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Home , Declaration of Grace, Introit

Various Parts of the Divine Service and their Definitions

Ordinary: "Parts of the service that remain the same from week to week, such as the and " (LSB, xxv)

Propers: "Parts of the service, such as the Scripture readings, , and , that change according to the Sunday or festival of the Church Year." (LSB, xxv)

+ Preparation +

Hymn of Invocation: A may be sung which introduces the service. Many of the rubrics (instructions in red) in the hymnals are optional. The service may start immediately with the invocation.

Invocation: Calls to mind the words first spoken to us at baptism. It reminds us that we belong to the family of God. To invoke means to "call upon." We ask God to come and be with us, the God who baptized us. The words begin oddly "in the name" on purpose. The words as such do not limit their meaning.

Sentences: It is a Lutheran element to quote Psalm 134:8, Psalm 32:5, and/or I John 1:9 in preparation for confession. These give the rationale behind confession.

Confession: We begin the service with a contrite heart before God. See Psalm 51. Confession at the beginning of the service is not absolutely necessary as it is also present in the Kyrie. The preparation is usually omitted all together when Baptism is celebrated.

Absolution: Actual forgiveness given to God's people. John 20:23 says, "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Declaration of Grace: A statement which tells the congregation what Jesus has done for them. It includes a prayer for God "May the Lord who has begun this work in us bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen" (LW 159) Usually this is used when there is no or an non-ordained assistant leads the service.

+Service of the Word+

Introit: Originally the first part of the Divine Service. It comes from the word "introitus" meaning "Entrance." The introit sets the tone for the service and changes from week to week. A Psalm, portion of a Psalm, or Entrance Hymn may be substituted.

Kyrie: Short for "Kyrie Eleison" meaning "Lord have mercy." It is found on the lips of many in the such as the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:22) and the Ten Lepers (Luke 17:13). It has been adapted in different ways such as at the end of prayers, as confession, or as a prayer by itself. The Eastern church used it for petitions for every day needs while the Western church used it for Confession. In many orders of service it may be omitted for a season. Gloria in Excelis : This is also known as the Hymn of Praise. The most common Hymn is the angelic hymn in Luke 2:14. It is usually omitted during and . It was first used in the in c. 530 in the Liber Pontificalis (Evanson 410)

Salutation and of the Day: The Salutation (Greeting): "The Lord be with you," to which the people respond, "And with your spirit" It is from Ruth 2:4, Luke 1:28, 2 Thessalonians 3:16 and else where." "The term Collect originally came from the Gallican , indicating that it was a collecting of the petitions of the congregation into one prayer." (Evanson 411). are made up of four parts traditionally: Address -- (necessary) Rationale -- Petition-- (necessary) Benefit or Purpose -- Termination or -- (necessary)

Gradual: Means "to step." The is a that changes with the season. It is usually a scripture passage that was used as a filler while the "stepped" from one side of the to the other. Often churches will replace the Gradual with a anthem. Often in Luther's Day a Cantata (Musical Play based on the Scripture Reading) was performed at this point in the service.

Lectionary: "Lego" = "I read", "lectus" = "Reading Book." "lection" = "lesson." "The owes to the synagogue the practice of readings specific to a calendar and public commentary upon them in a meeting house." (Grout 19) Four reasons to use the : 1. Avoids Pet Topics - Helps a congregation hear the "full council of God" 2. Promotes Christocentric Worship. 3. Easily and orderly presents doctrine and events of the Bible. 4. Flexible - A can deviate easily to treat a topic at hand.

Pericope : Literally means "to cut around." A reading from scripture "cut out of the whole." The lectionary is made up of pericopes.

Readings: One year and three year series. They include readings from all 4 Gospels, Paul's letters, and various texts relating to the lessons. Some of the also follow with the Gospel. However, many Epistles are read in "Lectio Continua" meaning that a book of the Bible is read continuously chapter by chapter week after week. This is common in Pentecost and during Epiphany. makes use of a new Lectionary based on the Revised Common Lectionary (RCA) in order to be more in conformity with the church at large.

Responses and before and after the Gospel: Standing shows respect for an account of Christ. We are meeting Christ in action, performing or speaking. "Glory be to You, O Lord" anticipates meeting Jesus. "Praise be to You, O Christ," recognizes Jesus as the promised Messiah. "Alleluia" means "Praise the Lord" bringing attention to the words about to be read. The Verse that comes after the Alleluia allows time for movement. There are weekly verses that can be sung. Divine Service for in LSB allows for these to be included. Creed : The two most common Creeds are the Apostles Creed (Western Creed) and (325 AD - Eastern Creed). The is usually used on . See Lutheran Service Book pg. 319 for a more detailed explanation.

Hymn of the Day: Hymns have been chosen that especially fit the percopes (Scripture Readings) of the day. This also helps a congregation become more familiar with the wide range of hymns found in the hymnals.

Sermon: Often the is based on the Gospel. Preaching is not just restricted to the Divine Service, but may also be included in the Offices. Sometimes a pastor may chose to address a particular topic that is at hand in a particular area.

Offering: Giving monetary gifts to God. Often offerings, commissioning, etc. happen at this point.

Offertory: Giving a sacrifice to God. In our services today it is an offering up of our voices to God. We commit any personal "vows" to God at this point also. Originally the bread and wine was offered at this point for communion. Luther removed such from the Mass as the in the Roman Church conveyed the idea of the Sacrifice of the Mass.

General Prayer: I Timothy 2:1-4 says, "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 peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." See also Acts 2:42 and Matthew 18:19.

+ Service of the Sacrament +

Preface: The was almost universally used in both Eastern and Western Churches through the centuries. The sentences build anticipation for the Sacrament. The Proper Preface though only included in Western Churches is included in our Lutheran services. This changes based on the season of the church year.

Sanctus and Benedictus: The Proper Preface builds including all of heaven and earth together in the presence of God. We realize that the Lord's Supper is not merely some symbolic reenactment of what Jesus did on earth on Maundy Thursday but that we actually are in community with all of heaven and earth as we eat and drink Christ Jesus body and blood in with and under bread and wine. The Sanctus concludes the Preface entering heaven itself quoting Isaiah 6, "Holy, holy, holy..." Sabaoth is the Hebrew Word for "Armies" or "Hosts." The Benedictus comes from Psalm 118:26, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD." The Word "" ("Save Us") follows calling to mind the ironic pleading of the crowd on (Matthew 21:9) and the cry in heaven to Jesus (Revelation 7:9-10). Eucharistic Prayers (Prayer of Thanksgiving) : Much ink has been spilt over whether it is okay to pray a prayer of thanksgiving just prior to the Words (Verba) of Institution are read. The principle objection is that attention is shifted from God giving his gifts to us to us doing something for God. This practice follows Luther himself. As a result some Lutheran omit these prayers still today. Despite this said, Eucharistic Prayers have almost always been present in early church services. Luther calls for proper prayers to be composed that rightly remember what is going on and give thanks for what God does. Some examples of this right remembering are included in Divine Service Setting 1 and 2 in Lutheran Service Book. Eucharistic prayers usually have three parts. 1. Remembering. 2. Call upon the Holy Spirit. 3. Doxology.

Lord's Prayer: Traditionally the Lord's Prayer and the are found together. In Luther's they follow the Words of Institution; whereas in the German Mass they proceed the Words. The prayer reminds us that we pray as a family all baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.

Words of Institution: These are not magical words, but instead God's Words which do what they say namely giving not merely bread and wine but Jesus' body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. This along with the distribution of the elements is the high point in the divine service as it is ordered in our service books. The Preparation builds to hearing the Readings. The Readings are built upon by their exposition in preaching. Finally through the Preface and Sanctus we receive Jesus himself here with his body and blood. The pastor except in extraordinary circumstances is to administer communion.

The Peace (): In the Roman Mass of 1570 after the Sanctus several prayers and commemorations were included (prayer for the church, remembrance of the living and dead, prayer that the sacrifice of the mass be accepted, the Words of institution, remembrance of the death and resurrection of Christ, offering up the sacrifice of Christ's body and blood, remembrance of the departed, Lord's Prayer, the body and mingled as a portion of the bread is dropped into the ). (Evanson 429) The peace of all of these was kept in the Lutheran Divine Service because it is 1. A type of (Calls to minds what Christ does for us.) 2. Demonstrates the action of "forgiving those who have trespassed against us." In other words, we offer the peace of the Lord to our fellow Christians around us, forgiving them.

Agnus Dei (): This moving element of the Divine Service was introduced to the service by Pope Sergius I (d. 701) as a way "to cover for breaking the bread into as many pieces as were needed for the Communion" (Evanson 430). The wording of this hymn is taken from John the Baptist in John 1:29. It affirms the real presence of Jesus' body and blood. It has been dropped in most Reformed churches.

Post Communion Canticle: "The singing of a communion verse is an ancient practice that antedates even the use of the Introit and the Offertory. In the early church, Psalm 145 and Psalm 34, together with appropriate , were sung during the communing of the people, until the signal was given that all had communed." In LSB "Thank The Lord" "The " (Song of Simeon - Luke 2:29-32, Lord Let Us Depart) are sung. Post Communion Collect: A prayer asking for faith toward God and love toward neighbor. Two other versions are included.

The : Two blessings are common: The Aaronic from Numbers 6:24-26 and the Pauline II Corinthians 13:14. Just as the service opened calling on the name of the Trinity so it closes with his name put upon the people. These blessings are usually not given as prayer but as Words that do what they say.