Lutheran Worship

Lutheran Worship is Christ-Centered Worship

Worship in the context of Lutheranism is not a focus on what we do but primarily on what God does for us, and then secondly, our response in service to Almighty God in thanksgiving and praise.  

Historically the time of gathering for worship was called the Divine Service (and in some churches this terminology is still used), which emphasizes the point that when we gather in worship as followers of Christ we are being served by God. 

Within the context of the historic liturgy of the Church, there are times when God descends to meet us with His saving grace - these are Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, Holy Absolution, and the reading of Holy Scripture.  

When instituting the Divine Service, Luther was clear on the importance of retaining much of what had been practiced in the centuries before, while implementing key differences in the theology which accompanied some of these practices.   

At the heart of Lutheran worship is a focus on Jesus Christ and His presence in Word and Sacrament.  God gathers us for worship to serve us through the reading of his Word, the body and blood of his Son, and the forgiveness of sin through the absolution pronounced to all who repent.

Feeling, emotion, and experience, have become so important in the world today that these very things have slipped into how many see Church. The Lutheran Way is to look to Christ and what he has done for us. We should see this in the readings of Scriputre, the message and in all of the music, whether ancient hymns, modern hymns, or contemporary chorus, all of whcih should be a proclaim what we believe, being true to Scripture and to our confessions.