Lutherans use the term Divine Service instead of worship service. It is not just that it comes from a German word, although it does "Gottesdienst" is a German word, and it means the "service of God" or "God's service." Worship doesn't originate from us; it originates from God.
Many of our churches have gone back to the old practice of having communion every week. The reason we like "Divine Service" as a term- worship isn't something we bring out of our virtues, is not something we bring out of our philosophical or poetic or affective appreciation of who God is. It's not something He is waiting to receive from us as if, Oh, please worship me. I need some worship; my worship meter is low, like in a video game or something. True Christian worship is all done in response to what God has done for us.
What does God do for us in the Divine Service? ottesdienst, Dr. Ph
+Gives us absolution spoken by the pastor.
+Gives us Law & Gospel (sermon)
+Gives us Jesus Christ, i.e., the sacrifice offered on the cross; we get to eat and drink this as an assurance and communication of the forgiveness in life won for us by that sacrifice. It's not just a memory; He is doing it through His living Word, and through His Sacrament, we experience it in real time.
All worship we give in God's direction- our prayers we pray, hymns we sing, and responsive reading- are saying back to God what he has told us. We are unworthy, but we realize God has saved us by His great mercy and respond in faith, relief, and gratitude towards God.
-Dr. Eric Phillips
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