The Divine Service

We call our main worship the Divine Service. We believe that faith is highest form of worship. Our Lutheran Confessions state, "Faith is the divine service (latreia) that receives the benefits offered by God." (Apology of the Augsburg Confession IV:49) We respond to receiving the benefits of God's grace and mercy through prayer, praise, and giving thanks.  The Divine Service is divided into three parts: 1. The Service of Preparation,  2. The Service of the Word, 3. The Service of the Sacrament. 
Our congregation follows the Divine Service and sings hymns from our hymnal, The Lutheran Service Book. We are accompanied by the organ, piano, and other instruments including a bell choir during special services. 

Service of Preparation

We begin every service remembering that God put his name on us in Baptism. We begin with the Invocation: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The congregation then confesses their sins and the pastor in the stead and by the command of Jesus Christ forgives their sins. (John 20:21-23)

Service of the Sacrament

We celebrate the Lord's Supper every Sunday. In the Lord's Supper we hear the blessed words of Jesus. The Words of Institution have two functions.  First, they proclaim the Gospel. Our Lord's last will and testament, which he gave the night he was betrayed to be killed, is that we eat his body and drink his blood which are given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Second, Jesus' words make the ordinary bread and wine his very body and blood. This meal is a foretaste of the feast to come in paradise. 

Service of the Word

"Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) In the Service of the Word we focus on three main readings: the Old Testament, the Epistle, and the Gospel. The pastor, who is sent by God to proclaim God's Word (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 10:16) preaches on one of the texts and proclaims the Law and the Gospel. God's Word is food for the soul. 

Additional Services: Vespers

Every Wednesday during the school year at 7:15PM the congregation joins the Wednesday School in worshiping God according to the ancient evening service, Vespers. The focus of each service is the lesson of the day from the Catechism. During Advent and Lent the service takes the focus of the respective season. 

More from Trinity