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Prayer after Communion; Benediction
As I mentioned last week, we begin the closure of the service with a prayer. We should respond to every act of grace with prayer and thanksgiving. According to Jordan Cooper in his book, Liturgical Worship, the Didache (the earliest Christian Document we have available that describes the worship service, though not in great detail) mentions that a prayer of thanksgiving always followed Communion.
There are generally two parts to the post-Communion prayer; 1) the pastor thanks God for the blessings given in the Sacrament of Holy Communion (forgiveness of sins, spiritual nourishment), 2) the pastor asks God to use the Sacrament to the benefit of those who have received it. The Sacrament of Holy Communion empowers Christians to live as God’s sanctified people throughout the week.
There are many post-Communion prayers associated with the various Communion settings in Lutheran worship books. Here’s an example from the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 21, 2023 from my own church:
Gracious God, in you we live and move and have our being. With your word and this meal of grace, you have nourished our life together. Strengthen us to show your love and serve the world in Jesus’ name. Amen.
We sing our sending hymn before the benediction, which can be a general hymn of praise or a hymn that reflects the season or the scripture readings for the day.
And finally we are blessed with the Benediction, which ends every service, regardless of whether we have had Holy Communion or not. It is a word of proclamation, which means that it is directed toward the congregation. Therefore, the pastor faces the people, not the altar. The Benediction is not a prayer or a request to God, but rather a declaration that God’s blessing is upon his people gathered together. Just as the service began with the gospel through the words of invocation, we now close the service with a word of gospel in the Benediction. In the Christian life, everything begins and ends with God’s action, not ours.
Using a benediction in worship comes directly from Scripture. Numbers 6:22-26, the Aaronic benediction, was a regular part of Jewish worship, and that same blessing is often proclaimed in churches today.
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Benedictions are also included in the New Testament – Hebrews 13:20-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, Ephesians 6:23-24. After the birth of Christianity, benedictions began to receive a strongly Trinitarian form, as in 2 Corinthians 13:14: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. This mirrors the Invocation (“Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, the Word made Flesh, our life and our salvation”). The service thus begins and ends with the proclamation of the Triune God’s presence and blessings. We are free to mirror the pastor as they make the sign of the cross during the Benediction. Here is what our Benediction was on August 20, 2023:
BENEDICTION
Pastor: The God who calls across the cosmos
and speaks in the smallest seed
☩ bless, keep, and sustain you
now and to the end of the age.
Congregation: Amen.
The assisting minister speaks the words of the Dismissal, encouraging us to spread the good news throughout the week. The gospel is not just for Sunday mornings!
DISMISSAL
Assisting Minister: Go in peace. Share the harvest.
Congregation: Thanks be to God.
And that, friends, concludes the service of Holy Communion. We are ushered out by postlude music by the pianist/organist, and take time to greet our fellow congregants on the way to share some fellowship time! And now a confession; I haven’t given much thought to what to share beyond the Holy Communion liturgy! I do enjoy the discipline of writing weekly though, so I want to continue writing on topics related to liturgy. However, I need to take some time to ruminate about that, and I will also be rather busy arranging and organizing music for my handbell choir at Bethlehem Lutheran! We rehearse on Monday evenings at 6 pm, and are starting up on September 10th after a summer hiatus. So please check this space on September 19th.
May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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Lamb of God / Agnus Dei
Martin Luther (1483-1546), a former Augustinian monk, was the tinder that ignited the Reformation in the 16th century, splitting the 1,000-year-old church into two – what later became known as Protestant and Catholic. However, he was not the first reformer – there were others who preceded him, such as Arnold of Brescia, Jan Hus, John Wycliffe and Peter Waldo. Luther’s ideas also benefited from a brand-new invention, called the Gutenberg press, which allowed the dissemination of Luther’s ideas across Germany, and further across Europe. Many other reformers joined the “reformation revolution”, such as Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531), Hugh Latimer (1487–1555), Martin Bucer (1491–1551), William Tyndale (ca. 1494–1536), Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560), John Rogers (1500–1555), Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575), and John Calvin (1509–1564).
However, Luther did not alter the style of Catholic worship to any large degree – he believed that whatever elements of worship that had been introduced by the church over the centuries could be kept as long as they did not directly violate Scriptural commands. Calvin, on the other hand, believed that human traditions needed to be stripped away and worship needed to be re-formed according to Scripture. Thus, worship should only include that which Scripture commands or sets as an example. Other reformers had other, sometimes much more radical ideas, about how worship should be conducted.
All of this preamble is to say that we still retain the five main mass parts of the old church – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo (Creed), Sanctus and Agnus Dei–in our modern Holy Communion service. I’ve written about the first four in previous blogs. We no longer chant or sing the Creed, but the other mass parts are still sung in a wide variety of settings. And today, I want to talk about the Agnus Dei, which is translated as “Lamb of God.”
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.
While the congregation files up to receive Holy Communion, the congregation and choir sing the “Lamb of God”, as well as other hymns that have a communion theme, until all the members of the congregation have received the elements.
The phrase “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world” comes from John the Baptist in the Gospel of John (John 1:29). By identifying Christ as the Lamb of God, John declared him to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifices as the all-sufficient offering for our sin. Our sins are forgiven due to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross on our behalf. The congregation sings this song and remembers Christ’s redemptive work while we take communion. The Lamb of God ends with a petition for mercy and peace. This three-fold petition reminds me of Luther’s reported last words – “We are beggars. This is true.” According to Joshua Janke, http://www.risensaviorlutheran.org/sermon-blog/2021/10/24/mark-1046-52-we-are-all-beggars-october-24-2021:
“’We are all beggars.’ Beggars who can do nothing but cry for mercy; who must do nothing but receive what he wants to give; and beggars who joyfully want to follow Jesus to eternal life. Thank God that Jesus has time and mercy in abundance for beggars like us. Amen.”
I love that despite our lowliness, there is joy in our redemption, and we can depend on the love and steadfastness of our Lord.
Back to the pragmatics of Holy Communion, one of the reasons the Agnus Dei occurs at this point in the service, is that it allows the pastor to receive Holy Communion before distributing the elements to the congregation. In our church, our pastor prefers to commune the congregation first, and then receive their elements at the end. Everybody, even the pastor, receives Holy Communion from outside of the person receiving it.
After communion, the leftover elements are gathered up and placed back on the altar, covered with the chalice cloth, and our communion part of the service ends with a prayer.
May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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Holy Communion
I am a member of my congregation’s altar guild. We are the people who tend to the “front” of the church. We change the paraments (for us it’s the altar and lectern coverings) according to the season). We make sure the eternal flame, which is typically a candle hanging in a candle holder from the wall, is replaced weekly so the flame is always lit. We place the fresh flowers on the altar. We replenish the water in the baptismal font. We make a special effort to decorate the sanctuary on festival days such as Easter and Christmas. And, most Sundays, we prepare the elements of bread and wine to be distributed to the congregation during Holy Communion.
Different churches have different variations of the bread that is used. Some use communion wafers, the plain, tasteless discs that are purchased through church supply distributors. Others use actual bread – and in my somewhat limited experience, they range from pita bread cut up into smaller pieces (my current church) all the way to King’s Hawaiian bread in a church close to the bakery’s home in Torrance, CA! Some churches prefer to stick to unleavened bread of some kind. It is not dictated anywhere in scripture what sort of bread we are to use for Holy Communion. And, thanks to COVID, we have inherited what is affectionately known as the “communable” – an all-in-one sealed plastic container which contains a small, non-gluten wafer and a bit of grape juice, which the communicant can self-administer.
For the wine, there is generally a choice of actual wine and grape juice. At my church, we take the wine and the bread via “intinction”, which involves the communicant dipping their own piece of bread into either the chalice of wine or grape juice. In former times, my church had trays of small, individual glass cups which needed to be filled in advance of the service, and afterwards, washed. That was a lot of “dishes”! My other congregation used disposable plastic cups years ago, but being ever more ecologically sensitive, I’m not sure how many congregations continue to use them.
The altar guild is responsible for making sure the elements are on the altar before the service starts. Sometimes we do most of the preparations on the Saturday before the service. There is a set of linens we use to place the elements on, we cover the goblets of wine/juice with covers called “palls”, and place a chalice cloth covering all the elements to be blessed and used during communion.
When I first moved to California and was attending St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, we had a communion rail that separated the chancel from the sanctuary. This had padding so that communicants could kneel to receive the elements. Some Lutheran churches have a communion rail; others do not. My church used to have a communion rail (you can see the vestiges of it in the floor near the chancel steps), but it was removed. We receive communion while standing.
The elements of bread and wine are blessed by the pastor during the Words of Institution (see my blog post on 7/25/2023). If the pastor is away, and we do not have an ordained substitute pastor – often we have lay preachers who fill in when our pastor is away – we do not have a full communion service, but instead we observe the Service of the Word. It is much like the communion service, but without the communion part!
Because the elements have been blessed, they are, in our eyes they are made holy and are to be treated with respect and reverence. Wine or grape juice which has not been consumed during communion is either drunk by the pastor and/or assisting minister, or it is disposed of directly into the ground. It is never put into a regular sink, which is connected to a sewer system. Some churches have a piscina, a basin that drains directly to the ground. Extra bread leftover is saved and given to a congregation member or pastor to be eaten later – again, it is not thrown in the trash.
Holy Communion is one of the two sacraments Lutherans observe, the other being Holy Baptism. I am always grateful to be able to receive communion in community with my fellow believers!
May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is included in the Service of Holy Communion. The connection between the Lord’s Prayer and communion appears at this point in the service in the existing liturgies. The Lord’s Prayer is the only prayer directly given by Jesus in the New Testament, in Matthew 6:9-13:
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’and Luke 11:2-4:
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”Jesus speaks these words in the Sermon on the Mount in response to false forms of piety practiced by many of the Pharisees. This is not just structural prayer – these are the specific words Jesus gives to his disciples when they speak to their heavenly Father. First-century Judaism had a tradition of memorized prayer, and the disciples would have been familiar with these words of Jesus in their cultural context.
Naturally, Christians have adopted these specific words in worship since the beginning of the church. An early church document recommended that believers should pray these words at least three times daily. It was also appropriate for both corporate worship and private prayer.
Martin Luther included the Lord’s Prayer as one of the key parts of his Small Catechism, which all catechumens were required to study. He takes each line of the Lord’s Prayer and provides explanations, and other Scriptures which provide context on his question/answer format for expounding on the text. For example:
The Introduction
Our Father who art in heaven.
Our Father in heaven.
What does this mean?
With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.
(from Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, p. 237, Concordia Publishing House, copyright 2017)
My congregation still uses the old King James’ version of the Lord’s Prayer, which is:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Some versions use the words “debt/debtor” instead of “trepasses/trespass”, both of which mean that we are asking God to forgive us our sins.
Some churches have moved to a more modern version of the Lord’s Prayer:
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.
Traditions, however, do die hard, and it’s a challenge to get a congregation who has prayed the older King James’ version for all of their lives (and of course, who have it memorized!) to make the switch. Whatever the version your congregation uses, the important thing to remember is that these words are a gift to us from our Lord Jesus Christ. If this is the only prayer you pray daily, you certainly won’t find a better one!
May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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The Words of Institution
Following the Sanctus, the next part of the communion service are the Words of Institution. We Lutherans have adopted the format included in Martin Luther’s Small Catechism in 1529:
On the night in which he was betrayed,
Our Lord Jesus took bread,
And gave thanks; broke it,
And gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper,
He took the cup, gave thanks,
And gave it for all to drink,
Saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
Shed for you and for all people
For the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Lutherans do not ask for the Holy Spirit to come down to consecrate the elements of bread and wine; there is nothing in Scripture that speaks of such an invocation as causing the elements to become Christ’s body and blood. Instead, Jesus simply gives the words of institution.
That being said, we do not use the words in the Gospels and Paul’s writing verbatim. Let’s take a look at what Scripture offers:
Matthew 26:26-28: “26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Mark 14:22- 24: “22 While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.”
Luke 22:14-20: “14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-25: 23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, 24 and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Luther’s version is a combination of all of these Scriptural references; it strikes me as being beautifully poetic. All of the versions, despite their slight differences, contain the same information: Christ identifies the Sacrament with his own body and blood, given for the forgiveness of sins. And we know from Scripture that when the same information or phrase is repeated several times, it truly is central to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Even if other Christian traditions include prayers before the Words of Institution, these words are mandatory; in the case of Lutheran worship, they stand alone.
While speaking the Words of Institution, the pastor makes the sign of the cross over the elements which are going to be consumed during the service of Holy Communion. These blessed elements are the vehicles by which the members of the congregation receive Christ. Additionally, the pastor may lift up the cup(s) and the host – this practice of elevation is not an ancient one, but was developed in the later Middle Ages. Whether the elevation is done or not, the consecration of the elements is a holy moment, and the lifting up of the elements demonstrates to the congregation that we believe the true presence of Christ is among us.
Now, I am not a theologian, and I am ill-equipped to weigh in on the controversies amongst various traditions of the Christian church regarding transubstantiation (from Dictionary.com: [Theology] the changing of the elements of the bread and wine, when they are consecrated in the Eucharist, into the body and blood of Christ (a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church)), consubstantiation and the like. If you are interested, I encourage you to dive into these hotly debated topics on your own!
Next week – the Lord’s Prayer! May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
Details
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The Proper Preface and the Sanctus
During the Great Thanksgiving, after the preface is spoken by the pastor and congregation and preceding communion, the pastor speaks what is called the “proper preface.” This part of the liturgy changes according to the current season of the church year, or day of the calendar. The words of each preface are of similar structure, but have a different emphasis. The text speaks of some part of our Christian redemptive history.
This text is really a song of praise. The beginning reminds us of our joy and benefit of giving thanks and praise to God, at all times and in all places. There is no time or circumstance when we should not praise our God!
The middle part contains some aspect of what our Savior Jesus Christ has done for us for our salvation and everlasting life.
The preface concludes with joining the church on earth with the saints in heaven, and we praise the Triune God as one body. This reminds us that worship includes the union of heaven and earth as we gather together—we do not worship alone, but with all the heavenly host. Worship breaks down barriers between heaven and earth. Think about the worship scenes in the Book of Revelation, chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 focuses on God the creator:
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:”9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”Chapter 5 focuses on Christ the Redeemer:
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[c] of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign[d] on the earth.”11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
What beautiful imagery are we given, as we are united with the saints who have gone before us! To be able to give our Triune God praise, honor and glory as a united body of believers!
After the conclusion of the proper preface, we are invited to sing the Sanctus, which is a hymn of praise from Isaiah 6:3. Isaiah was caught up into the presence of God, into His heavenly throne room. Isaiah describes two seraphim before God’s throne who speak these words:
3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”The threefold repetition of “Holy, holy, holy” emphasizes both the importance of the word, and the reference to the Trinitarian nature of our worship – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These words are also present in the Book of Revelation, chapter 4, vs. 8:
8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’[a]
who was, and is, and is to come.”
I can’t imagine what glorious worship is happening in heaven – day and night, the praise never ends for our great and glorious Lord!
The words we sing in our congregation for the Sanctus are as follows:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory, full of your glory,
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.
May you be filled with the Holy Spirit as you sing praises to the Lord during your communion service, and experience the glory of worshiping as one with the saints in heaven! May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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The Great Thanksgiving
We are now in the Great Thanksgiving portion of the Service of the Sacrament section of the worship service. I love what Jordan Cooper says in his book, Liturgical Worship: The service of Holy Communion is at the heart of Christian faith and life. In this sacrament, two essential realities occur for the benefit of God’s people. First, God gives us his Son’s true body and blood, through which we receive the forgiveness of sins. Second, the people of God’s church are joined with one another as we share a mysterious and intimate bond as fellow members of Christ’s body. This sacrament, together with the proclamation of God’s Word, lies at the core of Christian worship.
We Lutherans often describe our ministry as “Word and Sacrament”. Both elements of worship are essential. There have been periods in the history of the Lutheran church where the frequency of Holy Communion waxed and waned. In the late 19th century, a liturgical renewal began, and one of the results was the restoration of weekly Communion. At Bethlehem, we follow that cadence.
In the early church, at this moment in the service, catechumens and other visitors who hadn’t received Holy Baptism yet were dismissed from worship. Communion was limited to those who were already members of the body of Christ. Today, in our church at Bethlehem Lutheran, we do not “check” if people are baptized when they come up to receive communion. There is a provision in our ELCA documents in the event someone who is not baptized comes to receive communion:
Application 37G: When an unbaptized person comes to the table seeking Christ’s presence and is inadvertently communed, neither that person nor the ministers of Communion need be ashamed. Rather, Christ’s gift of love and mercy to all is praised. That person is invited to learn the faith of the Church, be baptized, and thereafter faithfully receive Holy Communion.
The Preface introduces us to the next part of the service, where we are invited into God’s presence for the sharing of the meal. It is an ancient aspect of Christian liturgy. St. Hippolytus mentions that in the early 3rd century, Christians were using a preface in worship as follows:
- The bishop says: The Lord be with you.
- And all reply: And with your spirit.
- The bishop says: Lift up your hearts.
- The people respond: We have them with the Lord.
- The bishop says: Let us give thanks to the Lord.
- The people respond: It is proper and just.
This exchange has survived for centuries almost word-for-word in our liturgy!
- Pastor: The Lord be with you.
- Congregation: And also with you.
- Pastor: Lift up your hearts!
- Congregation: We lift them to the Lord!
- Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
- Congregation: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
When we exchange these words, we join the church across the ages in the act of praising the Triune God and receiving Christ’s body and blood.
Next time we will be exploring the other parts of the Communion service. I will be out of town next week, so I will not be posting a blog on 7/11/2023, but will resume on 7/18/2023. I hope everyone has an opportunity to enjoy Independence Day! May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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The Offering
Have you ever considered that the Offering and prayer are inextricably bound together? Both in prayer and during the offering, we as a congregation lift up our thanks to God for His gracious provision, and we confess our trust in Him to respond to our needs. As we pray, we confess that we are unable to provide for ourselves (all that we have is from God!), and we acknowledge God’s goodness as He gives good gifts to His children. James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Remember when we pray the prayer our Father taught us – “Give us this day our daily bread” that “daily bread” is a metaphor not only for physical bread or food, but every need, whether physical or spiritual. For me, when I pray in the mornings, I ask the Father for daily strength as part of what I think of as “daily bread”, as I have challenges with having the energy to do what God would have me do throughout the day.
Both prayer and offering are also acts of thanksgiving, where we offer ourselves, our time and our resources as a thank-offering to the God who has blessed us so abundantly.
There is also a very practical aspect to the giving of our resources, which includes money. From the earliest accounts of the early church in the Book of Acts, all goods were shared among believers such that the needs of everyone in the community might be met (Acts 2:44-45). Congregations were encouraged to financially support other Christian congregations who might be struggling. Without money, our churches would cease to function, and to carry out the work of the kingdom.
Another aspect of the finances of the church is the support of our pastors who devote themselves to the pastoral ministry. In Acts 6, more and more demands were being placed on the apostles from the fledgling Christian communities, so that they began to spend more time on serving the needy and less time on study and prayer. They made the decision to appoint deacons, who could do the practical work of the church while the leaders/pastors could spend more time in prayer and study of the Scriptures. That makes perfect sense – you do not need to be ordained to perform other critical, valuable functions of the church. Delegate!
But it seems many of our smaller churches are struggling with enough resources to allow our pastors to devote the majority of their time in prayer and study, and are instead, doing other administrative tasks that could be done by others. In my opinion, in some cases congregants actually expect their pastor do handle the running of the church as well as take care of the spiritual needs of the congregation. Perhaps we must compromise with lack of resources, but we should definitely reset our expectations of what our pastors should be spending their time on. If we had the right expectations of what our pastors should be doing with their time, maybe we could find people willing to step up and take care of those other tasks!
That gives me a nice segue into what kind of offering each of us should be giving to the church; it’s not just financial. I remember with fondness the prayer after the offering from the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW): “Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us – our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” This prayer reminds me that I’m not “all good” as long as I put a check in the offering plate, or nowadays, schedule my offering online. There is more expected of me–to be an active member of my church community, to spend some of the precious time the Lord has given me to the work of the church, and to use the gifts He has given me to further the work of His kingdom. In my later years, I’ve also come to realize that time is more precious than possessions, since there is a finite amount of time I have left, as with all of us.
Our offering is an act of thanksgiving in response to God’s grace. Like the rest of the service this aspect of worship continues the pattern of God’s giving and as a response, the congregation’s lifting up praises to God. The offering is an act of praise and worship as we acknowledge that these gifts are given by God. And remember, “we offer with joy”, our giving should be free and cheerful, not motivated by guilt or coercion.
As we collect the offering, the pastor uses this time to prepare for Holy Communion. The offering serves as a bridge between hearing God’s Word and sharing God’s Meal. In some churches, the elements of bread and wine are also brought up with the collection plates as part of the thank-offering portion of the service.
I hope that meditating on the Offering portion of the service and what it truly means to you, enhances this part of the service beyond enjoying the lovely offertory music while the offerings are collected! How can you use your gifts of self, time and possessions? May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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Prayers of Intercession
Intercessory prayers are in the form of petitions, asking God for help with a number of issues both within the church and in the world. We pray responsively – the Assisting Minister (a lay person in the church) prays and invites the congregation to respond. The prompt for the response and the responses themselves after each petition can change, but often times the congregation responds “Hear our prayer”.
The use of these kinds of responsive prayers goes back to the Litany, a long prayer dating back from the first centuries of the church. The petitions don’t just focus on the theme of the day, although they can be related. The Assisting Minister sets the stage for our petitions by asking the congregation “let us pray for the church, the world, and all of creation.”
Here are some of the petition topics from a service back in Lent this year:
- Praying for the church; for ministry leaders in our congregation and the wider church.
- As we have a preschool attached to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, we also play for the school staff members.
- We pray for God’s good creation, and all who work to take care of it.
- We pray for leaders at all levels of government – local, state, national and world leaders.
- We pray for all those who are suffering trials or distress or sickness.
- We pray for ministries of care and hospitality.
- We pray for peace.
God commands that we pray, and there are countless passages in Scripture that give instruction on what, how, when, where, and for whom we should pray. Here are just a few examples:
I Timothy 2:1-2 “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
John 4:24 “Pray that the church will worship God in spirit and in truth. “
1 Peter 5:2-3 “Pray that our leaders will serve humbly as godly examples to all.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
James 5:14-15 “If any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore them to health. And if they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”
I believe corporate prayer can be very powerful for a congregation. After all, Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” We know that God is in our midst when we make our petitions.
According to Whitney Hopler in her article “4 Benefits of Congregational Prayer” (https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/benefits-of-congregational-prayer.html), praying as a congregation creates a sense of unity and purpose, mutual encouragement, and the shared blessings of answered prayers. Remember the passage in Acts 4:31, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” This first Pentecost, where all the disciples received the Holy Spirit, was one of the most beautiful answers to anyone’s prayers!
And what a privilege it is to be able to pray to our heavenly Father, Christ our Lord, and to the Holy Spirit as a community of believers. The next time you have the opportunity to offer prayers of intercession in your own church, think about the beauty and power of what you are participating in, and who you are praying with – all children of God! May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
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Prayer (Introduction)
Before I launch into my thoughts on today’s blog topic, I just wanted to say a little something about my one-month hiatus. Family friends lost their 29-year old son to brain cancer in April, and I felt I needed some time off from my various activities, including this blog, to grieve. It was also a time of deep intercessory prayer for our friends, their extended family and friends as we all began the journey of processing our grief. At the same time, we were able to trust in God’s presence, His love and mercy and comfort during this time as we unburdened our hearts in prayer.
Prayer is one of the most important aspects of Christian worship and in the every day life of a Christian. In worship, we pray as a congregation, as a community; we may belong to a group that prays for fellow congregants, family, and friends in our community. We offer prayers in our personal devotions throughout the week. Prayer should permeate our daily lives, as children of God.
Through Christ, we have the opportunity to approach God as a loving father. According to Scripture, God wants to hear the prayers of his children. In worship, we have the opportunity to offer our prayers to our heavenly Father.
Prayer is one of the central themes of divine revelation. From the beginning of the Old Testament through the end of the New Testament, God invites people into his presence to commune with Him. Even though we are sinners, by God’s grace we have fellowship with Him. Prayer is a critical part of this relationship as God invites us, through the forgiveness of sins, to speak with Him.
Early Christian worship is defined in Scripture largely by prayer. In Acts 2, Luke describes worship with three activities – the teaching of doctrine, the breaking of bread (Holy Communion), and prayers. In Acts 6:4, the apostles define their ministry by two acts – teaching and praying for the church. Deacons were appointed in the early church to do many of the activities the apostles were sometimes struggling to keep up with, so that the apostles could spend more time in teaching and prayer. Even back then, people were aware of time management and delegation! Thus, prayer is a central act for both the church and the apostle’s ministry.
Prayers, then are not just an additional activity that we do during worship, but are an integral part of the public gathering of God’s people. Everyone prays – pastors, lay leaders and congregations. Paul encourages his student Timothy in 1Timothy 2:1-2:
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
According to Paul, the extent of prayer offered by the church is universal. Because God desires the salvation of all, the church should also pray for all. This includes people/authorities whom you may consider enemies!
James the apostle describes the nature of prayer within the church in his letter. He notes that prayer should accompany all situations. James 5:13:
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”
In difficult times, both the one suffering and that person’s faith community should be praying. James says that in trials of sickness, the elders should pray and anoint the one suffering with oil (James 5:14). We ask for forgiveness through prayer. All of these facets of prayer are reflected in our worship service:
- Believers should continually be in prayer for one another; those called to public ministry are to spend much of their time in prayer.
- We should pray for all people, Christian or otherwise, including those who are enemies of the church.
- We should pray for those in the church, thanking God for our faith and asking that our faith be strengthened.
- Prayer accompanies us through all the seasons of our lives, especially in times of suffering, sickness and sinfulness.
Prayers, then are not just an additional activity that we do during worship, but are an integral part of the public gathering of God’s people.
We do not limit ourselves to one particular time in the worship service to pray. I’ve already discussed some forms of prayer earlier in this blog: the Kyrie, the collect, certain hymns which are prayers. We pray when we collect the offering, and offer several prayers during Holy Communion. However, there is one part of the worship service that is devoted to an extended amount of prayer time, and that is the time of the Prayers of Intercession, which I will discuss further next week.
What does your prayer life look like outside of worship? Have you incorporated daily devotions, including prayer, in your daily routine? I encourage you to consider doing so, if you haven’t already. Over the years, I’ve come to treasure my one-on-one time with the Lord to be indispensable and essential to my relationship with God, and to my own emotional and spiritual well-being. I believe my day doesn’t have the right focus unless I spend that time with the Lord in the morning. I confess that sometimes I don’t get around to my devotions until later in the day, and occasionally not at all. I’m definitely not perfect, but those imperfect times remind me that prayer must be my daily priority.
And here again is my closing prayer for you. May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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Lutheran Liturgy 