...Toward a "Greener" Practice of Liturgical Worship.

Why On Earth Do We Do That?

What happened to our bulletin?  Where is the church service?

This week we are experimenting with a bit of a different way to do our liturgy.  Instead of printing it out in the bulletin, you will find a laminated card in your pews with everything you need to know/read/say/sing to fully participate in the worship service.  Anything not on the cards will either be read for you by a Pastor/Elder, or projected onto the screen for all to sing.  The goal of this experiment is to simplify and streamline worship participation by limiting your information sources to two:  the card, and the screens.  We hope this proves easier than trying to juggle a hymnal, a Bible, a bulletin, and watching the screens.  Additional information, such as the text of the readings and songs to be sung, will still be included in the bulletin.

What happened to “This is the Feast?”  What is this “Hymn of Praise?”

“This is the Feast” is a hymn of praise taken from Revelation 5 and 19.  It is the song of the saints and angels in heaven around the throne of God:  “Worthy are you . . for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God…”  Throughout scripture, we get little glimpses and pictures of what heaven is like.  We take their songs and join our voices to them as a symbol of the fact that in our worship, prayer, and the sacraments, we are truly joining in the feast and celebration of heaven even while still on earth.  Our “hymn of praise” in this service, while it lacks the refrain, is a paraphrase in metered verse of those same verses in Revelation, sung to a very familiar melody.

...anyways, this new practice will hopefully kill less trees, which we happen to do precisely as the liturgical color of the season turn green!  Next up, I'll be posting our new liturgy with more explanation.

From the Large Catechism:  on the Third Commandment:  Let me tell you this, even though you know God’s WOrd perfectly and are already a master in all things:  you are daily in the devil’s kingdom.  He never ceases day nor night to sneak up on you and to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the commandments.  Therefore, you must always have God’s Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears.  But where the heart is idle and the Word does not make a sound, the devil breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware.  On the other hand, the Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, it is bound never to be without fruit.  

It sounds like when a Lutheran admits his sins...

What are the “Lutheran Confessions,” and why do we read them today?

In addition to the weekly “Why on Earth” article, we have been including readings in the bulletin from various documents, such as the “Large Catechism” or the “Augsburg Confession.”  These documents are part of a collection called the “Book of Concord.”  At the time of the reformation, there was much political and theological turmoil in the various states and churches which were being separated from Rome.  They gradually began to form into three distinct schools of thought:  the Lutherans, the Reformed, and the Anabaptists.  Many of these groups began to write documents, or confessions of faith, expressing what they believed and why.  These served to unify their churches and keep their doctrine consistent despite political and military pressure.  For a time the turmoil became so great it looked as if all that the Lutheran reformers had fought to achieve would be lost.  But they came together and began to work through their disagreements.  They assembled their various confessions of faith, catechisms, and treatises, compared them against the God’s Word, and came to an agreement on which they believed to be true and accurate summaries of the teaching of Scripture.  In 1580, these documents were assembled into a single source, the Book of Concord, which brought peace and unity to our churches.  We read them today in order to understand what Scripture teaches better.

From the Large Catechism:  on the Second Article of the Creed:  Let this, then, be the sum of this article:  the little word Lord means simply the same as redeemer.  ...it explains that He suffered, died, and was buried so that he might make satisfaction for me and pay what I owe, now with silver or gold, but with His own precious blood.  And He did all this in order to become my Lord.   ...After that He rose again from the dead, swallowed up and devoured death, and finally ascended into heaven and assumed the government at the Father’s right hand.  He did these things so that the devil and all powers must be subject to Him and lie at His feet until finally, at the Last Day, He will completely divide and separate us from the wicked world, the devil, death, sin and such.

Musings on the Multiplicity of Services

From the services I publish in our weekly church bulletin:

How many “services” do we have in each church service?

You may have noticed there are two “services” in our worship: the “Service of the Word” and “Service of the Sacrament.”  Are these separate services?  The worship of the Christian church has always had two chief parts.  The Jewish disciples of Jesus continued practices of the synagogue, which consisted in readings from the Old Testament, teaching, singing Psalms, and prayer.  We continue this tradition in the Service of the Word, where we read from both Testaments, hear the Gospel proclaimed, and respond with prayer and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Col. 3:16).  All this proclaims Christ as the substance of our faith, as summarized in the creeds.  As Christians, we have from our Lord himself one other ritual:  the Lord’s Supper, which has evolved into it’s own ceremony for two reasons.  First, the early church welcomed unbelievers to attend the Service of the Word, but since they were not permitted to receive the Lord’s Supper, they were dismissed before it was celebrated.  So it became sort of the “service within the service.”  The other factor in this separate service was its significance:  As Christ is the final sacrifice for sin, putting to an end to the Jewish temple sacrifices, the celebration of Christ’s work on the cross is the rite through which we receive God’s forgiveness.  Thus Christian worship begins with hearing God’s word, responding with praise and prayer, and ends with receiving forgiveness, life, and salvation, the fruit of the cross, in the Sacrament.  The church developed bookends so that the four-fold pattern of Christian worship, found in churches of all denominations and in all centuries, is gathering, Service of the Word, Service of the Sacrament, and concluding rites.

From the Augsburg Confession:  Article 24:  Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass.  The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence.  Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved, except that the parts sung in Latin are interspersed with German hymns.  These have been added to teach the people.  For ceremonies are needed for this reason alone:  that the uneducated be taught what they need to know about Christ.

Musings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

MIGUEL’s MUSINGS:  A Lutheran reader

Why On Earth Do We Do That?

Why are we still singing so many Easter songs?

Easter is more than one day:  for centuries the church has celebrated it for 50 days!  In Acts 1:3 we read that the resurrected Christ walked the earth for 40 days before he ascended to the father.  So we commemorate the Ascension 40 days after Easter and the next Sunday after officially ends Eastertide with Pentecost.  50 days is roughly seven sevens, a week of weeks, and just as one day of the week is set aside for worship, so one seventh of the calendar year celebrates Easter.  But 50 days is not all we designate: The church celebrates Easter whenever she gathers to worship by proclaiming the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf; every Sunday is kind of a mini-Easter.  As we walk with Christ through the major events of his life each church year, Easter remains of highest prominence.  Since Jesus is alive, we know that we shall live as well, and this is the highest cause for rejoicing.  It is why the season (and the hymns of the season) are so filled with shouts of “Alleluia!”  Remember as we sing, though life is not always in “major key,” believers have greater cause to rejoice in the hope of life through Christ.

From the Large Catechism:  on the First Commandment:  Let everyone seriously take this passage to heart, lest it be regarded as though a man had spoken it.  For you it is a question of eternal blessing, happiness, and salvation, or of eternal wrath, misery, and woe.  What more would you have or desire than god so kindly promising to be yours with every blessing and to protect and help you in all need?  But unfortunately, the world believes none of this, nor regards it as God’s Word.  The world sees that those who trust in God and not in Mammon suffer care and want, and that the devil opposes and resists them.  They don’t have money or favor or honor, and besides, can scarcely support life.  On the other hand, those who serve Mammon have power, favor, honor, possessions, and every comfort in the eyes of the world.  Therefore, these words must be understood to speak against the appearance of such things.  And we must believe that they do not lie or deceive, but must come true. 

A New Series in our Church Bulletin

I've started a new feature in our church bulletin in order to get my writing output a bit more consistent.  My goal is to answer a question every week on "Why on Earth Do We Do That?"  In our church, we follow the Divine Service liturgy fairly consistently, usually swapping the musical setting with the change of liturgical season or every 6-8 weeks.  However, largely due to the strong presence and influence of evangelical sub-culture on our congregation, not many of our members understand why we worship they way we do.  I think we stand to benefit much more from worship if we have a deeper understanding of the reason for the traditions, what they mean and why we do them.  They are expressions of our Lutheran theology which direct our attention to Christ and frame our receiving of his grace through the Word and Sacrament ministry of the church.  So, in order to promote a fuller understanding of the worship tradition of the Lutheran church, the new bulletin series is entitled:  "Miguel's Musings:  A Lutheran Reader."  In it, I shall do 4 things:  After a "why on earth" question or two, I shall include an excerpt from the Lutheran Confessions.  Just a little paragraph or so, some food for thought.  I've found that many at Our Savior don't think they are actually Lutheran, but if you ask them theological questions, they often answer from a Lutheran perspective.  Conversely, some who do self identify as Lutherans hold very non-Lutheran theological views.  While I'm a fan, to a certain extent, of the "big tent" approach to fellowship, I strongly believe that informed disagreement is the best kind.  So I will include little blurbs each week, an easy to digest paragraph or so, in order to present a digestible morsel of the official teaching of our church and synod, in order that people might be encouraged to reflect on these things, whether or not they agree.  I happen to find Lutheran doctrine to be very persuasive and the best summary of the teachings of Scripture, and hope that others will come to see it that way as well.  Third, I will include the Issues Etc... bulletin blurb in order to direct the curious to an outstanding resource for going deeper.  And lastly, I'll refer them to this blog in order that those who have more questions have a forum to inquire, and those who disagree have a forum to push back.  I'm never one to back down from a theological dispute!  :P

And so, I present the first installment from this morning's Easter Sunday bulletin of "Miguel's Musings."

MIGUEL’s MUSINGS:  A Lutheran reader

Why On Earth Do We Do That?

What is the “Divine Service?”  Why do we follow this liturgy?

The “Divine Service” is the expression of the Lutheran understanding of worship.  In Matthew 20:28, Jesus says, “...the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Jesus came to serve and to give.  We believe he still comes to do exactly that.  Jesus is a God who desires to shower us with his gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.  He serves us through the words of scripture and the proclamation of the Gospel.  He serves us His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper so that we can be certain that we have forgiveness of sin.  The order of the service is followed because we believe this ancient pattern of worship most clearly and beautifully serves this purpose.  We respond to this feast of His grace with thanks and praise, rejoicing in the fact that Christ himself is truly present with us.

Verses, everywhere!  Why does the bulletin have so many Bible references?

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”  We believe that God’s own words are the best and most important for teaching and admonishing us in all wisdom.  Did you know that the Divine Service liturgy is over 90% scripture?  As we gather together to proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns, we express love for our Savior by cherishing to hear His words.  Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”  What better words could serve as the foundation of our worship?

From the Large Catechism:  We have no slight reasons for treating the Catechism so constantly and for both desiring and beseeching others to teach it, since we see to our sorrow that many pastors and preachers are very negligent in this, and slight both their office and this teaching; some from great and high art (giving their mind, as they imagine, to much higher matters), but others from sheer laziness and care for their paunches, assuming no other relation to this business than if they were pastors and preachers, for their bellies' sake, and had nothing to do but, to consume their emoluments as long as they live, as they have been accustomed to do under the Papacy.

Why on Earth Do We Do That? Advent/Christmas edition

Here are the first four installments in my bulletin blurb series explaining the worship practices of the Lutheran church.  I'll try to post the individual ones as they are finished.  Up next will be the Divine Service.  Pictured above is an Advent wreath that we saw suspended in mid air at an Episcopal cathedral in New York City.  I know it's a little late for the Christmas season, but I thought I'd get this up while there are still 25 minutes left in Christmas.  Epiphany begins tomorrow.  I hope you enjoyed your 12 days!

Why On Earth Do We Do That?
What is Advent, and why do we celebrate it (part one)?
Advent is a part of the Christian Year, a pattern of seasons which cycle annually to highlight different themes and events from the life of Christ.  It was developed as a method of teaching the faith to believers who lived before literacy was common or people could own Bibles.  The church year follows the story of waiting for the Messiah to come, the birth of Jesus, His baptism, temptation, death, resurrection, ascension, and future return as King.
Did you know that this cycle follows the second article of the creed?  Rotating through the major events of Christ’s life annually keeps the entire story always present in the church.  No matter what else comes along to distract our attention, the change of seasons always brings us back to remember who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  Following this pattern punctuates time with our contemplation of the life of Christ so that remembering and proclaiming the Good News becomes a part of the rhythm of our lives.  This is a part of how the church catechizes, or teaches, in her mission to make disciples.
Even though Bibles and literacy are common today, we maintain the celebration of the Christian year because it serves as an anchor to direct our focus in worship towards Christ that we might be built up in faith and continue to emphasize what is most important.  Next week, we’ll talk more about Advent and the role it plays in the church year.  Remember, if it’s not about the Christ, it isn’t Christian!

What is Advent, and why do we celebrate it (part two)?

Advent is the part of the church year at the beginning of the cycle.  In this season that leads up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we remember the thousands of years that Old Testament believers were waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Messiah.  It is often considered a penitential season, similar to Lent, because during this time we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christmas, symbolically re-enacting the anticipation of Christ’s first coming, or His “Advent,” (from the Latin “adventus,” meaning arrival).  However, like the saints of old who waited for the first coming of Christ, we too are waiting for our Savior, because He has promised to return.  Jesus is the world’s salvation, but that salvation is not fully experienced until we are with Him in paradise.  In the meantime, believers can draw hope from looking to the day to come when Christ returns to judge the earth.  So there is a two-fold emphasis on waiting for Jesus during this season.  Let us set our hearts on the joy that is yet to revealed as we remember that though toil and trouble weigh on our hearts, God has not forgotten us, and after a little while we shall be with Him forever.
Nobody knows exactly when Christ shall return, and the church waits with eager anticipation year round, but we emphasize this waiting four weeks out of the year to remind ourselves that just as God was faithful to his Word to send a Redeemer, so too He will be faithful to take those whom He has redeemed to our eternal home.  Let us remember the words of Augustine who said, “When [Scripture] tells us to watch for the last day, every one should think of as concerning his own last day; lest haply when you judge or think the last day of the world to be far distant, you slumber with regard to your own last day.”  We shall indeed be with Jesus soon.  Amen, come Lord Jesus.

Why do we have a special wreath with colored candles out in December?

There is a wreath positioned horizontally on a stand that has 3 blue or purple candles, one pink candle, and eventually, a large white candle in the center off to the side of the altar in our sanctuary this month.  This is known as the “advent wreath.”  It is a special device we use to mark our progress through the Advent season, one candle for each week in Advent.

What is the significance of the colors?  Purple is the traditional color for Advent because, like Lent, it is a penitential season.  However, Lent and Advent are not penitential in the same way:  Lent is preparation for Good Friday and the cross, but in Advent we prepare for a much less somber event, the birth of Christ.  In order to distinguish this, it has become common in recent years for Advent to adopt the color blue in place of purple.  The third Sunday of Advent is marked by the pink candle.  This candle marks the half-way point through Advent.  Penitential seasons have a tradition of using a “half-time,” or taking the middle Sunday as an opportunity for rejoicing and respite amidst the drab undertones that tend to accompany such seasons.  This Sunday is known as Gaudate, or Rejoice! Sunday, because of the words we begin the service with:  Rejoice in the Lord always!  Even as we await His coming, we rejoice in it’s certainty.  There is one more candle that we will add to the wreathe, in the center, on December 24th.

Candles, candles, everywhere!  Why do we light so many candles on Christmas eve?

Because Jesus Christ is the light of the world.  With the birth of Jesus, “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Thus sang Zechariah in Luke 1:68-79.  In the first chapter of John we read that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  

We light candles all over the place to symbolize Christ.  The suspended candle in a red case is the “eternity candle,” which stands for the presence of Christ among his church (and thus it is always lit).  The two candles on the altar that are lit every Sunday represent the two natures of Christ, that he is both fully human and fully divine.  In this service, we add a fifth candle, the white “Christ candle” to the middle of the Advent wreath, represents the end of the Advent season with the Nativity.  Lastly, at the end of our candlelight service, we take the light from the Christ candle and we begin to all light our own individual candles.  This is a picture of the Gospel going out into the world as we, like the shepherds, bear witness to the light we have seen and give to others this joyful proclamation as freely as we have received it.

Why On Earth Do We Do That?

The other day, in choir rehearsal, we were learning a new musical setting for the Gospel Acclamation (in Lutheran nomenclature known as the “Alleluia and Verse”), and on a random whim I decided to quiz the singers on why we sing this.  Nothing.  Dead silence.  Finally, our Pastor (who leads the tenor section but confessed to skimming his worship class in seminary) blurted out, “Because it’s in the bulletin!”  Well, gotta give him points for honesty.  It then occurred to me that if I desire to be a voice for doxological reformation among churches of the Lutheran confession, I need to take more seriously my responsibility for active catechesis in historic Christian worship.  There’s no point in me cramming the Divine Service down the throats of those who have not the slightest clue what it means and would just as soon throw it out if I were suddenly no longer there.

So in the interest of helping our congregation to understand how we worship and why, I have started a new series in our Sunday bulletin entitled “Why On Earth Do We Do That?”  Each week (ideally) I will take a segment of the liturgy or other traditions that is a part of our worship and take a moment to explain what it is, where it comes from, what it means, and why we do it.  The four questions I intent to answer each time are:  Why do we do this?  What does this mean?  What is the point?  What does it have to do with Jesus?  Through repetition I hope to encourage our people to engage their corporate spirituality with a critical eye to understanding these things in order that God might be worshiped with our minds and our rites not driven by every wind of fundagelical trends.  

As I write this series, I shall be including these blurbs here for anybody who might be interested.  It shall be a great series for those new to or curious about Lutheran worship, because I’ll be breaking things down to explain them at the most basic level.  Many in our church are not from a Lutheran background and aren’t exactly sure what makes our church different from those of other traditions.  They may not be able to articulate why we worship the way we do, but every time I expound on this area it seems to be appreciated.  

So towards the fuller intellectual participation in the prayer and praise of the saints, I give you this new series entitled, “Why On Earth Do We Do That?”  Advent and Christmas blurbs to be posted soon.