From God’s Word, we know that wherever God puts His Name, there He is to bless. In the Old Testament, the Temple was the place where God graciously caused His Name to be present (1 Kings 8:27-30).

Properly speaking, the Divine Service begins with the Introit. The Invocation is the beginning of our preparation for the Divine Service. The invocation of the Trinitarian Name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and the sign of the cross are first spoken and marked on us in Holy Baptism. Repeating them in preparation for the Divine Service is a confession that the God upon whom we call is the same God who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies His baptized people by His Word and Sacrament, the God in whose name we are blessed (Matthew 28:19b & 18:20; John 16:23; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Ephesians 2:18; Colossians 1:9, 2:9, 3:17).