Catechumenate 2014

There are 13 posts tagged Catechumenate 2014 (this is page 4 of 5).

Adult Catechumenate: Week 4 “Liturgy: The Service of the Sacrament”

Week 4—Liturgy: The Service of the Sacrament

Join us for Adult Catechumenate classes following each Wednesday Divine Service. This is offered for those that would like a refresher course on their catechetical instruction and especially for those desiring to join us and confess the Lutheran faith.

Prayer of the Church

God’s Word is always primary in worship. We speak only as we are spoken to. Gathered in Jesus’ Name, we bring the petitions and thanksgivings before Him that grow out of His Word. This prayer is called the Prayer of the Church for in it the royal priesthood of believers does its priestly work of making “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all men, for kings and for all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.” We stand for this prayer, for we are not slaves prostrating ourselves before the king asking for a favor. We are sons of God who come boldly to our Father with our requests, knowing that He welcomes us and them, and has promise to hear and answer.

Offertory & Offering

As we have received from the generosity of the Father who is the Author and Giver of every good and perfect gift, we now give of the gifts which He has given to us. Following the pattern of the apostolic church in 2 Corinthians 8-9, the congregation collects gifts to support the proclamation of the Gospel and works of mercy among those in need. The Offering symbolized the “spiritual worship” of Christian lives offered in response to God, and unites us in an act of fellowship. The offering is accompanied with an offertory from Psalm 51 which teaches us that the highest offering is simply to receive, in faith, the gifts God gives for body and soul.

Preface / Sanctus / Lord’s Prayer

Drawn toward the gifts of Jesus’ body and blood, our hearts are lifted up in thanksgiving and praise as we anticipate the reception of the gifts that carry with them our redemption. The Sanctus brings together the song of heaven’s angels in adoration of the Holy Three-in-One and the acclamations of Palm Sunday; “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.” In the prayer, we give thanks to the Lord for the redemption which He has secured for us by His cross; we ask Him to prepare us to receive that redemption in living and joyful faith. The Our Father, the prayer which Jesus taught His disciples to pray, is the “table prayer’ with which we come to the Lord’s Table.

It is appropriate and salutary to bow during the words of Isaiah in the first half of the Sanctus, for in the Lord’s Supper, we are coming into the presence of the all holy one, and so show our reverence for this reality.

The Words of Our Lord 

The pastor speaks the Lord’s own words; these words give and bestow what they declare, the Body and Blood of Christ. The Sacrament of Jesus’ Body and Blood is the vehicle for peace. Showing them His wounds, the Risen Lord declared His peace is given us with the Lord’s Body and Blood. By sharing this “peace of the Lord” with each other, we lay aside all that stands in contradiction of the Lord’s testament. With the words of John the Baptist, the Agnus Dei confesses the mercy and peace that we receive from the Lamb of God in His Supper. We come to the Lord’s Table hungry and thirsty and He feeds us with His Body and refreshes us with His Blood. It is the Lord’s Supper. As Luther reminds us “Our Lord is at one and the same time chef, cook, butler, host, and food.”

It is appropriate and salutary to bow as the Words of our Lord are chanted, reflecting our belief that it is through the power of the Word of God that the Body and Blood of Jesus are now really and truly present “in, with, and under” this bread and wine.

Nunc Dimittis

Having received the Lord’s Body and Blood for our salvation, like Simeon who held in his arms the Savior of the world, we go in peace and joy singing Simeon’s Song from St. Luke, Chapter 2. Another song of thanksgiving based on 1 Chronicles 16:8-10 may be used instead. Before we leave the Lord’s Table, we give thanks, asking that the salutary gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood would have its way in our lives, strengthening us in faith toward God and fervent love toward one another. The Sacrament draws us outside of ourselves to live in Christ by faith and for the neighbor by love.

Salutation and Benedicamus

The Name of the Lord is the beginning and the end of the Divine Service. We are now marked with the Lord’s Name in the Benediction-that word of God’s Blessing from Numbers 6 in which He favors us with His grace and peace. With the Lord’s Name given us in Holy Baptism we were drawn together. Now with that same Name, He sends us back into the world, to the places of our various callings to live by the mercy we have received as living sacrifices to the praise of His glory and the good of our neighbor. To this benediction you add your Amen, declaring blessing received. After the recession the congregation is encouraged to silently offer prayer and praise to God. Such prayer is found on the inside front cover of the Lutheran Service Book (LSB).

Adult Catechumenate: Week 3 “Liturgy: Introit through Creed”

Week 3—Liturgy: Introit through Creed

Join us for Adult Catechumenate classes following each Wednesday Divine Service. This is offered for those that would like a refresher course on their catechetical instruction and especially for those desiring to join us and confess the Lutheran faith.

Introit
In ancient times the entire congregation entered the church in a solemn procession, singing psalms and songs. So also we enter upon the main part of the Divine Service with the Introit, or entrance song. The Introit, which means, “he enters,” is made up of the Lord’s own words, most often drawn from the Psalms, which set the tone and give the theme for the various Sundays and festivals of the Church Year. Thus, having received the Lord’s cleansing forgiveness, we are glad to enter His courts with praise and thanksgiving. The Pastor, in walking to the altar at this point, reflects this entrance of us all.

Kyrie
Kyrie Eleison is a Greek phrase meaning “Lord, have mercy.” In the Kyrie we come before the King of Mercy with the prayer that was on the lips of Blind Bartemaeus, whom Jesus healed. We approach our Merciful Savior and King as citizens of heaven, seeking His mercy for our salvation, the peace of the whole world, the well-being of His Church, our Worship, and our everlasting defense.

Gloria in Excelsis
The Lord to whom we cry for mercy is the Savior who has come to us in the flesh. The Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God in the Highest) echoes the hymn that the high angels of God sang to the shepherds at Bethlehem. In this hymn we acclaim and extol the Son of God who humbled Himself to be our Brother and now reigns over us as Savior from the right hand of His Father. In Divine Service I, an alternate to this hymn is “This is the Feast of Victory” taken from the Book of Revelation. This hymn proclaims the victory of the Lamb who was crucified for us. It is appropriately used at Easter and Ascension.

Salutation and Collect of the Day
The pastor stands in the congregation as Christ’s servant. The vestment he wears indicates that he is not speaking on his own, but as one sent and authorized to represent Christ Jesus. As the authorized representative of the Lord, he says “The Lord be with you.” The congregation responds “And with your Spirit” or “And also with you.” Pastor and the congregation are bound together in this salutation or greeting as the pastor prays the Collect of the Day on behalf of the gathered congregation. The Collect is a short sentence that “collects” in one short request all it is that we are asking God to do for us on the basis of the Word which we are about to hear, both read and preached.

OLD TESTAMENT, GRADUAL, EPISTLE, VERSE, HOLY GOSPEL
In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul tells us that the Ascended Christ gave gifts to His Church: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor-Teachers. These gifts are made manifest in the Divine Service as we hear God’s Word read and proclaimed. First, we hear from a Prophet in the words of the Old Testament Reading. After the Scripture is read, The Pastor proclaims “This is the Word of the Lord.” The Lord’s Word is embraced by the congregation’s response of thanksgiving: “Thanks be to God.” In this way, the church confesses Holy Scripture for what it is—the Word of God.

The Gradual, selected verses of Scripture, is sung by the choir or congregation. The Gradual is a “bridge of praise” that links the Old Testament with the New Testament. On many occasions an Anthem reflecting on the common theme of the readings is sung by the choir. This is offered so that those who hear might anticipate the Word of God that will follow.

Second, we hear from an Apostle in the words of a New Testament Epistle. From the Apostle we are given the truth that is found only in Jesus for faith and life. The “Alleluia Verse” is then chanted by the Choir or Pastor. This Verse is our anticipation of the Lord who comes to us in His words. These words are spirit and life.

Third, we hear from an Evangelist in the words of the Holy Gospel. In the words of the Evangelist we are given the Word of Life, Jesus Christ. The congregation acknowledges the Lord’s presence in His Gospel by standing and extolling His glory and praising Him.

Nicene Creed
Having heard the Word of God, we confess our faith in His Name. The Creed is our saying back to God what He has first said to us. We speak about God what He has revealed about Himself. In the Nicene Creed, we acclaim the truth of the Triune God and His work of salvation accomplished for us in His Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. Since the Creed is a summary of the faith, in confessing it we are saying “Amen” to the main content of the entire Gospel.

It is appropriate and salutary to bow during the Creed when speaking of our Lord’s incarnation, in reverence to His great love for us when He “came down from heaven” and “was crucified for us.” Traditionally, the bowing ceases at this point so that the Christian is not bowing while speaking the name of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor!

Hymn of the Day
The praise continues in the Hymn of the Day. As the Word of God dwells in us it calls forth songs of faith and love. This hymn reflects the particular theme of the Scripture Readings which we have heard. Then, in continuity with the Prophets, Apostles, and Evangelists, our Pastor stands in our midst to deliver the Lord’s Law and Gospel in the sermon. He is God’s mouth for the congregation as through him the Good Shepherd’s voice sounds forth to call, gather, and enlighten His flock.

Adult Catechumenate: Week 2 “Liturgy: Intro, Confession & Absolution”

Week 2—Liturgy: Introduction, Invocation, Confession & Absolution

Introduction

The high and holy worship of God is faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Such faith is created and sustained by God’s Service to us. In the Divine Service, the Lord comes to us in His Word and Sacrament to bless and enliven us with His gifts. This Service is not something we do for God, but His service to us to be received in faith. The “liturgy” is God’s work. He gives and we receive.

Invocation

From God’s Word, we know that wherever God puts His Name, He is there to bless. In the Old Testament, the Temple was the place where God graciously caused His Name to be present.

God has put His Name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—on you in Holy Baptism. The Divine Service begins “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Every Divine Service is for the hallowing of the Lord’s Name, which the Small Catechism reminds us is done “When the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity and we as the children of God, also lead a holy life according to it.”

Confession and Absolution

It is only through the forgiveness of sins that we enter into the life of heaven. To confess your sins is to speak the truth about your life. This truth you learn from the Word of God and He, through the Holy Spirit, teaches you to say what He says. God seeks that truth in the heart and on the lips. To confess your sin is to speak “Amen” to God’s just verdict that you have sinned against Him and so deserve only death and hell.

The truth of your sinfulness is answered by the truth of God’s forgiveness for the sake of the suffering and death of His Son. From the lips of a man “called and ordained” as a servant of the Word, your ears hear God Himself speaking absolution, that is, the forgiveness of sins. To that forgiveness, faith says “Amen,” to this verdict of God, “Amen” is the great word of worship; it indicates that the gift has been received.

Join us for Adult Catechumenate classes following each Wednesday Divine Service. This is offered for those that would like a refresher course on their catechetical instruction and especially for those desiring to join us and confess the Lutheran faith.