Worship

An Explanation of Worship at Trinity

As Lutherans, we call our church service the Divine Service because this is where God comes to serve His people through Word and Sacrament to forgive them, to speak to them, to listen to them, to give them His very self, to bless them, and to go with them back into their daily lives. It is God's service to His people.

This can seem unusual to some. They tend to ask questions like, “Why is your worship so traditional? Why don't you have more contemporary songs?” In answer, we would say that our liturgical service focuses on the treasure of God's Word. God's work in Christ is the basis of the Christian Church, and this shapes how we worship. The liturgy frames and sets our theology of God coming to us in Christ, who is revealed in His preached Word and in His Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper (1 John 5:6-9).

The Divine Service is God-centered and not human-centered. It is structured differently than many modern church services, ordered and informed by a liturgy used by the Church for centuries. Each part of the service begins with God—His Word, His presence, and His promises—and then continues with our response in faith of trust, praise, and thanksgiving. He gives His gifts; we receive His gifts and respond to them. This is what the Lutheran church service is all about.

In this way, the Divine Service and faith go hand in hand. God comes to us in the Divine Service and offers us gracious gifts. Faith gladly receives the gifts that God gives and is overwhelmed with thanksgiving and praise, recognizing God as the highest good who is most worthy of our highest worship.