FW: Unsinging the Reformation...

Cantemus…

 

Feed: Pastoral Meanderings
Posted on: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 4:50 AM
Author: noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Peters)
Subject: Unsinging the Reformation...

 

Christopher Boyd Brown says the Reformation came about as much by the singing of Reformation hymns as it did through Reformation writings and preaching and teaching.  Joseph Herl suggests that the image of the volks kirche spontaneously breaking out in song is a bit more romance than fact.  Either way, both are agreed that the Lutheran hymn was key to the Reformation -- both in its initial form with Luther's own hymn texts and tunes and in the later periods when the Reformation faith was under duress.  I am not here to argue this point.  It is a given.  The faith proclaimed from pulpit and written into confession had its counterpart in the hymns sung in the congregation and at home.  Even in areas where Rome and Wittenberg took turns as dominant religious expression, the Reformation chorale remained even after the papal mass had been brought back. My point is just the opposite.  The Reformation that came (at least in part with song) can easily be dispatched by song (or the lack of Reformation hymnody).  Here I am not arguing that Lutherans must sing only those hymns written by Lutherans or Lutherans of a particular time or even hymns only approved by Lutherans.  I am suggesting that by the wholesale disenfranchisement of the Reformation hymn and replacing it with whatever (generic hymns, revivalist hymns, Gospel hymns, non-descript modern hymnody, or the many versions of praise or contemporary Christian music) we are distancing ourselves from our own identity.  We are far too willing to exchange whatever music is "in" at the moment or appeals to our taste for the sturdy hymns of old which speak faith, tell the story of Jesus, and give us the opportunity to sing back to God what He has spoken to us. I have written before about the impact the right soundtrack has to a movie and to the faith.  I have written before of the covenant we made in the LCMS to use only doctrinally pure hymnals, hymns, liturgies, and agendas.  I have written before of the deep and profound character of the Lutheran chorales both as models and examples of the noblest song of all.  I am not repeating myself (well, I am, but...) as much as I am reminding us that we continue to have a problem which has been our problem for a long time. You might find it interesting that Paul Glasoe of St. Olaf College wrote an article in the Jan. 6, 1931, Lutheran Herald wondering if we were "singing ourselves out of the Lutheran church" by not teaching children the Lutheran chorales.  His opinion created a firestorm of replies.  Even in the 1930s our people were itching to listen to, learn, and sing the songs they were hearing in the local Methodist or other Protestant churches.  We may not be opening the Methodist hymnal anymore, but we Lutherans are opening the songbooks of other churches and closing our own.  Ask a room full of Lutherans what their favorite hymn is and you might get more information than what you bargained for... Over at Gottesdienst online a couple of contemporary songs were shown -- one of which was a Christian one and the other not at all.  Of course, the point was that the non-Christian song said more than the Christian one.  The author of the "Jesus, You are my BFF and I love You and love singing to You" song was not just another CCM author.  The Texas District borrowed her to serve as worship leader for an official District event.  Apparently there was not even a Lutheran CCM person as good at writing and singing love songs to Jesus as you could borrow from the local non-denominational mega church.  If you watch the video you can see the twenty-something guys melting as she sings (but melting for who?).  You tell me what will do more to strengthen Lutheran identity, encourage Lutheran confidence, promote Lutheran witness, and equip Lutheran worship and outreach: The more i seek you, the more i find you The more i find you, the more I love you   I wanna sit at your feet drink from the cup in your hand. Lay back against you and breath, here your heart beat This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand. I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming   OR Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice,     With exultation springing, And with united heart and voice     And holy rapture singing, Proclaim the wonders God has done, How His right arm the vict'ry won.     What price our ransom cost Him! Fast bound in Satan's chains I lay;     Death brooded darkly o'er me. Sin was my torment night and day;     In sin my mother bore me. But daily deeper still I fell; My life became a living hell,     So firmly sin possessed me. My own good works all came to naught,     No grace or merit gaining; Free will against God's judgment fought,     Dead to all good remaining. My fears increased till sheer despair Left only death to be my share;     The pangs of hell I suffered. But God had seen my wretched state     Before the world's foundation, And mindful of His mercies great,     He planned for my salvation. He turned to me a father's heart; He did not choose the easy part     But gave His dearest treasure. God said to His belovèd Son:     "It's time to have compassion. Then go, bright jewel of My crown,     And bring to all salvation. From sin and sorrow set them free; Slay bitter death for them that they     May live with You forever." The Son obeyed His Father's will,     Was born of virgin mother; And God's good pleasure to fulfill,     He came to be my brother. His royal pow'r disguised He bore; A servant's form, like mine, He wore     To lead the devil captive. To me He said: "Stay close to Me,     I am your rock and castle. Your ransom I Myself will be;     For you I strive and wrestle. For I am yours, and you are Mine, And where I am you may remain;     The foe shall not divide us. "Though he will shed My precious blood,     Me of My life bereaving, All this I suffer for your good;     Be steadfast and believing. Life will from death the vict'ry win; My innocence shall bear your sin,     And you are blest forever. "Now to My Father I depart,     From earth to heav'n ascending, And, heavn'ly wisdom to impart,     The Holy Spirit sending; In trouble He will comfort you And teach you always to be true     And into truth shall guide you. "What I on earth have done and taught     Guide all your life and teaching; So shall the kingdom's work be wrought     And honored in your preaching. But watch lest foes with base alloy The heav'nly treasure should destroy;     This final word I leave you." BTW..... In case you don't know Kari Jobe, you can catch her singing the song HERE.

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FW: The Devil’s interval

A guest post…

 

Feed: Cranach: The Blog of Veith
Posted on: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 3:45 AM
Author: Jimmy Veith
Subject: The Devil's interval

 

by Jimmy Veith Have you ever been freaked out by a piece of music that sounded evil? Have you heard combinations of notes that were so dissonant that it made you tense and restless, but yet was strangely alluring? Well, you may have been placed under the spell of the Devil's interval, known in music theory as the augmented 4th or flatted 5th. Let me explain. Remember when Maria, the good Nun from "The Sound of Music", taught the children how to sing, with the Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do song? That was the major scale on which most Western music is based. In the key of C, it would be all the white keys on the piano; ie, C, D, E, F, G, A B and C. Each note of the scale is assigned a number. In the key of C, C is 1, D is 2, E is 3, F is 4, G is 5, A is 6 and B is 7. For some mysterious reason, the major scale is not symmetrical in its intervals. There are whole steps between C, D, and E, but a half step from E to F. There are whole steps between F, G, A and B, but a half step from B to C. Now, let's create a more sinister sounding scale by eliminating the half steps and playing only whole steps. If you start with middle C, you would play C, D, E, F# (G flat), G# (A flat), A# (B flat), then C again. You have just played a scale based on the tri-tones, which is a scale of six different notes in equal intervals as opposed to seven notes found in the major scale. Now this is where it gets freaky. Play the C and F# (or G flat) together. This is the interval known as the augmented 4th or flatted 5th. Play this over and over again. How does it make you feel? Now play C and G flat in alternating order, over and over again, one second apart. Do you recognize the opening guitar riff in Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze"? Play it some more. Have you summoned the devil yet? Ok, that's enough, Quit Now! Quit Now! Quit Now I say, before it's too late! OK. I may be exaggerating. However, this interval has been used by composers when they want to create an atmosphere of evil or dread. It is used extensively by heavy metal groups such as Black Sabbath, and classical compositions such as Wagner's Gotterdammerung, Beethoven's Fidelio. Also, it is found in modern compositions such as West Side Story, and the theme song of the Simpson's. It has been said that this interval was banned in the middle ages by the clergy. This may be more mythology than fact. Are there any musicologists out there who could shed some light on this issue? I don't mean to suggest that artists that use this interval are by any means evil. Great music involves interplay between tension and release, and the use of this interval is one of many tools that a skillful composer can and should use to create tension. Now here is something for you Lutherans. Consider the great hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," by Martin Luther himself. The third line of the first verse reads: "For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe." The third line of the third verse reads: "The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him. " The two lines where Luther refers to the Devil in the text of the hymn, also happens to be when the "devil's interval" is found in the melody line. Just a coincidence? Or genius? Big Brother Butts In:  I would add one more thing that Jimmy pointed out to me when he was explaining all of this over the piano.  I had always wondered why it is that musical scales have to have those half-steps.  Wouldn't it be easier and more consistent and more orderly for a scale to have all whole steps? It would, but now I know that a scale with all whole steps is actually discordant.  Not only that, it has the Devil's Interval!   Which teaches us that perfect regularity is neither beautiful nor good.   True beauty–whether of music or art or literature or a person–needs its quirks, its inconsistencies, its surprises, even its flaws. Philosophies and ideologies that demand utterly consistent regularity–think of Marxism–become inhuman, tyrannical, and demonic.  As do people when they try to fit their neighbors into some regular pattern of whole notes.  And God, who Himself is unutterably complex and confounding to human reason, designed things this way.  (And if you think such connection between music and other kinds of cosmic order is just made up, the old music theorists, such as Bach–anyone know if he used the Devil's Interval?–thought and made music in these terms.

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FW: Where are the Lutherans, revisited

On Lutherans…

 

Feed: Cranach: The Blog of Veith
Posted on: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 4:00 AM
Author: Gene Veith
Subject: Where are the Lutherans, revisited

 

Reformed baptist Kevin DeYoung raise a question on his blog asking where are the  Lutherans in the contemporary evangelical scene.  It provoked quite a conversation, both on his blog and here.  As a follow-up, Kevin interviewed Paul McCain of Concordia Publishing House.  Paul did a superb job of communication.  You've got to read his the entire interview:   Those Dern Lutherans: An Interview with Paul T. McCain – Kevin DeYoung.  I especially liked his concluding remarks: 9. Anything else you think the world needs to know about Lutherans? I would say this: I think Evangelicals often find themselves searching for something they feel might be a bit "missing" in their Christian walk, and think that Rome or Eastern Orthodoxy may fit the bill, while all the while Lutheranism is there, right around the corner. Often when they find a traditional Lutheran Church they are surprised to find a robust, rich worship life, rooted in the Scripture (which is what the liturgy is, in its entirety). They find a rich focus on Christ and the Gospel–Lutherans are adamant that Christ is the heart and center of everything, and they also find a tangible experience with God, not based simply on feelings or emotions, but on a concrete and objective experience with God's grace through the sacraments. And all this is wrapped up in such a vibrant passionate love for Jesus. We Lutherans combine the best of what is Evangelical, with the best of what is truly catholic about the Church, with the rich heritage of the Lutheran Reformation. I think it is a winning combination, but of course, I'm kind of biased. Which raises another issue:   Many evangelicals yearn for sacraments and liturgy and historic Christianity.  They seem to first become Anglicans and then migrate to Roman Catholicism or Orthodoxy.   To be sure, some find Lutheranism, where sacramentalism and liturgical worship go hand in hand with a theologically rigorous commitment to the Bible and to the Gospel.  And yet many ex-evangelicals do not even consider Lutheranism but go right to other traditions even at the expense of giving up  the Gospel of justification by Christ alone (in favor of Rome's  justification by faith plus works, or Constantinople's theosis).  I mean, I can understand someone ceasing to believe in the evangelical view of justification–and many "evangelicals" are now disbelieving in it, which is a major reason to leave their churches–but I don't see the Lutheran alternative even being considered by many of these folks. Why is that?  Is it that they don't know about it, or that if they go to a Lutheran church they find one trying to be like the one they want to leave?  In which case, this is the fault of Lutherans, and our lack of contact with other Christians, which is what DeYoung first complained about, has to be a factor.  Or are these ex-evangelicals running towards elements of Catholicism or Orthodoxy that are already inherent in their own theologies, namely, a preference for moralism (as opposed to the Lutheran freedom in the Gospel) and absolute authority (the pope or tradition as a more certain authority than how they formerly used the Bible, as opposed to the Lutheran view that sees the Bible as an authority that gives us mysteries, not rationalistic clarity, and that functions primarily as a means of grace in which God's Word addresses us personally)?

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FW: Welcome to LutheranServiceBlog: LSB--The Next Five Years

New from Dr. Grime…

Feed: Lutheran Service Book: The Next Five Years
Posted on: Friday, July 15, 2011 10:15 AM
Author: noreply@blogger.com (Paul Grime)
Subject: Welcome to LutheranServiceBlog: LSB--The Next Five Years

August 1 will mark the fifth anniversary of the arrival of the first copies of Lutheran Service Book at Concordia Publishing House back in 2006. The very next day we were meeting at the International Center with nearly 50 pastors and musicians, preparing them for the workshops they would be leading in the fall. You can imagine the excitement when we were able to put the actual hymnal in their hands while they were still in town! Those individuals, along with another 50 presenters, went on to lead a total of 281 workshops all across the country to a total of more than 22,000 attendees. The delivery was on time and the roll out a big success. So here we are, five years later. Over one million copies sold and still going strong. What I am more interested in, however, is whether congregations are fully using the book. It's great that the transition from TLH and LW has gone so smoothly. But if congregations are just singing the same hymns and services that they knew from the previous books, then they're missing out on so much that LSB has to offer.  Here's a thesis that will guide my posts in the coming months: the staying power of Lutheran Service Book is directly related to our willingness to explore LSB and its companion resources to the fullest and to try out new hymns on a regular basis and maybe even a new service setting. The more fully we use LSB, the longer it will last, and, more importantly, the richer we will be for it! That doesn't mean that a congregation must constantly change things in the service, leading worshipers to wonder what might be coming next. But it does imply that thoughtful worship planning is behind every service that the faithful attend. My goal will be to offer eminently practical posts by sharing insights that I gained during the development of LSB. We'll look at specific hymns, consider some of the seasonal choices that LSB offers, and look at ways in which LSB supports the inherent variety that exists in the historic liturgy of the church. Your comments and insights will also be welcome, especially as they lead us into further appreciation of the treasures of LSB.  Welcome aboard!

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LHP Review: Speaking the Truth in Love

Kieta, Geoffrey A. A Lutheran Looks at Methodists and Holiness Churches. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2011. 127 Pages. Paper. $14.50. www.nph.nethttp://online.nph.net/p-8395-a-lutheran-looks-at-methodistsholiness-churches.aspx (LHP)

 

The fourth volume in the series A Lutheran Looks At...provides a confessional Lutheran perspective on the teachings of Methodists and holiness churches. Author Geoffrey A. Kieta helps us understand the life of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and how Methodism spread throughout the United States. Kieta goes on to discuss modern Methodism and its views on various theological issues. The author also takes an in-depth look at what are known as holiness churches, including the Church of the Nazarene and the Salvation Army.
 
A Lutheran Looks at Methodists and Holiness Churches will help you understand the beliefs of your neighbor, coworker, or friend and help you share your faith with them.
(Publisher's website)

Following the success and helpfulness of books on Episcopalians, the Assemblies of God, and Baptists, NPH continues to serve Lutherans with this new book on the background, theology, and people of the Methodist family tree. Did you know that John Wesley claimed he was truly "converted" and had "assurance" of salvation after hearing a group of Christians read the introduction to Luther's commentary on Romans (4)? I wish (in all seriousness) that he would have stayed to hear (or later read) the entire thing! Perhaps that would have reduced the number of theological differences between Methodists and Lutheran Christians.

The Methodist family tree includes not only the mainline progressive United Methodist Church and other smaller Methodist bodies, notably some with African-American roots, but also the Salvation Army, Wesleyan Church, Nazarenes, and Pentecostal bodies. (I would recommend that readers who want to know more about the two strands within the Wesleyan Church consult Concordia's The Lutheran Difference.)

 

The whole of Part Two of the book, about half of the volume's size, is dedicated to the history, theology, and practice of Holiness Churches.  If Wesley claimed to find a "method" to complete sanctification in this lifetime, hence the name "Methodist," the holiness offshoot of Methodism took this idea to its logical extension.

When discussing theology with those of other Christian traditions, I have found it helpful to ask them what they believe, rather than assuming that they believe what Methodists have always taught. There is considerable variety. Consider this quote:

"Before I became a Lutheran, my husband and I talked about religion a lot. He was always talking about doctrine, He was always asking me what I believed about this or that. I never knew. I knew that I believed in Jesus. But I didn't have any idea about the rest of it." (107)

Sadly, this fits well with the experience of current and former Methodists I know. Methodism is "in tune" with America with an emphasis on "heart" religion (cf. 104). If you want to know more about America so that we can reach Americans with the Gospel in a way they can understand, buy this book.

 

 

Northwestern Publishing House has helped me share the truth in love with non-Christians such as Mormons and Muslims. I pray this series will continue and that the four volumes released to-date will help you share Biblical truth in love with fellow Christians that we may share the mind of Christ and agree with His Word. I pray also that books like this will continue to appeal to Missouri Synod Lutherans so that we may restore the Synodical Conference.

 

The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

Pulpit Review: Equipping

McLean, Max and Warren Bird. Foreword by Ravi Zacharias. Unleashing the Word: Rediscovering the Public Reading of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. 176 Pages. Paper with video DVD. $24.99. http://www.zondervan.com/ http://www.maxmclean.com/  http://www.listenersbible.com/  (P) 

While I appreciate this resource and the work of its main author, I must respectfully disagree with his main thesis:

90 percent of effective Scripture reading comes from selecting gifted, trained, committed readers...(Chapters 2, 3, 9, et al)

In contrast, I would assert that the Lord Himself equipped those who were called into His service, especially Moses, Jeremiah, and Paul. 

To be sure, in deference to the author's point, a reader can take the enlivening word and read it like a phone book. It takes special skill to make the Gospel boring! :) 

That said, I would recommend Unleashing the Word to help our Lutheran congregations and readers to think about the public reading of Scripture in a fresh way. McClean brings his theatrical experience to bear on publicly reading God's Word. I would caution that there is a fine line between a passionate, enthusiastic, and conviction-filled reading of Scripture and an overdone theatrical one. This is where the text and DVD pair particularly well. Watch the videos to learn what to do.

Few resources are without some bit of controversy these days. Church bodies disagree about the service of laypeople and women in the liturgy. I find it to be most appropriate for the Pastor to do the reading since it is proclamation of the Word (cf. 1 Corinthians 14). Since it has been a challenge to find pulpit supply in Wyoming, our congregation has had designated Elders of the congregation read the first two readings for Divine Service and assist with Communion Distribution, and when I need to be away, a two-Elder team leads a non-Communion service and reads I sermon I prepared.

I will share the author's tips on preparation, study, reading, and speaking as part of Elder Training at our congregation.

This book-and-DVD collaboration from a gifted Bible narrator and an award-winning writer shows how churches can train their laypeople to ”unleash the Word of God” while reading the Scriptures, whether during worship, in small groups, or at home. Straightforward and culturally relevant, it helps people proclaim the Bible in a way that communicates its life-changing power!

Does the Bible sound dull when you hear it read in church?

An auditory tidal wave cascades from our televisions, radios, media players, and the Internet. Today’s distracted worshippers often feel spiritually shortchanged when the Scriptures are spoken without passion and power.

This lively and encouraging book-and-DVD set, the collaboration of a gifted Bible narrator and an award-winning writer, shows how churches can train their laypeople to unleash the Word of God with enthusiasm, conviction, and passion.

Straightforward and culturally relevant, with practical how-to graphics, this resource provides the necessary tools to teach you how to read the Bible aloud, in a way that communicates its life-changing power!
(Publisher's website)

Unleashing the Word has advice and techniques that will help anyone who reads the Bible aloud, especially Christian Pastors, for the sake of Christ, He Whom we proclaim!

The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

LHP Review: Continuing the Worship Discussion in the LCMS

Sonntag, Holger. Edited by Paul Strawn and Scott Krieger. The Unchanging Forms of the Gospel: A Response to the Eight Theses on Worship (Questions in Lutheran Theology and Church, Volume 1). Minneapolis: Lutheran Press, 2010. 129 Pages. Paper. $6.00. www.lutheranpress.com (LHP)

Lutheran Press is to be commended for their new series, Questions in Lutheran Theology and Church, and the series' first volume, a response to the LCMS Council of Presidents' Eight Theses on Worship. Much has been said online in variety of forums, but little has found its way into print.

That the CoP has found unanimity should be a good thing for the whole of the LCMS. I pray that their work here may lead to trust, repentance, more study of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, and a wider unity in doctrine and practice in our Synod.

The editor reprints the Eight Theses (10) and proceeds to lay the foundation for Holger Sonntag to carefully and strongly respond where there may be unintended omissions or ambiguous statements or phrases. Consider the history of theological disagreements in Christendom (cf. 18-19). This is a process that will likely take decades.

The author's text begins with page 20, where he lays out twelve tactfully-described "Shortcomings," including six main "shortcomings," four "flaws," and two other considerations. The rest of the volume presents Sonntag's rationale for the shortcomings. In other words, he "shows his work" theologically as one would expect a grammar school mathematics student to do the same. He follows a time-honored pattern of offering support for his position from the Scriptures, Confessions, and private writings of the fathers.

I was particularly helped by the reminder of the Walther reference of the benefit of uniformity in form (68), The Apology's list of sermon topics (113), an assertion in number 11 of the need to get to the "cause of strife, division, and polarization" rather than merely addressing a symptom (120, worship practice), an appeal to a personal favorite part of the AC (121, AC XXIV, 1-9) where it is actually true today that some have "abolished the Mass," a comparison between Reformation-era Roman pressure to conform and similar pressure from today's American Evangelicalism (126), and a call to accurately address the problem in hope of a future satisfying "answer" (128).

At $6, this book is a bargain. Buy in bulk and discuss the Theses and this Response at Winkel.

Although Christians are given considerable freedom in worship, a freedom which is ruled by the humble service of love, there are certain aspects of Christian worship which must remain until Christ returns again in glory. In this response to a set of 8 Theses recently approved by the Council of Presidents of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (USA), Dr. Holger Sonntag raises the question as to the theological limits of freedom in worship which the theses describe. 

This is the first title in the Questions in Lutheran Theology and Church series.

(publisher's website)

We encourage our readers to advance the conversation on worship in the LCMS by sharing constructive criticism on the Theses and further reflection on them since their adoption. 

We look forward to more volumes in this series. Perhaps we could read a future discussion of a variety of topics including: the theology and practice of church fellowship among Lutherans, the implications of cooperation in externals with integrity, removing the 1989 Wichita "asterisk" from AC XIV, dispute resolution, men and women in the Church, calls or contracts for Lutheran school teachers, and rebuilding the Synodical Conference.

The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

FW: Exultet vera Ecclesia

Cantemus…

 

Feed: HYMNOGLYPT
Posted on: Monday, July 25, 2011 2:10 PM
Author: Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes)
Subject: Exultet vera Ecclesia

 

Here is my translation of the Latin hymn for Apostles, "Exultet vera Ecclesia," an evangelical correction by H. Bonnus of the anonymous "Exultet coelum laudibus," as given in Lossius' Psalmodia (1579). The melody is found in the same source; in transcribing it I have set it in D major and added a ligature between the 6th and 7th note, where one might expect a vocalic elision in the original.   LET THE true Church on earth rejoice, In faith lift up her joyful voice, The solemn feast in song to frame Of the Apostles, full of fame. 2. For by no merit of their own Christ did by purest grace alone Call to Himself those simple men, To learn His Word and lead His train. 3. That through them He might put to shame Man's wisdom and its false acclaim, And draw men to His righteousness, Which we alone by faith possess. 4. As fathers He did them appoint, And princes on the earth anoint, To subjugate the faithless horde By working of the Spirit's Word. 5. Of Jesus Christ therefore they taught, From Whom salvation must be sought, And rescue from hell's endless woe, That we to endless life might go. 6. For this they suffered many_an ill, Of pain and mock'ry had their fill, With faithless men did warfare wage, E'en in this present evil age. 7. Now e'er in heav'n they live and reign Till Christ in glory comes again, When, on th' appointed judgment day, The judges of the earth are they. 8. Therefore we humbly Thee implore, O Christ, to keep us evermore In Thy good doctrine firmly staid, As by th' Apostles once relayed, 9. Lest some false doctrine fool our mind To trust in works by man designed, Or shameful vice lead us astray From Thy true Gospel's saving way, 10. That when our Judge shall come at last, And this the day of grace is past, We may with them partakers be Of joy that lasts eternally. Amen. Translation © Matthew Carver, 2011. LATIN 1. Exultet vera Ecclesia magnis in fide gaudiis, Apostolorum quoties sacra canit sollennia. 2. Nam sine ipsorum meritis Christus ex mera gratia, Vocavit illos simplices, Ad sui Verbi studium. 3. Ut per ipsos confunderet, Humanam sapientiam, Et homines pertraheret Ad fidei justiciam. 4. Hos statuit pro Patribus, Per totum orbem Principes, Ad subjugandum impios, Virtute Verbi Spiritus. 5. Docebant Christum igitur Esse per quem oporteat Servari nos ab Inferis, Vitamque aeternam consequi. 6. Quapropter multa passi sunt, Tormenta et opprobria, Ab impiis hominibus, In hoc praesenti seculo. 7. Sed nunc vivunt perpetuo In coelis, et cum venerit Christus in fine temporum, Tunc erunt Mundi Judices. 8. Precamur ergo supplices, Te Christe, ut nos integros, In simplici retineas, Apostolorum dogmate. 9. Ne nostras mentes operum, Falsa doctrina capiat, Vel scandala absterreant, A vero Evangelio. 10. Ut cum Judex adveneris, In fine huius seculi, Nos sempiterni gaudii Facias esse compotes. Amen.

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LHP Review: Revisiting Lutheran Worship

Worship Planning Book: Year B 2012. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2011. 160 Pages. Paper. $20.00. www.cph.org (LHP)

Just, Arthur A., Jr. Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service. St. Louis: Concordia, 2008.  307 Pages. Paper. $15.99. www.cph.org (LHP) 

The publication of Concordia's new Worship Planning Book gave us pause to revisit the chapter on Lutheran worship in Dr. Just's Heaven on Earth.

 

The resources of numerous planning books are brought together under one cover with a two-page spread for each Sunday that features:

 • Readings (including Psalm) and synopsis
• Theme of the Day (a big-picture overview of the readings and their connections)
• Hymn of the Day
• Collect of the Day
• Hymn Suggestions for the Readings
• Other Hymn Suggestions
• Calendar of the upcoming week (highlighting feasts, festivals, and commemorations)

Music suggestions:
• Small Choir
• Large Choir
• Children
• Keyboard
• Handbell

Fill-in-the-blank Divine Service outline, including:
• Options within the service
• Hymn selections
• Pre- and post-service music selections
• and more

Several indices are also included to make planning the Church Year even easier:
• Lectionary Summary (Year B)
• Old Testament / First Reading (Year B)
• Psalm (Year B)
• Epistle / Second Reading (Year B)
• Holy Gospel (Year B)
• Hymn of the Day: Arranged by Church Year (Year B)
• Hymn of the Day: Arranged by Hymn Number (Year B)
(from the publisher)

I love this. I think you will, too. It's helpful, practical, and only $20.

The most unique contributions of this planning book are the additions of a theme paragraph, which could be reprinted in a bulletin or shared in a weekly sermon, the week's calendar at the bottom of the left page, and very specific music recommendations beyond the hymns as presented in LSB. It is also helpful that hymns in Lutheran Service Builder and the LSB Accompaniment editions, but not in the pew edition are denoted with an * on the left planning pages.

Users will note that both options are given for March 25 (Annunciation and Lent V), both sets of readings for Holy Thursday, around Reformation Day and All Saints' Day, and November 25 (Proper 29).

My main recommendations for the 2013 Worship Planning Books are to have two: one for Year C and one for the Historic One-Year Lectionary, even if it was only available as a pdf of Kindle book. The One-Year planner could be produced as a re-usable/re-printable piece without calendar dates integrated in so that it would be worth the labor and time for CPH to put into the project.

Our congregation is still working toward a weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper at Divine Service. Perhaps future editions can continue the recommendation of a weekly Communion yet also provide space to plan Matins, Morning Prayer, or Prayer and Preaching. I intend to plan my Advent and Lenten midweek services on the same right page as the Sunday service that week. Could extra space be included during those seasons for such planning? Perhaps the pages for Good Friday could recommend the more historic non-communion options.

It has been helpful for me to note the different "tides" of the long LSB green season (Sundays after Pentecost/Trinity), when the Graduals change. These are:

• Trinity Tide, Proper 3-7, (May 24-28) to (June 19-25)
• Apostles’ Tide, Proper 8-13, (June 26-July 2) to (July 31-Aug. 6)
• Martyrs’ Tide, Proper 14 to Proper 19, (Aug. 7-16) to (Sept. 11-Sept. 17)
• Angels’ Tide, Proper 20 to 25, (Sept. 18-Sept. 24) to (Oct. 23-29)
• All Saints’ Tide, Proper 26 to 29, (Oct. 30-Nov. 5) to (Nov. 20-26)

Recommendations could also be made for use of the Psalms (43 total) omitted from the pew edition:

7, 9, 10, 12, 17, 20, 21, 35, 37, 39, 44, 49, 52, 53, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 64, 69, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 82, 83, 87, 88, 94, 101, 105, 106, 108, 109, 120, 129, 135, 137, 140, 144

CPH could also help us all expand our use of psalm tones by making recommendations like the following:

• Praise: B, C, E, I 
• Penetential: F, H, L, K   
• General: A, D, G, J

I would also welcome the addition of a few blank planning pages to accommodate services for occasional services. 

In addition to the appendices included, I would like to see a future LSB reference volume include readings and psalm charts in Biblical (canonical) order in addition to charts arranged by liturgical date. This would be particularly helpful to me for the Psalms.

The new CPH Worship Planning Book for Year B, 2012, is a particularly strong (and affordable) offering for pastors, church musicians, and church office secretaries. I look forward to using my copy right away to get ready for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Order yours today!

I learned much as a seminarian from Dr. Just's famous video series on Lutheran worship. I couldn't wait for the book version, particularly for the charts. My prayers were answered in 2008 thanks to CPH and their collaboration with the professor.

Just clearly traces the use of the historic liturgy among Lutherans (Chapter 11). It isn't just a "German thing" or a "Lutheran thing." A fourth-year seminary professor challenged us (in what was sadly only an elective class on worship planning) to fully understand what we have before we decide to change it.

Just would agree. The modern Lutheran Divine Service is in continuity with both Luther's liturgical revisions and the Divine Service of the 4th Century. At the end of this chapter the author concludes:

As promised, no recipes or panaceas for liturgical renewal have been offered. Instead, these thoughts about liturgy principles about renewal have been suggested to guide congregations as they contemplate liturgical renewal. The hoped for outcome is that people think seriously about what it is we are about as we worship. The process of liturgical renewal is the responsibility of everyone in the Church. We can all participate. And if that participation is reverent to God's presence and faithful to His Word, then it will result in right worship (270).

Heaven on Earth will deepen your understanding of the Divine Service and why it remains the Church's chief worship service.

 

Also available as an eBook (ePub). This book is also available at the Kindle Store. (publisher's website)

Our original full review of this volume predates this blog. It appeared in QBR 2.2. It is reprinted here for your convenience.

Liturgy Book Review: Worth the Long Wait

Just, Arthur A., Jr. Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service. St. Louis: Concordia, 2008. 272 Pages. Paper. $14.99. (800) 325-3040. www.cph.org (L)

I found it ironic. The congregation’s organist/kantor was leading a Bible study on historic Lutheran worship in the basement of the church. Meanwhile upstairs, the two pastors led the suburban congregation in a so-called “contemporary” service. The Bible Study was structured around Dr. Just’s 1999 video Lutheran Liturgy: Yesterday, Today, and Forever. The video was produced at the request of the LCMS Indiana District Board of Worship and distributed by Ken Ring of Lutheran Visuals. (To order the video, go to www.lutheranvisuals.com. It was positively reviewed in QBR 1.3, p. 62ff.)

That was nine years ago. Since then, I have supplemented catechetical instruction for young and old with that video series. I couldn’t wait for the book. Now it is here. I hope for widespread use throughout the LCMS alongside such modern classics as The Spirituality of the Cross, Dying to Live, The Defense Never Rests, and The Fire and the Staff. May these resources lead laity, pastors, and their congregations into God’s Word, the Lutheran Confessions, and a godly and faithful Lutheran hymnal like Lutheran Service Book.

“The liturgy is not a style of worship. The liturgy is the substance of justification as it is brought through means.

“This book is an introduction to the liturgy and its importance. It takes the liturgy and makes it easy for the layperson to understand that the New Testament church service brings God's presence, in Jesus the Christ to the people of God who have been cleansed from their sins. This is a holy meeting made possible by the blood of Christ that cleanses the believer. This understanding of the church service helps one to understand that the church service is more than a meeting place; it is the manifestation of the New Testament church on earth as Christ calls His bride around Word and Sacraments.

“Heaven on Earth will deepen your understanding of the Divine Service and why it remains the Church's chief worship service” (website).

You may recognize the cover art. It is the famous Weimar Altar Painting, completed in 1555 by Lucas Cranach the Younger. For more information about the painting, courtesy of the Rev. Paul T. McCain, visit his blog dedicated to this richly detailed painting that preaches Christ and Him crucified: http://cyberbrethren.typepad.com/cranachinweimar/.

Dr. Just lays before the reader the Lutheran theology of worship. Simply put, “worship” is merely our response to what is really the main thing of the Divine Service, the Lord serving His people with His Gifts and presence. Word and Sacrament deliver here and now what Christ won on Calvary there and then. This Christian theology of worship is sadly missing from too many Lutheran and Christian congregations at worship.

Jesus’ Table fellowship included His presence, the meal, and teaching. Close (d) communion is faithfully confessed here: “Catechesis teaches table etiquette, that is, how one stands in the presence of God to receive His mercy and forgiveness in a manner that is reverent and faithful to that presence” (27).

With a faithful foundation, a Biblical theology of worship where God speaks and serves and then we listen and repeat His Word back to him, the author shows the historic structure of the Divine Service, particularly its Jewish origins. Personally, this has been the most continuously interesting part of Dr. Just’s catechesis on Lutheran worship. The historic western rite (including the Lutheran service, what should be called the Augustana Rite) is the Jewish Synagogue Service combined with Jesus’ Passover Service (Note 7, p. 254 directs the reader to The Eucharistic Words of Jesus by Joachim Jeremias, London: SCM, 1966).

The Lutheran Divine Service is…

       The Service of the Word                       The Service of the Sacrament
+  The Synagogue Liturgy                              Jesus' Passover Liturgy

Therefore, the old saw that Lutheran worship is “German” is proven untrue. Granted, there is human tradition involved,  yet one should be careful of replacing one that has served the Lord’s people well since the time of Christ (and before) with a different human tradition, that of American Evangelicalism, that has not faced the same rigorous testing in how it is practiced and what it teaches about Christ.

At worship, Christians rejoice in the presence of God in Christ: “The Jerusalem temple is rendered obsolete by Jesus’ incarnation (cf. John 4:20-26). The destruction of the temple in AD 70 will prompt people to look for God’s presence in the place where He has come to dwell forever—in Jesus, who, in turn, comes to dwell in His Church through the Gospel—His Word and Sacraments” (96).

Pastors, rejoice in the quotation from Dr. John Kleinig (p. 104) regarding singing in the temple (with application for singing and “chanting” in the church today). Another wonderful tidbit: Just posits that “The word mass came from the word dis-miss-al” (204, emphasis original).

Disciples are made by means of baptism and by means of teaching. Both are necessary. Catechesis is essential to the Christian life. Structured and intentional teaching over a period of time is best. I do not believe that RCIA, the Roman Catholic process of Initiation for Adults, is the best model to follow for Lutherans as it chops up baptism into chunks or stages.

Dr. Just also delves into the Christian concept of time, that Easter is the 8^th Day of creation and every Sunday a little Easter. The Church Year is presented engagingly. The reader’s knowledge of the structure of the Divine Service is strengthened by focus on each of parts, its Biblical source, history, and how it points us to Christ.

A clear, five-fold shape of the Liturgy:

Entrance (Confession and Absolution, Introit, Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis or This Is the Feast, and collect)

Word (Old Testament, Gradual, Epistle, Alleluia, Gospel, Sermon, Creed, Prayers for the Faithful)

Preparation (Offering, Offertory)

Sacrament (Preface, Proper Preface, Sanctus, Prayer, Lord’s Prayer, Words of Institution, Peace of the Lord)

Distribution (Agnus Dei, Canticle, Collect, Benediction) (p. 231, et al)

“The time has come for Lutherans to stop apologizing for their liturgical heritage. Instead, we need to proclaim the gifts we inherit in our worship life as Lutheran Christians who continue the catholic tradition (Please note the small c, catholic meaning “universal”. Lutherans are actually more small-c catholic than Roman Catholics!). And these gifts are considerable. Any liturgical scholar could list them for you: the historic five-fold shape of our Divine Service, the two pinnacles of the Divine Service—Jesus’ words in the Gospel and Jesus’ word in the Sacrament—the biblical ordinaries that surround Jesus’ words as the major hymns of the liturgy, the centrality of preaching centered in Christ and liturgical in character, our hymnody in both its content and music, as well as our musical tradition with its deep resources to support the flow of the liturgy from beginning to end. The list could go on. And this is not to mention the most important treasure of all: that within this fivefold shape we believe, teach, and confess that Jesus Christ is present offering the gifts of life, salvation, and the forgiveness of sins as we hear His Word and receive His holy meal. In the Divine Service we are confident that we have entered heaven itself because Jesus Christ inhabits our worship with His bodily presence. This confident liturgy is embodied in a life of worship that ‘receives from those who went before and, in making the tradition of the Divine Service its own, adds what best may serve in its own day—the living heritage and something new” (242-243).

Dr. Arthur Just excels in this book by bringing together a pastoral sensitivity and Biblical, historical and theological scholarship that leads to a practice that is faithful to our Lutheran Christian heritage.

Rev. Dr. Arthur A. Just Jr. is professor of exegetical theology and director of deaconess studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and co-director of the Good Shepherd Institute of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music. He has served as chairman of the Lectionary Committee for the Lutheran Hymnal Project for the Commission of Worship of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

PJC

Concordia regularly provides conference bookstores for events in our Wyoming District. We are very thankful for that. I would encourage CPH to include ample copies of both of these volumes at fall Church Worker Conferences throughout the LCMS.

The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.