An Introduction to the Liturgy:

Sunday services at St. Matthew follow a traditional order of worship, also known as the "Liturgy." The most common elements of the Liturgy are described below, along with Scriptural connections. We use several service settings from the Lutheran Service Book (LSB) hymnal. Occasionally, we have more informal hymn-based services.

Lutherans often refer to the worship service with Holy Communion as the "Divine Service" (from the German word, Gottesdienst). The Introduction to the LSB hymnal has this to say about our Lord's service to us and our response in service to Him as we gather for worship: 

"Our Lord serves us today through His holy Word and Sacraments. Through these means, He comes among us to deliver His forgiveness and salvation, freeing us from our sins, and strengthening us for service to one another and to the world. At Holy Baptism, He puts His name upon us, pours His Holy Spirit into our hearts, and rescues us from sin, death, and the devil. Through Holy Absolution, He pronounces His forgiveness again and again. With His holy Word, written in Scripture and preached into our ears, He daily proclaims His abiding love for us through all the joys and sorrows of life in this world. In His Holy Supper, He gives us His own body and blood to eat and drink as a priceless gift to nourish and strengthen us in both body and soul.

The Lord's service calls forth our service - in sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to Him and in loving service to one another. Having been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we receive His gifts with thankfulness and praise. With psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, we joyfully confess all that God has done for us, declaring the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Our song joins with the song of every saint from every age, the new song of Christ's holy people, declaring: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!' (Rev. 5:12)"

Elements of the Divine Service:

Note - with some seasonal and weekly changes to the service, not all of these elements will be present in every Sunday service.

Preparation:

Sharing of Peace - Immediately prior to the service, we greet one another. A customary greeting is "The Lord's peace be with you." (The greeting is done without trying to put guests on the spot.)

Hymns and Songs - We typically sing hymns at the beginning of the service, before the sermon, during the distribution of Holy Communion, and at the conclusion of the service. (Ephesians 5:19-20)

Invocation - We invoke (or call) on God's name, the same name He places upon His people in Baptism, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)

Confession - Together, we confess our sins before the Lord and one another. We do so using a statement of confession from one of the Divine Service settings in LSB. A brief moment of silence allows for private prayers of confession. (1 John 1:8-9)

Absolution - Our Lord declares through the mouth of the pastor that, by His grace and mercy to us in Christ, our sins are forgiven. (John 20:22-23)

Service of the Word:

Introit - A selection of passages from the Psalms is spoken or sung, introducing some of the Scriptural themes for the day's service. Introit is Latin for "enter."

Kyrie - A responsive prayer which is spoken or sung, centering on the biblical prayer, "Lord, have mercy" (Kyrie eleison in Greek). (Matthew 20:31)

Hymn of Praise - We celebrate God's grace and forgiveness as we sing the Gloria in Excelsis (a hymn of praise inspired by the angels' song on Christmas night), "This Is the Feast" (based on the hymns in the book of Revelation), or another hymn of praise to the Lord. (Luke 2:14; Revelation 5:9-13, 19:4-9)

Collect (Prayer) of the Day - A brief prayer is offered which "collects" the Gospel message of the day.

Scripture Readings - passages of God's Word are read from the Old Testament, New Testament Epistles, and the Gospels. A Psalm of the Day may also be included. The Gospel reading, which focuses on Jesus' own words and deeds, is central to the service. We follow a 3-year cycle of appointed Scripture readings, also known as the "Lectionary."

Alleluia and Verse - The Hebrew word, Alleluia, means "Praise the Lord." We sing a brief word of praise to our Lord Jesus immediately prior to hearing the Gospel. (John 6:68; John 20:31)

Creed - Together, we confess our faith by speaking either the Apostles' Creed or Nicene Creed. On occasion, we may sing a creedal hymn in place of the spoken creeds. 

Sermon - The pastor proclaims God's Word of Law and Gospel, usually based on one or more of the appointed Scripture readings for the day. Lutheran preaching especially focuses on the proclamation of Christ's death and resurrection. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Offering - We return to God a portion of the blessings He has given us. Also, a brief "Offertory" song is often sung at this time. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Psalm 116:12-13, 17-19)

Prayer of the Church - A responsive prayer is offered, seeking the Lord's help for the needs of the world, nation, Church, and local concerns. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Service of the Sacrament:

Preface - An ancient dialogue which begins the service of Holy Communion. (2 Timothy 4:22; Colossians 3:1; Psalm 136)

Sanctus - A song praising our Holy God who comes to us in His Sacrament. Sanctus is the Latin word for "Holy." (Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 21:9)

Prayer of Thanksgiving - A prayer is offered, thanking and praising God for the gift of His Son Jesus.

The Words of Our Lord - The pastor speaks the words of Jesus with which He instituted Holy Communion to consecrate the bread and wine. Jesus gives us His body and blood under the forms of consecrated bread and wine. (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

Lord's Prayer - We pray the prayer that Jesus taught His Church to pray. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Pax Domini - This is a brief decalartion of Christ's peace immediately before Communion. The Latin title means "the peace of the Lord." The peace of Christ is given to His people through His body and blood. (John 20:19)

Agnus Dei - We sing a brief song based on John the Baptist's words declaring Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)

Distribution of the Lord's Supper - The pastor distributes the bread, which is body of Jesus, and then the wine, which is the blood of Jesus, to those who are communing. Through the body and blood of our Lord, we receive God's forgiveness, life, and salvation. (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)

Post-Communion Song - Most often, we sing a brief canticle (biblical song) based on the words of Simeon in Luke chapter 2. This canticle is called the Nunc Dimittis (Latin for "now let [your servant] depart"). (Luke 2:29-32)

Post-Communion Collect (Prayer) - A closing prayer is offered, asking God to strengthen us through the gifts we've just received in Communion, both in our Christian faith and in our love for one another.

Benediction - The pastor speaks God's blessing over His people. (Numbers 6:22-27)

Doxology - A tradition at St. Matthew is that after the closing announcements, we stand and sing a closing Doxology (a hymn of praise to our Triune God). The text of the Doxology is "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

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