divine service
- noun
- Every Sunday, the congregation gathers at the church for divine service to worship together.
- the time of divine service
Examples
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First, as human beings, it is within our world that we experience communion with God through our worship in the divine services of the Church.
Blog text (5) -
Scattered in various parts of the county and state, they had not attended divine service since 1865.
Academic text (2008) -
What about the Bible readings during the divine service?
Blog text (9) -
All divine service to Krishna is being conducted under her direction.
Blog text (33) -
When Sunday morning rolled around, Caudell joined most of the regiment at divine services.
Fiction book (1992) -
For Orthodox Christians, September 1 begins a new liturgical year in which we participate in the life of the Holy Church through Her divine services.
Blog text (5) -
The augmentation of divine service in its reformed format was achieved through such patronage.
Academic text (2018) -
Constables, churchwardens, and sidemen were to patrol during divine service, especially where they suspect lewd and debauched company to frequent.
Academic text (2007) -
In Barbados, only the parishes of St. Lucy, St. Peter, and St. John (three out of eleven) failed to report that they held divine service on the feasts and fasts of the church year.
Academic text (2007) -
In Jamaica, the perennial liturgical laggard, only St. Catherine's parish in Spanish Town and the Kingston parish reported keeping "all holy days," while Vere, Westmoreland, St. Thomas in the Vale, and St. Thomas in the East reported divine service on at least some holy days.
Academic text (2007)
Synonyms
A formal event that follows traditional rules for a special occasion
A religious meeting for public worship, often in a church
A religious service for Christians
The act of showing love and respect to a god in religious services
A formal ceremony often held as part of a religious tradition
A church service that follows set words and actions
A planned public worship service with fixed prayers and actions
A meeting in a church where people pray, sing, and listen to a talk
A religious meeting where people talk to God and sing songs
A formal event where people meet to show shared beliefs with prayers and rituals
A public event where people pray, sing, and listen in a church or temple
A ceremony with set actions from a religion like prayers and singing
An evening prayer service in many Christian churches, often on Sundays
A formal ceremony that people follow as part of a religion
A Hindu ceremony with prayers and offerings to honor a god
A short religious service often for private prayer
A short religious meeting in a small church with prayers and songs
A set way churches use for worship with prayers and hymns
A Christian church service held on Sunday
A formal church service with set ceremonies and a serious mood
How Religious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'divine' means 'of or from God' and 'service' here means a public religious ceremony, so together they denote a religious worship ceremony. This adjective+noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be readily understood by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words (though the phrase is somewhat formal).
Etymology
Divine service comes from the words divine (meaning 'from God') and service (meaning 'to serve'). It paints a clear image of people coming together to 'serve' God with prayers and songs, so it now means a public worship ceremony.