What is the Sanctus? The word “Sanctus” comes from the Latin word for “holy.” The first words of the Sanctus are “holy, holy, holy.” The Sanctus joins the song of heaven found in Isaiah 6 with the song of the saints on earth sung on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:9). Heaven and earth join together in … [Read more…]
What are the Preface and Proper Preface? They are preparation for the institution of the Sacrament of the Altar. The Preface is three short interactive responses between the pastor and the congregation (The Lutheran Hymnal p. 24). The Proper Preface is the preparation prayer appropriate for each season. Each Proper Preface begins the same way … [Read more…]
What are the prayers? The prayers we say after the sermon are our petitions to God in response to hearing how He has confirmed His promises to us. We come to God in thanks for His blessings and asking God to show us grace in every need. He hears and answers our prayers in His … [Read more…]
What is the Offertory? The Offertory is a response to the message. It is a prayer asking God to renew us by His grace and to continue to strengthen our faith in Him. The words of the traditional Offertory are from Psalm 51:10-12. The Offertory is also our confession of faith that God can and … [Read more…]
What is the Offering? The Offering is a response by God’s people to the grace they have received. It is one way of saying thanks to God for what He has done for us. God uses this to continue the ministry of the Gospel in our local congregation and in mission work elsewhere. But the … [Read more…]
What is the Offertory? The Offertory is a response to the message. It is a prayer asking God to renew us by His grace and to continue to strengthen our faith in Him. The words of the traditional Offertory are from Psalm 51:10-12. The Offertory is also our confession of faith that God can … [Read more…]
What is the sermon? The sermon is a preaching of, and comment on, God’s Word. It is intended to apply the teachings of God’s Word to our lives. It consists of the application of Law and Gospel rightly divided so that we flee from our sins to Jesus for forgiveness, eternal life, and the grace … [Read more…]
What is a creed? A creed is a statement of what we believe. It comes from the Latin credo, which means “I believe.” The creeds we use in worship are simple statements of our faith, a faith shared by countless Christians over the ages. Sometimes we use the Apostles Creed, which is a statement of … [Read more…]
What are the scripture readings? The scripture readings are those sections of the Word of God chosen for each particular Sunday. They are organized in such a way so that the various teachings of Scripture are regularly presented to God’s people. These lessons include a reading from the Old Testament (or Acts at certain times), … [Read more…]
What is the Collect? The word “Collect” comes from the Gallican liturgy, and stands for a collection of petitions of God’s people. It came to be a summary prayer regarding the readings and service theme for the day. It is preceded by the words, “The Lord be with you, and with your spirit.” This is … [Read more…]