FW: Mother’s Day

 

Perspective…   Feed: He Remembers the Barren Posted on: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 6:40 AM Author: Katie Schuermann Subject: Mother's Day   Mother's Day is almost here. I have such mixed feelings every second Sunday in May. I enjoy celebrating my mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, godmother, sisters, friends, and all of the other women in my life who make sacrifices to care for me, yet…you know. There's that whole I'm-not-a-mother thing. The awkwardness is unavoidable. I am now too old to remain an inconspicuous, innocent daughter of the church who simply joins in on the celebration of the matriarchs around me. I am a childless, married woman – one of those alien non-mothers – and everyone has to suffer through the uneasy, painful, blushing, frozen, horrible moments of trying to figure out what to say to me on Mother's Day. I feel it most for the poor ushers delegated to hand out carnations. I know they want to give me a flower – I can see the chivalrous struggle in their eyes! –  but I have "childless" stamped across my forehead. So, they hand me a service bulletin, instead. "I'm sorry," one of them inevitably whispers during the exchange, and I am left in the inelegant position of comforting others for my own childlessness. How did things get to be this way? When did we decide that it was good, right, and salutary in church to give out discriminatory gifts as a coda to Christ's gifts of Word and Sacrament? I am going to be blunt. Mother's Day is a secular holiday that has worked its way into our Sunday services. I am not of the opinion that we should stop celebrating mothers. Quite the opposite, I think we should celebrate mothers every day of the week and with more than just flowers and praise. We should be offering them our time and talents to help them in their God-given vocation of caring for others as well as praying that God would sustain them as they daily die to self in order to serve our youngest church members. I don't even think we should stop commemorating Mother's Day in church. At this point, it would be culturally rude to withdraw from the church the tradition of honoring women whom God has gifted with children, but we need to be mindful of the pain this secular, gift-card-selling holiday inflicts on those from whom God has withheld the gift of children. Sometimes, pastors (often unknowingly) drag this secular holiday's pain into their sermons, their children's sermons, their preservice announcement anecdotes, and their prayers. In an effort to be culturally relevant, they slay the barren in the pews and grieve the hearts of mothers who have lost or are estranged from their children. Perhaps, instead, pastors could use Mother's Day as an opportunity to use gift language and remind their congregations to celebrate all of the women who serve as mothers in the church: godmothers, aunts, school teachers, deaconesses, babysitters, sewing circles, LWML, secretaries, altar guild, VBS bakers, and every woman who faithfully lives out her vocation in service to others. Perhaps, we could give these women carnations, too – not to dismiss the love we have for the mothers who bore us, but to properly recognize that motherhood is a vocation given by God, not an achievement rewarded by men. View article...

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FW: The Survival of Medieval Ceremonies in The Lutheran Reformation – Cover and Sample

 

Coming Soon…   Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed Posted on: Monday, April 30, 2012 12:44 PM Author: Paul T. McCain Subject: The Survival of Medieval Ceremonies in The Lutheran Reformation – Cover and Sample   Look what came across my desk today…the proof copy of the cover for the forthcoming new book: Faith and Act: The Survival of Medieval Ceremonies in the Lutheran Reformation. You can preorder a copy now, by clicking here. Download a PDF sample from the book, by clicking here.     Here is more information on the book: The Reformation did not happen overnight, not with the singular act of posting of the Ninety-Five Theses, or even the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Prof. Dr. Zeeden's classic study of how medieval church practices continued and developed within Lutheran church orders offers readers a unique perspective on how faith influences the act of worship. Historians of liturgy and theology will discover insights and important continuity between the Lutheran churches of the sixteenth century and their forbearers of the late medieval period. What Others Are Saying "Faith and Act [is] . . . a mix of exacting research and historiographical vision that may justly be viewed as one of the foundation texts of modern Reformation history." —C. Scott Dixon Queen's University, Belfast "Historians of liturgy and church discipline will welcome the re-appearance of Zeeden's classic monograph, gracefully translated and with updated bibliographical references." —Ralph Keen University of Illinois at Chicago "Kevin Walker's translation of Faith and Act represents a necessary addition to contemporary scholarship on how liturgical practices shaped the lived religion of the Reformation churches . . . and delightfully unsettles easy generalizations about the transition from medieval to early modern Christianity." —Phillip Haberkern Boston University "Liturgical scholars as well as pastors will find this volume to be a useful guide to understanding the evangelical reception and appropriation of the catholic legacy of liturgical forms and practices in light of the immediate background of the medieval church." —John T. Pless Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN "One of the most important works of German research from the past half century concerning the history of the Reformation and its ramifications. . . . It is to be highly welcomed that now after half a century this groundbreaking study for research is being translated into English." —Anton Schindling Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen "A gripping read awaits those who attend to Zeeden's multi-faceted account of the nitty-gritty of classical Lutheran church life in its parish and public setting." —John R Stephenson Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario "What a service Kevin G. Walker has done for the Lutheran Church in English speaking lands by providing this fine translation of Ernst Zeeden's helpful monograph. . . . I heartily recommend the book to any and all who love the Lutheran liturgy and seek to become better acquainted with its formative development in the time of the great Church Orders." —William C. Weedon Director of Worship The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod View article... Enclosures: 531182.pdf (959 KB) http://www.cph.org/pdf/531182.pdf

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FW: The Small Catechism: The Christian’s Book for Life

 

Consider…   Feed: Steadfast Lutherans Posted on: Friday, April 27, 2012 2:05 PM Author: Pastor Shawn Stafford Subject: The Small Catechism: The Christian's Book for Life     What comes to mind when you hear the word "catechism?" You might think of a book of question and answers, a textbook for learning the Christian faith.  The word might make you think of a classroom setting and being quizzed over memorization. Yet Luther's Small Catechism is much more than that.  "The Small and Large Catechisms of Dr. Luther, as they are included in Luther's works [are] the Bible of the laity, wherein everything is comprised which is treated at greater length in Holy Scripture, and is necessary for a Christian man to know for his salvation" (Formula of Concord, Epitome, Rule and Norm 5). As "the laymen's Bible," the Small Catechism is the Christian's book throughout life. Catechetical instruction does not begin with confirmation class, nor does it begin in the church.  Each of the six chief parts of the Small Catechism begins with the heading "as the head of the family should teach in a simple way to his household." Many resources are now available which take the text of Luther's Small Catechism and apply them to the various stages and contexts of the Christian life, from infancy to adulthood. One does not have to wait until their child knows how to read.  For infants and toddlers, a great place to start is the board books by Julie Stiegemeyer: "Things I See in Church," "Things I Hear in Church," "Colors I See in Church," etc.  These books especially introduce the concepts of Word and Sacrament, Confession and Absolution, Baptism and Communion in a visually appealing way.  For preschoolers, the "Follow and Do" series contains the text of each part of the Small Catechism along with illustration and examples that bring the catechism into daily life situations. The Small Catechism also provides an excellent outline for learning Bible stories in Sunday School or at home.  Ambassador Publications has arranged each level of their Sunday School series around one of the first three parts of the Catechism: the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer.  For upper elementary students, the old Growing in Christ book by Concordia contained each of the six chief parts, questions from the explanation to the catechism, and a Bible story that illustrates each individual commandment, petition, etc.  This helps reinforce that the parts of the catechism do not exist in a vacuum and do not appear only in their proof texts but also are connected with Biblical narratives where Bible figures lived out the catechism. In recent years, this has been republished as Living in Christ. For junior high through adult students, Peter Bender's Catechesis also uses Bible stories to teach each section of the Catechism. Luther's Small Catechism is an excellent devotional tool.  It has been called "the only catechism that can be prayed."  Luther taught his barber, Peter, "A Simple Way to Pray," using the catechism.  To assist with praying the Catechism, the ELS has produced I Pray the Catechism, a prayer book formulated from the six chief parts, prayed in the first person singular.  As Luther Taught the Word of Truth by Richard Lauersdorf  contains devotions based on the Small Catechism.  The Lord Will Answer is a daily prayer catechism, which has a question from the LCMS explanation of the catechism for each day, Bible verses for meditation, and a prayer based on the catechism portion. Not only may the catechism be studied, memorized, and prayed, it may also be sung.  Luther himself led the way in composing a hymn based on each part of the catechism: The Ten Commandments: "That Man a Godly Life Might Live" The Creed: "We All Believe in One True God" The Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above" Holy Baptism: "To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord" The Office of the Keys and Confession :"From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee" The Sacrament of the Altar : "O Lord, We Praise Thee" The brevity and simplicity of the Small Catechism translates into various media.  The catechism was originally printed as large posters featuring each of the six chief parts.  Concordia Theological Seminary- Fort Wayne and Ambassador Publications have revived this genre. For audio learners, the catechism is available in both read and chanted form.  CPH has produced a comic book version for visual learners. This week the ELS released its explanation of the Small Catechism in electronic format for iPad, Nook, Kindle, and other e-readers.  In this way the Small Catechism has truly become interactive and searchable at the push of a button. The Small Catechism is the Christian's book for life.  It is not something we outgrow or graduate from.  As Luther himself wrote, "But for myself I say this: I am also a doctor and preacher, yea, as learned and experienced as all those may be who have such presumption and security; yet I do as a child who is being taught the Catechism, and ever morning, and whenever I have time, I read and say, word for word, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms, etc. And I must still read and study daily, and yet I cannot master it as I wish, but must remain a child and pupil of the Catechism, and am glad so to remain" (Large Catechism, Preface 7-8).   Lord, help us ever to retain The catechism's doctrine plain As Luther taught the word of truth In simple style to tender youth. (Ludwig Helmbold, 1594; tr. Matthias Loy, 1880, alt.) View article...

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FW: The antiquity of hymn singing...

 

Peters and Augustine…   Feed: Pastoral Meanderings Posted on: Friday, April 27, 2012 5:00 AM Author: noreply@blogger.com (Pastor Peters) Subject: The antiquity of hymn singing...   For those who question the antiquity of hymn singing (given that hymn is a word that does not refer to something which is stagnant but a form always in process), let me refer you to a quote from Augustine (kindly provided by a reader of this blog):    "The church of Milan had only recently begun to employ this mode of consolation and exaltation with all the brethren singing together with great earnestness of voice and heart. For it was only about a year -- not much more -- since Justina, the mother of the boy-emperor Valentinian, had persecuted thy servant Ambrose on behalf of her heresy, in which she had been seduced by the Arians. The devoted people kept guard in the church, prepared to die with their bishop, thy servant. Among them my mother, thy handmaid, taking a leading part in those anxieties and vigils, lived there in prayer. And even though we were still not wholly melted by the heat of thy Spirit, we were nevertheless excited by the alarmed and disturbed city.      This was the time that the custom began, after the manner of the Eastern Church, that hymns and psalms should be sung, so that the people would not be worn out with the tedium of lamentation. This custom, retained from then till now, has been imitated by many, indeed, by almost all thy congregations throughout the rest of the world." St. Augustine, Confessions View article...

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FW: Lutheran Anglicans

 

Veith…   Feed: Cranach: The Blog of Veith Posted on: Friday, April 27, 2012 4:01 AM Author: Gene Veith Subject: Lutheran Anglicans   I met an Anglican priest the other day who, it turns out, was a big fan of Spirituality of the Cross and my other "Lutheran" books.  As I talked with him, I was astonished at how much he was into Lutheranism.  He explained that there is currently a strain in Anglicanism that is seeking to recover its Lutheran roots. He said Anglicanism generally has had four theological strains:  (1) The mainline Protestantism of the Episcopal Church in America; (2) Anglo-Catholicism; (3) low church evangelicalism, which is often distinctly Reformed; (4) the charismatic movement. But now, he says, a number of  Anglicans, especially young theologians, are rediscovering Luther, who was a major influence on the founders of Anglicanism, especially Thomas Cranmer.   They are finding that it is possible to be both sacramental and evangelical, liturgical and Biblical.  Above all, they are discovering that the Gospel as Luther understood it–radical, liberating–speaks powerfully to our own times and to the specific struggles of both Christians and non-Christians today. The main force in this movement of Lutheran Anglicans or Anglican Lutherans is the Mockingbird Ministry, run by David Zahl and friends, whose main presence is the blog known as Mockingbird.  (Read the FAQ for why it's called that.)  I have been reading and linking to it without realizing its role in a movement.  It's a brilliant website, in both design and content.  Much of it is taken up with commentary on music, film, literature, and the culture as a whole.  But it's also full of discussions of the distinction between Law & Gospel and the Theology of the Cross vs. the Theology of Glory. It draws on ELCA theologians who are still Lutheran, such as Stephen Paulson and Gerhard Forde (who inspires a regular feature called "Forde Friday"), but also Missouri Synod stalwarts such as C. F. W. Walther and Rod Rosenbladt (who is called "our hero" and a formative influence). And the design and tone are very cool and cutting-edged, not stodgy but young, sophisticated, even avant garde. I'm not saying it's all completely on target or could in every instance pass Missouri Synod doctrinal review–a recent post quotes Rudolph Bultmann, though one in which the liberal theologian sounds Lutheran–but it's a good site to visit. And it's a challenge to us Lutheran Lutherans to remind us that, even as some of our own churches play it down, outsiders are finding our theology compelling.   View article...

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FW: Root Cause for Much of the Confusion in Lutheran Circles about Sanctification, Good Works, and Preaching

 

McCain…   Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed Posted on: Friday, April 27, 2012 4:01 AM Author: Paul T. McCain Subject: Root Cause for Much of the Confusion in Lutheran Circles about Sanctification, Good Works, and Preaching   I picked up these interesting comments from an ELCA pastor who was, and still is, a very admiring student of the theology of Gehard Forde, whose influence, in my opinion, has gained far to great a toehold in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and it may well be that this attitude explains why we see some Lutheran sermons going out of their way to avoid any kind of parenesis. This of course flies directly in the face of Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and the preaching from all confessionally Lutheran orthodox fathers of our faith, from Luther well into the 19th and 20th centuries. This attitude has spread in Lutheran circles to the point that we often see sermons and teaching that ignores, even goes out of its way, to avoid mentioning anything concrete about the life of holy living to which we are called in Christ. [Forde's] primary weakness can be illustrated by examining how he concludes his sermon "Justification by Faith Alone." He proclaims, "There is nothing for me to do but just say it: You are just for Jesus' sake. And there is nothing for you to do but just listen. Believe it, it is for you! It will really reform your life!"There is nothing for me to do? Really? Can't we say anything, then, about what this reformed life looks like? Forde is adamant that preaching is not about moral instruction, paraenesis, growth, faith practices, or a description of what this new life accomplished through the word might look like. Most of it would amount to a "third" use of the law, an understanding of the law Forde opposed and thought was actually just a return to the first under a new guise. Forde refuses to preach about the Christian life, change, and progress for, as far as I can tell, three reasons. The first reason is anthropological, and is the most damning, for it virtually silences anyone who would even question Forde's thinking on the matter. The second reason, this one harmatological, offers a view of humanity that does not include things like progress, growth in virtue, holiness, and the like. This second reason, less accusative in nature, is easier to engage. The third reason concerns imputed or passive righteousness, a doctrine that circles back to reason one, for it is a concept only the New Adam can understand by faith.  View article...

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FW: THOSE "ONCE A YEAR" HYMNS

 

Magness…   Feed: Fine Tuning Posted on: Thursday, April 26, 2012 5:43 PM Author: Phillip Magness Subject: THOSE "ONCE A YEAR" HYMNS   Most of the hymns in a congregation's repertoire are sung a few times a year.  That's the way it should be, I think, especially in an age when most folks don't read music and only hear our hymn tunes when they come to church.   But there are some hymns that most every congregation sings well that they only sing once a year - such as "For All the Saints" every All Saints' Day.   Oh, sure, it is sung at funerals, too, so some folks get an extra chance to sing it now and then, but it is basically a once-a-year event.  Another hymn like this is "On Jordan's Bank", which most Lutherans sing every Second Sunday in Advent.   That one goes pretty well, too.  This past Sunday we sang the "every Third Sunday of Easter" standard, "With High Delight Let Us Unite".  This one doesn't soar quite as well with the assembly, but our congregation has learned to sing it.  And I think they are enjoying it as much now as the choir, as it is a wonderful hymn.  So it's a keeper.  And this Sunday we'll sing "The King of Love My Shepherd Is", another once-a-year favorite.   I bring this up so we can consider both the wisdom and the limitations of the "Hymn of the Day".   Sometimes it really works, and a congregation's worship is strengthened with traditions like singing "My Song Is Love Unknown" each year on the 5th Sunday in Lent.   And sometimes the "hymn of the day" that works is not necessarily the appointed one.  At Bethany, for example, we have really embraced "No Tramp of Soldiers' Marching Feet" for Palm/Passion Sunday.   So it has become a sort of parochially-appointed Hymn of the Day, for lack of a better term. But other times, the appointed hymn just doesn't take root.  "Christ is the World's Redeemer" for Seventh Sunday of Easter comes to mind.  There are others.  What are your thoughts?  Which hymns are strongly associated with particular days of the church year in your congregation?  Which of the appointed ones, on the other hand, are not so successful.  Are there any you've replaced and found greater success with?   And are there some that work better at other times of the year or other parts of the service?  Whatever your thoughts, if you haven't considered these questions as part of your craft of worship planning, I humbly suggest your congregation would benefit from this kind of conversation about hymnody.  I do hope to get a few responses - but I hope even more you'll talk to your people about how hymnody accompanies are walk with Christ through the Church Year.   View article...

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