Lutheran Liturgy Explanation

[Lamb]

I love to Skype with my friends! We end up talking about anything and everything and one day we were discussing the liturgy and how filled with God's Word it is.

This is my thread to explain the Liturgy, but because I'm Lutheran, it will be a Lutheran liturgy. I'm going to try to post a new section daily instead of bombarding the thread all at once. I hope you all enjoy this!

Liturgy = Service

These will be the 3 web pages I'll be copying and pasting from:
http://www.goodshepherd.nb.ca/liturgy/
http://clclutheran.org/atlanta/bibleclass/liturgystudy.html
http://www.trinityboulderjunction.org/an-explanation-of-our-worship-service.html

 

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The Prelude

Music helps draw us into an attitude of prayer and praise. Come early to the Worship Service! This is your time of preparation, a time to get your mind off the distractions of life, job and the world, and on to God. Prepare yourself for the worship of your God and the hearing and learning of His Word by reading a psalm or pre-service devotion. Or look up and read the Scripture readings, sermon text, and hymns for the day. 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.

 

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The Ringing of the Bells

Not all churches do this... This is a call to Gods people "to enter the lord's gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4).


Opening Hymn

We are a "singing church," so we follow the advice of the apostle Paul to teach and admonish "one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the lord" (Colossians 3:16). This hymn may be one of praise, prayer, or reflection on the season of the church year.

 

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The Invocation

By this we give testimony that we worship the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We ask the Triune God to be with us and to bless us as we carry on our worship. We call upon God to be present with us. We worship the triune God, remembering our Baptism in His name*. Amen means "So be it, it is true!"
* Matt. 28:19; Matt. 18:20; Eph. 2:18.

The Invocation states in whose name we are gathered – in the name of the Holy Trinity, the one true God – Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This is the God who comes to serve us in His Word and Sacrament. It is God who gathers us together in His name, just as He claimed us as His own by putting His name upon us in the water and word of Baptism. Thus, the Invocation also serves to remind us of our Baptism when we were baptized into the Christian faith.

Already at the beginning of the service, our liturgy grounds worship in the incarnational presence of Jesus Christ, who is truly present with us in Word and Sacrament. The words of the Invocation are found in Matthew 28:19.

 

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The Confession of Sins

Before we can draw near to worship our holy God we must first of all cast away our sins. So we come to Him in penitence and faith and confess our sins, whereupon we hear the Pastor, as God’s representative, speak to us the words of comfort and forgiveness through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We examine ourselves and publicly confess our sins. Such a confession at the beginning of the service provides a climate of acceptance. In spite of our sins, we are accepted by God, and in turn we can accept each other.
* I John 1:8-10 [Rom. 7:14-8:4].

As sinful human beings, we could not stand in the presence of a holy and righteous God. For this reason, it is only fitting that we publicly confess our sins before our Father in heaven. The versicle preceding the Confession of Sins says: “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.” The Scriptural basis for this is found in Hebrews 10:22. Confession has always been a part of the life of all believers. Throughout Scripture, we find beautiful examples of confession, such as King David’s confession in Psalm 51. Though we are baptized into Christ and His forgiveness, sins still clings to us in this life and we repeatedly break God’s law. Therefore, we are in continual need of His forgiveness, so we confess our sins, and He is “faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

 

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The Absolution or
Declaration of Grace


Christ said to his disciples, "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven"*. The pastor speaks for God and announces God's cleansing forgiveness to those who made confession.
* John 20:23.

Upon every penitent (repentant) confession, there must be a proper Absolution (word of forgiveness). The Scriptural basis for the Absolution is found in several places. First it is spoken of in John 20:23 by our Lord Himself. Second, it is found in 1 John 1:9. Thus, where there is a penitent confession and the called and ordained servant of God announces the Absolution, it is as if God Himself is giving this forgiveness to His people.

 

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The Service of the Word

From the time of the apostles down through today, an important part of the service has been the reading of the Scriptures, including the Old Testament Lesson, the Epistle Lesson from the New Testament, and the Gospel Lesson. The reason for including these readings is the scriptural principal that God's Word is the only rule and guide for Christian faith and living. The Service of the Word concludes with the sermon (wich is the preached word), the church's confession of faith in response to God's Word, and the prayers of God's people.

The Introit

Introit is a Latin word meaning "he enters into." The Introit is a part of a psalm or a hymn that announces the theme of the day and begins the Service of the Word. Many years ago the faithful would meet outside and then proceed into the church. The pastor and the people would chant psalms as they entered the sanctuary. The Introit traditionally consists of an Antiphon, or refrain, a Psalm or a series of Psalm verses, the Gloria Patri*, and the Antiphon repeated.
* Rom. 16:27; Eph. 3:21; Phil. 4:20; Rev. 1:6, 8.

The Introit often introduces the main theme of the day or the season. It sets the stage for what will later be prayed in the Collect of the Day, as well as the Readings, and also often in the Sermon. The words of the Introit are usually drawn from the Psalms. At the end of the Introit, we sing what is called the “Gloria Patri” (“Glory be to the Father…”), which is a statement of praise to the Holy Trinity.

 

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The Kyrie

Kyrie is a Greek word meaning "O Lord." It is a cry to the Lord for help and strength*. In ancient times, the crowds would shout "Lord, have mercy" as the King entered their town. The church has taken over his prayer to greet its King Jesus Christ in the church service. As the people so long ago expected help from their King, so we Christians expect help from our Savior.
* Matt. 9:27; Matt. 15:22; Matt. 20:30-31; Luke 17:13.

The Kyrie (Greek for “Lord”) is not another confession of sins, but a plea to God for His assistance, for the help that He alone can provide. It is a plea for the removal of misery and suffering borne as a consequence of sins now forgiven. Scripture uses these terms in various places: Psalm 123:1-4, Psalm 51, Mark 10:47.

 

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The Gloria in Excelsis

We lift our voices to God in thanksgiving for sending His Son to be our Savior.

The Gloria in Excelsis (“Glory be to God on high…”) is known to us from Luke 2:13-14, where the angels announced Christ’s birth. It is a response to the Kyrie as it voices the joy of believers because they recognize the merciful goodness of God in sending His Son to be the Savior of the world. The Gloria not only focuses upon the birth of Christ, but also upon why He was born into the world: to be the Lamb of God that takest away the sin of the world.

 

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The Salutation

In the Salutation, the pastor and the congregation great each other in the Lord's name.
* Ruth 2:4; Luke 1:28; II Thess. 3:16; II Tim. 4:22.

The Pastor prays that the Holy Spirit may bless the congregation as they offer their petitions to God and give attention to His Word: “The Lord be with you.” The congregation answers by invoking upon the Pastor the same Holy Spirit, that he might give voice to the heartfelt petitions of the people and preach God’s Word with power: “And with thy spirit.” (“And also with you, Pastor.”)

 

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The Collect of the Day

For those not associated with a liturgical church, this might cause some confusion. In other words, some people might think this refers to the offering. However, the word “Collect” as used in the liturgy gets its origin from this concept: in the early days of Christianity it was the custom of the clergy of a town to gather with their people at a certain church. The church was designated as the station for that day, and the bishop offered a prayer which “collected” the petitions of the people. Many of the collects which we use in our worship services today have been handed down to us over a period of fifteen centuries. The Collect is usually tied to the theme which runs through the Introit, the Gradual and the Readings.

The Collect is a short prayer which gathers or “collects” the thoughts and prayers of the entire Church as they apply to the theme of the day.

 

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Now we reach the high point in our service. So far we have opened our lips in prayer and praise to God. Now we fall silent, for our Lord Himself will now speak to us. He will reveal Himself and His will in a special way: in the reading and preaching of His Word. God has made Himself known to us in the Bible. This is how He speaks to us. This is the source of all that we believe and teach. Without the Word of God our worship, as well as our faith, would wither and die.

The First Reading

The first reading is from the Old Testament, except during the Easter season when it is from the Book of Acts. This reading usually relates to the Gospel of the day.
* I Tim. 4:13.

The reading of the Law and the Prophets became standard practice as the Jewish people recalled God’s gift of the law through Moses and God’s speaking to them through the Old Testament prophets. Jesus Himself entered the synagogue one Sabbath and read from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, as we are told in Luke 4:16 ff.

 

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The Gradual

Gradual, a Latin expression meaning "step," is a scripture passage for each season of the church year. It is a response to the First Lesson and a bridge to the Second Lesson. Sometimes a psalm is sung or spoken.

 

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The Second Reading

With the birth of the Christian Church, letters were written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and circulated from congregation to congregation. These letters, in varying lengths, were known as “epistles.” In this manner, each congregation would have a chance to hear the epistles. St. Paul wrote to the Colossians: “And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.” (Colossians 4:16)

 

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The Verse

A verse from the holy scriptures is usually sung in preparation for the reading of the Gospel. There are general verses* as well as specific verses for the seasons of the church year.
* John 6:68; Joel 2:13 (through lent).

 

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The Holy Gospel

The Gospel Lesson is a selection from the accounts of the life of our Lord recorded by the four evangelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. Because Christ is with us in the Gospel reading, we stand to honor his presence. We also sing versicles (short verses) before and after the reading of the Gospel. On certain festival days the minister may read the Gospel while standing among the people. He may be flanked by acolytes carrying candles who proclaim Jesus and his word as the "light of the world."

 

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The Hymn of the Day

The Hymn of the Day (sung before the sermon), is usually always tied to the main theme of the day. The restoration of congregational singing was one of the great contributions of the Reformation to the Church. St. Paul encouraged the Colossian Christians when he wrote: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16) This is why all of the hymns we sing in worship should be Christ-centered and richly based upon His Word, otherwise they are not worthy of use in Christian worship.

 

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The Sermon

The Pastor proclaims God's Word and applies that word to modern life and problems. He stresses both what God demands of us (the Law) and what God does for us through Jesus Christ (the Gospel).

God speaks to us through His called servant. The Pastor’s sermon is not just a number of offhand remarks, but a prayerfully prepared proclamation of God’s message of repentance, salvation, and growth in faith. Upon entering the pulpit the Pastor greets us with the Salutation which the Apostle Paul used so often in his letters. At the conclusion of the sermon the Pastor speaks the Votum. With these words from Philippians 4:7 he invokes the blessings of God’s peace upon all who have here received God’s Word.

Through the preaching of the Word, the Holy Spirit does His work. The preaching of the Gospel is the Church’s lifeblood. Preaching proclaims a message. The message is from God. Preaching tells of God’s gift of life, which He gives to men through His Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again that men might live eternally. Through preaching, God tells of His life to the world, and more: through preaching, God gives Himself to the world. Preaching is not man’s words but God’s Word. This is evident from the way in which all the Old Testament prophets addressed their audience; i.e., “Thus says the Lord.” And in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for this reason I am sent.” But preaching is not just a message. It is a message about Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:5: “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.” Through the Gospel, faith is created in the hearer. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

 

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The Creed

After hearing the word of God read and proclaimed, the worshiper responds with his confession of faith in the words of the Nicene Creed. It is customary for the Nicene Creed to be spoken when Holy Communion is celebrated and on major festivals. The Apostles' Creed is used at other times.
* I Cor. 15:1ff; I Pet. 3:18ff; I Tim. 3:16.

The oldest of the creeds we use in worship is the Apostles’ Creed. It was not written by the apostles, but it was used as an early confession of faith connected with Baptism, and is based upon the teachings of the apostles. Written traces of this early creed date back as early as 150 A.D. and seem to find their origins in Rome.

The creed which we typically confess when we receive the Lord’s Supper is the Nicene Creed. It emphasizes the deity of Christ. It was first formulated at Nicaea in 325 A.D. (revised in 381) in response to the Arian heresy which had crept into the Church. For the false teacher, Arius, the Father and the Son were not essentially one. In order to combat this heresy, the formulators of the Nicene Creed used such phrases as: “the Only-Begotten Son of God,” “begotten, not made,” “being of one substance with the Father,” “by whom all things were made,” to show that Jesus was not created, but was true God with the Father from all eternity.

 

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The Prayers

This prayer in the service follows the directive of the Apostle Paul to young Timothy, a pastor: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for Kings and all those in authority, that we may live in peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness"*. For this reason, the hymnal says "prayers are included for the whole church, the nations, those in need, the parish, and special concerns. The congregation may be invited to offer petitions and thanksgivings. The minister gives thanks for the faithful departed, especially for those who have died" (LW pages 168-69).
* I Tim. 2:1-2.