Our Worship – Lesson 35

What is the Kyrie? The Kyrie is a prayer for mercy.  It is short for the Latin, “Kyrie, eleison”, which means “Lord, have mercy.”  The three phrases of the Kyrie remind us that our cries for mercy are heard and answered by the Triune God.  This cry for mercy is not just about our sins, … [Read more…]

Our Worship – Lesson 33 – The Introit

What is the Introit? “Introit” is Latin meaning “entrance hymn.”  In the early church, the Invocation, Confession and Absolution took place at the back entrance of the sanctuary where the Baptismal Font was located.  The pastor would then enter the sanctuary during the Introit as a reminder to the congregation that Christ was coming into … [Read more…]

Our Worship – Lesson 30 – Robes

Why do pastors wear robes? Pastors wear robes because the priests in the Temple wore robes.  In order to enter into the Holy of Holies in the Temple, the high priest had to wear a pure white robe, reminding Israel of the purity of Israel through God’s grace given to them in the Messiah. What … [Read more…]

Our Worship – Lesson 29 – The Temple

What was the Temple? The Temple in Jerusalem was the house of God.  It was initially built by Solomon to replace the tabernacle (tent of meeting) that had followed the children of Israel in their journey from Egypt to the promised land.  The Temple had an outer court called the court of the women.  It … [Read more…]

Our Worship – Lesson 28 – The Synagogue

What is a synagogue? The word synagogue means “gathering around.”  The synagogue was a place of worship where the men would gather around the Rabbi (teacher).  They would listen to the Word of God, then take the Word they had learned home to teach to their families.  Therefore, the synagogue was a gathering around God’s … [Read more…]

Our Worship – Lesson 26 – Fish

Why is the fish a Christian symbol? When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He told them he would make them “fishers of men” (see Matthew 4:19-22).  Early Christians embraced that title with the fish  symbol.  Also the Greek word for fish (icquv~) came to stand for Ihsou`~ Cristo~ qeou` uiou` sovthr, which means Jesus Christ … [Read more…]