Note: Thank you very much to Rev. Mike Grieve of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Golden, IL for this excellent review of a true classic. Anyone wanting to know more about our worship service in the Lutheran Church truly ought to pick this book up. It can be purchased from Emmanuel Press. It was originally compiled and published by the General Council to teach people about the beauty and truth of the Common Service. What a blessing that it is still in print!
“An Explanation of the Common Service”: Fifth Edition Revised and Enlarged; United
Lutheran Publication House, Philadelphia, 1908; Reprinted in 2006 by Emmanuel
Press, 1916 Ridgewood Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
The answer, “that’s the way we’ve always done it,” to the
question of, “why do we do what we do in worship?” is not only unhelpful, but
it’s also false. We do know “why we do what we do in worship.” Sometimes we just don’t know where to find
the answer to the question. An
Explanation of the Common Service helps give concrete answers to questions
that would otherwise be left in abstract thought and speculation. What would seem to be a daunting number of
questions and answers (250) is eased by the reality that the book is just 120
pages in length, which includes a history of Christian hymnody; liturgical
colors and their significance; and index and glossary.
