Liturgical worship services have different parts. They are listed below with a brief explanation.
Invocation
Every service begins “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These words, spoken also at baptism, remind us of our baptism where our sins were washed away and we were made able to enter the presence of God as his dear child.
Confession and Absolution
Each week we confess that we are sinners who would be lost forever in hell without our Savior Jesus. We humbly come before him and plead for his mercy and receive the full and free forgiveness he won for us on his cross.
Song of Praise
We sing a song of praise to God, rejoicing in the forgiveness that we have and the comfort of knowing that heaven is ours.
Prayer of the Day
This prayer fits the theme of the week and is appointed for that particular Sunday of the church year.
First Lesson
The first lesson is usually taken from the Old Testament and is related in some way to the Gospel lesson for the day. It is either a story from the Old Testament that contains a similar application to our lives, or it is a prophecy that Jesus fulfilled in that week’s Gospel lesson.
Psalm of the Day
Believers worship God by singing and reciting psalms. The book of Psalms was the hymnal of the Old Testament and is a wonderful way of connecting our faith in God with those whose faith was in the promised Savior to come.
Second Lesson
The second lesson is usually taken from the Epistles. An epistle is a letter, and these books of the Bible are letters written by apostles and evangelists of the early Christian church to congregations of believers which they served. These readings apply God’s Word directly to our lives as New Testament believers.
Verse of the Day
A short verse that prepares us to hear the Gospel lesson and praises God. It includes the word “Alleluia” at the beginning and the end, except during the solemn season of Lent where “Alleluias” are omitted.
The Gospel
The Gospel is the focus of the entire service. The Gospel is a reading from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, which are accounts of Jesus’ life and the words he spoke as he taught his people. We rise for the Gospel out of respect for our Savior and his words and works.
Sermon
The pastor’s message for the service is based on either the Gospel or one of the other lessons of the day. This message applies the theme of that Sunday’s worship to our daily lives in our world.
Confession of Faith
This comes either just before or right after the sermon. It is where Christians proclaim their Christian faith, using the Apostles’ Creed during services where the Lord’s Supper is not celebrated and using the Nicene Creed during services where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. These Creeds have been used in the church for nearly 2,000 years.
Prayer of the Church and Lord’s Prayer
This is a prayer which asks the Lord’s help for specific things that our congregation and the world around us are facing at that particular time. It also fits with the application from the sermon for that day. During this prayer, intercession is made for members of our church or people we know and love to either thank God for their blessings or ask God’s help with their challenges. This prayer is followed by the Lord’s Prayer, which is the prayer Jesus taught us as the model for all of our prayers.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is offered on the first and third weeks of each month - and some special services like Ash Wednesday, which begins Lent, and Maundy Thursday, in commemoration of when Jesus instituted this Sacrament. We approach God’s altar to receive the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. The Lord’s Supper, also called communion, is intended to be received by brothers and sisters in Christ who share a common faith in Jesus as their Savior. In order to assure that we are practicing this in a God-pleasing way, we ask that those who are not members of St. John’s, Good Shepherd, or a sister congregation within the WELS or ELS would speak with the pastor before partaking.
Benediction
We conclude our worship with the same blessing that God gave to the ancient Israelites.
Invocation
Every service begins “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These words, spoken also at baptism, remind us of our baptism where our sins were washed away and we were made able to enter the presence of God as his dear child.
Confession and Absolution
Each week we confess that we are sinners who would be lost forever in hell without our Savior Jesus. We humbly come before him and plead for his mercy and receive the full and free forgiveness he won for us on his cross.
Song of Praise
We sing a song of praise to God, rejoicing in the forgiveness that we have and the comfort of knowing that heaven is ours.
Prayer of the Day
This prayer fits the theme of the week and is appointed for that particular Sunday of the church year.
First Lesson
The first lesson is usually taken from the Old Testament and is related in some way to the Gospel lesson for the day. It is either a story from the Old Testament that contains a similar application to our lives, or it is a prophecy that Jesus fulfilled in that week’s Gospel lesson.
Psalm of the Day
Believers worship God by singing and reciting psalms. The book of Psalms was the hymnal of the Old Testament and is a wonderful way of connecting our faith in God with those whose faith was in the promised Savior to come.
Second Lesson
The second lesson is usually taken from the Epistles. An epistle is a letter, and these books of the Bible are letters written by apostles and evangelists of the early Christian church to congregations of believers which they served. These readings apply God’s Word directly to our lives as New Testament believers.
Verse of the Day
A short verse that prepares us to hear the Gospel lesson and praises God. It includes the word “Alleluia” at the beginning and the end, except during the solemn season of Lent where “Alleluias” are omitted.
The Gospel
The Gospel is the focus of the entire service. The Gospel is a reading from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, which are accounts of Jesus’ life and the words he spoke as he taught his people. We rise for the Gospel out of respect for our Savior and his words and works.
Sermon
The pastor’s message for the service is based on either the Gospel or one of the other lessons of the day. This message applies the theme of that Sunday’s worship to our daily lives in our world.
Confession of Faith
This comes either just before or right after the sermon. It is where Christians proclaim their Christian faith, using the Apostles’ Creed during services where the Lord’s Supper is not celebrated and using the Nicene Creed during services where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. These Creeds have been used in the church for nearly 2,000 years.
Prayer of the Church and Lord’s Prayer
This is a prayer which asks the Lord’s help for specific things that our congregation and the world around us are facing at that particular time. It also fits with the application from the sermon for that day. During this prayer, intercession is made for members of our church or people we know and love to either thank God for their blessings or ask God’s help with their challenges. This prayer is followed by the Lord’s Prayer, which is the prayer Jesus taught us as the model for all of our prayers.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is offered on the first and third weeks of each month - and some special services like Ash Wednesday, which begins Lent, and Maundy Thursday, in commemoration of when Jesus instituted this Sacrament. We approach God’s altar to receive the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. The Lord’s Supper, also called communion, is intended to be received by brothers and sisters in Christ who share a common faith in Jesus as their Savior. In order to assure that we are practicing this in a God-pleasing way, we ask that those who are not members of St. John’s, Good Shepherd, or a sister congregation within the WELS or ELS would speak with the pastor before partaking.
Benediction
We conclude our worship with the same blessing that God gave to the ancient Israelites.
