September 19th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
The fifth post covered that part of the Divine Service where everyone expressly states what they believe and ensures the unity of the Spirit desired in Ephesians 4:1-16.
Moving on in the Divine Service:
The Sermon
In 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 this new evangelist among the Corinthians, Paul, doesn’t deliver “lofty speech or wisdom”. He brings “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” He doesn’t wait until Sunday School to teach the faith; he brings it to the pulpit. He doesn’t promise prosperity in this life but eternal treasure in the next.
At the conclusion of the sermon the pastor may quote Phillippians 4:7. The peace of God is what we should be hearing at the end of the sermon. If a pastor has beaten us down with the Law without bringing the Gospel, Phillipians 4:7 sounds funny. There is little peace of God in a sermon that covers only our obligations.
Offertory and Offering
I was reading to my kids the prayer of the day from The Lord Will Answer. It was Psalm 51:10-12, which happens to be the Offertory in Divine Service III. Instead of praying it normally I was able to sing it to them, and the kids loved it. I may have to teach it to them.
In the Roman Mass the Offertory is part of the Proper, while we hold it static in our services. I don’t know why. 
Prayer of the Church
Previously in the Collect we prayed for the church; now the church prays for our nation (1 Timothy 2:1-4) and each other.
The “Service of the Word” section comes to a close, and the “Service of the Sacrament” begins…in the next post.
