Every Sunday service is an opportunity to gather together to worship and praise God, and every Sunday has unique elements. But there is also a pattern, and there are some elements that are similar.
Here are some notes on a few of the elements that you can expect.
- Confession and Forgiveness - In worship we confess our sins and our need for God, and the power of God's forgiveness in our lives. After we make confession we hear God's promise in Christ to love us, to forgive us, and to restore us in a right relationship with God and with our neighbor.
- Liturgy - This word means "the work of the people," and the liturgy is the order of worship.
- This varies from time to time. Ordinarily we use either the Lutheran Book of Worship or "Now the Feast and Celebration." There are also services in the "With One Voice" hymnal that we sometimes use.
- The Kyrie - This word means "Lord" and is one of the oldest prayers of the church. Christ is Lord of all.
- The Hymn of Praise - This is an echo of the angels' song.
- The Scriptures - Here at TLC we use the Revised Common Lectionary texts that are assigned for each Sunday. Generally there is one Old Testament lesson, one epistle lesson and one gospel lesson assigned for each day. (To learn more you can consult this link.)
- Sermon - Based on the scriptures we have heard, the preacher brings the text into context, applying God's word to our own lives.
- Hymns - These are based on the texts that we hear. The hymns help us to remember what we have heard, and give us words to sing it.
- Creed - This is a statement of faith about who God is. The Creed has three parts, just like God is three Persons in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Offering - This is an important part of the service, and an integral part of the way we worship God; this is where our faith takes action. We worship Jesus, and just like those first visitors to the manger, we come and offer our gifts. This flows naturally into the prayers and the Lord's Prayer.
- Prayers - The prayers are the part of the service where we talk to God in praise, and thanks, and we ask God's blessing on us and on all people.
- Benediction and Sending - We receive God's blessing, and we are sent into the world to be a blessing to others, and to spread God's Word and to love all people.
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