What Does the Service of the Word Do?

The service of the word rehearses the story of God's redeeming actions and calls us to see God at work in our own histories. In the Service of the Word the mood shifts from the joyful and doxological note of the Entrance to an instructive mood. By its very nature the Service of the Word is more cognitive than the Entrance. The emphasis is on reading, hearing, listening, and responding to the story of God's action in history. The origin of the Service of the Word and its instructive orientation lies in the synagogue. The early Christians who were Jews probably adapted what they did in the synagogue to the context of Christian worship. After the Scripture readings, punctuated by psalms (as in the synagogue), early Christian worship contained a sermon followed by several responses to the Word such as discussion of the sermon, prayers of the people, and the Kiss of Peace. Later, another response was added, the Creed. Placed after the sermon, it replaced the discussion of the smaller …