Preparing for Worship | October 30, 2022

On October 30 we will observe the celebration of the Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, which is widely considered to be the event that began the Lutheran Reformation. This year, we'll consider how the Reformation impacted Lutheran Worship

View this week's worship folder here.

Watch worship live on Sunday at 9 a.m. or anytime after on demand here.

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LCMS Lectionary Summary

Readings

Revelation 14:6–7
Romans 3:19–28
John 8:31–36 or Matthew 11:12–19
 
The Son of God Has Set Us Free from Sin and Death by His Grace
 
“Wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matt. 11:19), and the true Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son, justifies us by His deeds. He prepares His way by the preaching of repentance, but He has suffered the violence of the Law and voluntarily handed Himself over to violent men, that we might eat and drink with Him in His Kingdom and “remain in the house forever” (John 8:35). For He is “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 11:19), and He has rescued us by His grace from the slavery of sin and death. By the proclamation of His eternal Gospel “to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people” (Rev. 14:6), “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (Rom. 3:21), “that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). And by hearing the Gospel of Christ Jesus, “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:25), “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

Worship

During the month of October, we will use Divine Service, Setting 5. This setting of the Divine Service is an English adaptation of Martin Luther's German Mass (Deutsche Messe). Divine Service, Setting 5 is a hymn service. This service setting will also serve as a lesson for this year's Reformation sermon.

To learn more about Divine Service, Setting 5, click here

Hymns

In addition to the hymns for Reformation, we will have a special setting of Psalm 46 by Katrina Jurica for our Psalmody between the Old Testament Reading and the Epistle.

Because there are many hymns that constitute the liturgy of Divine Service, Setting 5, we will limit additional hymns for this month. In addition to the liturgical hymns, we will also sing a Hymn of the Day and Distribution Hymns.

The hymn numbers are from Lutheran Service Book (LSB). 

A Mighty Fortress (LSB 656) is among the most recognizable of Martin Luther's hymns and is often called the battle hymn of the Reformation. This hymn is a loose paraphrase of Psalm 46, which will serve as our Psalmody for the day.

This recording is from a past Higher Things conference. Listen to the interesting conclusion to the third stanza.

By Grace I'm Saved (LSB 566) is an excellent Reformation hymn (even though it didn't originate during the Reformation itself). It's an excellent ode to the grace of God with a delightful distinction between Law and Gospel. 

This recording comes from another Higher Things conference, held at the chapel of Concordia University Wisconsin.

In keeping with the theme of Higher Things conferences, this recording of Thy Strong Word (LSB 578) captures the strength of this hymn. This hymn, written by Martin Franzmann in the 20th century, captures an essential teaching of the Reformation in its third stanza: Thy strong word bespeaks us righteous. 

We are saved by grace, through faith, from God's Word alone.