Divine Service (Lutheran)

The Divine Service (German: Gottesdienst) is a title given to the Eucharistic liturgy as used in the various Lutheran churches. It has its roots in the Pre-Tridentine Mass as revised by Martin Luther in his Formula missae ("Form of the Mass") of 1523 and his Deutsche Messe ("German Mass") of 1526. It was further developed through the Kirchenordnungen ("church orders") of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that followed in Luther's tradition.

The term "Divine Service" is commonly used among the more traditional Lutheran churches and organizations of the United States and Canada. In denominations heavily influenced by the twentieth century ecumenical and liturgical movements, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the terms "Holy Communion" or "the Eucharist" are more frequently used.

Other Lutheran rites are also in use, such as those used in the Byzantine Rite Lutheran Churches, such as the Ukrainian Lutheran Church and Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia. In these Churches, the term "Divine Liturgy" is used.


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