God’s gathered guests come together because God calls us by His Gospel. We are gathered in His name to receive His Word and Meal. We respond in praise and prayers and works of service. This gathering time provides us with the power for living and believing. The worship service ends, but our service continues throughout the week as we live out our faith in Christ in our daily lives.—from the Introduction

This second edition of Gathered Guests explores the elements that compose the broad category of Lutheran worship, including

• The historic nature of and current structure of the Divine Service, prayer offices (including Matins and Vespers), and festival and occasional services used in the Lutheran Church.
• An overview of music, the arts, architecture, and their relationship to worship.
• The role of liturgy, rite, and ceremony in the Divine Service.

Special features include

• Glossary and topical and Scripture indexes.
• Targeted information for lectors and worship planners.
• Family and small-group devotional outlines.
• Addresses the service orders included in the Lutheran Service Book.
  

"This new edition of Gathered Guests retains the superlative marriage of history, theology, and practice while orienting itself toward new worship books, especially Lutheran Service Book. Reflective of the most current scholarship, it thoroughly analyzes the issues, rites, and practices of Lutheran worship from theological and historical perspectives. Discussion of the contemporary context encourages thoughtful engagement. This is the first book to open for those gathering the guests."
— Kent J. Burreson
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Assistant Dean of the Chapel
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

"A historical and practical guide to liturgy from a Lutheran perspective, especially useful as an undergraduate or graduate textbook but also accessible to the general reader."
— Joseph Herl
Associate Professor of Music
Concordia University, Nebraska