Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Word Part V

Hymn of the Day

Explanation: This is the main (sometimes called 'chief') hymn of the day that focuses on the theme of the Gospel reading and the sermon.
Sacrificial: We sing to God
Scripture: Ephesians 5:19
Alternatives: Depending on the theme of the sermon, there might be contemporary songs out there. If one does a mixed service, this might be the time to insert the hymn, as most "contemporary" songs are not story-specific.

Sermon

Explanation: This is the part of the service where the pastor takes the theme of the day and applies it to his congregation and her times. A good sermon, like the liturgy, will properly distinguish and apply both the Law and the GoodNews. While it may not always be received well, it should always be what one needs to hear; not what the world has to say, but what God has said.
Sacramental: We hear God's Word.
Alternatives: When done well, narrative sermons (i.e., those given from the eyes of a Biblical character) can be a welcome change of pace and put a new perspective on a familiar theme. Art displays, etc. can be effective if they are presented tastefully. Sermon series can also be a good way to delve deeper into a particular theme, story, or idea.

Prayer of the Church

Explanation: This prayer is a bridge between the Service of the Word and Sacrament, serving as a response to the Word and a preparation for the Sacrament.
Sacrificial: We pray to God.

Offertory: What Shall I Render

Explanation: This serves also as a bridge between the Service of the Word and of the Sacrament and is an acknowledgement that while we cannot repay the Lord for what He benefits of His Word and Sacrament, we can give our lives in worship as a sacrifice to Him. There are some beautiful allusions: an alternative name for Communion is 'Eucharist,' which means 'thanksgiving;' "call on the Name of the Lord' is an Hebrew idiom meaning 'worship;' the 'cup of salvation' alludes to the drinking of Christ's blood; when we take Communion, we proclaim that we are in doctrinal agreement with them; this is, of course, done in God's house (church bldg), and the new Jerusalem is the body of believers on Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 116
Sacramental: We sing God's Word back to Him.
Alternatives: see below
Hymns: Try this one.

Offertory: Create in Me

Explanation: The "Create in me" is a prayer that God would cleanse our hearts from sin, deepen and strengthen our faith, give us divine joy, and prepare us for the Word-Made-Flesh. How does He cleanse our hearts, strengthen our faith, and give us divine joy? He does all this in the giving of His very body and blood.
Scripture: Psalm 51
Sacramental: We sing God's Word back to Him.
Alternatives: This has become a standard in some circles. You can hear the original artist sing it here.
Hymns: LSB 704 (Renew Me, O Eternal Light), LSB 956 (Create in Me)

Offertory: Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful

Explanation: While there is only one setting in the LSB (955), I've seen this text set to a number of different tunes so I'm giving it its own category. The vineyards refers to John 15:5; numerous times the Psalms refer to his cup overflowing- our cup of blessing is the cup Jesus blessed on "the night in which He was betrayed;" we ask God to take the seed of faith that He has planted in us and strengthen that faith with His very body, the bread of eternal life; the hope and dream of all is to live forever with Christ; we further ask Him to be physically present in the meal that is but an appetizer of the feast we will celebrate in heaven.

Scripture: John 15:5, Isaiah 25:6

Sacrificial: We pray to God

Offering

Historically, this was not done during the service, but rather offering plates were placed in the back of the church, allowing for better secrecy. For various reasons, that is no longer the case in most churches.

Explanation: While there is nothing that we can give to pay for our sins, the Word of God 

manifests itself in us and through us by our works and sacrifices. Having 

just received the Word of God, we naturally say, "Yes!" and give a physical 

offering to further the Word of God, so that others may receive the joy which w

e have just received.

If I may... I suggest that in order to not further the stereotype that churches only want money, please either make a verbal announcement or a brief note in the worship folder that the offering is intended for members and that guests should not feel obligated to contribute.

Scripture: Luke 21:1-4, Matthew 25:14-30

Sacrificial: We give our "hard earned" money to God's service.

Service of the Word: Part IV

Scripture Readings

Historically: The readings for each Sunday are based on what is called a "pericope", which is an organisation of readings throughout the church year, intended to cover each of the major points in the life of Jesus and the life of His church. I will discuss this more in a later post; for now, suffice it to say there is a reason we read what we read when we read it.
Explanation: There are usually 3 readings: the 1st from the Old Testament or the book of Acts, the 2nd from the Epistles (Letters of Faith), and the 3rd from one of the four Gospels.
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16,17; many others
Sacramental: We hear God's speaking to us through His word.
Alternatives: One way to shake things up is to have various readers read different parts. For example, have one person read Jesus' words, another read Mary's words, and still another Martha's. Whether this is done or not, all readers should at the very least be familiar with the readings so as to not impede the work of the Spirit. (i.e., don't monotone, stumble over pronunciations, stutter, etc. It's annoying and takes to focus from the Word to the speaker.)
Hymns: Obviously there are quite a few hymns based on Scripture readings. Some hymnals are generous enough to include an index in the back of the hymnal. Cyberhymnal also has a similar section.

Gradual or Psalm

Explanation: This is a short response taken usually from a Psalm, but there are occasions when other Scripture is used. The theme usually corresponds to the Introit. Like the Introit, it is usually sung antiphonally, or responsively.
Scripture: Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3
Sacramental: We repeat God's Word back to Him.
Alternatives: Many congregations have the choir sing at this time. That's fine, but I would prefer them to "highlight" other portions of the service, such as singing a stanza of an hymn or a portion of the liturgy, like the Kyrie; but that's a matter of taste.
Hymns: There are many Psalm paraphrases out there: our LSB has quite a few, the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) has a few more, and the Cantus Christi (Reformed) has a lot more, let alone Cyberhymnal. See also Hymnoglypt.

The Creed

Explanation: The three "ecumenical" (universally Christian) creeds are the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. They are basically summaries of what we believe and what the Scriptures say about God. While no Scripture is directly quoted, they are based heavily on Scripture. This shows Scripture verses for the Nicene, this shows the Same for the Apostles'.
After hearing God's Word, we are moved to "boldly confess" our unity in the faith. I have heard one person describe the Creed as the liturgical version of "testimonials." While this analogy is not perfect, it can be an "in" with those who might be apprehensive of the notion of "creed." This is not a statement of what is needed to be believed (although this is true), but rather a statement of what is believed. A similar idea is that most grammar books do not prescribe how to speak, but instead describe the normal patterns of speech.
Sacrificial: We state what we believe.
Scripture: See my two links in the explanation.
Alternatives: "Because We Believe" Also, check out this document, which offers alternative translations. Then there's this link, as well.
Hymns: In addition to the LSB, Timothy Dudley-Smith has this hymn.

Blog List

School-work has been heating up, even if the weather has not. Therefore, I've not had as much time to work on this blog lately. However, I would like to introduce each blog that I have included on my blog list to the right. I will go in alphabetical order, although the list is ordered by most recent post.

All for Hymn is an LCMS blog that discusses hymnody, namely arrangements and translations thereof. I like this blog because it is both confessional (i.e., in line with the Book of Concord) and easily applicable to the twenty-first century. It is updated often. There are even a few posts based on this blog, for which I am most grateful.

Better Bibles Blog discusses translations, especially focusing on understandability and accuracy of translation. I believe that it is cross-denominational. Not every post is exciting to the layperson, but there are some gems. It updates periodically.

Cyberbrethren is another confessional LCMS blog. It discusses many different issues, including pastorship, the liturgical year, and the latest news from CPH. It updates daily.

Extreme Theology is a conservative LCMS blog that discusses various issues, especially concerning the emergent church. While I don't always fully agree with the writer's style (often a bit harsh), he often makes excellent points. It updates once in a while, usually every week.

Hymnoglypt is an LCMS blog that translates (mostly) Lutheran hymns. There is often a reason these hymns have not been translated before. Some have difficult tunes, while others have been translated incorrectly. Still others might have been only partially translated. Having said this, these are excellent hymns and can add much depth to ones personal devotion time. It updates usually once a week.

Joyous Exchange is a blog by a couple of pastors in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, a denomination that has been described as traditional in theology and contemporary in practice. It is an unique denomination and this is the best blog I have found from it. It updates a couple times every week.

Latin Word of the Day is an LCMS blog that I just discovered. Each day, it discusses a Latin phrase important to the historic Lutheran Church. (It is currently going through the Ten Commandments and their meaning from the Small Catechism.) Obviously, it is updated daily.

Lutheran Hymn Revival is a Lutheran blog that posts new hymns, essentially. It is updated every once in a while.

Mises Economics Blog promotes the Austrian school of economics. I hate when politics and the Church intermix, but it's always safe to discuss economics, right? Anyway, while not every post is relevant to the average person, many are. It updates daily.

Starke Kirchenlieder is an LCMS blog that posts hymns, either as published in the LSB or recently written by Rev. Steven Starke himself. It updates once every couple of weeks or so.

Stuff Christian Culture Likes is a generic Christian blog that posts humorous discussions of things that stereotypical Christians (usually "evangelical") love. It updates around twice a week.

The Compline Choir is not a blog, but it posts podcasts every once in a while, so that counts! Anyway, every Sunday at 9:30p (Pacific) the Compline Choir of St. Mark's (Episcopal) Cathedral in Seattle, WA sings the liturgy of Compline. On the link, one can click the link to hear the live broadcast at king.org or can listen to recorded podcasts of many of the services by clicking "Podcasts." It is not Lutheran, so there are occasional "moments," but for the most part the service can be useful to all.

Weedon's Blog is an LCMS blog that deals with various topics in the Church, including liturgy. It updates daily if not more often.

Worship Concord is still another LCMS blog that quotes church leaders of yesteryear when dealing with worship, liturgy, etc. It is one of the only blogs that uses the Book of Concord, Luther, and others to defend "contemporary" worship. It updates just about every day.

Worship Ideas You Can Use is a WELS blog meant to aid congregations and music leaders bridge the gap between "traditional" and "contemporary" worship.

If anyone knows of a blog that could or should be on this list, let me know and I will consider it.