Good morning. I am _____________, one of your Narrators this morning for a Narrative Worship Service. “Narrative” means an “explained” worship service. __________ and I will be explaining or narrating different parts of our Lutheran, liturgical service before we do each part. We will be focusing only on the first portion of our service today: from the prelude through the Prayer of the Day. This is being done to enhance your understanding and experience of how & why we worship the way we do – because it is different from some of our other Christian sisters & brothers.

First, a word about “LITURGY”. It comes from ancient Greek: la-os meaning ‘people’ and er-gon meaning ‘work’. So, Liturgy means: people at work, or work of the people. Liturgy is an action word, a noun that acts like a verb. It describes the actions and activities of believers as they are gathered, working together in Christ’s name, at worship.

Christians are a family – God’s family, by the waters of Baptism. Like any large family, gathering for worship is like a family reunion. Through hymns and creed, the Readings and the Supper, sermon and prayers, we RE-TELL the story of God’s saving of God’s people. The Story is about things that happened long ago. But, each time we get together for worship, we are adding a new chapter to the Story.

As each family gathers and acts differently, so too Lutherans are not identical in the way we worship. Yet, for most Lutherans, certain facts hold true:
 Our worship follows a common order, or pattern adopted by the Church;
 Our worship is biblical, which means: it has roots in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and uses the language of Scripture to celebrate the Biblical message;
 In the spirit of the Reformation, we worship in the contemporary language (English) of the people and allow lay people and clergy both - to participate actively in leadership;
 Finally, our worship employs the arts – musical and visual – as gifts from God to be used to His glory and for our instruction.

We begin the Service, our Work, with the INVOCATION. These words are to focus us on what we are about to do – worship – & to whom this worship is directed – the Triune God. We invoke, or invite, or call upon God, in whose name we have been baptized, to be present, to bring us His blessing and instruction. Our response, “Amen”, is an ancient declaration. Literally it means, “it shall be so” or “so be it”, even “truly”. Say it with confidence and in faith. You may also make the ‘sign of the Cross’ as “the Son” is said. You touch, with your right middle finger, your forehead, then your tummy, your left breast, then right breast. Luther said this was a good way to remember your Baptism and need for the cross of Christ.
INVOCATION: LBW p. 77
We begin with “Preparation”. Since our arrival at the church facility, we need a process of “attitude adjustment” – beginning with the Prelude. We need to ADJUST our minds, hearts and souls so that we may see clearly that we are in the presence of God.
This hymn corrals our thoughts. It changes week to week to provide variety. It sounds the keynote of the day – that Pastor sometimes announces – if the Sunday is not a major festival. This hymn intends to announce & highlight the Season, the theme and the readings for this particular Sunday in this particular Season of Epiphany in the Church Year.
ENTRANCE HYMN

After recognizing that we are gathered for the worship of the Triune God, we shift our focus from the ADEQUACY of God, to the INADEQUACY of our own selves. We admit at the outset that we are NOT standing before the holy, perfect presence of God because we have a right to be here on our own account. We are to feel troubled, penitent, and contrite. We are to approach God humbly and honestly, knowing we approach God on God’s terms and turf. We may be so humble and honest because we know God’s love seeks us… to forgive us.
We approach God with a public and common confession, asking for God’s cleansing power. Doing so, we recognize that:
 God is all-knowing and all-powerful, that
 God knows us completely already, can read our innermost thoughts and outward actions,
 That we can hide nothing,
 That we need His Holy Spirit to enable us to love him and to bear His name as witnesses,
 And, That we are so bold only because Jesus Christ grants us this privilege.

{ p.77 }
Then, collectively & together, we recognize our sinfulness by announcing to one another = sin’s presence in our lives. To do this, we use Scripture from First John, chap 1, vss 8 & 9:
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Next follows silence for reflection and self-examination of our own individual, particular sins and sinfulness. Then, we lay before God our general / corporate / common confession:
{ }
Now it’s time to re-direct our attention, away from our self & our sin, to God; it is an UP-ward look. It is time to receive a gift from God – the gift of forgiveness, of absolution; we are absolved, set free from the debt of guilt. God speaks these words of forgiveness through the Pastor, God’s spokes-person in worship. We are no longer slaves to sin, we are free people.
{ }
With the Declaration of Forgiveness we are to feel a new peace within and believe a new peace around us. You’ve been un-burdened. You are a new creation now, and so are all your fellow worshippers. Thus we share the greeting of Peace with one another, as we extend the hand of welcome in Christian love & fellowship – as St. Paul tells the Roman Christians.
PASSING THE PEACE

The minister opens with a Greeting from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. Our identity is in God and by God’s presence: we have Grace, Love, Communion & Fellowship. We are to share these, not keep them to ourselves. After the minister blesses us, we respond by wishing the minister the same blessing.

APOSTOLIC GREETING LBW – p. 78

We immediately turn our attention to prayer by sharing the Kyrie [key-ree-a]. Here we pray for general, but important things: for peace, for salvation, for the world, the church, for unity, and for this building itself. The Kyrie is an ancient litany boldly asking God to recognize and address our many needs. The congregation’s response to each prayer-petition is “Lord, have mercy”. In Greek: “Kyrie, eleison” [Key-ree-a E-lay-i-zon].

The KYRIE

Prayer and Praise are instinctive actions for God’s People. Therefore we quickly move to a Hymn of simple, robust Praise. It expresses our joy for the gifts which our Lord brings.
On non-Communion & less festive Sundays, we use the “Glory to God” – an ancient song which begins with the angels’ chorus to the shepherds on Christmas Eve. It then swells into a profound adoration of the Holy Trinity. Let us sing:

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Glory to God in the Highest”

Finally, the Prayer of the Day keynotes, again, the Theme of this Sunday’s worship service.
This Prayer marks the conclusion of the Entrance Rite. Up to this point – WE have been speaking TO God. After this Prayer, God will be speaking to us. We make this OUR Prayer by saying it in unison. We introduce it with a greeting or salutation, in which minister & people mutually ask God’s presence upon each other.
{ PRAYER OF THE DAY }

This concludes our Narration until Feb. 5, with explanation of our Communion Liturgy.
We continue now with the Lessons – as read by our Lector: __________.

NARRATIVE WORSHIP SERVICE - Part IV – February 12, 2006
Good Morning. I am _______________, one of your Narrators this morning for a Narrative Worship service. “Narrative” means an “explained” or “interpreted” worship service. This is the third installment of this series here. Over the last several Sundays we have heard about the Preparatory phase of worship, about the Entrance Rite of worship, and about the Holy Communion liturgy. Today, ________________ and I will “explain” the RESPONSE phase of our worship.
It should be stated in no uncertain terms that, Lutheran worship has a form we feel reflects & rehearses the positive aspects of any relationship – any relationship that has been tried or tested by a grievous wrong. Whether it’s between a student & teacher, a child & parent, an employee & boss, or even between spouses, these relationships may be fractured / tested because of a wrong committed. In our particular case, we are considering a person’s deeds & relationship with God. In this case, we have been the offender.

The FORM we speak of in a relationship that will be restored, begins with the offender approaching the offended to repent, to say we are sorry, to ask for forgiveness. After we make our plea before God, then God speaks to us: first with the words of Absolution, or Forgiveness; then with His words of instruction for avoiding the wrong deeds and His desire for good deeds that are pleasing to Him. Then it is our turn again. We must respond. In worship we respond by professing our faith and making our offering in Thanksgiving.

This Form of worship: Confessing, Listening & Responding actually re-establishes and reconciles our relationship with God. Technically, there are two Phases of our worship.
The First is “The Office of the Word.” It is in worship when we Confess, then Listen, and then Respond to our Gracious God that comprises the “Office of the Word”. We rely on the word of Forgiveness & spoken Word of Scripture & Sermon, to declare God’s Reconciling Love and Divine Call for each of us.

The Second “office” is called “The Office of the Sacrament” – when God also speaks to us in the Holy Communion – through the Body & Blood of His Son, not with words – but with His Word – Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our salvation. This we already explained last Sunday in our Narration.

One last thing should be said about our worship. Though we most often retain the same elements in each worship service, there are options to exercise during our worship. You may notice that in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW), there is red printing between the black portions that we speak & sing. This “red print” is [ru-bricks] Rubrics. They are directions and suggestions to worship leaders.

Some are “permissive rubrics” – they include the word “MAY” in their direction. You “may” say this or you “may” sing this at this time. In other words, we don’t have to do all parts of the service on every Sunday, there is ‘permission’ to select. Whereas, other rubrics say “Shall” – these parts ‘shall’ be included in the work of worship.
For instance, the Confession “may” be omitted, as we usually do in Christmas & Easter celebrations. The Kyrie [key-ree-a] and Hymn of Praise “may” both be omitted or one or the other ‘may’ be omitted. There are also two settings of Hymns to choose between for a particular Sunday – if there is Communion or if it is a special festival Day, OR if it is a penitential [pen-i-ten-sh-ial] Season – like Advent or Lent. The Creed is another ‘optional’ part of our worship, though we frequently include it. All this is to say, “Rubrics” allow for variations in worship, depending on the Season & the Sunday.

Let us begin by invoking God’s Name & Presence, then singing a hymn announcing the theme for this 6th Sunday in Epiphany [E-piff-fanny]. Then we’ll continue by Preparing to Worship our Perfect God, by confessing our Im-perfection. We “approach” with the Brief Order for Confession on page 77. We don’t need to repent or confess to be forgiven by God; HOWEVER, if we seek to be Reconciled to God, we do need to repent and confess our sin and unworthiness. Then God will restore us to right relationship with Him on account of Christ’s sacrifice. After this Gospel is announced, we share The Peace with one another, for now we are free of our bondage to Sin, Death & the Devil.
INVOCATION – Hymn – CONFESSION / ABSOLUTION – PASSING the PEACE

Upon entering God’s presence, we make prayerful petition in chants, then sing His praise using one of two canticles; OR we “may” use a different hymn from the hymnal. We con-clude with the Prayer of the Day – which again states the theme for this Day in a prayer that we share in unison, after Pastor & People mutually ask God’s presence upon each other.
Greeting – Kyrie – Hymn of Praise – Salutation – Prayer of Day

The words of God from Scripture have always been a major element in Christian worship. God is present, again, in the reading and hearing of God’s words to His Old Testament people and to the New Testament Community of faith. The Readings Re-Present God’s will for God’s People – along with the words and deeds of Jesus.
The Sermon is the Church’s response to, and interpretation of, God’s Word. It is usually based on one or more of the Readings, and is the Living Witness of the Gospel – expounding the Word and applying it to our own times and conditions, through the experience of one of our own, the Preacher. Here God’s Word and our Life, hopefully, are intersected.
The Readings – Alleluia – Gospel – Sermon

Following the Sermon we sing of its theme and message with the Hymn of the Day. If not a continuation of that Theme, this Hymn could also be the beginning of our Response to the Word – a song of our commit-ment or witness inspired by the Word. In either case, this Hymn is selected from the Church’s rich treasury of hymns whose origins could be English, American, Scandinavian, African, German, Polish, Oriental, or Indian. Our hymnal contains hymns by Lutherans – as well as by Baptists, Catholics, Methodists & Episcopalians. Differing musical styles remind us that God’s praise may be sung in many & varied ways.

The poetry of hymns hopes to move us to internalize and integrate the Message and move us to action by God’s Grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Each Hymn seeks to express the variety of our responses in melodies – new and old, familiar and contemporary.
Hymn of the Day

The Creed “may” follow – if we choose to include it on a particular Sunday. Each of the three Creeds of the Church embodies the Church’s ancient and universal confession of faith in the One God – known in three persons: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Each of the three Creeds highlights the basic beliefs of Christian Faith, and they are shared & spoken by many Christian denominations and Churches world-wide. Which Creed we use in our worship depends on the Season and the Sunday of the Church Year.

The Athanasian [a-then-nation] Creed is on pages 54 & 55 of the LBW. It was written in the 4th Century to combat a heresy [hair-es-sy] about Jesus’ divinity & humanity. It is seldom used - due to its length and repetition. It is used, perhaps, on Trinity Sunday – as we did last year here.
The Nicene [ny-seen] Creed was approved in 325 AD at the Council of Nicea [ny-see-ah] and confirmed in 381 AD. It specifically lifts up the equality of the three Persons of the Trinity and it also expands on the purpose & work of Jesus. It is usually used on Festivals, and stresses the corporate faith of the Church by stating: “WE believe….”
The Apostles’ Creed first appeared in the 2nd Century as a Baptismal-creedal confession. It took on its present form between 750 and 800 AD. It expresses a more personal expression of faith by using the “I believe…” formula. Using it, we are reminded of the Faith into which we are Baptized, and also by which we are united with Christians everywhere.

Whichever Creed we use, we recite the sweep of God’s dramatic story of salvation: by Creation, in Jesus, and through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we say the Creed together, we are encouraged by the other Christians who believe as we do – or as we seek to believe, as the Church has confessed for 2 millennia. Indeed: the Father created us; the Son redeem-ed us; and the Spirit sustains us. It is the Church’s Creed, describing saving-faith.
The Apostles’ CREED

We have confessed our God on our lips. Now we confess to this God with our Offerings.
See how “Responding” to God’s Grace is built into the Liturgy. Here we return to God a portion of our Time, our Talents and our Treasures to support the ministry of the church at home and abroad. These are the tangible expressions of our love and gratitude for all God has given us. Our Offering is a sign of our physical and spiritual indebtedness to God. What God gives, we are not to “keep”. We are to use - as stewards or managers - what God gives.
We must be Right-on-the-Money, because the problem is NOT that money can buy almost anything we want. The problem IS that we tend to want only what money can buy. When the Offering is gathered, it is brought forward – as to God – and presented at His Altar. As it is brought forward, we stand – symbolizing our bodies are also being offered – and we sing words from Psalm 51 = this is our hope and prayer.
Offering Gathered – Offertory Hymn & Prayer
With our involvement in worship, we’ve been sensitized to & strengthened by God’s Word. Now we can pray for the needs of the world, the church, and particular individuals. We do not leave the “world” outside the door of the church. God is involved with the world; he created it; he cares for it; and God has a future for the world. Therefore, we intercede for the world and for specific needs in it. These prayers form a fitting conclusion to our Response in this Service. Our prayers are to be as specific and as wide as God’s own love. We make these our petitions & our requests, by responding to each with: “Hear our prayer”.
The Prayers

We close these Prayers with the Lord’s Prayer. Technically, we should call it “the Disciples’ Prayer” because Jesus gave it to his disciples to pray. Whatever we may call it, it is the one prayer the whole Church uses. With it we pray with and for all Christians world-wide. Notice we are not praying for ourselves alone. Jesus has us pray throughout for “us” and “our” – NOT for “me” and “mine”. We are not alone in faith or need; it is our common, corporate prayer for the Ages. Let us pray in the Name of Jesus with the Prayer our Lord taught us:
The Lord’s Prayer

PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CONCERNS

We are about to be scattered once again. Let us remember that we were gathered to center our lives on God’s Love & Grace. Liturgy [li-ter-gee] bring us into harmony with God. We are reminded that it is God who is at work FOR us, and it is God at work AMONG us. And it is Liturgy that re-tells God’s “I Love You” to us, and directs our “I love you” to God. We have used this Liturgy so that we may hear that and respond to that: TOGETHER – As Family!

With this, our worship is ending. We sing one more hymn to summarize & solidify our theme for this Sunday. Every effort is made, when possible, to select a hymn that is also familiar – one you can whistle or hum on your way home – where your real service begins. This is why you have been Forgiven and Instructed. Beyond those doors, God will go with you. God will help you live out your hope, your commitment and your love for your neighbor. It is to reach around the world. So we sing of the call and we sing of the challenge.
Closing Hymn
This concludes our Narration. Our “work of worship” is not so much a “public display” or performance as much as it is supposed to be a privilege and a “public witness”. The “public” part begins as you leave. To help you “go public” – we share a Benediction, a Blessing Moses gave to Aaron to use. It not only Empowers you to go into the world, it also Impels you to share God’s Love.

Here you have been Refreshed, Renewed, and Readied for service. Go making the sign of the Cross, remembering your Baptism – that made you a member of the Family of God and gave you a Divine purpose. Depart knowing your Response continues with a mission and a ministry to all you meet. May your life reflect the words: THANKS BE TO GOD!
Benediction and Dismissal

NARRATIVE WORSHIP SERVICE – Part II – February 19, 2006

Good Morning. I am ___________, one of your Narrators this morning for a Narrative Worship Service. “Narrative” means an “explained” or “interpreted” worship service.
____________ and I will be explaining, interpreting, narrating different parts of our Lutheran liturgical service before we do each part. We will be focusing on the portion of our service today: from the Lessons to the Hymn of the Day – after the Sermon, to enhance your understanding and experience of HOW and WHY we worship the way we do – a way that is consistent with and characteristic of the mainstream of Christian worship for the past 2,000 years.

We believe worship is to be God-Centered, not man-centered. Our participation in worship is our RESPONSE to the experience of our encounter with God. To some our worship may appear strange & formal. We prefer to think it as beautiful, dignified & satisfying of our deepest needs & rhythms.

Even in Luther’s day, some insisted that the Roman Catholic liturgical worship service should be suppressed. However, Luther was a Reformer, not an iconoclast. He embraced & retained liturgical worship so long as it was in accord with the teaching of the Gospel. Lutheran reformers wrote: “We do not abolish the Mass but religiously keep and defend it… Only that which is contrary to the Gospel is rejected.” This is one reason that Lutheran & Catholic worship services are so similar today – we have ‘dipped from the same historical bucket of worship practices’ since the early Christian community gathered in worship.

The Divine-Plan for Life is expressed in our Liturgical worship. Worship: Re-calls & Re-presents, Re-flects & Re-hearses the sweep of God’s Salvation History. It is hoped that each Sunday worship service emphasizes this Divine-Drama. With this Narrative, we hope you experience an awareness of what is happening during our time together SO THAT you may experience our worship AS a personal encounter with the God that holds and enfolds each of us together.

Beginning with the Prelude, our Service is marked with the note of “attitude adjustment”.
We gather for different reasons and with different needs each Sunday. Some come to find release from sin & guilt; some come to pour out requests to God; some come to hear an encouraging word; some come looking to celebrate. Our Liturgy takes all those reasons and needs, all those attitudes, and prepares us for what God seeks to give.

We begin, then, by Invoking, Inviting and Naming the God in whom we were Baptized, to be present to bring us His blessing and instruction.
Your response, “Amen”, is an ancient declaration that literally means, “So be it”. Make the sign of the Cross to remember your Baptism, in recognition of your need for Christ’s Cross to be Saved.
The Entrance Hymn begins our worship. It highlights the theme of the Season of the Church Year, as well as to keynote the theme of a particular Sunday, Today: the 7th Sunday after the Epiphany.

Then we turn from the Adequacy of God, to the Inadequacy of our own selves. We are invited to Repent and Confess. Repentance and Confession are needed if we are to be RECONCILED with God. So we begin our worship with occasion to confess our inadequacies & imperfections. With Absolution, we are free – reconciled with God. We share the Peace of that new identity.
INVOCATION / Entrance Hymn / Order for Confession & Forgiveness / Passing the Peace

We immediately turn our attention to prayer with the Kyrie [key-ree-a]. The congregations’ response is “Lord, have mercy”. In Greek it is: “Kyrie, eleison” [Key-ree-a, E-lay-i-zon].
Then we sing a Hymn of Praise. On non-Communion Sundays, it is “Glory to God”. This is an ancient song that recalls the Angels’ message at Christmas time. On Communion Sundays, we use a longer form, “This is the Feast”, selecting apocalyptic themes from the Revelation of St. John. Today we use the text & tune of the McKeever communion liturgy.
The Prayer of the Day follows. It keynotes the Theme of this Sunday’s service again. We introduce it with a greeting in which the Pastor and people mutually ask God’s presence upon each other.

Kyrie and Hymn of Praise (cantor) and Prayer of the Day

Up to this point in the Service, we have been speaking TO God. God now speaks TO US. The Prayer of the Day marks the conclusion of the “Entrance Rite” of our Service. It forms the bridge to the Proclamation of the WORD. Therefore, we now turn to the Bible.

When we read the Lessons from the Bible, we hear the stories about people and their relationship to God in their daily lives. Their time and space is far removed from our time and space by many centuries. Yet, the themes then, are the same as those today: sickness and health, joy & sorrow, injustice & oppression, war & peace, hunger & food, death and life.

These words from the Bible are not ‘mere’ words. We hear more than just what God did centuries ago. The God who spoke these Words to Israel and to the early Christian community, NOW speaks to US. Through these words God reveals His will for our lives. We are not only being instructed in the history of God’s dealings with humanity, but we are also being called and being grasped by this Life-Giving Word NOW.

Along with Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, and some other Christian churches, we use a Common Lectionary [ lek- shun - ary ] = a set of Lessons for each Sunday. These cycle every three years. The Readings include the major themes and authors in the Bible, selected to inform our faith with highlights and highpoints of the faithful before us. These reveal how God helped people of old SO THAT we may learn how God helps us here and now.

The First Reading is a selection from the Hebrew Scriptures, EXCEPT during the 7 weeks of Easter – when our readings are appointed from the New Testament book: Acts of the Apostles – about the newly created resurrection-community of faith. The First Reading from the Old Testament is the memory of God’s gracious activity on behalf of the Israelites. The passage usually has some relation or parallel to the Gospel Reading for the day.

FIRST READING

The Second Reading is from a Letter, or an Epistle, in the New Testament. Half of these were written by Saint Paul – who was once an enemy of Christians. However, the Risen Lord changed his life. He became the Church’s greatest Thinker, Missionary and Writer. He and the other Apostles, once they moved out to spread the Word of Christ, established many faith communities. They all knew the hardships new Christians faced, so they wrote letters to these churches to encourage & instruct them about living as God’s People. These Epistles from those Missionaries have a lot to say to us today about living as God’s people in “this” world as well.
We follow the Readings with a chanted Psalm variation – which was the Old Testament hymnbook.

SECOND READING & Psalm sung

The climax of the Proclamation of the Word from the Bible is the reading of the Gospel. The Gospel Reading presents us with the words and acts of Jesus himself. According to the Lectionary: Matthew, Mark and Luke are each featured in one of the 3 years in the reading cycle. We are beginning the ‘Year of Mark’ (Series B). Readings from the Gospel of John are interspersed among all three years in the cycle. With the reading of the Gospel Lesson, the WORD becomes flesh again for us – they are the words and deeds of Jesus.

In the liturgical sense, Christ himself speaks to us through the Gospel – and the reading of it.
Because Christ is present to us in the Gospel, we rise to greet the Lord and His words. Also, in anticipation of the hearing, we usually sing a Verse that begins with “Alleluia”, a Hebrew word for “victory” – used because our Lord has defeated Death. The Verse also includes the words of St. Peter from John 6:68, when Jesus asked the Disciples if they too wanted to leave Him because his words were so “hard” for some followers.

“Alleluia” Verse - Gospel Reading

A sermon follows. With the Sermon, God’s Word is brought into our lives with meaning and power. God confronts us, in our own language, with a Word to liberate and invigorate our hearts and limbs. The sermon is not to be a series of ‘pertinent remarks’ about Christian living. If that is all there is, the words of the Gospel are empty and dead. Rather, they must come alive; they must become our words ‘inside’ by a process internalizing this Good News Gospel. Jesus’ words are not just for those in Jesus’ day; they are to each of us.

The Sermon is not to be a display of the preacher’s speaking skills, or lack thereof. In one way or another, the preacher seeks to plant God’s Life into yours’. He or she is a living witness of the Gospel, applying God’s Word to your own time and condition. Through the apostolic ministry of the Church, our Lord continues to Teach & Heal, Reconcile & Strengthen His people for daily living – in the midst of all your struggles with Sin as a saint - and a sinner at the same time.

As we listen, we are to make the connections between God’s Word and our individual worlds.
Using his or her gifts and training in a creative way, the Preacher becomes God’s spokes-person to clarify how God acts in our lives continually and powerfully. However, more important than the Sermon, is your Response to its proclamation by your Applying it to Life with those around you.

The Sermon

The final Explanation in today’s Narration concerns the Hymn of the Day. This Hymn is selected because it relates to and reinforces the themes of the Season, Lessons and Sermon.
It is our opportunity to express them in poetry and song. It is our opportunity to ponder their message and calling from the Church’s rich treasury of music that many generations have used to praise God and inspire faith.
Hymn of the Day

We continue our Worship with the Offering … but we’re concluding the Narration. Be Seated.