to assume adult responsibilities in the Church. As such, some of the questions are exactly
the same as what we see in Baptism. However, Confirmation goes beyond just what was said at
baptism – but rather speaks directly to what one promises to do as an adult member of the
congregation. It is a good thing to review these vows.
The next service is Holy Matrimony (page 275). The marriage service is often
misunderstood. I as a pastor have never married anyone. I as a person married my wife Celia,
but as a pastor, I don’t marry people. I witness two people marry each other by their promises,
pronounce publicly that they are indeed married (even legally verify this for the state), and then
pray for blessings. I love having this service in the hymnal – it’s easy to point to, it’s written
down, and it prevents people from having a lot of tomfoolery. If you want to have a wild and
crazy wedding – more power to you, but if it’s in the Church, it will be worship with all the
decorum that is appropriate to worship.
The final service is the Funeral Service (page 278). This service is a service where we
give thanks to God for the blessing that the deceased was to us, but primarily for the salvation
that God has given to them in Christ Jesus. There is a strong tie to Baptism here, and also,
Communion may be held. (That isn’t the custom here – although if I kick the bucket anytime
soon, there will be communion at my funeral, and all the people who aren’t confirmed Lutherans
can just sit there – because by gum I want it to be clearly confessed in the Sanctus that I am part
of the angels and archangels and the company of heaven singing at my own service!)
Also, I would point out here other services briefly. Page 282 has Responsive Prayer 1,
which is an excellent daily devotion. Page 285’s Responsive Prayer 2 and the Litany on page
288 are old forms of prayer that can easily be used in a service as the prayer of the Church. On
page 290 there is an expanded service of Corporate Confession and Absolution (which we will
use on Maundy Thursday) – on page 292 is a service for individual Confession and Absolution.
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What follows in the hymnal are things designed for use at home. On page 295 there are
four short devotional services, and starting on page 299 is a daily lectionary for reading through
Scripture at home. There are prayers for various situations starting on page 305 (if you don’t
know what to say, look a prayer up). Then there is the Athanasian Creed and also the Small
Catechism. After this comes the hymns which make up the rest of the hymnal. If there are any
questions about other resources in the hymnal, now is the time to ask.
Part V – The Church Year
Just as there is a rhythm to the individual worship services themselves each day, there is a
yearly rhythm to worship as a whole. We are used to thinking in terms of yearly cycles – of seed
time and harvest, of observing birthdays and the like. And the Old Testament Church had its
yearly celebrations – Passover, Yom Kippur. So, it makes sense that the Church would in time
develop it’s own cycle of holy-days and observations.
The first Holy Day to be celebrated was Easter, as it is the heart of our joy as Christians.
Indeed, each Sunday is in itself a weekly celebration of Easter, but early on, by the 2nd Century,
the idea had come about to give extra celebratory import to an “Easter Sunday” – especially as
the Jewish folk were still getting to have a celebration of their own with Passover. There were
some debates about when this “Easter” celebration should be – some wanted it tied directly to
Passover, some wanted a fixed date (March 27th), but eventually it was decided (after much
debate and rancor) that celebrating on the Sunday after Passover would work well (this was part
of the decision of the Council at Nicea).
Once there was a fixed date for Easter, other Holy Days could be observed. Since we had
a day for Easter, why not a day 40 days afterwards to mark our Lord’s Ascension? Why not then
mark Pentecost as well? But a move was made to organize before Easter as well. If we celebrate
Easter, why not Good Friday? Why not Holy Thursday? Why not Palm Sunday? And then, by
Nicea, the idea of having a 40 day preparation fast for Holy Week (which takes us to Ash
Wednesday – the Sundays in Lent didn’t count as times of fasting) was in place. Hence there is
Lent.
If there was a celebration for the Lord’s Death and Resurrection, the thought was then,
“why not have one for His coming to Earth?” There were two options for this. In the East, the
main focus was upon the feast of Epiphany (Jan 6), the celebration of Christ being revealed to
the gentiles. This time had a strong thrust on celebrating Christ’s Baptism (and happened to
coincide with an Egyptian celebration). In the West, the thrust was put towards a celebration of
Christ’s birth – and there was an old-wives tale that a person of importance would die on the day
he was conceived – and as the date of Good Friday was March 25th, if we go 9 months later we
get December 25th (which just happens to be right around the Roman winter celebrations), so
they marked Christ’s birth at this time. (Note: what celebration do we see on March 25th on
page xi of the hymnal?) In the 5th Century these two traditions of East and West began to merge
and get cross celebrated – where we would have time of celebrating our Lord’s birth and His
revelation to the world leading into Lent.
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Finally, it was thought that just as we prepare for the Easter Season with a fast, we should
probably do so for Christmas as well – and the season of Advent was born. At first it was 6
weeks as well – but then it was lightened up to a mere 4 weeks. Thus we had by around 500 the
structure of the festival time of the Church year. After that, though, as there was still half the
year to go, the idea of fixing readings for these Sundays and moving through themes as well
developed. In addition, the death dates of various historical personages were noted, and
celebrations were added in honor of their faithfulness. Also, over the course of time various
customs for each of the seasons arose. What we have today is the result of almost 2000 years of
Church practice and custom designed to focus our thoughts upon Christ. So let us now consider
each of these seasons and holidays.
Advent – Advent begins 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. Advent literally means “coming” – and
it is the season where we await the Lord’s appearance on Christmas Eve. It is a light penitential
season, where we exercise some restraint in what we do, so better to watch and prepare for our
Lord’s Coming. Traditionally its color was Purple (just like Lent), but in the 60s Rome switched
to Blue (as Advent is a lighter penitential season, and as Blue is the Virgin Mary’s color) – and
many Lutheran congregations followed suit. The 3rd Sunday in Lent is rose colored – it is a day
of more joyful watching for the Lord. It is customary for midweek services to be held during
Advent as part of our time of watching.
There are a few changes to the service in Advent as part of our expectations of what is to
come. The biggest thing is that the Gloria in Excelsis is not sung. As this is the song of the
Angels of Christmas, we in our watchful expectation refrain from singing this until with sing it
with them at their celebration of Christmas.
Christmas – The Christmas season runs from Christmas (technically Christmas Eve, because the
religious calendar goes along Jewish lines – once the sun sets, it’s the next day – Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day are both “Christmas” liturgically speaking) up to Epiphany – a 12 day
season. The focus of Christmas is of course, Christ’s birth – and it is filled with the celebrations
there of. The color is white – which is the color associated with the purity and wonder of Christ.
In the season of Christmas, there are several holidays. December 26th is St. Stephen’s
day, the 27th is St. John’s, and the 28th is Holy Innocents. St. Stephen’s and Holy Innocents are
days that are Red – whenever there is a celebration of a martyr, the color red is used – both for
blood and for the Holy Spirit. Also, New Year’s day isn’t technically New Year’s day, but it is
the “Circumcision and Name of Jesus”. It is the 8th day after Christmas, and on the 8th day a
Jewish child would be circumcised – so that ends up being the theological focus of that day.
Epiphany – The official date of Epiphany is January 6th (the 12th day of Christmas), and it’s the
celebration of the coming of the Magi – where we see that Christ is revealed to the nations as a
whole. The following Sundays focus on other ways in which Christ is revealed to be True God –
His Baptism, His first miracles, things like this. It is a white season (although it may shift to
Green after the first few weeks). It is also a season of variable length – as the date of Easter
moves. There are two ways to make this season change in length. In the 1-year series which we
use here, the middle of Epiphany is the Transfiguration, held 4 Sundays before Ash Wednesday
(the following three Sundays are called “pre-lent” – the first of these Sundays is Septuagesima,
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which is the word for 70 – it’s 70 days until Easter). This ensures a rather fixed series of
readings leading into Easter. In the three-year series, they just keep having Epiphany Sundays
until the Sunday before lent, upon which the Transfiguration is observed.
Lent – Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a penitential season (with purple on the altar)
where Christians are directed to consider their own sin which for which our Lord suffered and
died. One common tradition on Ash Wednesday is the imposition of ashes as a sign of sorrow
and repentance. The Sundays in lent focus very much on Christ’s struggles against Satan,
beginning with His temptation and culminating in His Crucifixion. It is customary to have
midweek services during this season, to help us prepare for our Holy Week Observances.
As part of Lent’s focus and theme, the service becomes more and more reserved. The Gloria is
omitted, as well as the Alleluia Verse prior to the Gospel (often replaced with a responsive
reading called a “tract”). Also, in some places, other customs are held to – veils might be placed
over different crosses at different times, normally increasing in number as Good Friday
approaches. The exception is the 4th Sunday in lent, which is a rose colored Sunday, meant to be
even more of a pause, a time of refreshment.
Palm Sunday and Holy Week – Palm Sunday (also known as Passion Sunday) is the Sunday
prior to Easter. It is the day of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and also the Sunday where
our Lord’s Passion is read (for the next Sunday He rises – if He rises next Sunday we must read
of His death the Sunday before). Palm Sunday is either purple or red.
Technically, there are services for every day of Holy Week. However, the ones that are
commonly observed Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Maundy Thursday is generally the
celebration of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, for it was the evening of the celebration of
Passover. It is a somber service, and also has a strong focus on showing love to others as Christ
has so richly loved us. In some churches they will strip the altar of all its vestments
Then Friday is Good Friday. This is the celebration of our Lord’s passion. There are two main
celebrations of Good Friday – the one is called the Tenebrae, which is a service where there is a
strong focus on light – Christ is the light of the world who gives up His life – and the lights being
extinguished point us to this. Also, there is the Tre Ore service, which is a three hour service
from noon until 3 which commemorates the three hours during which Christ was upon the Cross.
The Easter Vigil – Just as there is a Christmas Eve service, there is a service that functions as
an Easter Eve service – this is the Easter Vigil service. For much of the Church’s history, the
Virgil of Easter was the primary service of Easter. It is a service that begins in darkness, where
we recount our sin, but then turns to full bore light and celebration. This was also the customary
time to have adult baptisms in the early Church. It is a wonderful service (that I’ve only gotten
to once).
The Easter Season – We have our celebrations on Easter, but we ought remember that Easter is
a whole season of the Church year that runs from Easter through up to Pentecost. The Easter
Season is a white season (in some places gold) where our joy and exultation run full and
unabashed. The readings show us our risen Lord and remind us of His rule here in this world –
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and then towards the second half of the Easter season, our readings focus on our Lord’s Words
telling us about the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Ascension – Another holiday that we have not observed here is the day of Ascension, 40 days
after Easter (and ten days before Pentecost). This is a Thursday service which really focuses our
attention on the fact that our Lord who rose and ascended into heaven shall return from heaven
on the last day and bring us there. This sort of works like an endcap to the Easter season (and I
will sometimes transfer it to the following Sunday).
Pentecost – Pentecost is 50 days after the Passover – or 7 Sundays after Easter. In the Old
Testament times, it was a celebration of the spring harvest – but we think of it today mainly for
the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles in the temple on Pentecost. The focus of
Pentecost then is upon the Holy Spirit continuing work upon people through the preaching of the
Gospel. This is a red day.
Trinity – With Pentecost, we reach the end of what is called the Festival portion of the Church
Year. For this first half of the Church year, the Gospel readings tend to have a lot of action in
them – they are about things that Christ does (which makes sense, as most of the Holidays are
about events in Christ’s life). The Trinity Season moves then onto more of a focus upon things
which Christ taught. The first Sunday focuses upon the Triune nature of God – and then the
Sundays go from there. This season is the green season – green is a color of growth, and
learning and focusing upon the teachings of Christ is the source of our growth.
Various Festivals – Within the Church Year there are various festival days (or Saint’s days) that
are observed. Very early on Churches began commemorating the date upon which a Christian of
note died – the day the entered into glory. In various places, people of import would be
remembered yearly on that anniversary. As the years passed, other days highlighting various
topics or Scriptural events were added. While there are various calendars all over the place
(2000 years and Churches in different countries with different languages will lead to different
calendars), we in the Missouri Synod have our own calendar, which you can see on pages xi-xiii.
I will generally observe any of these festivals if they fall on a Sunday, the exception being if they
happen in Advent, Lent, or on Easter (the movement of those seasons trumps the Saint’s day. . .
although observing St. Nicholas’ day in 2009 was really, really tempting). Some (like
Reformation and All Saints’ Day) will be moved, or “transferred” to the nearest Sunday. Here
are some dates of note:
Jan 1 – Circumcision and Name of Jesus. I don’t celebrate “New Year’s” – rather, Jan 1st is the
8th day after Jesus’ birth – the day He was circumcised and given the name Jesus.
Feb 2 – February 2nd is 40 days after Christmas, so it would be the time when Mary and Joseph
took Jesus to the temple (and meets Simeon). This day was also known as “Candlemass”
because back in the day blessed candles were given out to the faithful for use at the home altar.
Now, eventually, the English determined that if there was good weather on Candlemass, winter
would remain, but if it were cloudy, winter was about done. The Germans in the US moved the
reckoning to whether a groundhog would see his shadow – and hence, groundhog day.
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March 25th - The Annunciation of Our Lord. This was the fixed date of Good Friday from
which the date of Christmas (according to the old wives’ tail that you die on the date you are
conceived) was fixed. This also means this has become the day where the conception of Jesus
(or the Annunciation to Mary) is celebrated.
June 25th – Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. On this date, 1530, German Princes
presented the Augsburg Confession, a summation and defense of Lutheran teaching, to Emperor
Charles V, refusing to submit to his demands to simply return to the Church of Rome. This, in
reality, is the birthdate of the Lutheran Church – not Reformation Day.
September 29th – St. Michael and All Angels. In some congregations this is a very important
celebration (some here shift the lectionary. . . they count backwards from the end of the Church
year – making sure they get all the late Sundays in Trinity – here we just keep counting out
Trinity Sundays until the Last Sunday of the Church Year).
If you have any questions about any of the other people or dates found in the hymnal, feel free to
ask now.
Conclusion
This concludes our look at the Liturgy as we have received it. Worship is a pattern that is
to shape our life – it is a pattern we see each day in our own devotions, each week, and each
year. It is the training that we go through to prepare us for eternity, it is a participating in the
heavenly realities while on earth. It is the great teacher of Christian life and the great protector
of the Gospel.
One note said here – the liturgy is not appreciated by some. It has become simply
something that was done, without thought for why it is done – and hence other options with more
glitz and glamour seem more appealing. And the liturgy is not a law – there is not much here
that we MUST do. But the question must always be how – how would a change be better. The
liturgy has been fine tuned over millennia, and it will continued to be fine tuned until our Lord
returns – but let it be a fine tuning and not a scrapping.
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