Lutheranism

===Liturgy===
{{Further|Lutheran art|Lutheran hymn|Lutheran chorale|Hymnody of continental Europe#Reformation}}
Lutherans place great emphasis on a [[liturgy|liturgical]] approach to worship services;<ref>McGrath, Alister, E. ''Christianity: An Introduction''. 2nd ed. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 2006. p. 272.</ref> although there are substantial non-liturgical minorities, for example, the [[Haugean]] Lutherans from Norway. Martin Luther was a great proponent of music, and this is why music forms a central part of Lutheran services to this day. In particular, Luther admired the composers [[Josquin des Prez]] and [[Ludwig Senfl]], and wanted singing in the church to move away from the ''ars perfecta'' (Catholic Sacred Music of the late Renaissance) and towards singing as a ''[[Gemeinschaft]]'' (community).<ref>Taruskin, Richard. ''The Oxford History of Western Music – Volume I (Music in the Earliest Notations to the sixteenth century)'', pp. 753–758 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010)</ref> Lutheran [[hymn]]s are sometimes known as [[chorale]]s. Lutheran hymnody is well known for its doctrinal, [[didactic]], and musical richness. Most Lutheran churches are active musically with choirs, handbell choirs, children's choirs, and occasionally [[change ringing]] groups that ring bells in a [[bell tower]]. [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], a devout Lutheran, composed a huge body of sacred music for the Lutheran church.

Lutherans also preserve a liturgical approach to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist/Communion, emphasizing the Sacrament as the central act of Christian worship. Lutherans believe that the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ are present in, with and under the bread and the wine. This belief is called [[Real Presence]] or [[sacramental union]] and is different from [[consubstantiation]] and [[transubstantiation]]. Additionally Lutherans reject the idea that communion is a mere symbol or [[Memorialism|memorial]]. They confess in the ''[[Apology of the Augsburg Confession]]'':
<blockquote>[W]e do not abolish the Mass but religiously keep and defend it. Among us the Mass is celebrated every Lord's Day and on other [[s:Augsburg Confession#Article XV: Of Ecclesiastical Usages.|festivals]], when the Sacrament is made available to those who wish to partake of it, after they have been examined and absolved. We also keep traditional liturgical forms, such as the order of readings, prayers, vestments, and other similar things.<ref>''Apology of the Augsburg Confession'', Article XXIV.1</ref></blockquote>In addition to the Holy Communion (Divine Service), congregations frequently also hold offices, which are worship services without communion. They may include [[Matins in Lutheranism|Matins]], [[Vespers in Lutheranism|Vespers]], [[Compline]], or other observances of the [[Canonical Hours|Daily Office]]. Private or family offices include the [[s:Luther's Small Catechism#HOW THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY Should Teach His Household to Bless Themselves in the Morning and in the Evening.|Morning and Evening Prayers]] from Luther's ''Small Catechism''.<ref name=daily>See [http://www.bookofconcord.com/smallcatechism.php#prayers Luther's Small Catechism, Daily Prayers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201231739/http://www.bookofconcord.com/smallcatechism.php#prayers |date=1 February 2010 }}</ref> Meals are blessed with the ''[[Common table prayer]]'', {{bibleverse||Psalm|145:15–16|31}}, or other prayers, and after eating the Lord is thanked, for example, with {{bibleverse||Psalm|136:1|9}}. Luther himself encouraged the use of Psalm verses, such as those already mentioned, along with the Lord's Prayer and another short prayer before and after each meal: [[s:Luther's Small Catechism#HOW THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY Should Teach His Household to Ask a Blessing and Return Thanks.|Blessing and Thanks at Meals]] from Luther's ''Small Catechism''.<ref name=daily/> In addition, Lutherans use devotional books, from small [[daily devotional]]s, for example, ''[[Portals of Prayer]]'', to large [[breviary|breviaries]], including the ''[[Evangelisch-Lutherische Gebetsbruderschaft|Breviarium Lipsiensae]]'' and ''Treasury of Daily Prayer''.

The predominant rite used by Lutheran churches is a Western one based on the ''[[Formula missae]]'' ("Form of the Mass"), although other Lutheran liturgies are also in use, such as those used in the [[Byzantine Rite Lutheranism|Byzantine Rite Lutheran Churches]], such as the [[Ukrainian Lutheran Church]] and [[Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia]].<ref name="HämmerliMayer2016">{{cite book|last1=Hämmerli|first1=Maria|last2=Mayer|first2=Jean-François|title=Orthodox Identities in Western Europe: Migration, Settlement and Innovation|date=23 May 2016|publisher=Routledge|language=en|isbn=9781317084914|page=13}}</ref> Although Luther's [[Deutsche Messe]] was completely chanted except for the sermon, this is less common today.

In the 1970s, many Lutheran churches began holding [[contemporary worship]] services for the purpose of evangelistic outreach. These services were in a variety of styles, depending on the preferences of the congregation. Often they were held alongside a traditional service in order to cater to those who preferred [[contemporary worship music]]. Today, a few Lutheran congregations have contemporary worship as their sole form of worship. Outreach is no longer given as the primary motivation; rather this form of worship is seen as more in keeping with the desires of individual congregations.<ref>Principle examples of this in the ELCA include [http://www.familyofgod.us Family of God, Cape Coral FL.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716234118/http://www.familyofgod.us/ |date=16 July 2020 }}, [http://www.the-well.org/ The Well, Charlotte NC], [http://www.hosannalc.org Hosanna! of Lakeville, Minnesota], and [http://www.apostleschurch.org/home.php Church of the Apostles, Seattle WA.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820204437/http://www.apostleschurch.org/home.php |date=20 August 2006 }}.</ref> In Finland, Lutherans have experimented with the {{interlanguage link|St Thomas Mass|fi|Tuomasmessu}} and [[Metal Mass]] in which traditional hymns are adapted to heavy metal. Some Laestadians enter a heavily emotional and [[religious ecstasy|ecstatic]] state during worship. The [[Lutheran World Federation]], in its Nairobi Statement on Worship and Culture, recommended every effort be made to bring church services into a more sensitive position with regard to cultural context.<ref>"A given culture's values and patterns, insofar as they are consonant with the values of the Gospel, can be used to express the meaning and purpose of Christian worship. Contextualization is a necessary task for the Church's mission in the world, so that the Gospel can be ever more deeply rooted in diverse local cultures."
[http://www.worship.ca/docs/lwf_ns.html/ NAIROBI STATEMENT ON WORSHIP AND CULTURE: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222182255/http://www.worship.ca/docs/lwf_ns.html |date=22 February 2007 }}</ref>

In 2006, both the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] (ELCA) and the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] (LCMS), in cooperation with certain international English speaking church bodies within their respective fellowships, released new hymnals: ''[[Evangelical Lutheran Worship]]'' (ELCA) and ''[[Lutheran Service Book]]'' (LCMS). Along with these, the most widely used among English speaking congregations include: ''[[Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary]]'' (1996, [[Evangelical Lutheran Synod]]), ''The [[Lutheran Book of Worship]]'' (1978, [[Lutheran Council in the United States of America]]), ''[[Lutheran Worship]]'' (1982, LCMS), ''[[Christian Worship Hymnal|Christian Worship]]'' (1993, [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]]), and ''[[The Lutheran Hymnal]]'' (1941, [[Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America]]). In the [[Lutheran Church of Australia]], the official hymnal is the ''Lutheran Hymnal with Supplement'' of 1986, which includes a supplement to the ''Lutheran Hymnal'' of 1973, itself a replacement for the ''Australian Lutheran Hymn Book'' of 1921. Prior to this time, the two Lutheran church bodies in Australia ([[History of the Lutheran Church of Australia#Merge of UELCA and ELCA into the Lutheran Church of Australia|which merged in 1966]]) used a bewildering variety of hymnals, usually in the German language. Spanish-speaking ELCA churches frequently use ''Libro de Liturgia y Cántico'' (1998, Augsburg Fortress) for services and hymns. For a more complete list, see [[List of English-language hymnals by denomination#Lutheran|List of English language Lutheran hymnals]].