The church building is of a fairly modern design and construction; the concrete blocks which made up the walls are visible through the cream-colored paint. The building has an entrance hall; the hall containing several doors: one leads to a coat room, one to another room (presumably a room for meetings and other events), stairs lead down to a basement door, stairs lead up to the door to the choir, and the double doors open up to the church-proper, where worship services are held.
Once we entered the double doors, we got a view of this worship area. Much like a Catholic church, the Jackson Park Lutheran church building has an altar in the middle, pulpits on the sides at the front of the church, with two rows of pews facing forward, an empty row between them. Vaulting up to the ceiling along the walls are large curved wooden beams, a feature which I noted is very similar to our own Catholic church. In the very front of the church, behind the altar, I observed a large piece of artwork on the wall. At first I was not certain what it might be, then as the service progressed, I came to realize what it is. This display is a Jesse tree, tracing the lineage of Jesus. At the top of the tree is a picture of Jesus, below him Joseph and Mary. The figures continue below him, tracing backward through the Bible characters, David and Isaac and Abraham and the rest. My immediate impression of this, before I realized what it is, was that of a vague interest: it seemed to be well made, but not worth much attention. However, when i realized what it is, I developed a genuine appreciation for it. The church is not overly done with decoration: several stained glass windows, a few flowers, and several candles make up the bulk of what I saw. There were no statues in the church.
The worship format of this church is, surprisingly to me, very similar to that which can be found in a Catholic church. The service begins with an entrance hymn, then a greeting, and the Kyrie (similar but differing somewhat from that in a Catholic church). Next there is a prayer. After this come the scripture readings (referred to as lessons), which include, like the Catholic mass, a first reading, a psalm (from the Book of Psalms), a second reading, and a Gospel reading. The pastor thereafter delivers a sermon.
Like the Catholic liturgy, there is a collection (a church must sustain its building and employes somehow). Next the Nicene (or on other occasions, where the service might include a creed of beliefs, for example, a baptism, the Apostles' Creed) is professed.
Departing from the Catholic ceremony, a sign of peace is exchanged among the congregation at this time, followed by the offering of the bread and wine to God for Communion. In the meanwhile, "Holy Communion Record" cards are distributed to the congregation. This was totally unfamiliar to me. After this, there are several prayers, followed by the Lord's Prayer. Following this, Communion is distributed. The distribution of Communion reminded me of what I have learned about the way it was distributed years ago in the Catholic Church. Groups of people go up to the front of the church and kneel at a Communion rail, where Communion is distributed to them, first the bread, then the wine (or grape juice), in individual cups. Following Communion, there are prayers, a blessing and dismissal (although the congregation does not perform the Sign of the Cross). The service ends with a closing hymn.
My feelings about this experience were varied and mixed. Overall, it was a positive experience. I felt very comfortable in this church, mainly due to its similarities to the Catholic rite of worship. I had known that Lutherans are a breakaway group from the Catholic Church, and that the breakaway was several hundred years ago. However, I hadn't expected the service to bear so great a resemblance to the Catholic Mass. In this respect, I was surprised. I had always had the impression that by being breakaways, the Lutherans were somehow radical. Now I realize that although there are differences between our Church and theirs, that we have very much in common. I think about the fact that Martin Luther had in fact wanted not to form a new church but to reform the Catholic Church. He may have been unsuccessful in his time, but the church that bears his name does resemble the Catholic Church very much. This worship experience has taught me that the Lutherans are not in any way 'outsiders'; we all do share the same belief in Christ and this belief serves to unite us all. I found this worsip experience to be very worthwhile. It has strengthened and affirmed my beliefs in our own Church, not because I view the Lutheran church as any less, but because now see how we all do belong together.