. Let us worship God together in Awe and with ReverenceWorship is not about us. Worship is about reverence to God—

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

In the Lutheran Study Bible, under the heading title, “Do All to the Glory of God”

(LSB 1886), we read Paul’s words written in the years 53-55 CE to the Christians at the

church in Corinth: “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians

10:31b). To understand what Lutherans believe is to join in their worship. The Lutheran

Church is a liturgical church. The worship liturgy, which is biblically founded on

writings from all of Scripture, points away from the individual and toward the Triune

God whom we worship. Through liturgical repetition and unison in words and music in

the worship service, Lutherans each Sunday connect to other believers in Christ and to

the historic Hebraic and early Christian faiths expressed in their liturgies.

Tradition. Tradition. Tradition. Deeply rooted in the history of God’s chosen people is

their faith, their worship, their life practices. “It is our balance,” Tevya explains in

Fiddler on the Roof. The philosophical milkman Tevya talks to God when

circumstances in his life place him in positions as precarious as a “fiddler on the roof.”

With his family of five daughters and his wife Golda, Tevya faithfully and traditionally

observes the commands for worship and living given to the Jews by God many centuries

earlier as recorded in Leviticus 23. In arranging the marriage of his eldest daughter

Tzeital to the wealthy village butcher Lazar Wolf through the matchmaker Yente, Tevya

shows deep respect for tradition. Then when his second daughter Hodel falls in love

with the Gentile Perchik, the couple asks only for Tevya’s blessing on their marriage.

Who will ever forget the serene, snow-filled scene at the railroad stop when the loving

father Tevya, knowing he will never again see his daughter, bids her farewell as she leaves to join Perchik? With fatherly love, Tevya departs from his daughter—forever.

He returns to his family and the traditions commanded by God to him as a Jew.

Tradition. Tradition. Tradition. It is Tevya’s balance in life. The Lutheran liturgy,

its roots in Hebrew scripture and traditions of Hebraic liturgy and in early Christian

worship practices of the celebration of the Eucharist and faith in Jesus Christ, centers

worship on the Triune God and on Word and Sacrament. The Lutheran liturgy is a

cherished tradition. Justin Martyr, an early Christian apologist of the 2nd century, wrote:

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together

in one place, and the memories of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read,

as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs,

and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray,

and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought,

and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability,

and the people assent, saying Amen, and there is a distribution to each, and a participation

of that over which thanks have been given (“First Apology of Justin,” VII.2, Chapter 68).

My husband Luther, in his youth, was confirmed in German, and the family worshiped

in an Evangelical Lutheran church in a small town in South Dakota, where his

immigrant grandparents from Germany had settled two generations earlier. A few years

ago, when we attended a Roman Catholic worship service in a cathedral in Bamberg,

Germany, Luther knew the entire liturgy, spoken and sung in German—the liturgy

cradled in Judaic and early Christian worship, continued by the Roman Catholic

Church, preserved by the Reformation leaders of the Lutheran church in Germany, and

brought to this country by Lutheran immigrants. We worshipped in the Lutheran liturgy

of Luther’s childhood, grounded in reverence for God by the Lord’s people since the

time of Moses. While contemporary social ministries move in horizontal directions

across one or two generations, the Lutheran liturgy moves vertically to the past and

toward the future to encompass thousands of years of worshiping the Triune God and

of celebrating God’s Holy Gifts of Word and Sacrament. Historic and traditional, with

roots to both Judaic and early Christian faiths, the worship liturgy is our church’s

cherished heritage to honor and preserve.

Like Moses, who removed his sandals on Holy ground, Christians come together in this

church with reverence to worship God. With the writer to the Hebrews, who expressed

the words in elegant Greek around 70 CE: “We offer God an acceptable worship

with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28b). The Lutheran Study Bible margin

commentary notes for this passage from Hebrews explain that “an acceptable worship

[is our] thankful recognition of the blessings we have received from a gracious God”

(1990). Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the eminent German Lutheran pastor and teacher, taught

that faith is handed down in profound mystery from God; for Bonhoeffer, to know faith

is to know an aspect of God’s divinity granted as a gift. C.S. Lewis, author of The

Screwtape Letters, wrote, “The perfect church service would be one we were almost

unaware of; our attention would have been on God.” God is in this place. In this place,

through the worship liturgy, we know the presence of God. With Moses and the

writer to the Hebrews, with Bonhoeffer and C. S. Lewis, and with the community of

Christian worshipers, we understand that in God’s presence, worship is not about us;

worship is about our reverence to God. In worshipful reverence we begin the worship

Liturgy with the organ Prelude.

The Worship Liturgy

The literal meaning of liturgical is people work--the work of the people in worshiping

God. In the Lutheran liturgical worship service, the people do not seek entertainment;

they do not observe the worship service. Worship is God’s people together offering

honor and praise and reverence to God. The worship liturgy developed throughout

many centuries through the faith of God’s people and from their traditions which have

remained nearly unchanged for centuries. As rituals in daily life reveal individual inner

beliefs and values, through rituals in the worship liturgy, worshipers are linked in faith

and beliefs and values with generations of worshipers before them and after them.

Untold numbers of worshipers in a multitude of languages in communion as the people

of faith have uttered Psalm 23, which predates Christ by centuries, the Lord’s Prayer,

which is 2000 years old, and the Nicene Creed, which is 1700 years old. In

worshiping God through the liturgy, the individual worshiper becomes part of the

universal catholic church across all times and all cultures. As a congregation,

Christian members worship as the universal church linked together in the resurrection of

Christ to become part of the spiritual body of Christ. Worship is reverence. Worship is

prayer. Worship is music. Worship is words and symbols. Worship is saying and

doing the good news of Christ in Word and Sacrament (Rimbo 43). The Reverend Doctor

Mark Luttio, delivering a talk in 2006 before a diakonia class at Apostles Lutheran

Church, Brandon, Florida, notes that the liturgy births faith; the liturgy is not as much

an expression of faith as a creator of faith, birthed out of the knowledge of words and

transferred into the symbols and music of faith, and into participation in actions and

gestures (Luttio). Rooted in the historic traditions of Christian worship, in the celebration of the liturgy, the ordained pastor faces the altar when addressing God in

sacrificial acts and turns toward the congregation in sacramental acts. Worshipers also

express their faith in the acts of standing, sitting, bowing, and kneeling during worship.

Present day visitors to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem or the Church of the

Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, notice there are no pews. For 1000 years standing in the

church was the normal position for worship. Early Christians stood to symbolize they

had risen with Christ. In the 4th Century BCE worshipers may have “sat” for the sermon

only, but without seats in the sanctuary, their position was actually a near-reclining

position on the floor. Today worshipers express praise and humility to honor God by

standing for praise and prayer, by sitting for instruction and to listen to God’s Word and

by bowing and kneeling at the altar to acknowledge humility before Him.

Reverence to God begins upon entrance into the nave of the church. Some worshipers

may show reverence by bowing toward the altar before entering the pew or by making

the sign of the cross. Appropriately, upon sitting in the pew, worshipers may pray to

God a silent prayer and prepare for reverent worship by meditating on the Lesson and

Gospel readings in the Order of Worship Service bulletin or by pondering the symbols

of worship on the altar and in the stained glass windows of the church. The Lutheran

Divine Worship Service begins with the organ Prelude, music that draws the

congregation into an attitude of prayer and praise to God, a call to God’s people to

“enter the Lord’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4). With

Pastor Dennis Fakes of Messiah Lutheran Church in Lindsborg, Kansas, who has

written a small book, Exploring Our Lutheran Liturgy: How and Why We Worship, we

say: We love God; we love this Church; we love its liturgy (Fakes 14).Significant to the present day liturgy are the fourfold components of The Gathering,

The Liturgy of the Word, The Liturgy of the Meal, and The Sending--the liturgical

components that parallel the pattern of early Christian worship. Each of the four

components derives from core phrases and images from both Old Testament and New

Testament Scriptures to provide the connection of God’s people in worship, beginning

with the Hebrews in the Wilderness and continuing with the early Christians into the

present-day Christian Liturgy. The website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in

America on the “Growing-in-Faith” link contains a formal listing of forty-six passages

from Scripture that define the Worship liturgy. At the heading of the listing is the

explanation: “Since ancient times the church has drawn upon Scripture to shape the

words and action of worship to God” (www.elca.org/growing-in-faith/worship). The depth

and the beauty of the faith-crossed liturgy is enhanced by corresponding Scriptural

margin notes, section titles, chapter discussions, and supplemental sections in the

Lutheran Study Bible. These aids include historical, literary, devotional, and Lutheran

theological approaches--the Book of Faith methodologies--to give an extensive

understanding of the Scriptural roots of the liturgical listing in “Growing-in-Faith.”

I. The Gathering

The “Growing-in-Faith” listing of Scriptural liturgy begins with five Scripture

passages related to The Gathering, the first of the four components of the Liturgy.

These five passages, three from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament,

command and describe the gathering of God’s people. The Old Testament references to

The Gathering appear in Psalms, Isaiah, and Joel.

Psalm 149:1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

The Lutheran Study Bible heading for this Psalm is “Praise for God’s Goodness to

Israel” and the margin study note defines “new song,” as a song of praise to God

(LSB 1010). A second Scripture reference to The Gathering occurs in the book of Joel.

Joel 2:15-17 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast;call a solemn assembly; gather the people.

Sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged;

gather the children, even the infants at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.

The Lutheran Study Bible chapter explanation of Joel’s message to the Hebrews is that

to this “troubled and struggling people … [as the prophet explains two verses earlier in

verse 13] the Lord is ‘gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast

love.’” (LSB 1467). A third Scripture reference in The Gathering listing occurs in Isaiah.

Isaiah 48:14a Assemble, all of you, and hear!

The Lutheran Study Bible title heading of Isaiah 48 is “God the Creator and Redeemer.”

The book of Isaiah, which contains some of the best known passages in Scripture of the

“proclamation of hope for a coming messiah” (LSB 1092), was written by three prophets over a period of time very important to the history of God’s people. The explanatory

introduction to the books of the prophets in the Lutheran Study Bible notes that

“prophets and prophecy appear with the rise of Israel’s kings” so that “prophets spoke

the word of the Lord to kings [who were often in conflict over theological and social

issues, thus providing] the Lord’s check on the kings’ otherwise absolute power” (LSB

1088). “Beginning in the eighth century BCE, the prophets began to address the Israelite

people. [The prophets spoke] from the eighth down to the fifth centuries BCE [during

the periods] of the fall of Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem, the exile, and the return”

of many of God’s people to Judah after exile in Babylon (LSB 1088). The Lutheran

Study Bible text explains that to “understand the historical circumstances behind the

[historical] events … [is] to … understand the messages of the prophets” (LSB 1088).

Isaiah 48, which “originated in the last decades of the sixth century BCE, … offered

comfort to a people who had experienced the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 (BCE)

many decades earlier” (LSB 1089). Not fortune tellers, the prophets in Isaiah revealed

comfort to God’s people along with His final word that He “would bring about a new

beginning for God’s people” (LSB 1090).

New Testament Scripture references for The Gathering component portray the stories of

Jesus’ teachings and his deeds, and contain the writings of early Christians regarding

Jesus and their Christian lives. The first four books of the New Testament are the

Gospels, a word which comes from the Old English word godspel, meaning “good

news.” Of the four Gospels, Matthew, written in the mid-80’s CE, was the most popular

“in the early church for preaching and teaching,” according to the Lutheran Study Bible

(LSB 1600). The Gospel of Matthew reflects both sides of the debate between the Jewish movement, which struggled with its identity after the Romans destroyed the

temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, and the early Christians of the first century, each

claiming Israel’s heritage. Their debate focused on the Christians’ “relation to Judaism,

the inclusion of Gentiles, and the relations between Jews and Gentiles within the church.

Some … identified Gentiles as sinners. For them, Gentile believers needed to become

Jewish. Others followed Jewish traditions that saw Gentiles in light of God’s covenant

with Noah. For them, Gentile believers needed not become Jewish” (LSB 1604).

“Matthew [according to the Lutheran Study Bible account] uses material that reflects

both sides of these debates. Passages affirm the permanence of God’s covenant with

Israel and restrict mission to Israel. Others include Gentiles and exclude some in

Israel. Both sides have their place in Matthew” (LSB 1604). Continuing with

commentary in “What’s the Message?” in the introduction to Matthew, the Lutheran

Study Bible adds that one of the themes of Matthew’s Gospel “emphasizes that Jesus

fulfills prophecy. Both God’s promises to Israel and [to their] God are treated as

prophecy. [For Matthew] prophecy interprets the story of Jesus” to transform the

meaning of the prophecy of the messiah (LSB 1605). Another theme of Matthew’s

Gospel “stresses forgiveness and the need to forgive. … Throughout the Gospel, Jesus

rejected teaching that could be used to condemn others or exalt oneself” (LSB 1605).

Underscoring this message of Matthew’s Gospel, the Lutheran Study Bible groups the

verses of Chapter 18:15-20 under the title, “Reproving Another Who Sins,” followed

by the title “Forgiveness” of verse 21. (LSB 1636-37). As Christians gather in worship,

Matthew’s Gospel , which stresses Jesus’ teaching of forgiveness of others, reminds

His followers that they are one body in Christ.Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among

them.

The second New Testament Gathering reference from Scripture occurs in the Book of

Acts. According to the Lutheran Study Bible, the full title of Acts, The Acts of the

Apostles, defines the message of the Book of Acts. It details the people and places and

activities of the apostles and other disciples of Jesus after his death and resurrection. It

covers the story of the early church from about 30 to 60 CE from its beginnings as a

small group of Jewish believers in Jerusalem to the beginning of its growth with focus

on the key leaders, Peter and Paul. Significant also in Acts is the emphasis on the work

of the Holy Spirit in the guidance of the new church. “The first two chapters [of Acts]

tell the stories of Jesus going from earth into heaven (his ascension) and the Holy Spirit

coming to Jesus’ followers on the day that is celebrated by Christians as Pentecost. The

next six chapters have stories of early Christians and the growth of the church in its

earliest years. Most attention is given to Peter and Stephen. The rest of the book,

chapters 9-28 is about the apostle Paul, his travels, and other activities” (LSB 1597). The

Lutheran Study Bible titles The Gathering verses of the liturgy from Acts 2:1-13 “The

Coming of the Holy Spirit” (LSB 1797) with acknowledgment in the commentary

that Acts emphasizes that “the work of the Holy Spirit … formed and guided the new

church [and that] those who came to believe in Jesus did so because of the Spirit” (LSB

1795).

Acts 2:1-13 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy

Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

The margin notes of the Lutheran Study Bible define the word Pentecost as fifty with

the explanation that “Pentecost is the Jewish festival that comes fifty days after

Passover (see Lev 23:15-16). It is also called the Feast of Weeks, and originally

celebrated the wheat harvest (see Exod 23:16; Deut 16:9-10) [a time when] many Jews

would have gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost” (LSB 1797). The notes

continue with a commentary on the words, filled with the Holy Spirit: “This is a

fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:49. The disciples are led by the Spirit--not

only in what they say, but also in the languages they speak. This miracle is sometimes

seen as the reversal of what happened at the Tower of Babel (see Gen 11:1-9) when

God confused the languages to curb human pride” (LSB 1797). The commentary

explains that “the people gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost came from

all over the known world. The miracle was the many languages that were spoken and

heard. [Especially relevant in Acts 2 to the liturgical reference to The Gathering

is the Lutheran Study Bible explanation in the margin pertaining to the Lutheran

Theological understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit:] “Lutherans believe that we

come to faith, remain in faith, and live our lives of faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. In his explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed, Martin Luther taught ‘the

Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me

holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy

the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common,

true faith.’ (SL:16) Acts 1:2” (LSB 1798). The gathering component of the liturgy

recognizes that the gathering of God’s people whom he called to assemble in worship in

both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures is a sign of God’s redemptive intervention in

human life (Rimbo 64). Included in The Gathering Component of the liturgy are the

Invocation, the Confession and Forgiveness, the Apostolic Greeting, the Kyrie, the

Hymns of Praise--Glory to God and This is the Feast--and The Salutation.

The Lutheran Liturgy of The Gathering component begins with The Invocation,

meaning entering into. In the hymn of Invocation, which establishes the tone and

theme of the service as reminders of Christ’s presence among us, with the apostle Paul,

we remember that Christians, “teach and admonish one another and with gratitude …

sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God” (Col 3:16b). As Christ taught and

performed miracles in the midst of the people, the acolyte, holding high the cross, and

the choir, like angels in heaven, and the clergy approach the altar--all in procession in

the center aisle through the midst of the worshipers. The congregation stands to join in

singing the hymn of Invocation to show respect to God and to acknowledge with the

clergy, who enter standing, that worshipers are in catholic communion with all believers

of Jesus Christ. The pastor begins the preparation for worship by making the sign of the

cross with the words, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Spirit.” For worshipers also to make the sign of the cross at the beginning of worship is appropriate for, as Martin Luther instructed his followers: “Believers should make the

sign of the cross upon rising in the morning and upon going to bed at night to remind

themselves that they belong to Jesus.” With the sign of the cross, we begin worship of

the triune God, and we remember our Baptism in Christ’s name (Matthew 28:19) with

the Pastor’s greeting, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the

communion of the holy Spirit be with you all.” When the pastor turns toward the

congregation to extend to them the Apostolic Greeting, a greeting which the apostles

used—grace, love, and communion--the people respond with a wish for God’s blessings

on the pastor. The pastor greets the people with God’s blessing, and the people wish

God’s blessing on the pastor. The pastor’s call upon God’s presence and the invitation

for the people to respond to their pastor is the pattern common throughout the liturgy.

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

Congregation: And also with you.

The “Growing-in-Faith listing for the Apostolic Greeting element of The Gathering

Component references the alternate 2 Corinthians 13:13 Scripture passage.

2 Corinthians 13:13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

With this first Greeting and the response of the people, the pastor is prepared to enter

into the presence of the Lord at the altar (Fakes 59-60).

A Confession of Sins and Absolution follows the Apostolic Greeting, reminding us that

we have all sinned and that we ask forgiveness for “only by grace can we enter.” This

corporate confession is a reminder of the words of the psalmist : ”Who can approach the

throne of God? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Interestingly, the corporate

confession was not a practice of the early church; in fact, references to confession in the

early days of the Christian church were not part of the liturgy. An early Christian

document admonishes Christians to “Assemble on the day of the Lord, break bread and

celebrate the Eucharist; but first confess your sins, that your sacrifice may be holy.”

For early Christians, confession was private, not corporate; yet confession and

forgiveness have deep roots in Scripture. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and his guilt led

to his confession of his sin and self punishment in suicide; conversely, Peter confessed

his sin for denying Jesus and he received forgiveness. Martin Luther believed firmly

in forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ (Fakes 50-53). Because confession is

preparatory to forgiveness, the worship liturgy includes the corporate confession, in the

words of the Scripture. From 1 John, we declare the Scriptural reference for Confession

and Forgiveness of the “Growing-in-Faith” listing:

1 John 1:8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The pastor, not speaking personally but speaking for Christ, announces God’s cleansing

forgiveness to the congregation, assuring them of Christ’s love, acceptance, and

forgiveness. Scripture references sin and Christ’s forgiveness in several passages.

When Christ reappeared to his disciples, after showing them his hands and

his side, he said to them, “Peace be with you. As the father has sent me so I send you,

[and breathing on them,] He said. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of

any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John

20:20-22). In the context of the verses of 1 John Chapter 1, beginning with verse 5,

which proclaim that “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all,” the Lutheran Study Bible margin commentary notes “the contrast between light and darkness

[determines that] people can choose either to walk down dark alleys of their selfish

interests or along pathways lit by the presence of God (see Isa 9:2; Luke 1:78-79; John

1:4-9, 8:12)” (LSB 2013). The commentary attributes to Martin Luther the explanation of

1 John 1:7: “We all fall short and continue to need forgiveness. …We are in ‘bondage’

or captivity to sin and we cannot break free from sin’s hold on us. In confession we

admit that we are still sin’s captives, and still need a Savior to set us free” (LSB 2013). In

the “Background File” section, the Lutheran Study Bible augments the importance of

1 John to Martin Luther, who in a lecture declared, ‘This is an outstanding epistle, … so

beautifully and gently does it picture Christ to us’” (LSB 2012). The Lutheran Study

Bible explanation of a theme in 1 John further depicts the importance of the Confession

and Forgiveness of our liturgy: “Jesus offered himself as the ‘atoning sacrifice’ for

human sin. In ancient practice this kind of sacrifice usually involved the shed blood of

an animal. This blood cleansed the people and restored the damaged relationship

between the people and their god. Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed his blood and gave up

his life. His blood cleanses us from sin and restores us to new life with God’” (LSB

2012-13). The Confession and Absolution, ending with forgiveness by God, establishes

forgiveness of ourselves and others and implicates us to be an incredible force for good

and the grace of God in the world (Fakes 55).

Kyrie is a Greek word meaning, “O Lord.” While Jesus spoke in Aramaic, a form of

Hebrew, the books of the New Testament were written in Greek, the world language of

Jesus’ day. A Greek remnant that remains in the Liturgy from ancient Jewish worship,

The Kyrie is Psalm 123:3a, an appeal for God’s mercy against the arrogance of the

Hebrews’ oppressors (LSB 990).

Psalm 123:3 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,So our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.

The New Testament Kyrie, which is included in the “Growing-in-Faith” listing from

Luke 17:13, is a cry to the Lord for help and strength.

Luke 17:13 Jesus Master, have mercy on us.

In the context of Luke’s Gospel narrative about the ten lepers, Luke 17:11-19, Jesus was

going through the region between Samaria and Galilee on his way to Jerusalem when

ten lepers approached him, and keeping their distance, they called out, “Jesus Master,

have mercy on us. When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go show yourselves to the

priests,’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them when he saw that

he was healed, turned back, praising God with loud voice. He prostrated himself at

Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.” The Lutheran Study Bible

notes that the one who returned to thank Jesus for healing him, a Samaritan, was an

outsider (LSB 1734). Luke’s Gospel narrative concludes: Then [Jesus] said to him, “Get

up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

A second reference to the New Testament Scriptural basis for the Kyrie in the

“Growing-in-Faith” listing occurs in Luke 18:38 when Jesus heals a blind beggar near

Jericho who calls for mercy.

Luke 18:35-39 As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was

happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Important in this narrative is Jesus’ reminder to the man: “Receive your sight; your

faith has saved you, and the blind man followed and glorified God when his sight was

restored so that all the people saw it, and they praised God.”

In the Old Testament, Isaiah writes about the mercy of God as being like a loving

mother: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of

her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” The Kyrie is not a plea

for forgiveness, but a reminder that God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and

abounding in steadfast love.” (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15, 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13;

Jonah 4:2). The Kyrie declares God’s infinite kindness; it is a plea that God’s tender

mercy be in “this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise” (Fakes

64-65).

The next element in The Gathering component is The Hymn of Praise, Glory to God

and Worthy is Christ, which addresses the Trinity in the themes of Christmas and of

Easter. In the Glory to God we sing to God the Creator, the song of the angels when

Jesus was born in the words of Luke 2:14: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to his people on earth.

In Glory to God we sing praise to the Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God. We sing

to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God,

Lamb of God. We sing to the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier, the Holy Spirit in the glory of

God. Martin Luther said the Hymn of Praise “did not grow, nor was it made on earth,

but it came down from heaven.” When we declare Glory to God in the Highest, we give

thanks and praise to God who became human in the form of Jesus and gave us this gift

from heaven through the Holy Spirit. This is the Feast, focuses on the Easter theme,

worthy is the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign, in the words of

Revelation 5:13: Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

When we sing This is the Feast of Victory, we celebrate with the saints of the church,

(Revelation 5:9) with expressions of thanks and praise to God for the resurrection of

Jesus, who promises to be present when only two or three are gathered in His name. We

also express joy in the Hebrew word “alleluia,” a four syllable song found in many

Psalms, which comes from “Hallelujah,” meaning “God (JAH) be praised (HALLEL), a

song which our Lord most likely chanted with his disciples as they gathered at the last

supper before His death (Fakes 66-8). The Lutheran Study Bible margin note on

Revelation 5 declares that Jesus, as the Lamb of God doing what humans cannot do for

themselves, “refers to the Passover when a lamb was sacrificed to save the lives of

God’s people” (LSB 2033). In the introductory commentary on Revelations, the Lutheran

Study Bible emphasizes the point that Christian life centers on Jesus Christ (LSB 2027).Two final elements appear in The Gathering component of the “Gathering-in-Faith”

listing, the Salutation and the Collect of Prayer of the Day. The Salutation is an

awesome and humbling blessing, a gesture of kindness, between the congregation and

the pastor. Coming before the Prayer of the Day, in this blessing the pastor and the

congregation greet one another in the Lord’s name (Fakes 70). Included in the “Growing-

in-Faith” listing are both Scriptural Old Testament and New Testament salutations:

The Old Testament salutation blessing comes from the story of Ruth and Naomi; the

New Testament salutation comes from Gabriel’s greeting to the virgin Mary.

Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, … whose name was

Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among

the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her:

“Go, my daughter.” So she went. As the narrative progresses, Ruth was in the part of

the field that belonged to Boaz, who was coming from Bethlehem.

Ruth 2:4 Boaz said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered, “The Lord bless you.”

Then as the narrative continues, upon learning that Ruth was a foreigner, Boaz said to

her: “All that you have done for your mother-in-law … how you left your native land

and came to a people that you did not know. May the Lord reward you for your deeds,

and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel.” Ruth replied, “May I

continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken

kindly to your servant.” In the introductory commentary on Ruth, the Lutheran Study

Bible reveals the importance of this narrative event: “Even though Ruth comes from an

enemy people, Boaz realizes that she is loyal and worthy. He marries her to preserve

the line of Naomi’s family. … [As] Boaz and Ruth give birth to a baby, Obed, who

becomes the grandfather of King David … through acts of loyalty, generosity, and

commitment, these three, [this devoted widow, this good man, and this foreign woman],

pave the way for the birth of Jesus” (LSB 442-3). The whole nation is blessed. The Old

Testament greeting is echoed in Luke 1:28 when Mary is greeted by the angel:

Luke 1:28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

Paul often expressed salutations in his writings. The Salutation says, “Listen.” We

prayerfully ask the Lord to open our ears and our hearts to receive His message of sin

and grace (Fakes71).

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

Congregation: And with your spirit. [with you].

Its earliest name, Oration, “the prayer,” the Collect dates from the early Roman custom

of gathering worship with a prayer. From ancient times the silence which precedes the

Collect has shown that preparation for worship is over, and the time for collecting the

thoughts and spirit of the weekly worship service in the Service of the Word has begun.

In the early Greek churches, a deacon stood in the front and shouted, “The doors, the

doors,” to direct all those individuals who were not in full standing to leave. Only

members in full standing in the church were privileged to hear the Word of the Lord.

For 15 centuries the church has been perfecting these prayers, some of them ancient

translations, confirming the stability of the worship liturgy. Called the Propers of the

Day, meaning this part of the liturgy changes each week within the structure of the

worship service to articulate the theme of the day, most Collects follow a 5-part

structure introduced by the pastor, who begins by saying, “Let us Pray.” An Easter

Collect exemplifies the 5-part structure of the Collect that follows the pastor’s invitation

to the congregation to pray:

address: Oh God,

basis for prayer: you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death.

petition: Make us die every day to sin; benefit desired: so that we may live with him forever in the joy of resurrection

conclusion: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

The congregation and pastor join in the Amen (Fakes 71-3).

II. The Liturgy of the Word

The Word, the second component of the four component Liturgy, along with the third

component, The Meal, is an important focus in the worship liturgy of Word and

Sacrament. The ELCA website link, “Growing-in-Faith,” references five passages from

New Testament scripture to convey the importance of The Word in worship. The first

reference is included in the context of the occurrence when Jesus was led up by the

Spirit into the wilderness and, after fasting forty days and forty nights, is tempted by the

devil to turn stones into loaves of bread if he is the Son of God. Jesus’ response is

recorded in Matthew.

Matthew 4:4: It is written, One does not live by bread alone,

But by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

The Lutheran Study Bible notes in the margin commentary of Matthew 4:4 that the

devil, known in Scripture “as the leader of the evil forces opposed to God,” is tempting

Jesus to reveal his identity as the Son of God. Jesus’ answer echoes Deuteronomy 8:3

from Old Testament scripture (LSB 1609). In the context of the forty years God led His

chosen people through the wilderness to humble them in order for them to keep

obedience to his commandments and to know that the word of God is the “true

source of life,” Moses cautions his people: … one does not live by bread alone, but by

every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. In the explanation of the Third

Commandment, Martin Luther instructs us “to keep God’s word ‘holy and gladly hear

and learn it.’” The Lutheran Study Bible notes to the Deuteronomy 8:3 passage

explain that God’s word comes to us through His written Word of Scripture, through

sermons and Christian conversations, and through the incarnate Word, God’s Son, Jesus

Christ (LSB 317).

For the second “Growing-in-Faith” listing in The Liturgy of the Word, John 1:1-5, the

Lutheran Study Bible explanation in the “What’s the Message?” section of the Gospel

of John declares the passage, John 1:1-5, makes clear that Jesus “as the true identity as

the Word of God made flesh … is portrayed as being one with the Father, and he is in

absolute control of and aware of his purpose” (LSB 1753).

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him, not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

A margin note in the Lutheran Study Bible addresses the Greek term for word, logos,

with explanations that its roots appear in “Greek thought as the ordering plan of the

universe and in Judaism as divine Wisdom” (LSB 1753). In a second margin note, the

Lutheran Study Bible references the first words of Genesis, “In the beginning God

created the heavens and the earth” with the notation that “Jesus’ origin is outside of

time, space, and history” (LSB 1753).

The “Growing-in-Faith” listing references a third Scripture passage in the Liturgy of the

Word component:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts, sing song, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

With the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adoption of the five year Book of

Faith initiative in August 2007, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop,

frequently identifies with the Colossians passage saying it "invites this whole church to

become fluent in the first language of faith--the language of Scripture; and to be

renewed for lives of witness and service as the Holy Spirit engages us." 

The introduction to the Book of Colossians of the Lutheran Study Bible in the

“What’s the Message?” section “emphasizes the important role Jesus Christ plays in

God’s plan of salvation.” In further discussion of this letter, written by the apostle Paul

to Christians living in the town of Colossae, the Lutheran Study Bible determines that

Paul is rejecting claims by false teachers declaring “the Colossians were not yet fully

united with Christ” and, therefore, “needed special knowledge and must live in very

strict ways in order to be fully united with Christ.” Conversely, Paul assures the

Colossians “they have already received Christ and so are to continue to live as they had

been taught.” These verses in the Book of Colossians compose an early hymn

celebrating Christ as “the image of the invisible God, the one through whom God

created everything, the one who holds the universe together, and the one whose death

brings peace throughout the universe” (LSB 1936).

A liturgical reference to reading Scripture also occurs in the first letter to Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:14 Until I arrive give attention to the public reading of Scriptureto exhorting, to teaching.

The “What’s the Message?” section of the introduction to 1 Timothy in the Lutheran

Study Bible notes that “Christianity starts with this story of Jesus Christ, and it leads to

action in the world. The church is to be a place where Christ’s love becomes visible”

(LSB 1953). Continuing with a passage from 2 Timothy, the “Growing-in-Faith”

listing includes verses 1-5 in chapter 4 to further designate the Liturgy of the Word

as a Biblically based worship liturgy element.

2 Timothy 4:2 Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.

When Jesus began his ministry in the Jewish synagogue in his home town Nazareth,

he stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled

the scroll and found that place where it was written ... and he rolled up the scroll … and

sat down (Luke 4:16-21). The reading of Scripture was a feature of worship both in the

synagogue in Jesus’ day and in early Christian worship as Christians carried the Jewish

tradition of reading the Scripture into their worship. Gradually the early Christians

added the Apostle Reading, letters sent to them by the Apostles. As early Christian

worshipers preserved, copied, and read these letters, most of them from the Apostle

Paul, these epistles became the third reading in the Lessons of the liturgy. There are

four sets of Lessons: the Old Testament reading, followed by the Psalm, an ancient Old

Testament hymn, the Epistle reading, and the announcement and reading of the Gospel.

Excepting The Meal, which is central to Christian liturgy, the worship service revolves

around The Word and these readings. The readings of the Old Testament and the

Epistle lessons from the lectern and the reading of the Gospel from the pulpit convey

historic significance in the influence of church architecture on the liturgy.

In Early Christianity believers met in synagogues and then in homes; a few centuries

later, congregations began to build churches to assemble for worship. The early

churches faced east to signify the risen Christ. Because worship focused on the altar

and the cross, they are located in the center at the east end of the church. The clergy sat

behind the altar against the circular wall of the apse, and the celebrant at Holy

Communion stood behind the altar facing the people. Between the altar, called the

sanctuary, and the congregation in an area called the nave, were two reading desks

which stood on opposite sides of the church. The desk on the south side of the altar was

lower and less ornate than the important desk on the north side of the altar. Lessons

were read from the desk on the south side of the altar, and the Gospel, containing stories

of Jesus Christ the Word, was read from the north side. In churches today the desks

have become the lectern for the reading of the Lessons, and from the pulpit the

ordained pastor of the congregation reads the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. In

many liturgical churches, the Scripture is often carried in the processional and placed on

the altar to begin worship. To read the Gospel lesson, the pastor may carry the Bible

into the midst of the congregation as Christ appeared in the midst of the people. With

Old Testament and the epistle lessons read from the lectern by lay members of the

congregation, with the responsive singing of the Psalm, and with the Gospel read by the

ordained pastor from the pulpit or in the center aisle in the midst of the congregation,

the pattern underscores the scriptural principal that God’s Word is the guide for

Christian faith.

The readings, from a book called a Lectionary that contains the portions of Scripture

read on appointed Sundays, form a unifying theme with the Collect and the Sermon.

Called the periscope from the Greek word that means “to cut out,” the Lessons follow a

three year rotation pattern throughout the church year. The Lectionary cycle starts on

the First Sunday of Advent. During Advent/Christmas, the lectionary reveals the

mystery of the Word made flesh. In Lent/Easter church season, the readings proclaim

the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection. After Pentecost, the New Testament

texts are read in a continuous order to reveal the vision of a new heaven and a new

earth. The modern lectionary divides the Gospel readings among the three synoptic

gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and the Gospel of John. Matthew, Mark, and Luke

are called synoptic because they “see optic with syn” each other, and John’s Gospel,

written much later than the Synoptics, contains material not included in the synoptic

Gospels. In lectionary year A, the predominance of readings is from Matthew; in

lectionary year B readings are from Mark, and since Mark is the shortest Gospel,

lectionary B is replete with readings from John; in lectionary year C, readings are from

Luke. Readings from John also appear in all three lectionary years, especially during

the Easter season.

In liturgical worship, the second component of the liturgy, The Word, begins with the

first reading from the Old Testament. This reading, chosen to convey God’s love and

gracious dealings with his chosen people Israel, has a relationship with the Gospel

reading. Following the Old Testament reading, a Psalm, which adds commentary on

the Old Testament reading, is usually chanted in the same way the Israelites did. The

Lutheran Study Bible on pages 849 and 850 underscores the rich variety of the Psalms

for liturgical worship by listing the ten categories of types of Psalms: Prayers for help;

Hymns of praise; Liturgies; Instructional psalms; Songs of thanksgiving, Royal psalms,

Trust psalms, Acrostic poems, Festival psalms, Historic psalms. “Martin Luther wrote

that the book of Psalms ‘might well be called a little Bible,’” referring to their highs and

lows of faith, their singing with joy and trust, their cries of pain. (LSB 848). Following

the Psalm, the Epistle, the second reading, precedes the Gospel reading as John the

Baptist went before the Lord to prepare the way. In the ancient church at this point in

the service, soldiers laid down swords, the bishop removed his mitre, and the king

removed his crown. Today worshipers stand in reverence to God for the Gospel

Acclamation, sung before and after the reading of the Gospel. “The Growing-in-Faith”

listing for the Gospel Acclamation references three passages of Scripture: John 6:68;

Deuteronomy 30:2; and Numbers 14:18. Formerly called the Gradual, the Acclamation

moves worshipers closer to the Words of Scripture in the Gospel, the words for eternal

life. The words of the Acclamation, which are included in the “Growing-in-Faith”

listing are the words of Peter when the Lord asked if he and the other disciples would

desert him as all the others had done.

John 6:68: Simon Peter answered him, “Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia

During Lent the words affirm repentance and faith repeated in three Old Testament

Scripture passages, Deuteronomy 30:2, Numbers 14:18, and Joel 2:13.

Deuteronomy 30:2: and return to the Lord, your God, and you and your children obey him with all your heart and with all your soul, just as I am commanding you today.

Numbers 14:18: The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgressions, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and fourth generation.

Joel 2:13: rend your hearts and not your clothing.Return to the Lord, your God,

for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

Following the reading of the Gospel by the ordained pastor, worshipers sit for the

instruction of the words of the sermon delivered by the pastor. Based on the Gospel for

the day, the sermon brings God’s word into the time and place of the worshipers. The

sermon is not a speech. It is a unique form of literature, a part of the liturgy. With

many years of training in Greek and Hebrew, the language of Scripture, and the study of

biblical history, the ordained pastor conveys God’s word to the worshipers by

expounding on the Gospel. Speaking the words of 2 Corinthians 13:13, the pastor often

begins the sermon in the way Paul, one of the apostles, greeted his congregations:

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ (Fakes 83-85).

Sung at the conclusion of the Sermon, the Hymn of the Day is a vital part of liturgical

worship. Martin Luther called music “a noble, wholesome, and joyful creation.”

Lutheran organist Paul Manz writes: “The church musicians minister to people in a

unique way. They preach; they teach. They also comfort the bereaved and help to

sustain the weak. They counsel the troubled and distressed and assist in the holiness of

the communion. A true gift of God, musicians minister not from the altar or the lectern,

the pulpit or the font, but from the choir loft and the organ bench” (Fakes 87-88).

Following the Hymn of the Day, through the Prayers of Intersession spoken by the

liturgist and through the liturgical responses of worshipers, Christians together are

talking to God in praise and thanksgiving and with confession and supplication. We

pray boldly, knowing that Jesus said: Ask and it will be given; search, and you will find;

knock, and the door will be opened for you (Fakes, 88-89). The Lutheran Study Bible

titles the section in which these words of Jesus occur in Luke 11:9 as “Perseverance in

Prayer,” (LSB 1721) for although God may answer prayer in unexpected ways,

Christians continue to pray unceasingly, strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. The

liturgy reference to prayer, the Scripture passage 1 Timothy 2:1-2 in the “Growing-in-

Faith” listing, instructs Christians that prayer is right and acceptable in the sight of God

our Savior. As the writer of Timothy tells the early followers of Jesus

1 Timothy 2:1-2: First of all then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

III. The Liturgy of the Meal

To begin the third component of the Liturgy Worship, The Liturgy of the Meal, the

“Growing-in-Faith” listing references Jesus words in the Gospel of John.

John 6:48-50: I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

The margin commentary to this passage in the Lutheran Study Bible reads: “In the

Lutheran Church, the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion is connected to the last supper

Jesus had with his disciples. … John’s Gospel connects the event to the feeding of the

5,000 and focuses on Jesus’ teaching that he is the true bread of life who provides

relationship with and life forever in him. … Luther’s explanation of the Sacrament of

the Altar (Lord’s Supper) in the Small Catechism focuses on Jesus’ words ‘for you’ and

‘for the forgiveness of sins.’ And ‘where there is forgiveness of sin,’ Luther continues,

‘there is also life and salvation’” (LSB 1764).

A second ELCA “Growing-in-Faith” reference in Scripture to the Liturgy of the Meal is

Acts 2:42. In the verses prior to verse 42, verses 37-41 of Acts 2, three thousand

persons welcomed Peter’s message that they repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus

Christ so that their sins would be forgiven and they would receive the gift of the Holy

Spirit.

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

The Lutheran Study Bible titles this section of Acts, “The First Converts,” and in the

margin notes suggests that “fellowship” means worship (LSB 1799).

The first element in The Liturgy of the Meal component of the liturgy is the Creed. All

three liturgical Creeds, Apostles’ and Nicene, and Athanasian from Latin Credo

meaning “I believe” confess one God as three persons of the Trinity. Confronted with

the denial of the humanity of Christ or the divinity of the risen Lord, the early Christian

church adopted Creeds to establish a measure of beliefs. The oldest written Creed, a

Creed close to the Apostles’ Creed, dates to the year 100 CE; it was used as a baptismal

creed in which the baptized professed their beliefs. The Apostles’ Creed was not

written by the Apostles, but an early church legend recorded around 400 CE states that

at Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the ability to speak and understand every

language on earth. The Apostles’ Creed, the legend also suggests, is the profession of

the faith of the Apostles as they gathered from the early days of the Christian church to

travel into their world to profess Christ. The Apostles’ Creed which uses first person

“I” established its final form in 750 CE. In 325 CE, when the church was ridden with

controversy, a council of representatives from all the churches met in the city of Nicea.

The Nicean Creed, usually used in the celebration of Holy Communion, was adopted

by the church council of Nicea and later revised at Constantinople; it is a declaration of

belief in the Triune God, a reminder of the faith into which believers are baptized. The

lengthy Athanasian Creed, which defines the Triune God, is often used on Trinity

Sunday and Sunday after Pentecost (Fakes 89-94). Today some churches that are

growing rapidly say, “Let the Spirit decide what we believe. … We don’t need a

written Creed.” In the view of the Lutheran church, this thinking is individualistic and

subjective while Creeds based on teachings in the Bible establish a confession of unity

in the Christian faith. As the pastor leads the congregation in the recital of the Creed,

worshipers bind themselves to the Christian community that extends beyond this place

and this time to profess unity with the catholic, the universal, church in the affirmation

of faith.

In Passing the Peace, termed “Greeting of Peace” in the “Growing-in-Faith” listing, the

minister and congregation greet one another in the name of the Lord, announcing they

are one community in Christ:

Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always, Congregation: And also with you.

The “Growing-in-Faith” Liturgy listing references Matthew 5:23-24, John 14:27,

John 20:21, and Romans 16:16 in the Greeting of Peace:

Matthew 5:23-24: So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you rememberthat your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

The Lutheran Study Bible margin commentary addresses the Matthew passage within

the larger subject of anger, cautioning that Jesus rejects altogether “getting back at

someone who has caused harm” (LSB 1612). The significance in the liturgical worship

service of passing the peace prior to the offering and Holy Communion is revealed in

this passage from Matthew. For an honest offering and before participating in Holy

Communion there must be reconciliation, forgiveness, peace: Forgive us our sins as we

forgive those who sin against us. Not meant only as a greeting for one another, passing

the peace for many centuries highlights the significance of people reconciling with one

another to enter into healing human relationships (Fakes 100-103).

John 14:27 [Promising that his father will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Jesus prepares to leave his disciples, saying] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

John 20:21 When Jesus appears to his disciples after he has risen, he said, Peace be with you.

Romans 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

As recorded in Romans 16:16, and John 20:21, the act of greeting one another with a

holy kiss was a practice that was widespread in the early church. In the worship liturgy

the kiss of peace, or today often a handshake, symbolizes the love that Christians share

with one another. Also in passing the peace is the word peace, or Shalom in Hebrew,

signifying not only the absence of conflict but also the abundance of God’s grace,

material blessings, and harmony. A sacrificial act in which Christians ask God for

completeness with one another as the community of faith, they ask shalom, a

blessing for one another. Justin Martyr writes about the year 150 CE: “We salute one another with a kiss, when

we have concluded the prayers” prior to the offering. Peace. Perhaps in the early

church, sharing the peace, which bridges the service of the Word with the service of the

Eucharist, may have been the blessing and dismissal of those who did not receive Holy

Communion.

The next worship element in the “Growing-in-Faith” listing is The Offering. The

offering is gathered and offered to the Lord as a way for Christians to express

devotion to the Christian life. Offerings enable the church to provide the written and

spoken word of God in the setting of a worship facility as well as Christian education,

pastoral care, food, clothing, shelter, and helping hands to the needy. The liturgy

references both Old Testament and New Testament Scripture for the Offertory.

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.Do not cast me away from your presence,

and do not take your holy spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

While the hymn, “Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord,” expresses our hope for gifts

from God that we can return to him in abundance, the Scriptural Psalm 51:10-12,

“Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord,” reminds us that, like David when his sin was

pointed out, we are repentant and our sins are forgiven.

The “Growing-in-Faith” listing for the Offering element includes a second Psalm.

Psalm 116:12-16a What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of his faithful ones.Oh Lord, I am your servant.

The listing also includes two New Testament Scripture references to The Offertory.

1 Corinthians 116:16-17 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharingin the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is itnot a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them [the disciples], I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

With the Offertory, the Presentations of the Gifts in the worship service follows the

tradition of the early Christian church. Bread and wine are brought forward with the

offerings by lay members of the congregation. The pastor places the bread and wine on

the Lord’s Table, and after preparation of the Table, invites worshipers to give thanks to

God in anticipation of the Great Thanksgiving, the breaking of bread and Communion.

In the Presentation of the Gifts and the Preparation of the Table, the tradition of the

early Christian church follows Christ’s commandments at the Last Supper. In the early

church, Christians brought bread and wine and other gifts of the harvest to the Lord’s

Table. As the bread and wine were placed on the Table, these worshipers, praised God

in celebration of Christ’s gift of Himself, and following the Eucharist, they distributed

the gifts of their abundance to the needy of the community in remembrance of Christ’s

gift of Himself (Rimbo 93).

Prayers of intercession for the church, for groups, and for organizations, petitions for

blessings for individuals, and the Lord’s Prayer continue the Liturgy of the Meal as

the celebration of Holy Communion is central to Christian worship, a feeling of

communicating with God and with one another. The “Growing-in-Faith” listing

includes Scripture references in the worship liturgy for the Great Thanksgiving, the

Sanctus, the Words of Institution, the Lord’s Prayer, and Lamb of God.

The Great Thanksgiving occurs in Psalm 136:1-3.

Psalm 136:1-3 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.O give thanks to the God of gods,

for his steadfast love endures forever.O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever.

The Lutheran Study Bible attributes Psalm 136 to a liturgy “celebrating God’s

faithfulness in creation and in the history of Israel” (LSB 997). Hippolytus, a Roman

bishop of the early third century, wrote about early Christian worship, including the

Great Thanksgiving, in a manual on church worship, called the “Apostolic Tradition.”

The words of the Great Thanksgiving, dating back 2000 years, are among the oldest and

least changed words in the liturgy. In a celebration of reverence, adoration, joy, and

thanksgiving, the Great Thanksgiving prepares worshipers to set their lives apart for an

encounter with the Holy God. In the introductory words, with the fellowship of the

faithful, Christians lift their hearts to God’s attention and seek to set their lives apart to

join God’s holiness. Origen, the second century Greek theologian, declared that a

person must “lift up his soul before lifting up his hands; lift up his mind to God before

lifting his eyes, and before standing to pray, lift up his spirit from the things of earth

and direct it to the Lord of all.”

Pastor: Lift up your hearts.

Congregation: We lift them to the Lord.

Following the lifting of their hearts, in further preparation for Holy Communion,

Christians give thanks and praise to God. Because another name for Holy Communion

comes from the Greek word Eucharisto, meaning “thank you,” worshipers express, in

the words of Cicero : “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of

all other virtues.”

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

The pastor continues: “It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in

all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord.” The rest of this prayer fits with

the proper season of the church calendar. The pastor concludes the Preface: “And so,

with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their

unending hymn.” Sanctus means Holy. The Sanctus contains words from Isaiah’s

vision of God in Isaiah 6:1-3, from the poetry of Psalm 118:26, and from the crowd’s

response on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9). In

the conclusion of the Great Thanksgiving and in anticipation of Christ’s coming in the

Sacrament, worshipers sing the most ancient, most celebrated, and most universal

Christian hymn, “Holy holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His

glory” (Fakes 110-116).

Isaiah 6:3: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.

The Lutheran Study Bible titles chapter 6 of Isaiah in which verse 3 occurs “A Vision of

God in the Temple;” the margin notes describe the vision and its meaning: “Isaiah has a

vision of God … or of God’s robe so large that the hem fills the temple. That sight

alone gave Isaiah great fear, for no one could see God and live. The seraphs too must

protect their faces and cover themselves in God’s presence. … Their song (‘Holy, holy,

holy’) becomes the never-ending song of heaven in Revelation 4:8” (LSB 1103).

Matthew 21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed [on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem] were shouting: Hosanna to the Son of David!Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

All three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-20, contain

the story of the first communion meal. The words the pastor speaks, the words of

institution, tell the story of the first communion meal that Jesus shared with his

disciples and announces the blessing of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Matthew’s

account of the Last Super during the Passover meal, Jesus took a load of bread, and after

blessing it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples saying, ‘Take eat, this is my body.” He

took the cup, gave thanks to God, and shared it with the disciples saying, “Drink from it,

all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the

forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). In Luke’s account of the Last Supper, when

Jesus had given the bread to his disciples, he said, “Do this in remembrance of me”

(Luke 22:7-23). In the communion of eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ,

early Christians believed, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:16: The cup of blessing

that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not

a sharing in the body of Christ? The margin note of the Lutheran Study Bible notes that

“Paul describes the sharing of the cup (Christ’s blood) and the bread (Christ’s body) as a

meal that unites Christ’s followers with Christ as his one body” (LSB 1886). Martin

Luther in his Small Catechism writes that God’s word declares: “It is the true body and

blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine. … As we eat the bread and

drink the wine, we eat and drink his body and his blood given in his death for our sins

and for our forgiveness” (LSB 1652). Our Lord gave thanks to God in celebration of His

gift of himself on the cross and commanded his followers to remember His sacrifice and

His resurrection. Martin Marty explains that, in the Small Catechism, Martin Luther

writes that the “word you appears three times in the combination of texts from the

Bible” that narrate the event of the Lord’s Supper. Marty restates Luther’s explanation

of Jesus’ words, you and forgiveness: “The Lord’s Supper is the forgiveness of sins. …

The words, ‘for you’ and ‘for the forgiveness of sins,’ says Luther, ‘when accompanied

by the bodily eating and drinking are the chief thing in the sacrament.’ The chief

thing,” Marty emphasizes, in his explanation of Luther’s words on the Lord Supper

(Marty 11-12). A quiet prayer by each worshiper before taking Holy Communion gives

reverence to worship in the Sacrament of the Altar, for as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians

11:28-29: “Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.” In the Words of Institution from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, the pastor speaks the words

which Jesus spoke when He instituted the Supper with His disciples in the Upper Room,

asking the Holy Spirit to be present in the celebration.

Our Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘‘Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

With Martin Luther, Lutherans believe that Holy Communion is not a sacrifice, but

with Holy Baptism, it is a Sacrament, a giving on God’s part. With the words of

institution, the bread and wine are consecrated, set apart for God’s use in this special

meal. (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-20). The veil covering the bread

and wine symbolizes the mystery of Holy Communion. Neither the bread nor the wine

change substance to the body and blood of Jesus Christ; yet in the bread Christ’s body is

present, and in the wine Christ’s blood is present. In the Large Catechism, Luther

writes: “It is the true body and blood of the Lord Christ in and under the bread and wine

which we Christians are commanded by Christ’s word to eat and drink. As we said of

Baptism that is not mere water, so we say here that the sacrament is bread and wine, but

not mere bread or wine such as is served at table. It is bread and wine comprehended in

God’s Word and connected with it.”

In the early church communicants stood to receive the Sacrament, but after the 12th

century, kneeling became the accepted way of receiving communion. These Christians,

by entering the chancel and kneeling at the altar in the presence and the grace of God as

they approached the Lord’s table, were showing love and respect toward God and self

introspection into the meaning of the Sacrament. The celebration of Holy Communion

encompasses three time periods: backward to the history of the meals Jesus shared with

his followers and the Passover meal He shared with his disciples preceding His death

and resurrection. While kneeling at the communion rail, communicants might visualize

the Disciples, see Paul, imagine the early Christians kneeling with them--in time and

across time. Kneeling at the communion rail, they see fellow believers and the bread

and the wine. To kneel at the communion rail is to remember Christ’s promise that He

will come again and that one day believers in Him will be with Him in Paradise.

Related to his conclusion that a Christian is both saint and sinner, Luther addressed the

necessity for Holy Communion: “We come to its power and benefit, the purpose for

which the Sacrament was really instituted, the body and blood of Christ given and

poured out for the forgiveness of sins” (Martin Luther).

In the Administration of the Supper the pastor speaks the invitation, “Take, eat, this is

the true body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your sins. The

bread is placed in the hands of communicants. Tertullian, in the second century and

Cyril of Jerusalem in the fourth century affirmed the practice of placing the bread in

the hand of each communicant. Cyril describes the method: “Make the left hand a

throne for the right and hollow the palm of the right to receive the Body of Christ.”

With Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:17, we say because there is one bread, we who are many

are one body, for we all partake of one bread; worshipers share the loaf of bread. Paul

refers to the unleavened bread used by our Lord at the Passover meal; similarly, today

we prefer home-made unleavened bread baked in a loaf like pita bread to symbolize the

unity of the Sacrament. The pastor says, “Take, drink, this is the true blood of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.” As Christians kneel

together in reverence to God to share Communion with other worshipers, the common

cup symbolizes Christian fellowship and unity, but although chemical and

bacteriological studies show the common silver cup to be quite safe, today many

Americans are more comfortable with individual cups. To retain the sharing of Holy

Communion with other worshipers, both the practice of pouring the wine from the

chalice into individual cups as well as the practice of intinction in which worshipers dip

the bread into a common chalice maintain the significance of one cup. When the pastor

or a lay person distributes “the body of Christ given for you” and “the blood of Christ

shed for you,” the communicant may want to say “Amen” and make the sign of the

cross as a reminder that Christ is truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine

and that believers look forward to the great promised feast when Jesus will come again.

After receiving the body and blood of the Lord, communicants may wish to bow in

reverence towards the Lord’s altar before returning to the pews in an attitude of prayer

and devotion. A prayer or a psalm in the front of the hymnal or a hymn from the

hymnal or from memory offer personal devotion following the Eucharist. While

communicants return to the pews individually, to maintain the oneness of the

Sacrament, the pastor dismisses the whole congregation together (Fakes 133-36).

Pastor: “The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and preserve you in the true faith to life everlasting.”

The congregation responds: “Amen.“

The Lord’s Prayer which Jesus taught is the table grace before the Holy Meal. The

“Growing-in-Faith” listing includes both the Matthew and the Luke accounts of the

prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus said to his disciples, “Pray then in this way:Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come,Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.And do not bring us to the time of trial,

but rescue us from the evil one.

Luke 11:2-4 When the disciples said to him, “Lord teach us to pray,” He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come.Give us each day our daily bread.And forgive us our sins

as we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.And do not bring us to the time of trial.

The Lutheran Study Bible commentary on the Lord’s Prayer notes that the term Father

in Matthew’s accounting of the Lord’s prayer denotes Daddy from the intimate

Aramaic word Abba. This commentary highlights forgiveness, for “being forgiven

requires forgiving” (LSB 1614). In the commentary on Luke’s account of the Lord’s

Prayer, the Lutheran Study Bible explains that kingdom means “wherever God’s will is

done” (LSB 1706). The Book of Faith initiative publication, “Lenten Journey: 40 days

with the Lord’s Prayer,” extends these commentaries to explain that the words of the

Lord’s Prayer represent the central themes and motifs of the Bible, specifically the name

of God and His kingdom, the will of God, the provision of the Lord’ Supper,

forgiveness and deliverance (French 11). The doxology to God at the end of the

prayer which does not appear in the Matthew and Luke accounts was added later by the

church, punctuated with Amen, “yes, yes, it shall be so.”

The Lord’s prayer concludes the Great Thanksgiving.

“The Agnus Dei” means “Lamb of God.” This beautiful, meditative communion hymn

was introduced into the liturgy by Pope Sergius I about 700 CE. Listed in “Growing-in-

Faith” Scriptural references to worship, it portrays the words John the Baptist spoke

as he pointed to Jesus coming toward him.

John 1:29 The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward himand declared, Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

The Lutheran Study Bible margin notes for this liturgical reference, Lamb of God,

in John’s Gospel “links Jesus’ crucifixion with the slaughter of lambs in preparation for

the Israelites’ celebration of the festival of Passover (Exodus 12:21-27). [The

commentary adds that] although the lamb was not a sacrifice for sin in Jewish

celebrations of Passover, Jesus’ death is linked to this belief in the early [Christian]

church” (LSB 1754). For the Hebrews this hymn is a reminder of God’s mercy and peace

that prevailed when God’s people were in Egypt as the Angel of Death came upon the

land; but wherever the blood of the sacrificial, pure lamb was smeared over the door

posts of the house, the first born was spared as the Angel passed over. For Christians,

Christ is the Lamb of God present in the Holy Supper as a sacrifice to free mankind

from bondage of sin and death (Fakes 136-7).

IV. The Sending

The final component of the liturgy is The Sending. Its purpose to portray the inherent

dynamic of Word and Sacrament (Rimbo 80), it is not a dismissal, not an ending, but the

sending in to the world, the community, the neighborhood, and the family as Christians

fulfilling God’s will to the people. The “Growing-in-Faith” liturgical reference occurs

at the end of Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus commissions his disciples. After reminding

the eleven that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” in the

following verse Jesus tells the disciples,

Matthew 28:19: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Lutheran Study Bible margin commentary notes that with this passage Jesus

“establishes his authority… and sends the disciples to make disciples of all nations.

That does not mean, [the study notes continue, to] make everyone disciples. Most

people who … believe in him never become disciples. Jesus includes in salvation

people who do not believe in him or even know about him. Disciples are students,

called for the sake of the world to learn from Jesus and to bear witness to the kingdom.

They are salt and light. Jesus promises to be with them always as they carry out this

mission” (LSB 1658). Verse 19 in Matthew 28 that follows the liturgy reference in

verse 18 concludes the Gospel; it reads “teaching them to obey everything that I have

commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 20:21, also a “Growing-in-Faith” liturgy reference, echoes Jesus’ words in the

Matthew narrative: When Jesus appeared to his disciples in the locked room after his

resurrection he said to them,

John 20:21: Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.

With the second element of The Sending component, the Post-Communion Canticle,

Christians remember that when the disciples and the Lord Jesus had finished their last

supper together, they sang a hymn and proceeded to the Mount of Olives. “Thank the

Lord and sing his praise” is a beautiful response to the grace received in the Eucharist.

The more traditional Lutheran post Communion canticle, listed in “Growing-in-Faith,”

is the song of ancient Solomon, recorded in the New Testament narrative when Mary

and Joseph, who were pious Jews, brought the child Jesus to the Temple for the rite of

presentation and Simeon saw the infant Jesus in the Temple with his parents. The

liturgy reference from Luke 2:28-32 describes this event:

Guided by the Spirit Simeon took him [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying,Master now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to our word;for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,a light for the revelation of the Gentiles

and for the glory of your people Israel.

In singing this canticle, Christians offer thanks and express their faith in what God has

done and promised to do in the future. Christians echo Simeon’s wish to see the

salvation which God prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal God to the

nations and to the glory of His people Israel. With this assurance, Simeon could die in

peace. The Lutheran Study Bible margin commentary notes that with the promise of

a light for revelation to the Gentiles in verse 32 of Luke Chapter 28, “Jesus will reveal

God’s glory not only to Jews, but to non-Jews,” as promised in three passages from

Isaiah: 42:6, 49:6, 52:10 (LSB 1701). In the Chapter introduction of Luke, in the “What’s

the Message?” section, the Lutheran Study Bible notes that “Luke’s story of Jesus

relates closely to the Jewish world and its beliefs. … Jesus is presented as an obedient

… Jew. As the story develops, it becomes clear that God is acting for the good of all of

creation, for Jews and Gentiles together” (LSB 1695). These words of Luke echo the

“Growing-in-Faith” liturgy reference in Psalm 105,” which the Lutheran Study Bible

considers an ”historical psalm and hymn of praise that tells the story of God rescuing

the Israelites from slavery in Egypt as the history of God keeping promises” (LSB 963).

The worship liturgy references in Psalm 105 begin with verses:1-3

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him;tell of all his wonderful works.

Glory in his holy name;let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

The Lutheran Study Bible reminds us “to seek God is to put him God first in your life.

Remembering what God has done in the past draws us closer to God and motivates us to

seek God” (LSB 963). The liturgy reference of Psalm 105 continues with verses 42-45:

For he remembered his holy promiseand Abraham, his servant.

So he brought his people out with joy,his chosen ones with singing.

He gave them the lands of the nations,and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples.

That they might keep his statues and observe his laws,

Praise the Lord!

Worshipers depart in peace knowing they have tasted the goodness and the blessing of

the Lord with the words and music of The Nunc Dimittis.

A Final Hymn reflects the theme for the day.

The pastor announces God’s blessing to each person in the congregation, and they give

a response for the service of Word and Sacrament: “Thanks be to God.”

The Dismissal benediction, a good word from the pastor, comes from two Latin words:

“bene,” meaning good and “diction,” meaning word. The Aaronic benediction is the

only benediction commanded by God when God commanded that Aaron and his sons

bless the Israelites: “So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

The “Growing-in-Faith” worship liturgy references this familiar benediction the Lord

spoke to Moses, the benediction which the Lutheran Study Bible titles “The Priestly

Benediction” (LSB 250).

Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to

you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

The margin commentary of the Lutheran Study Bible notes that “the [Hebrew] priests

are empowered to speak on behalf of God, declaring God’s blessing on God’s people.

… [The significance of their empowerment rests in] a tradition that the priests would

hold their hands up with their palms facing the people, their thumbs pointing to

themselves, the first two fingers touching each other, and the last two fingers touching

each other. This is [a tradition] still practiced in some Jewish congregations” (LSB 250).

In the worshipers’ assurance of God’s promise that Christ will go with his followers into

the world to serve Him, the Pastor, in the words of Jesus, announces the final “Growing-

in-Faith” listing, the Blessing.

Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

The Lutheran Study Bible notes that the tradition in the Jewish homes of Jesus day was

hospitality to guests: “Guests … were welcomed with a kiss on the cheek, water to wash

their feet, and often olive oil poured on their heads” (LSB 1712). In the narrative in

which this blessing occurs in Luke 7, Jesus had gone into the home of a Pharisee who

had invited our Lord to dine with him. A woman, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus

was dining at the Pharisee’s home, and she “brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She

stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to

dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the

ointment.” When the Pharisee admonished Jesus, telling him that he knew this woman

was a sinner, Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Her sins which were many have been forgiven;

hence she has shown great love.” To the woman he said, “Your sins are forgiven. Your

faith has saved you; go in peace.”

To affirm the pastor’s blessing, the people say: Amen; so be it—it is true.

Christians go into God’s world to serve Him and their fellowman, knowing that the

tradition of the liturgy, its roots in Scripture and centered on worship of the Triune God,

is a treasure of the Lutheran heritage, and in the likeness of their ancestors, their

blessing to preserve for future generations.

Fakes, Dennis R. Exploring Our Lutheran Liturgy: How and Why We Worship. The CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio, 1944.

First Apology of Justin Martyr, Chapter LXVII: Weekly Worship of the Christians (c. 150 A.D.); the Augsburg Confesson, article VII( 1530).

French, Henry F. Book of Faith Lenten Journey: 40 Days with the Lord’s Prayer. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2009.

Lutheran Study Bible: New Revised Standard Edition. Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg Fortress Publishing, 2000.

Luttio, Mark, The Reverend Doctor. Doctoral thesis oral presentation. Palm Beach, Florida, Church of the Nativity, diakonia retreat, 2006.

Rimbo, Robert A. with Forward by Mark S. Hanson. Why Worship Matters. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2004.

www.elca.org/”Growing-in Faith”/Worship/Resources/FAQ/Biblical-Roots.aspx.