Exploring Evangelical Lutheran Worship Introduction Pages 6 - 9 The introduction articulates much of the thinking that shaped Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Notice particularly the emphases on: · “assembly” · contextualization · ongoing renewal · “core,” not “comprehensive” · means of grace · shared leadership · freedom and flexibility · the connection between worship and mission The Church Year, Calendar, and Propers Pages 13 – 63 The richness of biblical stories and Christian tradition unfolds throughout the calendar of the church year. Readings and prayers are provided for all Sundays and festivals over a three-year cycle. Additional resources for worship planning are in the Leader’s Edition. Prayers for Worship Pages 64 – 71 Worshiping assemblies have options available in a collection of prayers for many parts of the liturgy. Congregations who make use of this section will need to communicate clearly about page numbers, print the texts in worship folders or, if the text is prayed by a minister, make it clear to the assembly that they don’t need to be flipping pages. Exploring Evangelical Lutheran Worship page 1 Additional Prayers Pages 72 – 87 This expanded collection of prayers for many occasions and circumstances will serve the needs of the assembly and individuals within it. Worshipers may make extensive use of these prayers as they gather for worship, as they keep times of silence for prayer and meditation, and at home and in their daily lives. Holy Communion Pattern for Worship Pages 91 – 93 Our confessional heritage assumed that weekly celebration of Holy Communion would be the norm. Evidence from throughout the ELCA suggests the increasing recovery of weekly celebration of communion. Evangelical Lutheran Worship continues to encourage a principal service of Word and sacrament. You will notice that Evangelical Lutheran Worship provides an outline of each service, helping planners, leaders, and worshipers understand the logic supporting our inherited patterns for worship. Uniformity of practice is not the goal. While the outline or “shape” provides the framework for flexibility, it also honors a unity of purpose by identifying essential common elements. The shape or the outline reminds us of the rhythm of worship. God is at work and God’s people are responding. The shape of the communion service gives a clear and concise overview of the basic pattern — gathering, word, meal, sending — with the elements accompanied by a brief description. These descriptions can be useful in educational settings, as “sidebars” in a worship folder, or even adapted to serve as a spoken narration to the service. Capital letters indicate the more essential things, while the other elements support and reveal the rich shape of Christian worship. The more essential or foundational elements are rooted in scripture, the Lutheran confessions, and the practice of the early church. Holy Communion Musical Settings Many people are amazed – even bewildered – that there are ten musical settings of Holy Communion, in addition to all the possibilities in the Service Music section. Others are thrilled! The reasons behind this diversity of options will be discussed later in this guide. It is likely, and probably wise, that most congregations will only learn a few settings of the liturgy. Determining how many settings to learn and which ones will work best in your worshiping community will be a critical decision for each congregation. We will use the page numbers from Setting One as we continue this exploration. page 2 Exploring Evangelical Lutheran Worship Holy Communion: Gathering Page 94 - 97 Different people, times, places, and circumstances call for different forms of gathering. Evangelical Lutheran Worship allows for considerable flexibility—simple or elaborate, brief or extended, with varied emphases, words, music, actions, and structures suited to a particular assembly and/or occasion. Note the freedom in the language of the rubrics (the italicized directions), especially the words “may” and “or.” An example is the first sentence below the heading Gathering: “The service may begin with Confession and Forgiveness or Thanksgiving for Baptism.” The word “may” tells us that in some gatherings the service may begin with a song and proceed directly to the Prayer of the Day or even with the prayer itself. Most services, however, will begin with either a Confession and Forgiveness or a Thanksgiving for Baptism. This thanksgiving is a new option, especially appropriate for the Sundays of Easter and other Sundays or festivals with a resurrection or baptismal emphasis, such as All Saints Day. You will notice that at many places in the services in Evangelical Lutheran Worship there are two columns of text, allowing the planners and leaders to make choices appropriate for your community or to add variety. A small red “or” indicates a briefer option in a second column. Bold red boxes with the word “or” indicate more substantial options, such as Confession and Forgiveness or Thanksgiving for Baptism. Evangelical Lutheran Worship is intentional about its use of the word “assembly.” We are the people of God, assembled around Word and sacrament. This assembly may be in a congregation, or it may be within another worshiping community, such as a campus ministry, youth gathering, a seminary, or a retirement center. Although the whole assembly has primary responsibility for “doing” the worship, numerous leadership roles are clearly defined. The presiding minister is a person ordained to the ministry of Word and sacrament. The presiding minister has primary oversight for what happens in worship, with some very specific responsibilities, though never overshadowing the work of other ministers and the whole assembly. Assisting ministers are usually lay people who assist the entire assembly in “doing” our work. Pay attention to the times that the assisting minister has a specific responsibility. It is always on behalf of the assembly or to encourage the assembly to do something. “Go in peace. Do something!” is the most obvious example. An assisting minister may also assist the presiding minister. Assisting ministers should be understood in a broader sense as well. They may be members of the choir who assist the assembly with some of the sung portions of the service. Imagine all the people who work, often behind the scenes, in order to make the liturgy happen: Exploring Evangelical Lutheran Worship page 3 musicians, those who read scripture, the altar guild, those who clean, those who care for the nursery, even those who provide for fellowship as our liturgy continues into our daily lives as the baptized people of God. All assisting ministers help others to do their job well. You’ll notice that leadership roles are no longer designated in the pew book with small Ps, As, and Cs. These shorthand symbols were often misunderstood and could feel like “code language” to some visitors. Instead, Evangelical Lutheran Worship follows a more common practice which allows for greater local flexibility by simply indicating parts to be sung or spoken by the assembly in bold type, by providing direction given in italics (which we often call rubrics), or by giving a simple designation when appropriate. Larger canticles, such as “Glory to God” and “This Is the Feast” appear in regular type face just like the hymns. Some musical settings allow for the alternate singing of verses, perhaps between men, and women and children. These decisions are made locally with your unique assembly. It is the responsibility of worship planners and leaders to communicate clearly to worshipers about the various possibilities. Pages 98 – 101 There is a lot of flexibility in this section called Gathering Song. You’ll notice that the Greeting can happen at various times. Worship planners will need to make careful decisions and communicate clearly. A few examples . · For a simple service, begin immediately with the Greeting and Prayer of the Day, or · Begin with the Greeting, followed by one of the sung options (hymn, psalm, Kyrie, or Canticle of Praise) and proceed with the Prayer of the Day, or · In a more contemporary setting, gather with a medley of praise songs, followed by Greeting and Prayer of the Day, or · For a fuller festival service, the order might be: hymn, Greeting, Kyrie, Canticle of Praise (“Glory to God” or “This is the Feast”), followed by the prayer, or · Some other combination, simple or full, that is appropriate for a particular time with your unique community. Whatever is sung, gathering songs are best when they surround and support people who come to worship with different frames of reference and different emotions, moving each individual into the communal experience and purpose of the worship. Gathering songs should welcome the assembly to the mercy of the triune God and not simply to our individual needs or desires. Planning for the gathering song should consider the season of the page 4 Exploring Evangelical Lutheran Worship church year or the specific themes of the day. A manual for musicians, to help them make these and many decisions in various settings, is planned for publication in the near future. Page 102 The Prayer of the Day is a kind of keynote prayer which helps frame the approach to the day. This prayer marks a turn or hinge in the service. The Prayer of the Day is usually prayed by the presiding minister, either spoken or sung. As the presiding minister prays on behalf of all who are gathered, the assembly offers its assent with “Amen.” Evangelical Lutheran Worship includes a three-year cycle of prayers (see the Propers section) that corresponds to the three-year Revised Common Lectionary, contributing to greater consistency in worship. Holy Communion: Word Pages 102 - 103 When Christians gather to worship, we read the Bible. The use of the Revised Common Lectionary serves the unity of the Church, allows for the hearing of the breadth of the Scriptures, and opens up the evangelical meaning of the church year.