Lutheran Service Book has served as a trusted resource for worship and devotion for twenty years, providing congregations and families with hymns, prayers, psalms, worship services, devotions, and Luther’s Small Catechism all in one volume. In honor of LSB’s twentieth anniversary, several of those who devoted their time and resources to work on the hymnal, along with those who have used it copiously throughout these twenty years, were asked to share their experiences and uses of LSB. Hymn writer and pastor Stephen Starke couldn’t have said it better:
Praise God on the twentieth anniversary of Lutheran Service Book!
This joyful expression captures the gratitude of many Lutherans as they give thanks for the ways LSB has shaped congregational, family, and personal worship over the past twenty years. Hear more from those who helped create this resource or have used it over the years below.
Stephen Starke next to the first batch of hymnals that arrived in 2006 for St. John Amelith Church in Bay City, Michigan
Bringing Generations Together in Song
Some Lutherans have grown up with three major hymnals in their life: The Lutheran Hymnal (1941), Lutheran Worship (1982), and Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). Each contains important hymns, treasured memories, words of comfort, and songs of hope. Lutheran Service Book brings together these beloved materials, making it a blessing for worshipers of all ages. Peter Reske, the main editor of LSB and head of the CPH Music Department, says this:
It’s fun to hear hymns being sung by seasoned worshipers for whom LSB was their third hymnal alongside children for whom LSB was their first and only hymnal.
Lutheran Service Book continues to bring people of all ages together, inviting congregations to sing both ancient and newer hymns with the same faith in Christ.
Memories Shaped by Lutheran Service Book
Having a hymnal that spans generations of worship also brings familiarity and comfort, helping make Lutheran Service Book what it is today. The twentieth anniversary offers an opportunity for several Lutherans to look back on the ways LSB has been a part of their worship and family’s life. Nathan Grime shares how his father, Paul Grime, worked with the Commission on Worship and kept his family updated on the hymnal’s progress:
Once it was published, it became an all-in-one resource for us. From it, we used the psalms, prayer offices, and the catechism, and, of course, we sang hymns.
Being able to witness the development of the extraordinary hymnal that eventually shaped Grime’s time as a cantor must have been monumental.
Gregory J. Wismar also had a very similar experience. His grandfather, Adolph Wismar, served on the Lutheran Hymnal committee. That example of faithful service left a lasting impression. Sixty-five years later, Gregory Wismar himself served as chairman of the Synod’s Commission on Worship when Lutheran Service Book was released.
Passing the Faith on to Lutherans of the Future
Church musicians experience firsthand this incredible blessing of growing with the different Lutheran hymnals. That was the case for Paul Soulek:
Our congregation started using LSB six months before I started serving as cantor, so in a sense we’ve grown up together.
His experience reflects the way LSB continues to evolve alongside those who use it. Sean Daenzer, director of LCMS Worship, mentions this about LSB:
Such a resource serves not only its generation but also those to come, those wise enough to build on its faithful foundations.
The influence of LSB extends far beyond family memories and church pews. Through the growth over the past twenty years, it has found a home not only in congregational worship but also in Lutheran classrooms. At Our Savior Lutheran in Grand Rapids, Michigan, children receive their own copies of LSB in first grade. Christina Roberts shares,
The hymnal gives them the chance to hold that gift in their hands, and to put it to use singing Christ’s promises throughout their lives.
By putting hymnals into the hands of young students, a new generation can be invited to share the same loving Lutheran heritage that has shaped so many who have gone before.
Giving Thanks for Twenty Years of Lutheran Service Book
As these reflections show, Lutheran Service Book has become far more than a hymnal. It is a resource for worship, teaching, prayer, and catechesis that has connected generations of Lutherans through a shared confession of faith. Having helped produce LSB, Mark Bender summarizes this blessing well:
The widespread acceptance and use of LSB in the worship life of the LCMS is a great blessing of God for which I am very thankful.
As Lutheran Service Book marks twenty years of service to the church, thanks be to God for the congregations, families, musicians, pastors, and worshipers who have been united in faith, prayer, and song through its pages.
Order your own copy of Lutheran Service Book: Pew Edition today to join with the thousands who have found hope and comfort in its pages.
