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Early Worship Service

The Early worship service is a traditional ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Service.

What does this mean? The form of the Service is call the Liturgy.

What Is the Shape of the Liturgy?

If, for some unexplainable reason, the words were to disappear from all the road signs in the United States, certain signs would still be able to communicate their meaning. Even without words, the triangle of a yield sign or the octagon of the stop sign would still get the desired results. The shape itself, especially when coupled with the traditional color, is capable of powerful communication.

Once, while serving as organist on a choir tour to Germany, our sponsor asked if I would go to a neighboring church and substitute for him as organist at a service of Holy Communion. Not knowing a word of German, I reluctantly agreed. Although I could not understand most of the words, the pattern, rhythms, and actions of worship spoke clearly to me, and I knew exactly when to play. Years later, I had a similar experience while substituting at a Roman Catholic congregation in Brooklyn, New York. I was to play for masses in English, Spanish, and French. I was able to do it with little problem because the structure of the liturgy itself bridged language, cultural, and denominational differences.

Another way to think about liturgical form is to compare it to grammar -- the organization of language. Even if you do not know a particular language and the words themselves are unfamiliar, it is often possible to catch the gist of a conversation because of the way the words are used. The shape of the liturgy, with its basic texts and actions, is like grammar. It is a vehicle for conveying the content of worship. The "vocabulary" of specific music, ceremonies, and styles can differ vastly from place to place and time to time. The grammar -- the historic pattern of worship -- is the framework that holds all the variety together and helps bridge the communication gap from church to church, language to language, and culture to culture.

The earliest Christians were Jews who continued to hear God's Word and pray in the synagogue regularly. Although grounded in Jewish meal tradition, the "new" element of Christian worship was the meal that Christ instituted in the upper room. The Christians gathered secretly in one another's homes to share Christ's supper. As Christianity began to develop an identity separate from Judaism, word and meal were joined into one celebration. Once Christianity was legalized and worship became more public, the assemblies grew larger. Naturally, ways of gathering the crowds and sending them forth into the world developed. The basic structure of worship -- gathering, word, meal, and sending -- has been in place since the early centuries of the church.

Within each segment of the liturgy, natural patterns evolved. Music has often played an important role in gathering worshipers. Instrumental preludes, various hymns and canticles, along with a greeting and opening prayer, shape the gathering and establish the tone for the day. The pattern today usually looks something like this: prelude, confession and forgiveness (especially during Advent and Lent), entrance hymn, greeting, Kyrie (during Advent and Lent), hymn of praise ("Glory to God" on days related to Christmas, or "This is the feast" on days more closely related to Easter) and the prayer of the day. We must remember that these elements are preparatory to the main elements of the liturgy and must not overshadow them. Careful selections, appropriate to the day, should be made.

The corporate hearing of God's word has its roots in Jewish tradition. From the earliest times, reading -- singing -- reading -- singing created a natural rhythm of proclamation and response. The rhythm provides quiet time for worshipers to listen attentively and active time to respond, reflect, and prepare for what is coming -- preaching on the proclaimed texts. In a world of short attention spans, it is a pattern worth keeping. Within the liturgy of the Word, the traditional order has been Old Testament reading, psalm, New Testament reading, gospel acclamation (alleluia and verse), Holy Gospel, and sermon. The reading of the Holy Gospel is the high point of this portion of the liturgy and should never be omitted.

The experience of hearing God's word is followed by a series of responses that also prepare us to receive God in the sacrament. The full order suggested in Lutheran Book of Worship represents a natural progression from corporate to personal: hymn of the day, creed, prayers (intercessions), peace, and presentation of the gifts (offering and offertory).

The pattern surrounding the meal finds its prototype in the scriptural accounts of the institution of Christ's supper: Jesus "took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it." The offertory, great thanksgiving, breaking of bread, and communion is how Christ's command to "do this in remembrance of me" is lived out today, as it has been for centuries. Using eucharistic prayers 3 or 4 from Lutheran Book of Worship: Ministers Desk Edition or some of the new prayers from With One Voice Leaders Edition allows for a full prayer of thanksgiving even when time constraints must be considered.

The objective of the sending is to empower the assembly to take God's message into the world. A canticle (or other hymn/song), prayer, blessing, and dismissal bring the service quickly to a close. Just as the gathering should not overshadow what is to come, neither should the sending unduly extend what has already happened. Once strengthened by the meal, it is time for God's people to be sent into the mission field: "Go in peace. Serve the Lord."

The repetition of common texts and actions is an important element of liturgical worship. It is through constant retelling that the stories of our faith become ingrained in us and that we become a part of the stories. This is especially true for children who can from the youngest age heartily join in shouting "Amen," "And also with you," or "Thanks be to God!" Repetition of corporate texts and actions allows all of God's people to participate actively in worship. Newcomers to the assembly can be readily caught up in the rhythm of it all without knowing every word, as long as the leaders and assembly do their part with confidence. The spirit of those assembled and join in the liturgy enthusiastically will be so infectious to visitors that they will want to return and learn to do their part.

When preparing worship, we often consider a liturgy that includes all the options as the norm and feel as if we're leaving something out when we plan a briefer rite. It is more helpful to begin planning with the core elements (as seen in the simple order below) and add to it as appropriate for a particular occasion. Below are examples of possible appropriate liturgical outlines.

Simple Midweek Service
(Confession and Forgiveness) (Entrance Hymn) Greeting and Prayer of the Day (First Reading) (Psalm or Gospel Acclamation)	Holy Gospel Sermon (Hymn of the Day) Prayers Presentation of the Gifts	Great Thanksgiving Lord's Prayer Communion Closing Prayer Blessing and Dismissal
Sundays after the Epiphany or Pentecost
(Confession and Forgiveness) Entrance Hymn Greeting and Prayer of the Day First Reading Psalm Second Reading	Gospel Acclamation Holy Gospel Sermon Hymn of the Day (Creed) Prayers	Presentation of the Gifts Great Thanksgiving Lord's Prayer Communion Closing Prayer Blessing and Dismissal
Sundays in Advent or Lent
Confession and Forgiveness Entrance Hymn Greeting Kyrie Prayer of the Day First Reading Psalm	Second Reading Gospel Acclamation Holy Gospel Sermon Hymn of the Day Creed Prayers	Presentation of the Gifts Great Thanksgiving Lord's Prayer Communion Canticle or Hymn Closing Prayer Blessing and Dismissal
Festivals (including the Twelve Days of Christmas and all the Sundays of Easter)
Entrance Hymn Greeting Kyrie Hymn of Praise Prayer of the Day First Reading Psalm Second Reading	Gospel Acclamation Holy Gospel Sermon Hymn of the Day Creed Prayers Presentation of the Gifts Great Thanksgiving	Lord's Prayer Communion Canticle Closing Prayer Blessing (Hymn) Dismissal

These basic liturgical patterns and texts can be celebrated with many kinds of music (or no music) and in a variety of settings. The leadership styles can vary greatly from place to place. Yet the very shape and fundamental texts of the liturgy can transcend variety and be a unifying instrument within the church.

Revised 1999

Copyright © 2003 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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