Necessary Roughness

The Service of the Word concluded in the prior post, finishing with the Sermon, the Offertory, and the Prayer of the Church. The last two are a response to hearing God’s word. We contribute funds and prayers to enable temporal spreading of the Gospel. In the Service of the Sacrament we see that God has given us his people more than just words, but he gives himself to us and for us, something unheard of in any other religion. Continuing in Divine Service III:

Preface

A preface (from Latin, praefari, to say beforehand) introduces a book. In the Divine Service the Preface introduces the Sacrament, with the Salutation, the Sursum Corda, the Eucharistia, the Proper Preface, and the Sanctus.

Salutation

Again we have the the reference from 2 Timothy 4:22. It is a reminder that we are not just body, but body and soul. We want the Lord to be with us not just through our bodily afflictions but that which troubles our spirit. Sometimes we grieve, despair, wonder, worry, and/or doubt; we want the Lord to be with us in such times as well as in good times. Take assurance that the Lord is with your spirit.

Sursum Corda

Latin, literally “upwards heart”. The Lutheran Service Book has a biblical reference of Colossians 3:1. One might think that “we lift them up unto the Lord” might be a action that we are doing, but instead we are seeking Christ who is already above. We can do this because we have been raised with Christ through our baptisms.

Eucharistia

Latin for “thanksgiving.” Giving thanks to the Lord is referenced as Psalm 136, though there is plenty of thanks in the Bible to go around. Most people recognize Psalm 136:1 in the King James Version.

The “It is meet and right so to do” is from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. The Latin phrase at this point is “Dignum et iustem est”, literally with word order “suitable/proper and just/righteous (it) is”, or “it is proper and righteous.” Other Divine Services use the more recent “It is right to give him thanks and praise” from the English version of the “New Mass” of Vatican II.

Proper Preface

The Proper Preface as noted in LSB contains three parts, two of which are “common” and don’t change. The first common part is the “Thanksgiving”:

It is truly good, right, and salutary, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto You O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God…

Next we have the part that changes from season to season. Some examples can be found in this copy of the Mass. The part for Trinity (this week is Trinity 14) is:

who with Thine only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit art one God, one Lord. And in the confession of the only true God we worship the Trinity in Person and the Unity in Substance, of Majesty co-equal.

Looking through some of the other proper prefaces, we see some doctrinal points taught: the Trinity, the pardon and peace in the Blessed Sacrament, our sinfulness curbed, the pouring of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the “Ascription”:

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising you and saying:

In “This is Heaven on Earth,” on the LCMS web site:

When we approach the Lord’s table, with whom do we commune? Who joins us at the Lord’s Supper table? Who is beside us, across from us, or at the other end of the table?

Answer: All the company of heaven.

We live in an age that promotes the feeble strength of the rugged individual and the false security of private religion. Many try to find comfort and peace in isolation from others. Sadly, some Christians even isolate themselves from their fellow Christians. But the Lord loves us too much to let us be “Lone-Ranger Christians.” Instead, He graciously gives us “all the company of heaven.”

In the Lord’s Supper liturgy the pastor addresses God with these words: “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name.” It’s no accident that we hear these words just before we commune at the Lord’s table. The Lord’s Supper is one of God’s best tools for gathering His family together, a family that includes not only Christians on earth but also all the company of saints who rest from their labors.

Sanctus

Taken from Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9, the Sanctus has seen more musical settings than I care to admit—did you ever see the end of Sister Act? In eighth grade, apparently before the ACLU cared about such things, our choir sang a setting by Roger Emerson. It is worship like the four living creatures in Revelation 4:8.

This post went long, but there was no fair way to break it up. Next we’ll cover the Lord’s Prayer and the Words of our Lord, also known as the Words of Institution.