Worship Services - The Sacraments - Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

Questions that might be asked of Lutheran Worship

Q. Why do the worship leaders wear those white robes?

A. The white garment is called an alb. The women and men who lead worship are representative of all the people. The alb is intended to cover the leader so that the focus of worship is not on the individual person, but on God who is the center of worship. The alb is white representing all the baptized, who are joined in the death and resurrection of Christ through baptism.

Q. Why all the standing and sitting?

A. We stand to sing and pray to God out of respect. Kneeling is also appropriate way for prayer. We also stand to confess our faith and for the reading of the Holy Gospel.

Q. What is the purpose of the cloth hangings on the furniture up front?

A. The furniture in worship consists of four pieces.

The altar represents the presence of Christ who was sacrificed for us. The altar is also a communion table.
The baptismal font.
The lectern from which Scripture is read.
The pulpit from which the sermon is given. The cloth hangings are called paraments and represent the season of the church year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Each season has its own particular color. The seasons correspond to different parts of the life of Jesus.

Q. Where do the hymns or songs come from?

A. They come from a great variety of places: from the pens of professional musicians, from barroom ballads and popular culture. Some are very old. Others are very new. In choosing music for the church we ask Does it accurately interpret Scripture and the life of the believer? Is it theologically sound? Does it reflect our understanding of God in the Word?

Q. Why don't we have a group of musicians up front leading the music?

A. This can be appropriate occasionally. However, worship is not a concert, performance or entertainment. Just as the pastor's individuality is cloaked by an alb (and the pulpit when they preach) for the sake of the Gospel, musicians lead the music in order that all the people might participate. The attention should be on God. In other words, worship is not a training ground for future rock stars or talk show hosts.

Q. What should the atmosphere be in worship: serious and formal, or relaxed and informal?

A. It depends on the season of the church year and the emphasis of the particular day. The Lord God is both transcendent and immanent. This means that God is awesome and majestic. God is a holy mystery, and we approach God with fear and trembling. On the other hand, God is close at hand and personal. God is known to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus we see God associating with the poor, the outcast, and ordinary folks.

Therefore, worship reflects both the holy mystery of God with candles, incense, liturgy, chanting, drama and formal liturgy. Worship also presents the closeness of God who enters into the common everyday of our lives with children with cheerios, children's messages, skits, announcements, dropped communion wafers, and a few sleepy parishioners. Both the holiness of God and the nearness of our Lord can be conveyed in worship. Worship is also the opportunity to express our sorrows and laments as well as joy and celebration.

You can see then why the Lord commands us to keep the Sabbath, to gather every Sunday for worship. Worship connects us to our past, assures us of God's presence with us now, and gives us a glimpse of God's future still to come.