Liturgy is Like a Dance
For some visitors, our way of worship is like visiting an alien planet. Ancient scripted dialogue, congregational singing, standing, sitting and bowing once were done in common by Christians everywhere. But in the early 1800s, that began to change. As Revivalism swept across America, 1,800 years of familiar worship patterns around the globe gave way to free-form ways of worship.
It’s like the difference between an old-fashioned Square Dance and the dance at today’s High School gym. Dance without prescribed steps and moves is certainly free. But that very freedom can make dancers so painfully conscious of their performance that it keeps them off the floor. It’s not because they don’t know the rules but because there are no rules to know.
Square dance, on the other hand, invites people into the dance precisely because they don’t have to worry constantly about what to do next. There is a caller" who tells you what to do and frees you to get lost in the dance. Let’s call him Red. “Allemande Left,” says Red, and everyone swings in a counter-clockwise circle with his or her corner.
The liturgy also had a caller. On just about every page you will see instructions written in red type. These are never read out loud. They are silent cues. Only the black-type is spoken out loud. Light-type is for the pastor and boldface is for the congregation. There’s a simple saying to help you remember: “Say the black; and do the red.”
Introduction
Everything that you will need to participate in this historic form or worship is found in the hymnal. That’s the maroon book in front of you. The service starts on page 184.
There, the pastor will say the name of the Trinity while tracing the cross in the air. This recalls baptism. Christians, through the centuries, have first had the cross traced on their forehead, sternum, right shoulder and left when they were first brought to Baptism. There, they also heard the name of the Triune God for the first time.
After being reminded that God made us worthy to worship Him by washing away all our sins, we are invited to Confess our sins again. The forgiveness of sins is a perpetual need because we are “poor miserable sinners.” And this perpetual need is provided for when the risen Lord promised His disciples, “whosesoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven” (John 20:19-23).
Service of the Word
Now we are ready to enter into God’s presence. The Introit (ĭn-trō′ĭt) is sung while the pastor makes his way up to the altar. This Psalm is found in your bulletin. Listen to the solo part, called the Antiphon, to learn the music and to learn the theme of the day.
Next we sing the Kyrie (′kir-ē-ā) page 186. Kyrie means, “Lord.” It is the cry that Blind Bartimaeus made as Jesus was passing through Jericho (Matthew 20:29-31). In the ancient world, “Lord, have mercy,” was the sort of thing that you would say only to a conquering king who was visiting town. We say it to receive King Jesus into our midst.
As Jesus promised, “where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I AM there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Jesus’ presence launches us immediately into a joyous Hymn of Praise! This song declares who God is and what He has done for us.
Before we sit down, again, the pastor greets us like Gabriel greeted Mary (Luke 1:28), and he prays a special prayer for the day. This Collect bundles all the special gifts that the readings will invite us to ask for and puts them into one brief prayer.
Every week, we hear three different readings from the Holy Scriptures. First, we read from the Old Testament—one of the 39 books that were written before Jesus was born (between 1,500 and 400 B.C.). Second, we read from the Epistles of Paul, Peter, or John. These were letters written to specific people and congregations during the first century of the Church’s life.
Third, we hear the Holy Gospel. This is a selection from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. It directly relates the actions and words of God-in-the-flesh. It is the main subject of the entire day’s teaching and a high point of the service. That’s why we sing, “Alleluia!” This Hebrew word means, “Let us praise the LORD!” It is especially reserved for God’s direct, saving intervention in history.
After the readings, we confess the Creed. This is a great gift to us because “no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Nicene Creed has been confessed by every Christian—around the world and across the centuries since AD 325.
The Hymn of the Day was introduced by Martin Luther. It teaches the Word of God in clear and memorable words that are profound and moving. As you sing, think about how the words unpack the readings.
The Sermon should be self-explanatory. Feel free to jot down notes to ask about later. God wants you to understand his Holy Scriptures and, especially, how Jesus fulfilled all of the ancient prophecies to make atonement for sin and to establish the Kingdom of God on earth until He appears openly again, on the Last Day to do away with all evil.
The Offertory is our response to the sermon. We stand to sing this prayer asking God to do what He has just promised in His Word. It also serves to turn our minds to the way that Jesus will now fulfill those promises through the Sacrament of the Altar.
The Offerings are gathered between the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament not merely because it is a convenient time. Nor are the offerings a mere necessity “to keep the lights on,” as they say. Rather, we have just heard how God created us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us out of His own sheer generosity—and not because of our own works, merits, or worthiness. Knowing that all we are and have comes from the hand of God, we rededicate ourselves and our possessions into His gracious hands. For we are confident that He will multiply them and hand them back to us in even greater abundance!
Service of the Sacrament
The Service of the Sacrament begins with the Prayer of the Church. Here Jesus intercedes for us. We pray for the Church—naming pastors and congregations. We pray for the world—naming countries and officials. We pray that God would protect our land from the evils of sin. We pray for people who are sick, suffering, mourning or in any need. And we pray all these things in full confidence that God will not look at our sins or deny our prayer because of them, but answer us for Jesus’ sake.
The Preface is sung in preparation to receive the true Body and Blood of the risen Christ. They come to a climax as we recognize that we are in the presence of “angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven.” The Old Testament believers and the New Testament believers BOTH join in our song.
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper by taking bread and giving thanks—just like when He multiplied the loaves. So also He gives thanks for the bread and wine by praying the Lord’s Prayer.
The pastor continues to speak “in the stead and by the command of Christ” while he recites the Words of Institution as a part of Jesus’ command to “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Through the speaking of Jesus, the bread and wine become My Body and My Blood.
Directing our eyes to the Body and Blood, now on the altar, we see the Lamb of God Agnus Dei (äg-nu̇s-ˈdā(-ē) Who has died for the sins of the world—every single sin of every single person of all time since the fall and until the Last Day.
The Body and Blood of Christ are Distributed by the pastor to those who have been instructed thoroughly in the doctrine of the Bible. If you have not yet completed our membership instruction course, you may still come forward to receive a spoken blessing from the pastor.
When all communicants have returned to their places, we rise to sing the Nunc Dimittis. This is the very song that Simeon sang after he held the 40-day-old baby Jesus in his own hands (Luke 2:29-32).
After receiving the Body and Blood of God, there is not much more that one can say! So, the service wraps up fairly quickly. We pray that God would give us extended benefits from the Sacrament that we have just received. Then, we receive the Benediction that Jesus likely gave to His disciples as He parted from them on the day of His Ascension into heaven (Numbers 6:24-26).
For Jesus will come again—both at the Last Day and also Next Sunday!
