Introduction To Liturgical Worship
Introduction to Our Liturgical Order
Human beings were created by God for worship. They were made to live in relationship with their Creator. Everything a Christian does is worship (Romans 12:1) and thus they fulfill the very purpose of their creation in daily life. Nevertheless, God’s people are commanded by God to gather for worship as a congregation (Hebrews 10:25). All of our worship here on earth is a preparation for—and a shadow of—that true worship that will take place before the throne of God in eternity.
Our worship of God is, at best, only a shadow of things to come. When Adam and Eve fell prey to the lies of the serpent, they severed their relationship with God and as a result humanity has lost His image (Gen. 1:26-27). We no longer know God and His desire for our lives (Gen. 8:21; Ro. 8:7); neither do we know how to worship Him. He must teach us what to say and how to worship; it does not come naturally. In fact, any attempt on our own to worship always ends up with man being the focus of the activity. This can be seen even in the definition of worship.
The common word ‘worship’ comes down to us from Middle English (1300-1475) and means “worthiness, repute, respect, reverence paid to a divine being.” According to the definition of ‘worship,’ then, the focus is on what we do for God when we gather together on Sunday mornings. This is the prominent attitude among Christians today who seek to do their part for God, to serve Him in worship, and then leave church feeling satisfied and fulfilled as a result of their experience. But, far more important than what we do for God in worship, is what God does for us. That is why the Lutherans have always correctly identified the liturgy, not as ‘worship,’ but as ‘Divine Service.’
This correct understanding of worship as what God does for us, is expressed in the Introduction to Lutheran Worship:
Our Lord speaks and we listen. His word bestows what it says. Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise. Music is drawn into this thankfulness and praise, enlarging and elevating the adoration of our gracious giver God.
Saying back to Him what he has said to us, we repeat what is most true and sure. Most true and sure is his name, which he put upon us with the water of our Baptism. We are his. This we acknowledge at the beginning of the Divine Service. Where his name is, there is he. Before him we acknowledge that we are sinners, and we plead for forgiveness. His forgiveness is given to us, and we, freed and forgiven, acclaim him as our great and gracious God as we apply to ourselves the words he has used to make himself known to us.
The rhythm of our worship is from him to us, and then from us back to him. He gives his gifts, and together we receive and extol them. We build one another up as we speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Our Lord gives us his body to eat and his blood to drink. Finally his blessing moves us out into our calling, where his gifts have their fruition. How best to do this we may learn from his Word and from the ways his Word has prompted his worship through the centuries. We are heirs of an astonishingly rich tradition. (LW, p. 6)
The Lutheran liturgy, then, simply says what is most true and sure. The words of the liturgy are not our own, they are the Words of God, given to us to use in praising and glorifying Him. In every element of the liturgy, God is coming to us in Christ. He is our great High Priest, bringing to us the Father’s love and grace, and also standing before the Father interceding in our behalf. The liturgy, literally, brings heaven to earth.
(See also the Introduction to The Lutheran Service Book)
The Liturgical Calendar (See Catechism pages 260-264)
The liturgy that we use on Sunday morning is a part of a much larger expression of the Gospel. Even though the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is proclaimed every Sunday, it is not possible for every important aspect of our Lord’s life and work to be considered fully each week. Therefore, the Gospel message is gradually unfolded throughout the church year. The liturgical calendar enables God’s people to celebrate the main events of our Savior’s life on the various festivals and Sundays.
The Christian church calendar has its beginnings in the church year which God appointed for His people Israel in the Old Testament. The Christian Church year, however, was not appointed by God, but gradually developed over the early centuries of the Church.
The Church calendar is very different than the blandly repetitive secular one. “The yearly cycles are not separate entities, but are more like the circles of a spiral. They are yearly rounds of life lived in and with Christ and His church, leading us year after year upward and heavenward. The liturgical calendar begins with the season of Advent and moves through Christmastide, Epiphany, Lent, Eastertide, and Pentecost. Each season has its own color and meaning.
A Look at The Hymnal
(The Lutheran Service Book)
The Parts of the Liturgy
The Invocation
St. Paul admonishes faithful believers: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17. Cf. also Eph. 2:18, and 1 Cor. 12:3). In this way, the liturgy begins with a fitting act of corporate devotion toward God.
We do not come before Him as those who deserve to come because of what we have been or what we have done. We come because He has called us by the Holy Spirit in Baptism. The Spirit keeps us in the true faith and unites us to Christ, covering us with His righteousness. We gather for corporate worship as a people joined to Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. It is in His name that we are baptized and the sign of the cross made on us. We are His. As such, we come into His presence knowing His great gifts and acknowledging His grace toward us.
The Confession and Absolution
The Divine Service proper begins with the Introit, or entrance song, but it is good that all who come into the Lord’s house seek a purification of spirit by being led to a confession of sins and unworthiness before God. We receive the assurance of God’s forgiveness and grace in the words of the absolution spoken by the Pastor. This word of forgiveness is given “in the stead and by the command” of Christ Himself. In the absolution the pastor stands in the place of Christ and the words of forgiveness spoken are the words of Christ to you (Jn. 20:21-23).
The Introit
In ancient times, the entire congregation would enter the church in solemn procession, singing psalms and songs. So also we enter into the Divine Service with the Introit, or entrance song. The Introit is made up of Scripture verses, usually from the psalms, which set the tone and give the theme for the day’s Service. The Introit is different for every Sunday and festival in the church calendar.
The Kyrie
The original Greek words of this cry for mercy are Kyrie eleison—“Lord have mercy.” The Kyrie is a prayer that expresses our humility and appreciation of our own weakness and need.
The Gloria in Excelsis
After the Kyrie we lift our voices in the “Glory be to God on high.” In the Gloria in Excelsis we greet the Lord who has come to answer our cry. This brings to mind the gracious loving-kindness of the Lord who comes to earth in humility (Phil. 2:6-11). For this reason, we join in the hymn that the Christmas angels sang when Christ was born at Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest!”
The Collect
The Collect is a special prayer of petition. It is a beautiful prayer which gathers together in one short sentence that which we should all gain from that day’s celebration. Before we hear the Word of God appointed for the day, we ask our Lord for the particular gift which He gained for us by the event highlighted in the Gospel reading for the day.
The Pastor first greets us with the salutation, “The Lord be with you,” that is to say, “The Lord be with you in your praying;” and we answer him, “And with thy spirit.” In other words, we respond, “May God be with you also in the prayer you offer.” Thus, in the name of Christ we pray the Collect (He praying with us and for us to the Father).
The Scripture Readings
In the Service so far, there has been a gradual approach to the altar of God. Our spirits have been purified and elevated as we ascended the four steps of contrition, longing, praise, and petition. In all of this we have spoken. We now pause in reverent silence while God speaks. The thought that nothing we say or do can compare in importance with his Word invests the reading of the liturgical lessons with special solemnity and dignity.
In the Divine Service, there are three portions of the Scriptures usually read, one from the Old Testament, one from an Epistle, and one from one of the four Gospels. The Old Testament selection is chosen for its relation to the central thought or theme for the festival or day. The Gradual (which means “step”) is the Bridge to the second reading. It is generally a seasonally appropriate verse or psalm. The Epistle is nearly always a passage from one of the letters of the apostles, and it applies the event or deed of salvation that we are celebrating (in the Gospel reading) to our daily living. The Verse is a preparation for the Gospel Reading which is the theme of the day.
The Creed
In response to God’s coming to us through His Word, we confess our faith in the Triune God in the words of the Creed. From the time of the apostles onward, the Church has made use of Creeds in connection with Baptism and in defense of heretical teaching. The Creed expresses the one true faith and in publicly saying the Creed, we are confessing with our mouths what our hearts believe (Romans 10:9-10).
The Sermon
The sermon is a part of the Word already read or a similar passage from Scripture that is thoroughly explained and applied to daily life. Once again God comes to us through His Word spoken by His servant using both Law and Gospel to affect change in the faith and life of His people.
The Offertory and Offering
The Divine Service continues with the words of the Offertory, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” and is made up of verses from psalm 51. The offering is then received and the congregation offers to God gifts of its material blessings as the outward sign of its inner, spiritual dedication to God. When Holy Communion is offered, the pastor prepares the vessels for consecration and distribution.
The Prayer of the Church
The prayer of the Church includes the fundamentals and the universals in its grasp. Like the Creed it lifts the individual and the local congregation out of personal and parochial consideration. It is a 'prayer for all sorts and conditions of men.’
The Preface and Sanctus
We have already experienced the miracle of our Lord coming to us and speaking with us through His holy Word. Another miracle is soon to take place. The same Lord who has come to us and spoken is now about to come to us in His Body and Blood.
This is an occasion for reverent joy. So we encourage each other to “lift up our hearts” and “to give thanks to the Lord our God,” even as Jesus did when He instituted this Supper. This is also a time to adore our forgiving God. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. We adore Him by raising our hearts and voices, together with the angel hosts and saints in glory, using the words Isaiah heard the seraphim singing around the throne of God: “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:2-3).
The Sanctus combines this passage of Scripture, with the Hosanna to Christ by the multitude at the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem from Matthew 21:9, thus spanning the Old and New Testaments.
The Lord’s Prayer
At this point in the Service, when we are ready to come forward and receive the Body and Blood of the Lord, we are about to enter the New Testament equivalent of the “Holy of Holies.” We want nothing but prayer in our hearts and on our lips. And how better could we pray than to pray the prayer our Lord taught us?
The Words of Institution
These words of our Lord are not some kind of magical formula which turns ordinary bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood. These sacred words are part of a corporate act of prayer in which the congregation holds high the divine promise of God and claims the divine blessing. It becomes a vivid and exalted rite when the minister not only repeats the Lord’s words, but also in a measure repeats His actions.
It is the real presence of our living Lord in this Sacrament which makes it the highest and holiest celebration that the Church can have this side of eternity. This real presence is made certain to us by Christ’s own promise in the Words of Institution. These words are spoken as a prayer, confidently looking for its fulfillment.
The Pax Domini
Pax Domini means, “The peace of the Lord.” This is a short benediction handed down from the practices of the early Church. It is a remnant of the early observance of the Kiss of Peace, which was a mark of fellowship and unity found in all early liturgies, and a remnant of the blessing of the people before receiving the Sacrament. Luther appreciated its significance and placed it in his Formula Missae (1523).
The Agnus Dei
The Scriptural source for this beautiful communion hymn is John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,” which has its roots in the prophecies of Isaiah 53. We also recall more than thirty references to Christ as the Lamb of God in John’s Revelation. It is closely connected with the distribution of the Sacrament and is seen as a means of spiritual communion with Christ who is directly addressed, not the Father.
The image of Christ as the Lamb recalls to us not only the sacrificial character of His death, but also freedom from guilt, our Lord’s patience and gentleness, and His voluntary submission to suffering and death in our place.
The Nunc Dimittis
The moments immediately following the reception of the Sacrament should be rich in grace in realization of communion with our Lord, fellowship with all believers, and assurance of God’s forgiveness and blessing. Our natural impulse is to adore and thank him and to seek his further grace and strength in our daily lives.
The Nunc Dimittis is a canticle which forms a beautiful and appropriate conclusion to the Service, relating the mystery of the Holy Communion to that of the Incarnation. They are the words of Simeon spoken when Jesus was first brought to the Temple in Jerusalem in Luke 2:29-32.
Following the Nunc Dimittis a collect of thanksgiving is offered as the congregation prays that God’s blessing rest upon this gift of His to us all.
The Benedicamus and Benediction
The Benedicamus introduces the final action of God toward His people during the Divine Service. The Benediction is more than a prayer for blessing, it actually gives what it says! It imparts blessing in God’s Name and gives positive assurance of the grace and peace of God to all who receive it in faith.
God’s command to Moses (Numbers 6:22-27) and our Lord’s final act before leaving the disciples on the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50) strongly support this conviction. The only benediction commanded by God in Scripture is the one commanded to Aaron (Numbers 6:24-26). In this way God places His Name upon His people and equips them for life in the world.
There is no finer way to conclude the Divine Service than to leave with the word “Peace” ringing in your ears. This is why it is inappropriate to end the service with a hymn or anything else which would draw attention away from this divine blessing.
