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Divine Service (Lutheran)
Divine Service (Lutheran)
The Divine Service (German: Gottesdienst) is a title given to the Eucharistic liturgy as used in the various
Lutheran churches. It has its roots in the Pre-Tridentine Mass as revised by Martin Luther in his Formula
missae ("Form of the Mass") of 1523 and his Deutsche Messe ("German Mass") of 1526. It was further
developed through the Kirchenordnungen ("church orders") of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that
followed in Luther's tradition.
The term "Divine Service" is popularly used among the more conservative Lutheran churches and
organizations of the United States and Canada. In the more progressive denominations, such as The
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the terms "Holy Communion" or "the Eucharist" are much more
commonly used.
Other Lutheran rites are also in use, such as those used in the Byzantine Rite Lutheran Churches, such as
the Ukrainian Lutheran Church and Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia. In these
Churches, the term "Divine Liturgy" is used.
As in the English phrase "service of God," the genitive in "Gottesdienst" is arguably ambiguous. It can be
read as an objective genitive (service rendered to God) or a subjective genitive (God's "service" to people).
While the objective genitive is etymologically more plausible, Lutheran writers frequently highlight the
ambiguity and emphasize the subjective genitive.[1] This is felt to reflect the belief, based on Lutheran
doctrine regarding justification, that the main actor in the Divine Service is God himself and not man, and
that in the most important aspect of evangelical worship God is the subject and we are the objects: that the
Word and Sacrament are gifts that God gives to his people in their worship.
Although the term Mass was used by early Lutherans (the Augsburg Confession states that "we do not
abolish the Mass but religiously keep and defend it"[2]) and Luther's two chief orders of worship are
entitled "Formula Missae" and "Deutsche Messe"—such use has decreased in English usage except among
Evangelical Catholics and "High Church Lutherans". Also, Lutherans have historically used the terms
"Gottesdienst" or "The Service" to distinguish their Service from the worship of other protestants, which
has been viewed as focusing more on the faithful bringing praise and thanksgiving to God.[3]
United States
The Lutheran liturgy currently used in the United States traces its development back to the work of Beale
M. Schmucker, George Wenner and Edward Horn. Their work took place in the context of a wider North
American confessional revival. Between 1876 and 1883, various Lutheran synods expressed an interest in
creating a common worship service. This led to the creation of a Joint Committee in 1884 which included
representatives of the General Synod and General Council, the two dominant pan-Lutheran groups. This
committee appointed Schmucker, Wenner and Horn who began their work in April 1884. A year later, they
brought a draft to the General Synod's convention which modified and approved the following order:
Introit, Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Collect, Epistle, Gradual with Alleluia Or Tract during Lent), Gospel,
Nicene Creed, Sermon, General Prayer, Preface, Sanctus and Benedictus qui Venit, Exhortation to
Communicants, Lord's Prayer and Words of Institution, Agnus Dei, Distribution, Collect of Thanksgiving,
Nunc Dimittis, Benedicamus Domino, Benediction. In 1887, the three men presented their final draft to the
Joint Committee. This final draft used the King James Version language and Anglican (Book of Common
Prayer) translations of the Kyrie, Gloria, Creeds, Prefaces, Lord's Prayer, and Collects. It also included the
Nunc Dimittis as an option. The final draft, with minor edits, was approved by the various synods in 1888
and has become known as The Common Service and formed the basis for every major Lutheran hymnal
and worship book into the late twentieth century.[4][5]
Liturgy
Preparatory Service
Processional hymn is sung.
The people stand. During this hymn, the pastor and those assisting him (such as the
acolytes) process into the sanctuary from the narthex.[6]
The Invocation begins the Divine Service.
For the Invocation and the Preparatory Service, the pastor is to stand at the foot of the
altar steps, advancing to the altar at the Introit.[7] He speaks the Trinitarian formula, as
the Sign of the Cross is made by all.
The Confession follows
"In the Confession (Lat. "Confiteor"), we kneel humbly before our God, acknowledging
our sin and seeking purification of our Spirit. In the Declaration of Grace that follows, we
receive from God Himself the assurance of God's mercy and grace that enables us to
focus on our loving God."[8] Both the congregation and the pastor kneel[7] as the
following is said:
Pastor: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Congregation: But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned
against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left
undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as
ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son,
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in
Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of your Holy Name. Amen.
Pastor: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives
you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore
forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. .[9]
All: Amen.
"In the Sermon, the preacher "rightly divides (or interprets) the Word of truth.[10]" The
Sermon contains elements of the two great doctrines of the Bible: the Law, which tells us
how we are to live, and the Gospel, which proclaims forgiveness of our sins, by grace,
through faith, for Christ's sake. The Gospel predominates in the Sermon. The Sermon
usually relates to the lessons of the day."[8] After the sermon the people stand and the
pastor says the Votum (Lat. "we desire"): "The peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
The Nicene Creed is spoken.
"The Creed (Lat. "I believe") is our individual, public confession of faith, spoken with the
"one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church". It is a statement of Christianity's most basic
and fundamental beliefs, witnessing to the unity and universality of the Church. It does
not specifically mean "The Roman Catholic Church"[8]
The Collection and Offertory follow.
After the offerings have been collected they are given to the pastor, who presents it at the
altar. "We joyfully offer to God a portion of His gifts to us, as an outward response of our
faith in Him."[8] After the collection, the Offertory is sung. "In the words of David, we ask
God to cleanse our hearts, to keep us in the one true faith and to grant us the full joy of
salvation."[8]
The Prayer of the Faithful is next, with petitions offered by a deacon.
"In the Prayer of the Faithful, the Church performs its priestly role (which is communal
and not individual) by representing the people of the world before God in prayer. The
"Prayer of the Church" is therefore not the prayer of individuals for themselves nor the
congregation for itself but is indeed the prayer of the Church for the world, the work of the
Church, and the Church itself."[8]
Pastor: You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God; you are most holy, and great is the
majesty of your glory. You so loved the world that you gave your only Son, that whoever
believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Having come into the world, he fulfilled
for us your holy will and accomplished our salvation. Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night
when He was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to
his disciples and said, 'Take; eat; this is my body, given for you. This do in remembrance of
me.' In the same way, also, He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He
gave it to them saying, 'Drink of it all of you. This cup is the New Testament in My Blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of
Me.'
Remembering, therefore, his salutary command, his life-giving Passion and death, his glorious
resurrection and ascension, and his promise to come again, we give thanks to you, Lord God
Almighty, not as we ought, but as we are able; and we implore you mercifully to accept our
praise and thanksgiving, and, with your Word and Holy Spirit, to bless us, your servants, and
these your own gifts of bread and wine; that we and all who share in the + body and blood of
your Son may be filled with heavenly peace and joy, and receiving the forgiveness of sin, may
be + sanctified in soul and body, and have our portion with all your saints.
People: Amen.
Pastor: As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He
comes.
Pastor: O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat
and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed
death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and
Your coming for the final judgment.
Many Lutheran churches forego the use of a eucharistic prayer which encircle
Jesus' words of institution and instead progress from the Sanctus to the Words of
Institution to the Lord's Prayer to the Agnus Dei and on to the distribution. Widely
respected Lutheran liturgical scholar and theologian Oliver K. Olson wrote; "The
danger of the eucharistic prayer is not primarily its text, but its direction." and
"Including human words in the consecration means enclosing the words of
institution (like a sandwich) within a human prayer. Making the words of
institution into part of a prayer results in a change of direction. That means that
the liturgy is initiated by humans and directed toward God."[12] The danger of this
mistaken direction of the action at this point of the service is that Lutherans are
unanimous in the belief that the Lord's Supper is solely God's service to us and
the use of the eucharistic prayer may lead to an unintended teaching of it being a
human action toward God that results in its efficacy rather than it being merely
our Holy Spirit given faith that clings to Christ's promised, "for you".
In dismissing the communicants, the pastor commonly says, "The body and blood of our Lord strengthen
and preserve you steadfast in the true faith to life everlasting." The communicants may say "Amen". Silent
prayer is appropriate after being dismissed. "The Dismissal reassures communicants of the efficacy of the
Lord's Supper in creating life-saving faith in Christ."[8]
Gallery
An ELCA
congregation
kneeling as the
congregation
receives the
Eucharist
See also
Agenda (liturgy)
Eucharistic theologies contrasted
References
1. E.g., John T. Pless, 1987, "Six Theses on Liturgy and Evangelism," (http://reformationtoday.tr
ipod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/liturgyevangelism.pdf) Archived (https://web.arch
ive.org/web/20051223065752/http://reformationtoday.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuild
erfiles/liturgyevangelism.pdf) December 23, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, Conference on
Liturgy and Outreach, Concordia College: "[I]n worship God is at work to serve His people
with His Word and Sacraments. Evangelical worship is Gottesdienst (subjective genitive),
Divine service."
2. Article 24 (http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgconfession.html#article24) Archived (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20080915154222/http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgconfessio
n.html#article24) 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine of the Augsburg Confession, Book of
Concord.
3. LMCS (http://www.lcms.org/ca/search/dtsearch.asp?cmd=getdoc&maxSize=200000&DocId
=30672&Index=F%3a%5cinetpub%5cwwwroot%5clcmsorg%5cdb%5csearch%5clcmsnew
&HitCount=4&hits=95+dde+e08+e3d+&hc=32&req=gottesdienst)
4. The History of the Common Service (https://web.archive.org/web/20081011000537/http://ww
w.wlstheologia.net/files/PeilCommon.rtf) (RTF), WELS.
5. The Common Service: 1888–1988 (https://web.archive.org/web/20091227083310/http://arch
ive.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2617&collectionID=765&contentID=7207&shortcutID=6840),
WELS.
6. Processional Cross (https://web.archive.org/web/20031227005224/http://www.lcms.org/pag
es/internal.asp?NavID=3934) from LCMS.org.
7. The Conduct of the Service by the Rev. Dr. Arthur Carl Piepkorn (http://www.lexorandi.org/pi
epkorn.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20090528053016/http://www.lexorandi.or
g/piepkorn.html) 2009-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
8. How Lutherans Worship (http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=page
&mode=display&gid=20052995655655607101111555&pg=2005326451847501360111155
5) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110324191349/http://www.lutheransonline.com/s
ervlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage%3Dpage%26mode%3Ddisplay%26gid%3D2005299565565560
7101111555%26pg%3D20053264518475013601111555) 2011-03-24 at the Wayback
Machine, Lutherans Online.
9. (Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service I)
10. 2 Timothy 2:15.
11. (Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service I,III, Lutheran Book of Worship)
12. Olson, Oliver K. (2007). Reclaiming the Lutheran Liturgical Heritage. Minneapolis: Bronze
Bow Publishing. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-1-932458-55-8.
13. Luke 24:36 and John 20:19
14. Lutheran Worship, Divine Service I
15. Catholic Communion process from the Roman Rite Mass (http://www.davidmacd.com/catholi
c/catholic_mass_full_text.htm#communion) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20100110
111444/http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/catholic_mass_full_text.htm#communion)
January 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
16. Hämmerli, Maria; Mayer, Jean-François (23 May 2016). Orthodox Identities in Western
Europe: Migration, Settlement and Innovation. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN 9781317084914.
External links
An Explanation of The Common Service (https://books.google.com/books?id=0FYrAAAAYA
AJ&dq=%22preface+to+the+common+service%22&pg=PA6) (1908)
Ordnung des Haupt-Gottesdienstes (https://web.archive.org/web/20090831125038/http://arc
hive.elca.org/archives/hymnals/GC-Iowa_Kirchenbuch_fur_Evangelisch-Lutherische_Geme
inden_liturgy.pdf), Kirchenbuch für Evangelisch-Lutherische Gemeinden in North America.
Published by the General Council. 1st ed. Philadelphia: J. L. Fike, 1877 (1911). — ELCA
Archives – Hymnals (https://web.archive.org/web/20091010080032/http://archive.elca.org/ar
chives/hymnals/hymnals.html)
The Service or The Communion (https://web.archive.org/web/20090831124926/http://archiv
e.elca.org/archives/hymnals/Wartburg_Hymnal_Holy_Communion_liturgy.pdf), The
Wartburg Hymnal for Church, Home, and School. Authorized by the (German) Iowa Synod.
O. Harwig, ed. Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1918. — ELCA Archives – Hymnals (ht
tps://web.archive.org/web/20091010080032/http://archive.elca.org/archives/hymnals/hymnal
s.html)
The Morning Service (1893) (https://web.archive.org/web/20090831125055/http://archive.elc
a.org/archives/hymnals/GC_Church_Book_for_use_of_Ev_Lutheran_congregations_liturgy.
pdf), Church Book for the use of Evangelical Lutheran congregations. Authorized by the
General Council of the Lutheran Church in North America. Philadelphia: Lutheran Book
Store, 1868. Music edition (with music selected and arranged by Harriet Reynolds Krauth)
Philadelphia: Lutheran Book Store, 1872; 2d ed., 1884; 3d ed., revised and enlarged, J. K.
Schyrock, 1893. — ELCA Archives – Hymnals (https://web.archive.org/web/2009101008003
2/http://archive.elca.org/archives/hymnals/hymnals.html)
The Morning Service (https://books.google.com/books?id=N31KoOfAmhQC), (1893)
The Conduct of the Service (https://web.archive.org/web/20090528053016/http://www.lexora
ndi.org/piepkorn.html), by Arthur Carl Piepkorn (rev. ed. 1965)
A Brief Exposition of the Divine Service (https://web.archive.org/web/20160310205704/http://
www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/CpsServlet/dbpage%3Dpage%26mode%3Ddisplay%26gi
d%3D20052995655655607101111555%26pg%3D20053264518475013601111555)
The Lutheran Sources of the Common Service (https://web.archive.org/web/2008102419351
6/http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/files/pb/701) by Edward T. Horn, The Lutheran Quarterly
(1891)
Taking Divine Service into the Week (https://web.archive.org/web/20060515015036/http://w
ww.ctsfw.edu/academics/faculty/pless/DS_Into_Week.html)
Church of Sweden Service Book in English (https://web.archive.org/web/20070630181214/h
ttp://www.svenskakyrkan.se/gudstjanstbanken/service_book/index.htm)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland - services in English (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20070607161635/http://www.evl.fi/kkh/to/kjmk/engl/jp-engl.html)
Liturgy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark in English (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20070418070926/http://www.interchurch.dk/liturgy/liturgy.php)
The Order for Worship with Holy Communion in the Church of Norway (https://archive.today/
20130224050716/http://www.kirken.no/english/engelsk.cfm?artid=6015)
The German Mass and Order of Divine Service, by Martin Luther, January 1526 (https://web.
archive.org/web/20160310203120/http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/CpsServlet/dbpag
e%3Dpage%26mode%3Ddisplay%26gid%3D20052995655655607101111555%26pg%3D
20053304374519596101111555)
Lutheran Liturgies from Martin Luther to Wilhelm Löhe (https://web.archive.org/web/2007092
7172448/http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/files/pb/1165) by Vernon P. Kleinig, Concordia
Theological Quarterly, April 1998
Liturgical Developments in Sweden and Finland in the Era of Lutheran Orthodoxy (1593-
1700) (https://www.jstor.org/pss/3163183) by Toivo Harjunpää (JSTOR)