Looking Forward to Sunday Morning
Holy Cross’ Adult Bible Class meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15. After a short opening in the sanctuary, the youth leave for Sunday School to study Bible stories, and adults move to the fellowship hall.
Beginning in Advent, we explore how the propers (selected Scriptures, prayers, and hymns) we hear, speak, and sing on Sunday emphasize certain themes for us, which guide our meditation during the Divine Service. Join us as we spend the hour before the service preparing, so that when we join the eternal worship of heaven, we are already attuned to what God wants to say to us! If you would like to preview the readings, please click here (external link redirects to lcms.org's pdf of the readings for Series B).
Specifically, we'll look at the following each week in light of the Church season and Sunday, and trace the themes that develop:
- Introit
- Collect
- Old Testament/First Reading
- Psalm
- Gradual
- Epistle/Second Reading
- Verse
- Gospel
- Hymn of the Day
If you would like to use this format for study at home, below are a few tips, and here is a link to download a worksheet you can use:
Process
- Pray – I like to use the Prayer to Receive the Word (LSB 308, #148)
- Ask yourself whether the seasonal or daily theme causes you to expect anything
- Read and annotate each proper, taking note of repeated words/themes/ideas within the proper
- Note connections between propers, and consider how they expand or focus the theme
- As well as you’re able, write a short summary of the overall theme(s)
Practical Tips
- Make annotations your own: mark, circle, highlight, color, etc. in whatever way works best for you
- Don’t get bogged down in one particular proper for too long
- Write down any questions you have of the text and use them for study later
