Lutheran Essentials meets in the undercroft of the church on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. You can reach the undercroft by going around to the back parking lot of the church and descending the staircase to the kitchen. Knock on the door if it is closed and some one will let you in. Our current study is on “The Fire and the Staff” by Klemet Preus and the Historic Liturgy. If you do not have a copy of the “The Fire and the Staff” or the Book of Concord we are providing them for free.
The Psalm for this week is Psalm 39. The Small Catechism lesson is the Close of the Commandments.
The first half of the class we will begin reading through “The Fire and the Staff”. We will start with the Preface (pg. 9-12) and give a broad overview of the book and of the class. We will then move on and read the Introduction (pg. 13-18) and discuss more about what the central theme of the book is, namely the connection between doctrine and practice. We will then start reading Chapter 1: Light the Fire (pg. 19-54) and discuss what doctrine is and why it is important.
For the second half of the class we will start our study of the Divine Service Setting III in Lutheran Service Book. We will begin with a brief introduction then talk about our Preparation for coming the Divine Service. This will include a discussion about what sort of dress is appropriate for church, why the Pastor where’s the clothes he wears, the Church year, the role of the Altar Guild and Ushers, and other preparations the laity and clergy make before coming to church. We will conclude our discussion of our Preparation by singing the hymn “O Blessed, Holy Trinity” (LSB 876).
We will then discuss the Pre-service Music. We will talk about the purpose of the preludes and the role of music in the church. We will also discuss proper behavior in the sanctuary and things one can do during the prelude to prepare for the service proper. We will conclude our discussion by singing the hymn “Today Your Mercy Calls Us” (LSB 915).
If we have time we will also discuss the Opening/Processional Hymn. We will talk about hymn singing, why we do it, and how we do it. We will also discuss the movements of the pastor and other assistants, especially for a Processional. We will conclude our discussion by singing the hymn “O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide” (LSB 355).
As always new people are always welcome to this study at any point during the class. Please talk to the Pastor, Elders or Paul Edmon if you have any questions.
