We are sensitive in our worship planning both to the spiritual needs of the congregation and to the instruction of our Lord. More than anything else, Christians need to be recharged and refocused on Sunday with the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. God has promised us the power of this forgiveness through the preaching of His word (Romans 10:14-15), through the Sacrament of Baptism (1 Peter 3:21, Ephesians 5:26), and through the Sacrament of the Altar (Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 10:16). Accordingly, our worship is centered on these events as God's service to us. Our Lord Himself meets our spiritual needs through His word and the sacraments. We ensure that these needs are reliably met at each church service through the use of a standard order of worship, or liturgy.
Another important part of our worship is the confession of sin and the absolution. This event should remind each of us of our Baptism. God has promised to hear us and to forgive us, without limit. And so we bring our burdens of guilt before His altar and bow our hearts in humble submission. The pastor then announces the forgiveness of God as the voice of Christ Himself. We can firmly believe this, because Jesus promised ``He who hears you, hears me'' (Luke 10:16).
When we use the means of grace in our worship, our faith is strengthened by the working of the Holy Spirit. We actually receive the forgiveness of sins that God's Son won on the cross. There are also parts of the service that give us opportunity to respond to these rich blessings.