The reason for including these readings is the scriptural principle that God's Word is the only rule and guide for Christian faith and living. The Service of the Word concludes with the sermon (which is the preached word), the church's confession of faith in response to God's Word and the prayers of God's people.

The Introit (Latin word meaning "he enters into" or "entrance") like the call of a trumpet begins this section of the service. The Introit is the remnant of congregational chanting of Psalms at the beginning of the service that announce the theme of the day and begins the Service of the Word. It may be read or chanted by the congregation; chanted by the Choir, Pastor or Elder, or simply read by the Pastor or Elder. Then glowing with gratitude, the congregation praises the changeless God in the words of the Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father. . .).

The next portion of the Ordinary is called the Kyrie (Greek word meaning "O Lord" which was shortened from the original Greek words, Kyrie Eleison, meaning "Lord Have Mercy"). We look to God for help and relief from our physical weakness; thus the Kyrie is a cry to the Lord for help and strength. In ancient times the crowds would shout, "Lord, have mercy" as the king entered their town. The church has taken over this prayer to greet its King, Jesus Christ, in the church service. As the people long ago expected help from their king, so we Christians expect blessings from our Savior. It is the knock on the door to open God's heart to our prayers. It is not another confession of sins; instead, it is a prayer for help.

We use two Hymns of Praise. First, the Gloria in Excelsis or "Glory to God in the highest" is used in Christmas, Epiphany, and Pentecost seasons. "This is the feast of victory" is reserved primarily for the Easter season and the latter part of the Pentecost season. Both give the congregation the opportunity to praise God and express joy because Jesus is our victorious Savior. During Advent and Lent the Hymn of Praise is omitted.
We are nearing the first climax of the service in which God comes to us as His Word is read and preached.
But first the Pastor and the people express their oneness in the Salutation. In the Salutation, the Pastor and the congregation greet each other in the Lord's name. This is kind of a spoken handshake. Pastor and congregation express mutual desire for the presence of God with each other: (Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And with thy spirit.)

Now we prepare, through prayer, to hear and receive the blessings which the lessons of the day, the Old Testament Lesson, the Epistle, and Gospel for the Day have in store for us. The Collect of the Day, which changes each Sunday, is so named because it is a short prayer containing the main thoughts of the day that are "collected" or summarized. The collects for the various seasons of the church year have come to us from the rich treasury of the church's heritage.

We are about to receive God's answer to our prayer for help. He comes to us mightily in His Word and dwells in us. This will happen as we use the Word of God in five different elements of the services: The Old Testament, Epistle, Gospel, Creed, and Sermon. This is the first climax of our service and our hearts should quicken in anticipation.

The First or Old Testament Lesson, as the name indicates, is a lesson from the Old Testament. The exception is during Easter season where this lesson comes from the Book of Acts. It serves also to remind us that the Old Testament people of God belong to the New and the New Testament people belong to the Old. We make one communion. This reading usually relates to the Gospel of the day.

Of note, Divine Service III is based on Luther's German Mass (1526). The German Mass and Order of Service, Luther said, was prepared for those lay folk "unlearned" [in the Christian faith] since "the gospel must be publicly preached [to such people] to move them to believe and become Christians." Luther's structure, outfitted with new tunes and texts, can serve also contemporary needs. One might call this new hymnic setting an "American Mass" because it employs tunes widely known and used in the United States. One notable exception of Divine Service III to the other Divine Services is that the Old Testament Lesson is normally omitted as the Gospel is emphasized more in this service than the Old Testament. If an Old Testament reading is included, a Gradual or Psalm is used before the Epistle Lesson.

The Gradual, a Latin expression meaning, "step," is a Scripture passage for each season of the church year. It is a response to the First Lesson and a bridge to the Second Lesson. Sometimes a Psalm is sung or spoken. (As noted in the paragraph just above, in services that do not have an Old Testament reading, i.e., our Divine Service III, the Gradual would follow the Epistle lesson.)
The Second or Epistle Lesson, meaning "letter," is from one of the epistle books of the New Testament in which we are taught something for our daily lives.

We are nearing the reading of the Gospel Lesson, which is a selection from the accounts of the life of our Lord recorded by the four evangelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. Christ is with us in the Gospel reading; thus, when the Gospel is announced, the congregation rises to honor the Risen Lord, whose story and words are about to be read.

As well, we sing versicles (short phrases of praise) before and after the reading of the Gospel, i.e., "Glory to you, O Lord . . . Praise to you, O Christ."

The Hymn of the Day follows the theme of the readings and sets the stage for the sermon. It has been chosen in keeping with the Propers for the day and to prepare us for the sermon.

The Sermon is where the pastor proclaims God's Word and applies that Word to modern life and problems. He stresses both what God demands of us (the Law) and what God does for us through Jesus Christ (the Gospel). Oftentimes the sermon concludes with the Pastor speaking a blessing on the congregation, e.g., "the Peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting."

After hearing the Word of God read and proclaimed, the congregation responds with its confession of faith in the words of either the Nicene or Apostle's Creed. It is customary for the Nicene Creed to be spoken when Holy Communion is celebrated and on major festivals. The Apostle's creed is used at other times.
(In Divine Services I and III the Creed precedes the Sermon and Hymn of the Day. In Divine Service II, both First and Second Settings, the Creed follows the Sermon. There appears to be no significant relationship to this shift other than tradition.)