The Preparation
What Does This (or That) Mean? A series on how we worship.
1 Corinthians 14:40 But all things should be done decently and in [good] order.
What is Paul talking about here? He is talking to the Corinthians about their worship practices. He is telling them that because of all the confusion that is happening it is not beneficial to the faithful. So, he encourages them to establish an order or form to their worship to help facilitate the congregation’s edification.
Last time I wrote about why we, as Lutherans, use the Historic Liturgy.[1] This month I would like to look at the first part of the Divine Service Setting: Confession and Absolution.
This article began with a verse 1 Corinthians 14 for a reason. Sometimes this part of the service is called “The Preparation.”[2] This is because while Confession and Absolution have always been a part of the Christian life, it has not always been during the Divine Service nor at the beginning. Circa the founding of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Confession and Absolution could be found following the sermon and before the Lord’s prayer. “In this location, following the Service of the Word, it takes on some aspects of response to the proclaimed Word. Yet, it still retains the function of preparation as the service moves toward the celebration of the Lord’s Supper,”[3] or its conclusion (Text, Music, Context 15). While the arrangement of the service has changed over time, things are still done in a way as to not cause confusion. Where it is placed now, Confession and Absolution acts as the opening movement of the service and consists of three parts or sub-acts.
The first part is the Invocation. The Invocation has always been at the beginning of the service. “Invocation” comes from the Latin for “call upon.” So, what we are doing is calling upon God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We do so because Christ promises to be present wherever two or more gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20). This is not like an incantation which is a series of words said as a magic spell or charm. We are asking God to be with us as He has promised, not trying to manipulate, demand, or force Him to be there which would be beyond our control anyway. Since the Invocation is Trinitarian (names all three persons of the Godhead) it also reminds us of our baptism. This is why the pastor makes the sign of the cross, which was made on our head and heart during baptism. And it is also why some people make cross themselves during it as a remembrance of their baptism.
The second part of Confession and Absolution is the confession of sins. Scripture reminds us that, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess (that is, admit) our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:8-9). So, we take this time to admit that we are sinners by choice and by nature. As such we recognize that we deserve God’s punishment (Romans 6:23) and ask that instead He show us His mercy in Christ.
The Confession of Sins is properly made as a preparatory step, to obtain assurance of the forgiveness of God at the very beginning of worship. It has taken the place of the ancient Confiteor. In the Confiteor the priest knelt and made confession of his sins to “Almighty God, to the blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed archangel Michael, the blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul.” The meaning of this confession was that the priest, having doffed his usual clothing and having donned his priestly vestments, was worthy of offering the sacrifice for the living and the dead. In Lutheran worship the Confession is made for the entire congregation.[4]
Since Christ is our Great High Priest who has made the sacrifice once for all we are able to approach the throne of grace in confidence because we are assured that our sins are forgiven by the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
The third section is the best part, Absolution. Absolution comes from the Latin word absolūtiō which means “acquittal.” It means that we have been declared forgiven of our sins. Today, some churches simply refer to it as Confession and Forgiveness because of this very fact and since absolution is a word rarely used today. In Absolution God declares through the mouth of the pastor that He has forgiven us of our sins. It is not the pastor’s forgiveness that we receive, but God’s. So why does the pastor say, “I…forgive you all your sins?”
Absolution: (from Latin absolvo, “loosen, release”). In general, a setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness. In particular, the formal act of a clergyman in which, by virtue of his office and in the name and stead of Christ, he pronounces forgiveness of sins upon those who have confessed their sins, affirm their faith in Christ, and promise to amend their lives. The Biblical basis is Mt 16:19; 18:18; Jn 20:19–23. In the primitive church (3d century on) scandalous sinners who had been under public discipline received absolution at the time of their reconciliation to the church. From the 5th century on, notably in monastic communities, absolution was imparted privately. From the 10th century on in the Western church a public confession spoken by or in the name of the worshiping congregation was sometimes followed by absolution. While recognizing that private confession was a human (although highly praiseworthy and useful) institution, the Lutheran Church retained individual absolution (normally after private confession) as “the very voice of the Gospel” and declared that it would be impious to abolish it. (AC XI; Ap XI 2; SA-III VIII; SC V). Ap XIII 4 calls it a genuine sacrament along with Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar. FC SD XI 38 teaches that the individual can infer God's saving will toward him from private absolution. In a grace emergency, when a clergyman cannot be had, a layman can act for the whole church in absolving a penitent (Tractatus 67). In some parts of the Lutheran Church the confessor imparts individual absolution to the penitents by laying hands on each one after the group of penitents has spoken a general confession of sins together. While the general practice in the Lutheran Church is still to administer absolution to all the penitents present at a public service, the old Lutheran practice of private confession and individual absolution, which had disappeared almost wholly by the end of the 19th century, is slowly gaining ground again. The formula of absolution implied by Scripture (e.g., Mt 16:19; 18:18; Jn 19:23) and the Lutheran Symbols and in common use in the Lutheran Church is indicative (“In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins …”). Until the 15th century the precative form (“May God forgive you all your sins …”) was almost universal; this form, still in exclusive use in Eastern Christianity, is used in the Lutheran Church (as will as in the Roman Catholic and Anglican and communions) as a less formal kind of absolution. Absolution is usually, although not necessarily, a part of the preparation for receiving the Sacrament of the Altar.[5]
Next post we will dive more into how the pastor has the ability to say, “I forgive you all your sins.” Many none Lutherans find this wording extremely troubling and believe Lutheran pastors are putting themselves in the place of God.
In Christ,
Pastor Ross
[1] The order of worship in the Lutheran churches of America is based largely on the work of Luther, whose Formula missae 1523 and Deutsche Messe 1526 exerted a wide influence. An abbreviated form of the Saxon and Prussian orders was used in many German congregations. – Worship, Order of; Christian Cyclopedia.
[2] For an example of this see Kinnaman, Scot A., and Art Kirchhoff. Worshiping with Angels and Archangels: An Introduction to the Divine Service. Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 2006.
[3]Text, Music, Context: A Resource for Reviewing Worship Materials. St. Louis, MO: Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, 2011.
[4] “Worship, Parts Of.” Christian Cyclopedia. Accessed July 2, 2026. https://cyclopedia.lcms.org/definitions?filter=WORSHIP&mode=filter&page=0&definition=D737CF89-B266-EE11-9148-0050563F0205.
[5] “Absolution.” Christian Cyclopedia. Accessed July 2, 2026. https://cyclopedia.lcms.org/definitions?filter=ABSOLUTION&mode=filter&page=0&definition=2DE9D78A-B266-EE11-9148-0050563F0205.
