Worship is at the heart of our life as the people of God. God’s gifts of word and sacrament are signs that we live in God’s grace for the whole church and the whole world. Over the next few months our congregation will be anticipating the arrival of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the new core worship resource for our church.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship has been prepared by the whole church, for the whole church. It has been prepared by the whole church through a five-year Renewing Worship process that was built from the beginning to hear from people and congregations across the church how the future of Lutheran worship might best unfold. A series of provisional Renewing Worship resources, each with feedback forms, allowed churches to explore possibilities and evaluate for themselves.
It was also built for the whole church. The Lutheran church in North America and the Caribbean is wonderfully rich with history and heritage, but also gloriously varied in its worship. Evangelical Lutheran Worship celebrates both our inheritance and our future in worship. Much that we know and love will continue in this new resource. Newer ideas, reviewed by the whole church, will bring fresh riches to us all.
This is an exciting time with new possibilities for our congregation. When we come together to hear God’s word, to share the sacraments, to confess our sins in the assurance of forgiveness, and to worship God with joy and thanksgiving, we are strengthened and blessed.
The new service book and hymnal preserves the three musical settings of our current Lutheran Book of Worship. It also brings seven more musical settings to use.
Church Council has recommended that we purchase Evangelical Lutheran Worship through individual members’ and friends’ contributions. Each book purchased may be dedicated in honor or memory of loved ones and fellow members. The cost of each pew edition will be $25 engraved with Christ the King Lutheran Church on the front.
Council also recommends that we give to our sister congregation, First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 100 copies of the pew edition engraved together with the accompanying materials needed to use the new hymnal.
See page 20 for more information on how to participate in the acquisition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. To explore this new hymnal online, visit www.renewingworship.org.