“Public worship… is the privilege and responsibility of the Church. It must be ordered and administered. It is not an abstraction; it is a solemn transaction. It is faith in action. Times, place, forms, and musical settings must be provided. Reverence, dignity, beauty, and efficiency can best be attained by appropriate formality. The Church has thought much about these matters.” - From the Introduction: The Mind of the Church

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate: Some prior subject matter knowledge helpful.

Contents

• About the Lutheran Library
• Titlepage
• Epigraph
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Contents
• Introduction: The Mind of the Church
• Part 1: History
• 1 Worship and the Liturgy in the Early Church
• 2 In the Medieval Church
• 3 Reform and Development in Germany
• 4 The Lutheran Church Orders
• 5 The Liturgy in Sweden
• 6 Anglican and Lutheran Liturgies
• 7 Decline and Recovery
• 8 Early American Liturgies
• 9 The Common Service
• 10 The Common Service Book
• Part 2: Commentary
• 11 The Service
• 12 Invocation; Confession
• 13 Introit, Kyrie, Gloria
• 14 Salutation, Collect
• 15 Lessons, Gradual
• 16 Creed, Hymn, Sermon
• 17 Offertory, Offering, General Prayer
• 18 Holy Communion, Preface, Sanctus
• 19 Recension of the Canon
• 20 Lord’s Prayer, Verba, Pax, Agnus Dei
• 21 Nunc Dimittis, Thanksgiving, Benedicamus, Benediction
• 22 Matins and Vespers
• 23 Matins in Detail
• 24 Vespers in Detail
• 25 The Propers
• 26 Propers: Advent to Whitsunday
• 27 Propers: The Trinitytide, Saints’ Days, etc
• 28 Collects and Prayers
• 29 The Litany
• 30 The Suffrages
• 31 The Bidding Prayer and the General Prayers
• Appendix
• Glossary of Liturgical and Musical Terms
• Bibliography
• Index

Publication Information

• Lutheran Library edition first published: 2025
• Copyright: CC BY 4.0