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Over the years I have written several "book" or "booklets" and many, many, many newsletter and bulletin articles. Because the book market seeks writings to meet specific needs at specific times, my material has never been accepted. I have a tendency to write what is on my mind and so I am left with self publishing. So, with the encouragement from my wife and others, I am beginning this blog in order to put my "ramblings" "out there"! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer

Please note that while my intentions are to use good grammar, because of the way in which some of the material presented here is presented (orally) the grammar and syntax might not always be the best English. Also note that good theology is not always presented in the best English so there may be times when the proper grammar rules are purposely broken.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Lutheran Vocational Evangelism

(Explaining Lutheran Worship (Part One))

As our friends “Come and see” Jesus in the Divine Service it may be helpful to explain how the Divine Service is a reflection of and flows from what we believe. First and foremost in the Divine Service God is the one who is the prime mover and the one who acts first. God comes to us in the Divine Service through the means of grace to give to us. Our response is just that a response, moved in us by God to speak back to Him. And we worship best when we speak back to Him the very Words He has given us to say. Thus, we see how our Divine Service is permeated with the Word of God.

We even call our worship Divine Service because Divine Service means God service. God is coming to us to give us the gifts.  He has to give, faith, forgiveness, life and salvation.

Our Divine Service follows a liturgy a form which goes back to the early church of the first century and even flows out of the ceremonial laws given in Leviticus, except that today it is in its fulfilled form. Thus, our Divine Service is not a contemporary, that is with time or set in time, or here today and gone tomorrow service. Rather our Divine Service transcends time. Our Divine Service is for yesterday, for today and will continue for tomorrow. Just as our hymns are not of certain time, place or culture (ethnicity), but transcend time, place and culture. Our hymns are hymns from around the world and from many different times of history.

Every Sunday morning we give up our favorite genre or style of music and instead we worship in the style of Divine Service which is its own style, which transcends time, which transcends cultures.

Our Divine Service is a service of order which reflects the fact that we worship a God of good order. Finally, it may be good to go through the good order of the Divine Service, explaining the parts so that your friend might understand what is happening in the Divine Service and get more out of it by putting more into it.

(More about the parts of the service in the next installment.)
27 of 52    © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)

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