The Lutheran Church is a liturgical church. Yet, within its long history, the role of the liturgy as it has been handed down through the centuries has had varying degrees of influence. Believing that our historical practice has much to teach us, the Commission on Worship offers the following commentary on the main parts of the Divine Service. These comments are not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, their purpose is to assist worship planners in better understanding the nature and function of the chief service in the Lutheran Church, the service of Word and Sacrament. Should congregations depart from this historic pattern of worship-a pattern that is, in fact, not uniquely Lutheran, but transcends confessional boundaries-the commission urges that worship planners take into consideration the thoughts provided here as they prepare their services.