Service of the word

This order was originally prepared by the Department of Liturgics and released in 1991 in a booklet by the Board for Congregational Life for use in the Lutheran Church of Australia.

NOTES

1	This service order may be used when holy communion is not celebrated. It is modelled on the ‘Service of the Word’ in Lutheran Book of Worship. It is basically a spoken order, although hymns and sung versions may be substituted for various parts, as indicated below.

The wording of the opening responses (Rev 19:6,7; 4:8; 5:12; 1:5,6; 5:13) is composite, based on the Good News Bible (Today’s English Version, TEV) and the New International Version (NIV). The verses may be spoken responsively by leader and congregation. Alternative responses, appropriate for seasons of the church year, are provided at the end. Where this order is used frequently, congregations are encouraged to make use of these seasonal emphases. All these responses are based on the TEV.

The version of the Old Testament canticle given here is composite, based mainly on the NIV. An alternative canticle, again mainly NIV, is provided at the end. The canticle may be spoken in unison or antiphonally; alternatively a sung canticle may be used, or a psalm may be sung or said, or a hymn may be sung.

The Song of Mary is traditionally part of vespers, but since vespers is seldom used by most congregations this canticle may be used as the New Testament canticle here. The version is that prepared by the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC). It may be spoken in unison or antiphonally. A sung version could be used instead. Two alternative spoken canticles are provided at the end; Eph 1:3–10 is according to TEV, and Matt 5:3–10 according to NRSV. Other canticles, spoken or sung, could be used instead.

OUTLINE OF THE ORDER

Opening responses

Hymn

Confession and absolution

Apostles’ Creed

Old Testament canticle

Prayer of the day (collect)

Readings

Psalm/hymn

Sermon

Hymn

Offering

Prayer of the church

Lord’s Prayer

New Testament canticle

Hymn

Blessing

Seasonal blessings

Seasonal opening responses

Alternative canticles

Service of the word

OPENING RESPONSES

Praise God! For the Lord our God is King.

Let us rejoice and be glad; let us praise his greatness.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was, and is, and is to come.

Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,

to receive honour and glory and praise.

He loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,

be praise and honour and glory and power, forever and ever. Amen.

	HYMN
	CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Let us confess our sins in the presence of God and of each other.

We confess to you, almighty God,

before the whole company of heaven,

and to each other,

that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed

by our own fault.

Have mercy on us, for Jesus’ sake,

forgive us all our sins,

and bring us to eternal life. Amen.

The almighty and merciful Lord grants you pardon; in his name, I forgive you all your sins.

Amen.

APOSTLES’ CREED

As God’s people through our baptism into Christ, let us confess our faith.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven,

and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty,

from thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen

*or: Christian; 'catholic' here means 'universal'

OLD TESTAMENT CANTICLE

The following (Isaiah 12:1–6) or another canticle is sung or said.

I will thank you, Lord.

Although you were angry with me,

your anger has turned away

and you have comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust him and not be afraid.

The Lord God is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done,

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout and sing for joy, people of Zion,

for Israel’s holy God is great, and he lives among you.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray ... one God, now and forever.

Amen.

READINGS

A period of silence may follow

PSALM/HYMN

SERMON

HYMN

OFFERING

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

LORD’S PRAYER

Finally, let us pray for all those things which our Lord would have us ask, saying:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen.

NEW TESTAMENT CANTICLE

The following (Song of Mary) or another canticle is sung or said.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

who has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed.

The Almighty has done great things for me

and holy is his name.

God has mercy on those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

The Lord has shown strength with his arm

and scattered the proud in their conceit,

casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

God has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

to remember the promise of mercy,

the promise made to our forebears,

to Abraham and his children forever.

	HYMN
	BLESSING

The seasonal blessing may be said.

The blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you always.

Amen.

SEASONAL BLESSINGS

ADVENT

(May) Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shine on you and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory; and the blessing…

CHRISTMAS

(May) Christ the Son of God give you joy and peace by his presence with you; and the blessing ...

EPIPHANY

(May) God the Father show you the light of his glory in the face of his Son, so that you may be a light to the world; and the blessing ...

LENT

(May) Christ our crucified Saviour draw you to himself, so that you may find in him the assurance of sins forgiven and the gift of eternal life; and the blessing ...

EASTER

(May) The God of peace, who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, provide you with every good thing you need in order to do his will; and the blessing ...

ASCENSION

(May) Christ our exalted king pour on you his abundant gifts and bring you to reign67ith him in glory; and the blessing ...

PENTECOST

(May) The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope; and the blessing ...

TRINITY SUNDAY

(May) God the holy Trinity, who has created, redeemed, and sanctified you, bring you to know and to adore him as one God; and the blessing ...

SEASONAL OPENING RESPONSES

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS/EPIPHANY

Praise to David’s Son!

God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light.

They lived in a land of shadows,

but now light is shining on them.

The Lord has given them great joy;

he has made them happy.

They rejoice in what he has done,

as people rejoice when they harvest grain.

His royal power will continue to grow;

his kingdom will always be at peace.

[Matt 21:9; Luke 2:14; Isa 9:2,3,7]

LENT

Christ himself suffered for us and left us an example,

so that we would follow in his steps.

He committed no sin,

and no-one ever heard a lie come from his lips.

When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult;

when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.

Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross,

so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.

It is by his wounds

that we have been healed.

We were like sheep that had lost their way,

but now we have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of our souls.

[1 Pet 2:21–25]

EASTER

I will sing to the Lord,

because he has won a glorious victory.

The Lord is my strong defender;

he is the one who has saved me.

His right hand is awesome in power;

it breaks the enemy in pieces.

Faithful to his promise, he led the people he had rescued;

by his strength he guided them to his sacred land.

He brings them in and plants them on his mountain,

the place that he has chosen for his home,

the temple that he himself has built.

The Lord will be king forever and ever.

[Exod 15:1,2,6,13,17,18]

ALTERNATIVE OLD TESTAMENT CANTICLES

SEEK THE LORD (Isa 55:6–11)

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for sowing and food to eat,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

METRICAL VERSION OF ISAIAH 12

(has been set to music by Alan Collyer)

Refrain:

The Lord our God is holy.

The Lord our God is great.

He lives here with his people.

The Lord our God is holy.

1.	The day has come for singing; I praise you, gracious Lord, for comforting your people. Your anger now has gone.

2.	I trust in you, my Saviour, and I am not afraid. You rescue me from ruin; you are my strength and song.

3.	The reign of death is over; the time for joy has come. From springs of living water we draw new life and strength.

4.	The Lord is your strong fortress. Call on his name for help! He cares for all the nations. Tell them what he has done.

5.	You citizens of Zion, rejoice and shout for joy! Proclaim God's great achievements to people everywhere!

[wording: John Kleinig]

ALTERNATIVE NEW TESTAMENT CANTICLES

LET US GIVE THANKS TO GOD (Eph 1:3–10)

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world.

Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ,

so that we would be holy and without fault before him.

Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children — this was his pleasure and purpose.

Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son!

For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.

How great is the grace of God, which he gave to us in such large measure!

In all his wisdom and insight God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ.

This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT (Matt 5:3–10)

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

METRICAL VERSION OF MATTHEW 5:3–10

(has been set to music by Alan Collyer)

1.	Blest are all the poor in spirit, the kingdom of the Lord is theirs; those weighed down with grief and mourning, for God himself will comfort them.

Refrain:

How happy are the poor in spirit;

the kingdom of heav'n belongs to them.

2.	Blest are all the meek and lowly, the earth is their inheritance; those who yearn for what is righteous, for God will satisfy their thirst.

6.	Blest are those who show forgiveness, for God is merciful to them; those whose hearts are pure and holy, for they will see the Lord himself.

4.	Blest are all the peaceful people, who work to bring God's peace on earth; God will call them his own children, the brothers, sisters of his Son.

5.	Blest are all the persecuted, because they follow righteousness; God himself is standing by them, the kingdom of the Lord is theirs.

[wording: David Schubert]

METRICAL VERSION OF ‘SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD’ (SALVATOR MUNDI)

(has been set to music by Sue Collyer)

1.	Jesus, Saviour of the world, come in mercy, set us free.