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The Word

The Scriptures reveal a God who will neither leave us nor forsake us. His Word is a testimony of his ongoing presence in our lives. God speaks through the power of his law and pierces the hearts of those living in bitterness and sin. God also speaks to us through the gospel of Jesus Christ, who graciously fulfilled the words of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus offers the bread of life to those who believe in him. He says, “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “I am the resurrection and the life. . . . Whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25,26). Christians come to fill their spiritual vessels with the peace, hope, and

strength of his Word.

The gospel is central to our liturgical worship. It is God’s Word, centered on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that brings the lost to his outstretched arms and preserves our faith. The importance of God’s Word is realized in Lutheran worship in the ancient order of presenting the Word—First Lesson, Epistle, and Gospel—followed by the sung responses—Psalm, Verse of the Day, and Hymn of the Day.

The First Lesson is normally a reading from the Old Testament. We recall that Ezra read God’s Law in the town square to bring about religious reformation (Nehemiah 8:3). King Josiah brought about reform from pagan practices by recovering and using the “Book of the Law . . . given through Moses” (2 Chronicles 34:14). The Old Testament is as relevant to God’s people today as it was 2,500 years ago. The congregation appropriately responds to the First Lesson by singing the devotional and poetic words of a psalm chosen from the Old Testament.

The Second Lesson is a reading from the epistles or Revelation. In it we hear words defining Christian law, phrased and built on the message of the Gospel. The words stress Christian faith and Christian living as a thankful response to the good news of Jesus Christ. A historical response to the Second Lesson is given in the Verse of the Day. The chosen verse reinforces the theme of the day or the season of the church year and prepares us for the reading of the Gospel.

The congregation stands in special honor to hear the Gospel. In the past, soldiers put down their weapons and kings removed their crowns when the Gospel was read. These inspired words of eyewitnesses reveal a clear and living picture of “the Word made flesh.” The congregation responds to the Gospel with praise and adoration, singing with uplifted voices, “Praise be to you, O Christ!”

The gospel is central to our liturgical worship.