Lutheran Worship Biblical/Christo-Centric
Here follows a partial list of the parts of the Divine Service with their scriptural basis and meaning.

INVOCATION: Since we are Trinitarian we call upon the Triune God to bless. The Trinitarian invocation also recalls our Baptism, We call on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in Whose name we were baptized. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:18

CONFESSION and ABSOLUTION: As Christians, our lives are to be lives of continual repentance as God promises eternal forgiveness. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I John 2:9

INTROIT: The Introit is a collection of passages from scripture that set the tone for the service. The verses chosen are different each Sunday and reflect the theme of the Gospel reading to come. It is itself scripture.

KYRIE: As we draw toward the reading of God's Word we join with all the faithful through the ages and ask the Lord for mercy. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. Luke 1:50

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS or HYMN OF PRAISE: Confident that the Lord is merciful, we join the whole Church and all the angels in singing Glory to God. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. Luke 2:14

COLLECT or PRAYER OF THE DAY: The main thoughts of the day are "collected" and put into this short prayer.

EPISTLE READING: We read from one of the Apostles. This is God's Word and it contains the same truth as the coming Gospel lesson which always points us to Jesus Christ.

VERSE: In response to the Epistle we sing the appropriate verse. Except during Lent we sing the Hallelujah or the words of St. Peter in John 6:68. "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

GOSPEL READING: Here we hear what Jesus Christ Himself tells us about Himself. This is the center point of the whole service. The sermon is usually based on the Gospel text. All the prayers are based on it as well.

CREED: Here we confess the faith that the Christian Church has confessed from the beginning. We take our stand among those who have held the same Gospel from time immemorial.

PRAYERS: Here we pray that what we have heard from God may be taken to heart. We also ask God to take care of our needs. We give Him thanks, praise and honor as well.

OFFERTORY: The Offertory reminds us that we offer ourselves and our gifts to God who gave them to us. We respond with all we have and are as we prepare for the second high point; the communion. The words of the offertories are taken from scripture.

PREFACE: During the Preface the Pastor and the people encourage one another in the way St. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:13

PROPER PREFACE: During the major Festival seasons of the Church year the Proper Preface gives glory to God for the specific mercy shown during that season.

SANCTUS: Having thus encouraged one another and been reminded of the mercy of God our Father, the people of God break out into songs of praise. We join with the angels, archangels and all the company of heaven in singing. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah 6:3

HOSANNAH: This is an expression of joy for what Christ has done. It has been sung since Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem to give Himself for our sins. It can also be found in the Psalms. Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Matthew 21:9

LORD'S PRAYER: As we pray the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us we are preparing for the second great moment of the Divine Service; the communion. He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father..." Luke 11:2

WORDS OF INSTITUTION: In the Words of Institution the Pastor recites the Words of Jesus Himself recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and in the letter of St. Paul. In these words Christ Himself assures us that He is indeed bodily present in the sacrament of Holy Communion and that through it our sins are forgiven.

THE PEACE: In anticipation of the blessings to be received through the Body and Blood of our Lord in, with, and under the bread and wine, the Pastor and the people announce the peace of God to one another; as did Christ Himself on that first Easter. Jesus came and stood among them and said "Peace be with you!" John 20:19b

AGNUS DEI: As we are about to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord we recall the words of John the Baptist concerning our Lord. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29

THE DISTRIBUTION: In communion, we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through it our sins are forgiven because we have been given faith in the words "Given and shed for you" in our baptism. At this climax of the second half of the Divine Service we are reminded of the way in which we began, reminiscent of our baptism.

POST COMMUNION CANTICLE: Following reception of our Lord's forgiving Body and Blood we join in singing a hymn of thanks. Usually this hymn is called the Nunc Dimittis and is recorded in Luke 2:29-32

BENEDICTION: After we have given thanks through the Post Communion Canticle through a prayer of thanksgiving, the Pastor blesses the people and dismisses them. This is called the Benediction, sometimes the Aaronic Benediction. It is recorded in Numbers 6:22-27

These are the parts of the Divine Service that we generally use as given in the Divine Service II (first setting) of Lutheran Worship or in The Lutheran Hymnal on page 5 and 15. They are basically the same in all orthodox Lutheran hymnals. This order of service is not unique to Lutherans. We did not invent it. It is the ancient form of worship that has been developed among Christians the world over from the very beginning of the New Testament era. It is based exclusively on scripture and is focused completely on Jesus Christ and His saving grace on the Cross of Calvary.

Because this grace is central to our lives as Christians we must treat it with all reverence and respect. It was not of our doing and it is not ours with which to tamper. Therefore, WORSHIP IS NOT A MATTER OF NOVELTY OR ENTERTAINMENT, MUCH LESS A MATTER OF ATTEMPTING TO PLEASE THE MASSES. For this reason we choose hymns that are doctrinally sound and theologically significant to round out our worship. Hymns, LIKE THE DIVINE SERVICE must reflect this Christo-centric "God coming to man" theology or else they are unfit for the service. May our worship always be pure and always emphasize this Biblical/Christo-centric attitude.

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