Teaching about the Divine Service

Are We Weird?

My wife and I were chatting on the car ride home from church last week like we do every week. We always use this time to reflect on the things we took away from Bible study and the Divine Service. This week, for some reason, our conversation drifted to how we have friends we have met in St. Louis who don’t have a background in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We discussed how we could invite these folks to come to the Divine Service with us. Here are some questions we started chatting about:

• Would they have ever experienced a historic liturgy before?
• Would we show them the hymnal before we go to the Divine Service?
• How would we explain why our children stay with us during service?
• Would they think we were weird being so worried about all of these things?

Isn’t that just so human? We get so worried about everything and seem to forget who is in charge. When we get worked up about all of these things, I thank God that it is not our work, but His work that causes faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

What about Our Kids?

As we think about these questions in the context of outreach, is it possible to think about them in relation to our own children? Do our kids know what happens during the Divine Service? If someone asked them, “Why do you say, ‘I, a poor, miserable sinner’?” would they know what to say?

I’m not sure I could have answered those things when I was a child. I’m really not even sure I would have been able to give a great answer when I was in high school. In our day and age, where people are striving to be “relevant,” it is important for our children to understand why the Divine Service is the most relevant part of their week.

Over the next six weeks, we will be going through the parts of the Divine Service:

• The Preparation for the Divine Service
• The Entrance Rite
• The Liturgy of the Word
• Preparation of the Table
• The Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper – Part 1 and Part 2
• Distribution and Departure

Each post will contain practical advice on how to teach your children about what is going on and why we do what we do in the Divine Service. I hope you will join us on this journey!

God’s blessings as you teach your children the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3 ESV).

About the Author

Joe Willmann

Twitter

Joe Willmann is the Senior Instructional Designer for Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis, MO. A former teacher and administrator, Joe has a passion for education and learning theory. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Ball State University and his Master's Degree from Concordia University - Ann Arbor. He lives with his wife, Nicole, his daughter Ava, and his son Carter. You can read his latest posts here.

The latest from Teaching the Faith at Home:

You may also like: