About this item
Highlights
- On any given Sunday the Christian approaches Christ who is present in Word and Meal.
- About the Author: Rev. Dr. Michael Berg is a professor of theology at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, WI, where he teaches courses on Worship, Apologetics, Martin Luther, World Religions, and Christ and Culture.
- 144 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Christian Rituals & Practice
Description
Book Synopsis
On any given Sunday the Christian approaches Christ who is present in Word and Meal. The songs, movements, and prayers that surround this Word and Meal are called the Divine Service. It is God's (divine) service to us and our proclamation of Christ's life, death, and resurrection to ourselves and anybody that enters the church on that Sunday.
One way to appreciate the traditional divine service is to see the life of Christ on display. The major events in the life of Christ are hinted at or explicitly mentioned in the classic order of service. We rightly plead for God's mercy when we enter his presence. God's answer is Christ. Traditionally Christians have sung the Christmas song "Gloria to God in the highest" after pleading, "Lord, have mercy!" With this reminder of Christ's birth we begin the story of Christ. Soon we wave our palm branches and sing "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday. We cry the Good Friday prayer, "Lamb of God". We eat with our resurrected Lord as did the Emmaus disciples, and we receive a blessing as we enter the same crazy world the disciples did after Jesus blessed them as he ascended into heaven.
This volume aims to teach the Divine Service to both the lifelong worshipper who was never taught why the church does the things the church does on Sunday mornings and the curious observer of this ancient tradition. It is divided into two parts. Part One: A Story of the Divine Service is a story of a young married couple encountering Christ's forgiveness at a church service and finding the ability to forgive each other. Part Two: The Life of Christ in Poetry and Prose explains the life of Christ as told in the classic Divine Service.
It is the hope that this book helps teach this beautiful but under-appreciated jewel of our Christian heritage.
Review Quotes
On any given Sunday, millions of Americans attend services expecting a worship experience. Instead of delivering a carefully choreographed experience, Lutheran worship delivers a carefully curated proclamation of Christ's Person and work in the Divine Service. Prof. Berg, through winsome story and accessible commentary, shows us that Christ himself is the center of the Divine Service. In it, Christ is both proclaimed and present. Blessed are the people at an ordinary church, served by an ordinary pastor, who - week in and week out - receive extraordinary Gospel gifts from the Savior! Prof. Aaron Christie Dean of Chapel Professor of Liturgics and Homiletics Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Mequon, WI
By weaving worship education into the private thoughts of John and Jennifer, the author accomplishes something very important. He teaches about worship not merely in an historical way or logical or doctrinal, but in a dynamic way: what's really going on in worship and what it means for me. Doctrine is essential. History and logic are valuable. But the dynamic helps people to own their worship and to appreciate it ever more deeply and personally. Pastor Bryan Gerlach Director of the Commission on Worship, Wisconsin Lutheran Synod
On Any Given Sunday uniquely reveals the happy marriage of substance and style - the what and the how - of liturgical worship. We immerse in the gritty struggles of John and Jennifer as Christ is drawn into their story, better, as Christ draws them all the way into his by the hidden glory of the Divine Service. The prose that surrounds their drama is Word-saturated and Christ-obsessed. I found myself yearning to take my bride to church. Dr. Mark Paustian, Author of Our Worth to Him
About the Author
Rev. Dr. Michael Berg is a professor of theology at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, WI, where he teaches courses on Worship, Apologetics, Martin Luther, World Religions, and Christ and Culture. He is married to Amanda and together they have three daughters. He is the author of Vocation: the Setting for Human Flourishing (1517) and The Baptismal Life (Northwestern Publishing House). He is also co-host of the podcast "Let the Bird Fly".Bror Erickson currently serves as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Farmington New Mexico where he lives with his wife, Laura. He graduated from Concordia University, Irvine, in 2000 where he studied apologetics under Dr. Rod Rosenbladt. Subsequently, he attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne Indiana, and graduated in 2004. He has translated many works by Bo Giertz, but he also enjoys hunting upland game and ducks with his dog, Grinner.