Worship Resources

Order For Confession and Forgiveness (PDF)

The Grammar of the Gospel (PDF)

“Not, Beneficium Acceptum, Sed Datum” (PDF) (Not A Benefit Received But A Benefit Conferred)

The New Worship Resources Project

Augsburg Lutheran Churches is developing new worship resources and reviewing existing worship resources as it continues work on a “New Worship Resources” CD-rom. Dr. Dennis and Darla Bielfeldt wrote a jazz setting for Rite 2 of the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary for our 2004 gathering in Brookings.  The Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH) is a successor to the (former) ELC Lutheran Hymnary.  Many of our members are interested in new musical settings that use words which are faithful to our Lutheran heritage.  

Worship Guidelines

Lutheran worship is God-initiated, where the union of God and His people is consummated in the giving and receiving of the gift of justifying faith through the proclaimed Word and sacraments.  Weekly worship is not basically evangelistic, but edifying for the assembly of believers.  Evangelism, however can occur in various aspects of the divine service.  We come before God to confess our sin and receive absolution, hear God’s word, and respond with faith and prayer. 500 fast cash At a minimum, divine worship includes confession of sin and absolution, the proclamation of the Word in law and gospel and prayer. The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are desirable inclusions.  Of primary importance are the sermon (understood as absolution) the Word proclaimed, and the Words of Institution. We retain what is best in the tradition of the church. The traditional worship order is based upon the mass and is a treasure in Lutheran worship. The ordinary, or consistent, parts include the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei.  Other prayers, psalms, responses, and scripture vary with the season of the At a minimum, divine worship includes confession of sin and absolution, the proclamation of the Word in law and gospel and prayer. The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are desirable inclusions.  Of primary importance are the sermon (understood as absolution) the Word proclaimed, and the Words of Institution. We retain what is best in the tradition of the church. The traditional worship order is based upon the mass and is a treasure in Lutheran worship. The ordinary, or consistent, parts include the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei.  Other prayers, psalms, responses, and scripture vary with the season of the The weekly repetition of the Lord’s Prayer and the creed ( and other parts of the service) are edifying to the worshippers. The invariability of these spoken or sung parts benefits even children and the disabled, enabling them to participate in worship in meaningful and faithful ways.  The person ultimately responsible for worship is the pastor whose office was divinely instituted to preach the Word and administer the sacraments , the basis of Lutheran worship. Proclaiming the gospel and forgiveness of sins are the pastor’s primary tasks. The sermon is no less than God‘s Word.  Dynamic preaching requires careful, prayerful preparation and is the best evangelism tool. When Holy Communion is offered, the Words of Institution are proclaimed alone, not within a eucharistic prayer. The host is Lord Jesus, and the direction is from God to the people. The elements of communion are placed upon the altar before the service, again to prevent the impression and belief that God’s people sacrifice anything that adds to Christ’s one-time sacrifice.  Pre-consecration and use of a tabernacle to hold the elements of communion are not scriptural.  “The Liturgy” or divine service with its basic order is the standard for weekly worship, although other orders (such as matins) may be used. We encourage variety in musical settings for the ordinary parts of the service.  

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH)

“The ELH represents a marriage of two American Lutheran traditions of worship. It bears the imprint of the Lutheran Hymnary of 1913, a work produced for use by the various Norwegian groups in the country at that time, and The Lutheran Hymnal of 1941, prepared by a committee from the Synodical Conference, with the influential leadership of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.” More background information, including complete text of indexes can be found at http://www.blc.edu/comm/gargy/gargy1/ELH.html. Where to find the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH): The ELH is available for $15.00. An accompaniment edition is also available for $15.00. Bethany Bookstore Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN – Phone 507-344-7346 – Fax 507-344-7376 – Email: bookstor@blc.edu We would like to know what you think of this resource. Please share your review in the comments sections below:  

Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW)

Many of our congregations continue to use the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some congregations also occasionally use settings from the old Service Book and Hymnal (SBH) published in 1958.

Other Resources

This Is the Feast by Marty Haugen is a great liturgical setting for congregations that include newer hymns and praise songs from With One Voice (WOV) , the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH) and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW).  We recommend using rubric #33 from the LBW in place of the Eucharistic Prayer in This Is the Feast that embeds the words of institution in the prayer.

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