Our Worship Service & Liturgy
The Divine Service & Matins
As Lutherans, we know that worship service is not about what we do for God, but what God does for us so we can receive God's gift of grace and respond to his blessings. At Grace Lutheran Church we follow the Divine Service & Matins settings in the Lutheran Service Book.
In the Divine Service, God comes to us and provides his blessings. Nothing in our worship service makes us worthy to receive God's blessings, forgiveness or eternal life. God initiates a conversation with us during worship service, speaks to us and we then respond to his words. The Divine Service finds it origin in the Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christ Jesus serves us his word and his true body and blood within the Divine Service and only then, with the power of the Holy Spirit, can we serve him.
Divine Service is held Every 1st - 4th Sunday and Matins are held on 5th Sundays of the Month.
The Parts of Our Liturgy Explained (Divine Service)
I. The Preparation for Worship
II. Service of the Word
III. Service of the Sacrament
Each Sunday we alternate between Setting One, Setting Two, Setting Three and Setting Four in the LSB.
Setting three audio files are included below for example. To hear examples of all the settings, please go to https://www.lcms.org/worship/church-music/liturgy-audio-files.
Common Lutheran Rites
A rite is a traditional religious ceremony or act practiced by the church.
Confession & Absolution
Confirmation
Holy Matrimony
Ordination
Funeral
Lutheran Sacraments
A rite is a traditional religious ceremony or act practiced by the church.
Music
At Grace Lutheran Church, our worship services are enriched by a profound tradition of music that speaks to us and delivers the Gospel. Hymnody is at the core of Lutheranism, allowing us to express our faith through beautiful melodies and lyrics based in scriptural truth. We are proud to include diverse music offerings such as choir performances, children's hand bell selections, and as well as chimes.
The Preparation for Worship
The Hymn of Praise
The Hymn of Praise is the first hymn sung by the congregation to open the the worship service.
Invocation
We call upon the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19b)
Confession & Absolution
We confess our sins before God and prepare ourselves to receive his blessings. After we confess our sins, Absolution is giving to us by the Pastor, through the power instituted by God within the office of the keys, as he declares that your sins have been forgiving in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Service of the Word
Introit
The introit is a collection of verses from Holy Scripture. We typically recite a Psalm verse by verse. We then sing the Gloria Patri.
Kyrie
The Kyrie (KIH-ree-ay) is the first prayer of the gathered congregation. From the Greek Kyrie eleison, which means "Lord, have mercy." (Mark 10:47 - Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus)
Gloria in Excelsis or Hymn of Praise
Now that we have asked God to have mercy and knowing that he is merciful, we join with the whole Church, the Heavenly Host and the Angels in singing glory to God. Gloria in Excelsis is Latin meaning "glory in the highest" (Luke 2:14 ; John 1:29)
Salutation & Collect
The salutation is the greeting before the collect. The Pastor speaks or chants "The Lord be with you." and the congregation responds "And with thy spirit." (2 Timothy 4:22)
The Collect is the Pastor's first prayer in the name of the people. It is introduced by the words, "Let us pray"
Reading of the Scriptures
This is the climax of the of the Service of the Word. Scripture reading are selected to be read according to the church year. The readings or lessons typically consist of the Old Testament Reading, The Epistle Reading and the Gospel Reading. We respond after each reading with the Alleluia as a prelude to the reading of the Gospel or Verse. The Alleluia is omitted during Lent.
The Creed
The Creed is a solemn confession of faith and a public statement of what we believe. The Nicene Creed and Apostles' Creed are used alternatively. Once per year we recite the Athanasian Creed.
The Hymn of the Day
Known also as the sermon hymn, this is the main him of the Divine Service. It is chosen to highlight the theme of the day and the sermon to follow.
The Sermon
The Sermon is preached by a Pastor called by God through the church to speak on His behalf. (Luke 10:16; AP VII & VIII:28, 47) As you hear the preacher you are hearing Jesus speak to you, and the Holy Spirit is working in you to create and strengthen faith. Luther said, “Yes, I hear the sermon; but who is speaking? The minister? No indeed! You do not hear the minister. True, the voice is his; but my God is speaking the Word which he preaches or speaks.”[4] Preaching, therefore, is not just instruction or entertainment. Preaching is a means of grace. It is sacramental. A good sermon is not just a message that you find interesting and educational, but one in which God’s word of Law convicts you of your sin and His word of Gospel comforts you and strengthens your faith, delivered by the man God has sent to you as His spokesman.
The Offertory
The Offertory lets us give our gifts to the Lord with praise for his blessings. (Psalm 51:10-12)
Prayer of the Church
We pray that God will take care of our needs. We also prays that what we have heard will be taken to heart. We give God thanks and praise.
Service of the Sacrament
During the Service of the Sacrament, God delivers on his word. He gives us the true body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shed on the the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
Preface
The opening dialogue between the Pastor and his people is the Preface.
Proper Preface
The Pastor recites the Proper Preface giving glory to God and unites the Church on earth, the saints above, and all the heavenly hosts, worshiping the Holy Trinity in the Sanctus.
Sanctus
The Sanctus (Latin for holy) is the response to the Proper Preface. It is built on the opening verses of Isaiah 6:3 and John 12:41.
Lord's Prayer
We pray as Jesus has taught us as we prepare for the Lord's Supper. (Matthew 6:9-13)
The Word of Our Lord
Also known as the "Words of Institution", the Pastor recites the words of spoken in the Gospels by Jesus Christ. Through the Pastor, Christ is speaking these words himself, consecrating the Lord's Supper on the alter before us. Through these words, Christ assures us that this is his true body and blood and it is indeed present in the bread and wine. (Matthew 26:26-28 | Mark 14:22-24 | Luke 22:19-20 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
Pax Domini
Latin for "the Peace of the Lord", the Pax Domini is sung In anticipation of the Lord's Supper, the Pastor and the Congregation share the peace of God with one another, as Jesus did on the first Easter. (John 20:19)
Agnus Dei
We sing in the Agnus Dei, Latin for “Lamb of God. When we sing this we are preaching and praying all at once. It was, after all, with these very words that John the Baptist pointed his disciples to Jesus (John 1:29, 36). As we prepare to feast on the Lamb of our salvation, we do indeed proclaim him who gave his life for us. Here is the Lamb of God! Yet we also pray to him who is now present in his body and blood. We pray for mercy, mercy from the One who showed the true depths of mercy and compassion as he was silently led to slaughter, dying like a lamb shorn of all its honor.
The Distribution
The distribution is the actual event of approaching the alter of our Lord and receiving his Body and Blood through the bread and wine. By our common confession of the truth, we are one in Christ. As Christ gives himself to us in this holy meal, he strengthens that unity and bids us love one another with a deep and abiding love. How can it be any other way, as we are sent from the table with the blessing to depart in peace?
Post-Communion Canticle
After receiving our Lord's Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins, we sing a hymn of thanks. This is usually the Nunc Dimittis. The Numc Dimittis is Simeon's Song, that he proclaimed during Jesus first visit to the Temple as a baby according to the custom of the Law. (Luke 2:25-38)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
Benediction
Also know as the Aaronic Blessing, this blessing is the one given to Moses to use when blessing the Israelites. (Numbers 6:24-26)