tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275172096571328182024-03-13T11:46:46.278-05:00Four and Twenty+ BlackbirdsA Round Table of Lutheran pastors speaking from within their office and vocation to matters of the Christian faith and life. As iron sharpens steel, our mutual engagement of questions and concerns pertaining to the Church and Ministry of Christ serves to refine our theological acumen, clarify our confession, and guide our sacred stewardship of the Mysteries of God.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-68611830168036589242020-04-03T13:00:00.002-05:002020-04-03T15:33:28.247-05:00Consecration of the Holy Supper, the Office, and Local Fellowship in Dispersion<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Consecration of the Holy Supper, the Office, and Local Fellowship in
Dispersion</b></div>
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Rev. John A. Frahm
III</div>
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In his 1533 treatise, “The Private Mass and the Consecration
of Priests,” Luther mentions how Christians in isolation in Turkey are advised
to respond to their lack of clergy and their desire for the Holy Supper of
Christ’s body and blood:</div>
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And what must the Christians do who
are held captive in Turkey? They cannot receive the sacrament and have to be
content with their faith and desire which they have for the sacrament and the
ordinance of Christ, just as those who die before baptism are nevertheless
saved by their faith and desire for baptism. What did the children of Israel do
in Babylon when they were unable to have public worship at Jerusalem except in
faith and in sincere desire and longing? Therefore, even if the church would
have been robbed completely of the sacrament by the pope, still, because the
ordinance of Christ remained in their hearts with faith and desire, it would
nevertheless have been preserved thereby, as indeed now in our time there are
many who outwardly do without the sacrament for they are not willing to honor
and strengthen the pope's abomination under one kind. For Christ's ordinance
and faith are two works of God which are capable of doing anything.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a></div>
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Notice here in this radical situation, nay “emergency,” what
Luther does not suggest or improvise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
further one departs from the institution of Christ, the more doubt creeps into
the picture and consequently the certainty and foundation of faith begins to
fall away. The solidity of hope in Christ turns into nothing more than a
wishful leap into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deus absconditus</i>
(the “dark” unrevealed aspects of God, apart from His Word). Nothing can be
more certain than that which is done according to the mandate and institution
of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith clings not so much to
what could possibly be in the abstract, nor to what we think “God would
understand in our circumstances,” but rather to His mandate and institution and
the promises therein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Luther makes the point in 1533, in “The Private Mass and the
Consecration of Priests” that the reason why he holds to the position on the
consecration he does is that all may be certain for faith. The private mass
Luther is dealing with are masses performed by Roman priests for money often to
release souls from purgatory. They are celebrating masses without the
congregation gathered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such masses were
done where none of the people communed, and the notion of the propitiatory
sacrifice of the mass was promote in the Roman church. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord’s Supper was turned into something
human beings do rather than something Christ does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In discussing the private mass, Luther says:</div>
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But I have not been commanded to
perform the private mass and it is uncertain. In short, as St. Augustine says: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tene certum, dimitte incertum </i>- “Rely on
what is certain and abandon what is uncertain.” Yes, I even add, because it is
uncertain whether the body and blood of Christ are present in the private mass
and because it is certainly a purely human trifle, therefore you should never
in your life believe that Christ's body and blood are present; for faith should
be sure of its affairs and have a sure basis concerning which one must not and
should not be in doubt.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a></div>
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Luther notes the instrumentality of the called servant:</div>
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So it is not our work or speaking
but the command and ordinance of Christ which make the bread the body and the
wine the blood, beginning with the first Lord's Supper and continuing to the
end of the world, and it is administered daily through our ministry or office.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a></div>
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Throughout this treatise Luther deals with the certainty for
faith which comes from heeding the institution of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Previously, in 1527, Luther wrote in his
tremendous, “That These Words of Christ, ‘This is My Body,’ Etc., Still Stand
Firm Against the Fanatics,” in summary form:</div>
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We know, however, that it is the
Lord’s Supper, in name and in reality, not the supper of Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the Lord not only instituted it, but
also prepares and gives it himself, and is himself cook, butler, food, and
drink, as we have demonstrated our belief above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ does not say, in commanding and
instituting it, “Do this as your summons to mutual recognition and love,” but,
“Do this in remembrance of me” [Luke 22:19, I Cor. 11:24].<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a></div>
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Perhaps, in part, has explained a Luther preference for
referring to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar as ‘the Lord’s Supper,” or the
‘Holy Supper.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We receive this
sacrament, as with all the mysteries of God, as it is given from the Lord (see
1 Corinthians 11:23-26).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pastor is
particularly charged to be the local steward of the mysteries of God, which
includes, but is not limited to the Lord’s Supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is steward but does not own it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He may not do with it as he pleases or as it
seems best to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it is given to us
from the Lord through the apostles so we deliver it to the Church for her
nourishment in the wilderness of this world in the end times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be a foolish and
troubling thing to tinker with what the Lord has given even with “missional”
motivations of heartfelt origin or vision. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no ecclesial bureaucratic license to
exceptions. The Bride of Christ receives what the Bridegroom has provided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord’s mysteries do not need adjustment
for the culture to be relevant or adequate, but the Blessed Sacrament is the
medicine of immortality and antidote to death as we confess with the ancient
church.</div>
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The institution of the means of grace and the office which
is charged with divine authority to deliver them for the church is a divine
office that is enacted in real flesh and blood men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Book of Concord</i> begins the discussion of the office of the holy ministry,
with a bridge from Article IV to Article V of the Augsburg Confession. The
office of the ministry is established so that such justifying faith in Christ
(by grace) may be created, conferred, and sustained through the spoken and
sacramental Gospel. The German speaks of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Predigtamt</i> – the preaching office, which implies someone in the
office. The Word and Sacraments are confessed as the exclusive salvific,
faith-engendering instruments of the Holy Spirit. And then there is the
condemnation of the Anabaptists and other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">schwärmer</i>,
who teach that the Holy Spirit works apart from the external Word and
sacraments through our own preparations, thoughts, and works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the teaching of these fanatics, the
working of the Holy Spirit was separated from the external Word and moved to an
internal experience, desire, or concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The claim to be spiritual does not detour around the apostolic word.</div>
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The liturgy is not the “work of the people” as Rome has
said, or put in protestant terms, our praise and worship experience for
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be sure there is response, but
the initiating, primary, divine monergism of the Divine Service is so that
everything in the Church, as the Large Catechism says, may be so arranged that
we may daily receive the forgiveness of sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is done through the Christ-provided means of grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The point of the Divine Service isn’t about
“getting people involved” (work of the people, ala Rome, said in a protestant
way) but being at the receiving end of all that the Lord desires to give in His
particular way in His spoken and sacramental gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, indeed, as St. Augustine says, for the
sake of faith, cling to the certain, and depart from the uncertain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the glory of the means of grace is that
they are plural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This blesses us even
in situations of pandemic social distancing, travel, or other forms of local
separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Behold, I am with you
always” at the end of the Great Commission to the apostles is not a separate
saying but is indicative of the localized presence of the Lord for them and the
Church in the means of grace (“all things I have commanded you”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Luther put it succinctly, “If you want
to have God, then mark where he resides and where he wants to be found.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In times of distress it does us no good to
try to relocate the Temple from Jerusalem to Mt. Gerizim, or to baptize by a
fire hose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While all baptized
Christians are priests by faith, our understanding of the office of the
ministry is not primarily priestly (sacrificial) but as ambassadors and
householders of the mysteries as spiritual fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sons of Korah (Numbers 16) thought Moses
and Aaron were free to re-allocate the callings of the Lord since all in Israel
were holy by His name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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In the apostolic ministry the teaching and miracles of Jesus
continue in the Word preached and the holy sacraments administered (Acts 1:1-5;
1 Corinthians 3:5-11).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
considering the administration of the Lord’s Supper it is not merely that the
pastor can broadcast his voice in a “live” setting (over a public address
system, television, or internet) but rather is the whole and undivided
sacrament administered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the intent
is to consecrate bread and wine (or grape juice, sic!) over a “livestream” or
broadcast to another location with lay administration on the other end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one broadcasting a recitation of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">verba testamenti</i> cannot “take the bread”
or “give it to them” etc where the sacrament is intended to be
administered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has lost its union or
never had it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is utterly
dubious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Augustine shouts out:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tene
certum, dimitte incertum! </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
“this do” is violated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stewardship is
broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith needs the marks of the
church to have divine integrity not human imprimaturs or licensure or pastoral
exceptions by authority of personal feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our first LCMS President, Walther, writes:</div>
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The great majority of our
theologians, Luther in the forefront, believe that the holy Supper should never
be administered privately by one who is not in the public preaching office, by
a layman. That is partly because no such necessity can occur with the holy
Supper, as with Baptism and Absolution, that would justify a departure from
God’s ordinance ( I Cor 4:1; Romans 10:15; Heb 5:4); partly because the holy
Supper “is a public confession and so should have a public minister”; partly
because schisms can easily be brought about by such private Communion…<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a></div>
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On the other end of the livestream or by delegation by
pastoral letter, directing the laity to take upon themselves what Luther was
unwilling to suggest in 1533 and what the Augsburg Confession denies in Article
XIV is schismatic and good old-fashioned fanaticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt, one can engage in vision casting
over an internet livestream, but dividing what Lord has joined together
dislocates the object of faith as the speaker and the bread cannot complete the
action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Luther’s day the church
inherited whispered Words of Institution in a problematic canon of the mass
eucharistic prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now recent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ersatz</i> pastoral innovations to adapt to
the temporary state of quasi-quarantine, while not done in malice, are
ill-conceived, and attach an urgency to a temporary disruption of corporate
Divine Services that is incongruous with the typical tangential use of the
sacrament in many liturgically loose locales.</div>
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Assumed-emergencies, quasi-exiles, and exuberant pastoral
desire deliver the gifts by innovation can bring out the pre-existent fractures
more dramatically and reveal the need for further study and reflection so that
the marks of the church are not compromised and zeal for accomplishing
something does not undermine the goal of faith being given certainty in the
Word and the sacraments according to Christ’s institution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The Words of our Lord which used within the institution
command “this do” inhabit a context for the mandate to be fulfilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With regard to the office of the ministry we
ought to bear in mind the fact pointed out earlier, that in "The Private
Mass and the Consecration of Priests" of Luther in 1533, he does not
condone or recommend any attempts of "lay consecration" of the Supper
but simply recommends for exiled Christians in Turkey to be content, given
their situation, with their hunger and thirst for the Sacrament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lutheran fathers, including Chemnitz and
Formula of Concord, walked a fine line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So in their denial that, "No man's word or work, be it the merit or
speaking of the minister," brings about the real presence is not to deny
that the body and blood are, "distributed through our ministry and
office" (cf. FC-SD, VII.74-77). Chemnitz states clearly that, "it is
with those who are legitimately chosen and called by God through the church,
therefore with the ministers to whom the use or administration of the ministry
of the Word and the sacraments has been committed."<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a></div>
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The office is not the source of the authority but the means
by which Christ serves His people in the Lord's Supper, the Divine Service. It
is "apostolic" in that pastors are called and sent by Christ for the
benefit of the church. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are “your
servants for the sake of Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
have His authority in the mandates He has given the holy office. We may point
to Apology XXIV, under the discussion of the term "Mass," where the
liturgy is identified with "the public ministry."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when the "emergency" case is
cited from the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, it must be
pointed out that this emergency only mentions Baptism and Absolution and not
the Holy Supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord’s Supper
cannot be an emergency need the way Baptism or Absolution can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Means of restoration and conversion are not
the same as means of sustenance or the “solid food” of faith.</div>
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The “action” of the Lord’s Supper, as it is described by the
orthodox Lutheran dogmaticians is a threefold action of the Supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consecration, distribution and reception are
what belongs to the institution. The office bearer consecrates and distributes,
all receive. Not only are the body and blood present in the reception, but also
in the distribution (according to the Lord’s word), in the thought of the
Confessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Formula of Concord
summarizes (emphasis added):</div>
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In the administration of Communion
the words of institution are to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>spoken
or sung distinctly and clearly before the congregation</u></b> and are under no
circumstances to be omitted. Thereby we render obedience to the command of
Christ, ‘This do.’ Thereby the faith of the hearers in the essence and benefits
of this sacrament (the presence of the body and blood of Christ, the
forgiveness of sins, and all the benefits which Christ has won for us by his
death and the shedding of his blood and which he give to us in his testament)
is awakened, strengthened and confirmed through his Word. And <u>thereby the
elements of bread and wine are hallowed or blessed</u> in this holy use, so
that therewith the body and blood of Christ are distributed to us to eat and to
drink, as Paul says, "The cup of blessing which we bless," which
happens precisely through the repetition and recitation of the words of institution.</div>
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The Words of Institution "are under no circumstances to
be omitted." More than this they are to be spoken or sung "clearly
and distinctly before the people." Through this, the bread and the wine
are consecrated. Hence in the understanding of Formula of Concord-Solid
Declaration VII and the Large Catechism, the Words of Institution are said
simultaneously over the elements and before the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does a livestream do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s cling to the certain and depart from
uncertain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not in times of crisis,
when faith is tried, further introduce doubt or shadows on the object of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s avoid the edge of the cliff, the
shadows, the lay ministry, the grape juice, the video communion, the postal
delivery, the coffee creamer hermetically sealed elements, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cling to what is certain and depart from
what is uncertain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be stewards of the
mysteries of God, be a brave and steadfast spiritual father.</div>
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In such unusual times as a pandemic we rejoice in the
manifold instruments that the Lord has given to bestow forgiveness, life, and
salvation, by the work the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The reading of Scripture does not require an emergency circumstance for
its verbal delivery in , as Luther admonishes the head of the household (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hausvater</i>) to teach the Small Catechism
in his home, which includes the use of Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The royal priesthood of baptized believers in
Christ and the pastoral office each have their realm of service and
duties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We appreciate each best when we
receive them as the Lord uniquely gave each one rather than in terms of
comparisons or even in terms of lists of functions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mutual conversation and consolation of
the brethren wherever two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus is a great
resource in times of exile, temporary separation, and waiting upon the
Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also an opportunity to
recover our devotional use of Scripture, rejoice in our Baptism, and speak
words of forgiveness to one another in our households.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when we go through a period of not
communing, we have been sent forth from the altar to our homes to “proclaim the
Lord’s death until He comes” to one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
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<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "arrus bt" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"The
Private Mass and the Consecration of Priests" (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Luther’s Works, AE</i>:38; p.207).</span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a>
“The Private Mass…”, p.163</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a>
“The Private Mass…”, p.199</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a>
“That These Words of Christ, ‘This Is My Body,’ Etc., Still Stand Firm Against
the Fanatics” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Luther’s Works, AE</i>:37,
p.142).</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a>
Sermon on John 6:51, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Luther’s Works AE</i>:
23, p.121</div>
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<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a> <span style="color: black;">C.F.W. Walther. <i>Pastoral Theology</i>. Trans. John M.
Drickamer. (New Haven: Lutheran News Inc, 1995); p.134 </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=627517209657132818#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a>
Martin Chemnitz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: "arrus bt" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Examination
of the Council of Trent: Volume II</span></i><span style="font-family: "arrus bt" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, p.97</span></div>
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div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-78099878321189416502015-08-11T10:37:00.003-05:002015-08-11T10:37:57.996-05:00The Vocation of Music in the Divine Service Rev. John A. Frahm III<br />
Concordia Lutheran Church, Williston, ND<br />
<br />
We Lutherans, who are heirs of Johann Sebastian Bach and so many
other great composers of sacred music, certainly understand that various
instruments can be used faithfully in the liturgical context to God’s
glory. But what are some important considerations with respect to
music in the Divine Service in the way it is used and selected with
integrity?<br />
<br />
<b>Thesis I – Nothing comes into the Divine Service “as is” from the world’s use. It must be sanctified.</b><br />
Music is powerful but this power can be both negative and positive,
and not simply from the perspective of taste or preference. Music can
manipulate the emotions and senses greatly regardless of context or
purpose. God calls out of darkness into His marvelous light and we
become holy as a gift of God when we are brought to faith in Christ our
crucified and risen Lord. God’s creation is and will be transformed
and on the Last Day God will make a new heaven and a new earth.<br />
This end times reality impacts the Divine Service as well when
through the preached Word and the administered sacraments heaven comes
down to earth for us (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Heb 12.22-24" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Heb%2012.22-24" target="_blank">Hebrews 12:22-24</a>). The old Adam is put to death and buried and the new believer in Christ comes forth (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Rom 6.5-11" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Rom%206.5-11" target="_blank">Romans 6:5-11</a>).
Yet this is a daily and hourly pattern of repentance and faith in the
absolution. For the steward of the mysteries of God, he must be aware
that his shepherding of the liturgical context must take into account
this baptismal rhythm of those working with the church music (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="1 Cor 4.1-2" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor%204.1-2" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 4:1-2</a>).
Out of the heart proceeds all kinds of sins, and yet also the Gospel
has its way with the life and heart of the believer from outside of us.<br />
<br />
The old Adam must not have the upper hand. The law of God in the
third way He uses it does provide structure and order within the larger
life of the church as well. Our Confessions acknowledge this as well.
The old Adam does not worship the Lamb but himself and his own
predilections, sentiment, and power. Not only does the old Adam not
want God in Christ at the center, but he refuses to sit at the receiving
end of God’s Gospel gifts as one in need of rescue, cleansing, and
forgiveness. The old Adam will not say “<i>soli Deo gloria</i>” in
truth. The liturgical musician is one who lives in no other way than
from the Apostles’ doctrine, fellowship in the breaking of bread, and in
the prayers. Here catechesis from pastor to musician is essential –
whether to choir director, organist, instrumentalist, cantor, or
parishioner singing a chorale. The one who serves in these areas of
the church’s liturgical life needs to be formed by sound doctrine and
good practice from the start (<i>lex orandi, lex credendi</i> and vice versa).<br />
<br />
<b>Thesis
II – The theology of the Divine Service, its action and power, will
shape the character and type of music that is selected as liturgical
music and the way it is delivered.</b><br />
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession defines the mass or liturgy as
“a public ministry” and this is said to square well with the showing
forth of the body and blood of Christ as well as the proclamation of the
Gospel (AC XXIV and Apology XXIV; <a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Luke 22.27" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Luke%2022.27" target="_blank">Luke 22:27</a>).
This means of grace language is declaring that the chief thing about
the service is that it is something God does for us. The liturgy is
first and foremost sacramental (gift) rather than sacrificial (return of
offering to God or response). We serve God because He first serves
us. We are called into communion with Jesus within the communion of His
people and receive from Him forgiveness, life and salvation. This is
the end of missions! This is a monergistic, Christocentric, cruciform
activity as opposed to a synergistic or anthropocentric activity.
Jesus is among us in the flesh as the One who serves, continuing to do
and teach in our midst.<br />
<br />
The music is there in much the same way that the pastor is there for
the liturgy. It is there for the sake and purpose of the Word and
Sacraments. The music vests the voices of pastor, congregation, and
choir. If used well it may de-emphasize the personality and emphasize
the words of the musical piece in liturgy or song. Music in this way
serves as John the Baptist did in relation to Jesus – preparing the way,
pointing the way to Jesus. And this also is important as pointers or
symbols are not the thing themselves. But they have importance in
directing us to what is most important and real. The Word is greater
than the music. Music humbly submits to be a John the Baptist of
sorts. This may help answer the question of whether something strictly
constructed as “praise service” with a “praise band” is sufficiently
centered on the monergistic delivery of grace via the Word and
Sacraments and is reflective of the liturgical two-way street with its
initiating accent on what God does for us. We liturgy God because He
first liturgies us. So much of what we have today in the variety of
themed services like “traditional worship” (or “Classic Grace”) vs.
blended worship or contemporary vs. contemporary family friendly worship
is so much marketing like the flavors of a hip coffee shop. What is
the main thing in practice? Are traditional liturgical services in the
past and not contemporary or does contemporary mean really “beholden to
the zeitgeist”?<br />
<br />
<b>Thesis III – When speaking of liturgical music, we “set the music to the text” rather than the other way around.</b><br />
The first table of the law commands us to have no other gods and to
not misuse the holy name of God. In liturgical music, God’s Word,
rightly divided, comes first as setting the priority and purpose of the
Services of God’s House. And this goes on continually in the Church
throughout the ages (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Matt 16.18" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Matt%2016.18" target="_blank">Matthew 16:18</a>; <a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Jude 3" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jude%203" target="_blank">Jude 3</a>).
Out of the Word of God comes everything that exists therefore the text,
the priority of the Word, the Gospel message comes first. Music is
set to the requirements, character, and message of the text as the power
of God for salvation present for us. The music does not (or should
not) presume that the biblical text or its right application has no
power on its own. This principle should be kept in mind by the one
choosing and delivering the music with the sound text. What is said of
music here presumes that the text is sound theologically (but that is a
subject for another time).<br />
<br />
Obviously there are a variety of ways to deliver music for any given
biblical or liturgical text. With this said, however one may understand
it properly in this way: while many sermons may come from a particular
Gospel pericope, this does not mean that all sermons claimed to be
based on said pericope are therefore right, sound, and rightly dividing
the word of truth or based on sound exegesis. There are boundaries and
clear principles in what would be considered a right homiletical
application of a text, sound exegesis, and so forth. (Of course one
could choose to ignore that matter out of other motives or priorities
that reflect a divergence in theology from our standard.) So there is
variety and yet not libertine or indiscriminate variety based merely
upon preference, popular styles, pop Christian radio, neighborhood
marketing, opinion polls, or alien theologies from other confessions.<br />
<br />
Likewise, the musical selection does not disregard the liturgical
structure of the service nor the church year nor the teaching of the
whole counsel of God. Neither can the music disregard the real
presence of Christ or the humility of sinners before the holy God who
saved us only out of pure divine Fatherly goodness and mercy.
Evangelism or recruitment cannot be substituted for justification by
grace alone as <i>der Hauptartikel</i> of the Christian faith (the
chief article by which the church stands or falls). In the Psalms the
text was often given to the Chief Musician. The text came first within
an occasion and then the music was brought to that to fit the purpose of
the text. As Johann Walther, the composer colleague of Luther, put it
aptly, “All music should be so arranged that its notes are in harmony
with the text” (Carl Schalk, <i>Luther on Music: Paradigms of Praise</i>, p.27).<br />
<br />
<b>Thesis
IV – Music is not a mediator between God and man, thus the means of
grace cannot be improved upon or made more effective by making the music
a reflection of the local culture or enticing the old Adam in a
religious way.</b><br />
God alone is God. There is no getting around that fact. Jesus
Christ is the one who has made the atoning sacrifice once and for all
and there is none other who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world. He is the One who comes to us here and now in His Word and
Sacraments to deliver the benefits of Good Friday and Easter to us.
Since we are conceived and born in sin (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Ps 51.5" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ps%2051.5" target="_blank">Psalm 51:5</a>) and likewise are native to death and sin (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Eph 2.1-2" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Eph%202.1-2" target="_blank">Ephesians 2:1-2</a>) and we cannot naturally discern the things of the Spirit of God (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="1 Cor 2.14" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor%202.14" target="_blank">I Corinthians 2:14</a>),
it is not more likely to get converts by religious entertainment than
otherwise. Remember the explanation to the Third Article of the Creed
in the Catechism?<br />
<br />
Of course, all the arts can be abused. Neither PowerPoint nor
icons, neither baroque music nor soft rock, are mediators between God
and men. The church has a culture all its own as the Word bears fruit
in the history of the Church in contrast to our surrounding culture.
And the music used in the liturgical context serves within a circle that
is more particular than merely the circle of Christian music for
devotions or casual listening. Despite what may be suitable or
satisfactory as music for Christians for relaxation, work, or devotions,
music for the unique context of the Divine Service and its purpose
comes under a different vocation from anything else and is set apart.
This might indeed help us answer, for example, the question of the
location in the sanctuary from which the musicians should deliver the
music or if a soloist or cantor is best front and center or not? Even
such music that may be called Christian in the pop culture of American
Evangelicalism and the charismatic movement is not necessarily or
automatically qualified for liturgical service given the greatly
differing theologies and purposes of music between that realm and the
confessional Lutheran understanding of liturgy for the Church.<br />
<br />
God has called His sheep into His green pastures in the Divine
Service. It is not we who invite God to the gathering. He initiates
the giving of His gifts. Music is summoned into the liturgical context
as an “Amen” to the structure of texts in the liturgy and church year.
To praise God is to praise His marvelous deeds (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="1 Pet 2" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Pet%202" target="_blank">I Peter 2</a>)
not merely to emote or speak in testimonials whether in old Pietism or
in new American revivalistic ways. So the music is to go along with
the text rather than to direct us back to our own filthy rags. In this
way the Word of Christ dwells among us richly with the prominence and
reverence that is truly meet, right, and salutary.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-24030817053956112702014-06-04T05:56:00.002-05:002014-06-04T05:56:59.931-05:00The Abruptness of a ReadingPentecost approaches, and the thing that always has struck me as odd is the reading from Acts 2 for Pentecost. Oh, don't get me wrong - we should be reading Acts 2, but it seems so bizarre to cut the lection off after verse 21. I'm sure there's a reason for it (verses 22 and following probably show up later or on some other holiday), but it just strikes me as just plain odd that we get this wondrous focus and build up - look, the Holy Spirit is here so that everyone, in all the various languages (more languages than Apostles!) are able to hear this preaching that is coming, and look, Joel pointed to the coming of this day...<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
And then we stop. Just cut off the reading. Peter's sermon - nah, no need to hear that.<br /><br />Really? <br />
<br />
Do we see how strange this is? There is the promise of the Holy Spirit, and what does this promise lead to? The preaching of Christ's death and resurrection. Law and Gospel. Baptism. It's fantastic - and yet, so often we don't get there.<br />
<br />
So, yes, this year, our second reading is going to be a bit longer. All the way through verse 41. We'll see how it goes.Rev. Eric J Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17747919365522145094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-6641095018981420962014-05-14T14:22:00.001-05:002014-05-14T14:22:44.504-05:00The John 16 Reality CheckI have come to love that which I used to dread. The late Easter season in the 1 year series... the lessons from John 16, the ones that don't even go in order but move around.<br />
<br />
See, I'll be honest - one of the things I appreciate about the 1 year series is how it is not sequential - how it jumps around from topic to topic and theme to theme, rather than just moving at a plodding pace through the Gospels chapter after chapter, to where (in my brief, 5 month experience) you would get those times where you think "didn't I just preach this last week?" And then we have Easter. And we have 4 weeks in a row dealing with John 16. And I used to dread it - I would transfer Ascension simply to give me something other than a 4th week of John 16 again.<br />
<br />
Now I see the wisdom. Now I see the great reality check that the Late Easter season is.<br />
<br />
Consider - Easter 4 - <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A16-22&version=ESV" target="_blank">John 16:16-22</a>. The world is going to hate you, and people will rejoice at your suffering. Well, there's some blunt reality -- but over and against this this Truth - Christ will see you again. Resurrection trumps the lousy reality.<br />
<br />
Consider - Easter 5 - <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A5-15&version=ESV" target="_blank">John 16:5-15</a>. It's good that Christ leaves, that there isn't a big, visible Earthly Kingdom. Rather, the Spirit will proclaim Law and Gospel, will proclaim that we are sinners, that we are forgiven, and that Satan and his world are defeated. This is a great "theology of glory" reality check right there -- the Spirit is going to have to remind you that you are a sinner, that you are forgiven, and that Satan doesn't win.<br />
<br />
Consider - Easter 6 - <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A23-33&version=ESV" target="_blank">John 16:23-33</a>. What greater reality check is there than the last verse? In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. Even as the world around you is wicked and evil and falls to pot - there is the reality. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, alleluia! The world is over come... and we have peace in Christ.<br />
<br />
And then Easter 7 - <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A26-16%3A4&version=ESV" target="_blank">John 15:26-16:4</a>. You are going to get battered and bruised. That is the reality. Even the most holy and pious seeming of people will be the ones to trash you, to toss you out of the synagogues, the churches. That's the way things will be - but you still proclaim Christ and Him crucified for sinners, bear witness to His death (I was there, I saw the blood and water pour out - he who saw it has borne witness and his testimony is true!).<br />
<br />
All a giant reality check. And as the attendance dips again, and once-in-a-while families are done with Easter and Confirmations, as Easter Lilies start to die off (although this may be a joy to those suffering from allergies) and all the other joyous things fade away - we get this wonderful reality check. Yeah, things will go back to normal, normal for this fallen world. And that's lousy.<br />
<br />
Christ is still risen, He is risen indeed.Rev. Eric J Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17747919365522145094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-24490025596706835842014-04-22T07:43:00.000-05:002014-04-22T07:43:34.528-05:00I submit for your regular use until we hear the ruling the following collect:.........Father, who judges all men’s hearts perfectly and in Your wisdom appoints justices in the land, give wisdom to the justices of our Supreme Court as they decide the future of religious freedom in our country. Cause them to see that we will obey God rather than man and by that knowledge make them rule that we may practice our faith openly in a time hostile to the Christian Faith, through You, Who sits on the Highest Judgment Throne, with the Son and the Spirit, now and forever. Amen.Pr. Georg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723448912285159003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-77732866565205935962013-09-29T08:11:00.000-05:002013-09-29T08:11:13.564-05:00Perspicuity of the ScriptureThe perspicuity or clarity of Scripture is an important doctrine. ``Let miserable men, therefore, stop imputing with blasphemous perversity the darkness and obscurity of their own hearts to the wholly clear Scriptures of God.'' (LW 33:27)
Amen.
Scripture is clear. My understanding of it is not. I am the problem; not the Scripture. I am dull and do not see clearly, rather I see through an occluded lens. So I need to be taught first of all the grammar of the Scripture and then the norms of interpretation according to the tradition I have been taught.
In these there is a presupposition, an over-arching rule (paradigm) or guiding formal principle which is never to be broken no matter what the actual text of the Scripture says.
The rule for me is the following: I have a loving, forgiving and barmherzigkeit Gott.
So when the perfect, accurate Word of God spoken by the apostle St. James says to show me your works my guiding formal principle immediately forces me to modify what would be the normally accepted exegesis of this passage with the similarly accurate Word of God by St. Paul saying it is not by works which we have done. Because of my dullness and inability I am not able to come up with a way to bring these two perfect passages into union. So as a Lutheran I allow St. Paul the trump St. James. I am not at liberty like some have done in the past and even Luther might have suggested to rip St. James out of the cannon.
Romanists, Reformed, and Lutherans within each branch of Christianity bring to bear upon the Scripture their formal guiding principle. Rome is governed by “all must obey the Pope”. Reformed is guided by “God is the Almighty Supreme Being”. Lutherans by “clinging always to a gracious and merciful God”.
So as a Lutheran I bridle myself to the guiding principle of the Lutheran church, never questioning the perspicuity of Scripture and always acknowledging the totally corrupt nature of mankind after the fall. Therefore I must let the Confessions guide me as I exegete the Holy Scriptures. In other words I interpret the Scriptures according to the confessions of the Book of Concord of 1580.
Pr. Georg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02723448912285159003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-91391408780723386942013-09-24T08:49:00.000-05:002013-09-24T08:49:39.164-05:00American Top 40 Pop SermonsIn thinking about discussions of preaching that I've observed and overheard in recent years, I'm struck by how much the measure and criteria of "a great sermon" sounds like a description of Top 40 pop:<br />
<br />
Short and catchy, with a memorable hook and emotional ka-ching.<br />
<br />
The emotional ka-ching seems usually to be a matter of feeling good about feeling bad, and finding comfort in being convicted; as though such feelings of self-reproach and shame were tantamount to repentance. Maybe I've simply been in the wrong places at the wrong times, but I haven't heard as much excitement about the actual preaching of the Gospel of forgiveness, as I regularly hear about the sharp preaching of the Law. But that fits with the pop music analogy, too: Nothing packs quite the emotional wallop of regret.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure whether American Top 40 pop sermons are good or bad. I think it's a bit of both, so there's my cop out answer. I do see the benefit to keeping sermons short and simple, focusing on one main point, and connecting with the hearers in a way that is memorable. I'm constantly working at writing that way, although I doubt that I'll ever be good at it. Maybe that's my problem: I'm envious and jealous of those who can do this. The temptation, not unlike the world of commercial music, is to follow the formula and attempt to copy the chart toppers. Been there, done that, and it doesn't work for me. I go from bad to worse.<br />
<br />
But I do wish it wasn't so easy to be distracted from the real heart and goal of sermons, which is, I believe, the preaching of repentance unto faith in the forgiveness of sins, and the comfort of the Gospel of Christ. I know that is what I need, myself, and it is what I long to give to those entrusted to my preaching and pastoral care.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-89193190411270868392013-09-17T13:02:00.001-05:002013-09-17T22:10:53.531-05:00St. Cyprian and the Fellowship of the ChurchIn thinking about St. Cyprian of Carthage this week, I posted on facebook, "The Missouri Synod could learn a thing or two from St. Cyprian concerning the unity and fellowship of the Church in the Ministry of Christ, and the fraternal fellowship and collegiality of pastors in the exercise of that Office."<br />
<br />
I'm not an expert on St. Cyprian, and it's been too long since I've done any extensive reading of his work, but, when asked to elaborate on what I had in mind, I offered the following comments:<br />
<br />
"St. Cyprian recognized that the unity of the Church is centered in the Ministry of the Gospel, and that the larger unity and fellowship of the Church is found in the conciliar fellowship and conversation of bishops, as the overseers of that Ministry in each place. It seems to me that the Missouri Synod has largely lost its bearings and its center of gravity in this regard. Congregations are defined and characterized by lots of other things, which compete with or practically take precedence over the Ministry of the Gospel; so that congregations are identified with and known by particular styles of practice, or programs, or whatever. And as far as our 'fellowship' is concerned, that seems to be more a matter of formality, of political and legal structures, a shared pension plan, and so forth, rather than an active theological engagement of brother pastors. Our bishops have, by and large, been taken out of the parish, and the parish pastors typically stick to their own 'turf,' guard their own 'territory,' keep their heads down, and ignore one another to whatever extent they can. I know that is not universally the case, and that there are notable exceptions. But, to my observation, most of the interaction between pastors is based upon personal friendship rather than fellowship in the Gospel, and is governed more by common opinions to begin with than by the catholicity of the Church in the common Ministry of the Gospel of Christ. I've been as guilty of falling into these patterns as anyone else; but it grieves me, and I don't believe it bodes well for the life and health and future of our Synod."<br />
<br />
I welcome thoughts in response, especially from those who may be in a better position to clarify and further elucidate St. Cyprian's thinking on the unity and fellowship of the Church. I'm likewise interested in pursuing whatever we can do, as pastors and congregations, to put into practice an active fellowship in the Ministry of the Gospel.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-44031058211092168942013-08-01T09:32:00.000-05:002013-08-01T09:32:19.096-05:00They Don't Need Cool<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/07/31/how-to-keep-millennials-in-the-church-lets-keep-church-un-cool/" target="_blank">This</a> is worth the quick read. <br />
<br />
Do you think that pretty soon the "cutting edge" congregations in our midst will signing up for Gottesdienst conferences? What is real is the doctrine of the blessed Apostles, the very Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament and the pure preaching of the Gospel from the pulpit, sans power point, dramas, dancing girls, drum set and the like.<br />
<br />
HT: Shawn from HamelThe Rev. BT Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699707490165113926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-10866654643790344502013-07-27T15:18:00.001-05:002013-07-27T15:18:12.077-05:00Lost Pastors can be FoundIf your parish is vacant, don't be afraid to look here - <a href="http://www.lostpastors.org/">http://www.lostpastors.org</a> . There are shepherds waiting to serve.The Rev. BT Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699707490165113926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-49634218299121074442013-06-23T15:35:00.000-05:002013-06-23T17:04:40.979-05:00A Shoulder Set Upon the Plowshare of the CrossTo be a disciple of Christ Jesus is to take up the Cross and follow after Him, through death and the grave, into the resurrection and the life everlasting. Those who have set their shoulder to that plowshare, dare not look back, but are called to set their face like flint upon Christ the Crucified. We should not suppose that it is easy to persevere, nor that our progress will always be apparent. The Christian life is one of suffering, before we enter into glory; for it is through many trials and tribulations that we enter the Kingdom of God. And while that is the case for every disciple of the Lord Jesus, is it especially so for the pastors of His Church on earth.<br />
<br />
This week, in particular, exemplifies the Cross that is laid upon those men who are called and ordained to preach the Word of Christ and to confess His holy name in the face of sin and death. The prophets, apostles, martyrs, and saints who are remembered in these coming days provide a sober and serious warning to all those who follow after Christ in the Office of the Holy Ministry; but so are they also an encouragement to faith and faithfulness. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, in order that our eyes might be lifted up unto Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. As we are called to die with Him, and for His sake and for the Gospel, so are we raised with Him to live forever in the presence of God the Father.<br />
<br />
On Monday the 24th, we celebrate the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. He wasn't born to die in quite the same way that Jesus was, but his entire life was pointed toward that Lamb of God, who takes upon Himself the sins of the world and bears them away in His own body to the Cross. So, like the Prophets before him and the holy Apostles who follow after, St. John the Baptist also suffers the Cross in his own flesh, that his very body and life might also proclaim the Savior who is sacrificed for our transgressions and raised for our justification. Already as we sing and confess the Benedictus with Zacharias, we know that his holy child, St. John, the Prophet of the Most High, will be imprisoned for his faithful witness and finally beheaded (as we'll commemorate in a few months on August the 29th). Yet, his miraculous birth and his martyr's death proclaim not only Christ and His Cross, but also the dying and rising and new birth of Holy Baptism; even as King Herod perceives the resurrection of St. John in the life of Christ Jesus!<br />
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On Tuesday the 25th, we commemorate the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, and we give thanks for the preaching of the Holy Gospel throughout the centuries to the present day. It is not exactly the case that Luther and Melanchthon and the other reformers were martyred in the same way that St. John the Baptist was, but they were persecuted by church and state, and they surely suffered for their faithful preaching and confession. Luther himself could not even be present at Augsburg for the reading of the great Confession, recognized by all as a public testimony of his teaching. Luther's life was under the Cross, even until his death. So, too, in our own day, the confession of the Gospel still brings wrath and woe on every hand — not only by the world, but by those who consider themselves to be the Church, who suppose that by their violence they are serving God. The promise of suffering should by no means dissuade us, but the example of those who have fearlessly faced the fire should steel us for the fight unto the end.<br />
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On Wednesday the 26th, we commemorate the Prophet Jeremiah, whose prophetic preaching of the Word of the Lord brought him grief and heartache. Indeed, the suffering of his life was as much a part of his preaching as anything he said, anticipating the Cross and Passion of the Lord Himself, whose Word he proclaimed. For Christ Jesus would take upon Himself the wrath of God that Jeremiah preached against Jerusalem, so that His people would be recalled from the exile of sin and death, and granted peace and rest in the Kingdom of God. Accordingly, poor Jeremiah not only suffered at the hands of the people to whom he preached, but then he also suffered together with them in the deportation to Egypt.<br />
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On Thursday the 27th, we commemorate St. Cyril of Alexandria, one of the most significant of the early church fathers, who vigorously defended the deity of Christ and the unity of His Person against the heretic Nestorious and others who were determined to divide and detract from the one Lord Jesus Christ. Nestorian sympathizers, both ancient and modern, have done their best to villify St. Cyril, as though his politics and personality (good, bad, or otherwise) had any bearing on the faithfulness and truth of his confession. In recent generations, Roman theologians have betrayed the weakness of their western christology by defending Nestorious as far as they dare against that "old meany," St. Cyril. But such detractors are nothing new. On the occasion of his death, someone wrote to a friend concerning St. Cyril:<br />
<br />
"At last with a final struggle the villian has passed away. His departure delights the survivors, but possibly disheartens the dead; there is some fear that under the provocation of his comapny they may send him back again to us. Care must therefore be taken to order the guild of undertakers to place a very big and heavy stone on his grave to stop him coming back here" (quoted by Norman Russell in Cyril of Alexandria, p. 3).<br />
<br />
A big heavy stone did not prevent the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; nor would it mean anything to the resurrection and the life that He, our Savior, has bestowed upon His servant Cyril — not any longer in Egypt, to be sure, but in the true and everlasting Canaan. So shall it also be for us, when our Baptism into Christ, the crucified God-Man, is completed in our death from this vale of tears, and we finally cross that great Jordan River into the promised land of peace and rest. In the meantime, we should fully expect to be ridiculed and villified for our faithfulness; and of course, to whatever extent the old Adam in us emerges with the faults and failings of our mortal flesh, our enemies will delight to hold those weaknesses against both us and our doctrine. God prevent us from falling into such temptations, which risk the reputation of the Gospel itself, especially if we are called and ordained to preach that Holy Gospel in its truth and purity. For our own sins, let us daily repent and do better. But for our brothers in the Ministry of Christ, who also bear the burdens of the flesh, let us defend them for the sake of their faithful preaching, and cover them with love for the sake of their Office. Even if some of them do happen to be unpleasant fellows and recalcitrant rascals, the measure of the truth is still the truth itself and neither politics nor personality.<br />
<br />
On Friday the 28th, we commemorate St. Irenaeus of Lyons, of such tremendous importance to the history of the Christian faith and doctrine. He may not have been a martyr himself, but he was a friend of martyrs. To begin with, he became the new bishop of Lyons, upon returning from Rome, because his predecessor had been martyred while he was away. In his opposition to the rampant gnostic heresies of his day, he emphasized the goodness and the significance of creation, including the Christian's body, which shall be raised from death to the life everlasting. It is in that confidence of the resurrection, the surety of which is bodily received in the Holy Communion, that St. Irenaeus and his friends and colleagues and parishioners faced the constant real threat of martyrdom. It is in that same holy faith and certain confidence that we teach and confess the truth of Christ, come hell or high water against us.<br />
<br />
Finally, on Saturday the 29th of June, we celebrate the great Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Apostles, one of the oldest festivals in the history of the Church. We remember and give thanks unto God, that the denier of Christ was restored to faith and discipleship, and that the terrible persecutor of Christians was called to repentance and converted to the very faith he once tried to destroy, and that these two men were sent by Christ as His Apostles to the world. In that apostleship, St. Peter learned by experience the Cross of Christ, the Son of the Living God, and St. Paul likewise learned what he would suffer for the Name of the Lord. By the grace of God, by His Word and Spirit, both men rejoiced to be counted worthy to share the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. They bore in their own bodies the marks of His Cross, for the benefit of those to whom they were sent to preach. When it came down to it, each of them was put to death for his faithful witness; and in that, death itself became a witness of the Gospel (a martyrdom). Even now, by the inspired record of their preaching and teaching in the New Testament, they continue to serve and support the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.<br />
<br />
Whatever our own respective vocations may be, whether we are called to preach or to listen, or wherever we are called upon to confess the Gospel in our lives, let us not lose heart. Though we are being put to death all day long for the name of Christ, our faith and hope in Him shall not be disappointed. If there is anything to be gained by compromise, it shall be lost before too long, and gone forever; but whatever we lose for the sake of the Gospel, even if it be our very lives, we shall have gained a hundredfold in the everlasting Kingdom of our God and Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
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For those who are called and sent to preach, it is most likely that suffering of one sort or another will come, but it is also most important that the Word be taught and the Gospel preached with all clarity and consistency. We may die for it, but by that proclamation shall we and our hearers be saved. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-77149754124947700102013-06-23T09:08:00.000-05:002013-06-24T00:39:27.486-05:00Spiritual FathersFor anyone who is interested, my new book on the doctrine of the Ministry, <i><b>Spiritual Fathers</b></i>, is now available. See <a href="http://tinyurl.com/spiritualfathers"><b>this web page</b></a> for more information.David Jay Webberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14275320725049132734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-53424601589382694712013-06-19T13:51:00.005-05:002013-06-19T13:51:49.824-05:00Lutheran Marriage InitiativeI commend this new site to you <a href="http://lutheranmarriageinitiative.com/" target="_blank"> Lutheran Marriage Initiative</a>. Pastor Robert Baker is sure to bring the goods in his new venture. The <a href="http://lutheranmarriageinitiative.com/2013/06/19/introducing-lmi-lutheran-marriage-initiative/" target="_blank">introduction</a> gives you a taste of what is to come.The Rev. BT Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699707490165113926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-59718150051855182052013-05-16T16:35:00.000-05:002013-05-16T16:35:29.616-05:00Semper Virgo, Clauso Utero and the Womb of the ChurchI wrote a paper some years ago for a pastor's conference entitled: "Semper Virgo, Clauso Utero and the Womb of the Church." Some pastors were a bit suspect of it. Some even were a bit threatened, I think; after all, their entire ministries they'd taught, "Why, of COURSE Christ had natural brothers and sisters." They had assumed we DON'T confess the Semper Virgo (much less the Clauso Utero!) and suddenly, my paper put that in question. By the end of it, I think I had succeeded, if not in convincing, at least in casting these articles in a Gospel light. It's not about Mary or virginity but about CHRIST and His Gospel. One pastor even said, "If this is so much about the Gospel - as it seems from your paper - why AREN'T we teaching it?" I thought that was an excellent question.<br />
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Anyway, for anyone interested, here is a link to my paper from a few years back.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3IN794DL7y9dWdkUWtXZFNhOTQ/edit?usp=sharing">https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3IN794DL7y9dWdkUWtXZFNhOTQ/edit?usp=sharing</a>Rev. Rick Sawyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041697125084579483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-81501035001769039502013-05-07T16:41:00.000-05:002013-05-07T16:44:35.282-05:00Saved Again - in Matins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’m mindful how easy it is for me to lose my mind; well, beyond just the senility that often comes with age. I mean, losing my mindfulness; going through the motions in an empty, thoughtless, distracted sort of way. You know, when you’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer in Matins with the School kids or at home with your own kids and then immediately after saying <em>“Amen,”</em> you start with <em>“Our Father”</em> all over!<br />
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Maybe something like that has happened to you. Maybe not. It’s a shame that I must admit that I can all too easily mouth off words before God without even paying attention to them! That’s not what our Lord is teaching when He commands us to pray. Rather, as our children beseech their dear earthly parents for the things they desperately want or desperately think they need, so our Father in heaven wants us coming before Him not simply mumbling words even we don’t care to hear, but in and through them learning to truly grab hold of our heavenly Father’s ears as His dear children. We have a wonderful privilege, after all. Who else can climb into the lap of the God of all creation and be confident of being heard but those who have been given His Name in baptism, who are called by the Gospel and enlightened with His Gifts working a true and genuine faith in His Mercy for Christ’s sake?<br />
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Today in chapel, I explained prayer to the children, since this is the week of Rogate Sunday, rogate being the plural command, “Pray, y’all!” Did I mention I live in Mississippi? After having talked to them about the genuine praying they do when begging Mom and Dad to go to the movies or McDonald’s or Disney World, I said that God sincerely wants to hear their eager and heartfelt prayers in Jesus’ Name. The words He gives form our lips, but He also wants them to form our hearts and minds; to have their way with us, not just vocally but all the way through. That’s why Luther said the Lord’s Prayer is so easy to speak but harder to actually pray!<br />
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Prayer is a school, of sorts, and today in Matins was no different for me. My mind wandered, but as is often the case, there are moments when the Lord brings me back. Suddenly I am aware of what I am praying and why! There are a couple of moments in the prayer service called Matins that do this for me. I call them my Sgt. Phil Esterhaus moments, but since most of you probably don’t remember that character from the groundbreaking ‘80’s television series, <em>Hill Street Blues</em>, I also call them my Bilbo Baggins moments, since at least I hope that Peter Jackson has made Tolkien’s characters and world familiar with most modern readers.<br />
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In <em>Hill Street Blues</em>, the character of Sgt. Esterhaus, played by Michael Conrad, used to say right before sending “the troops” out to their street patrols, <em>“Hey, let’s be careful out there.”</em> A good reminder to anyone walking or driving a beat! And if an 80’s cop show is too far removed for you, Frodo Baggins quotes an old saying of his uncle Bilbo’s to Sam in the movie, <em>The Lord of the Rings</em>. I don’t have the book here in my study at church (I know, heresy!), but I believe it’s somewhere in chapter three of that book. Anyway, Frodo says to Sam, quoting Bilbo, <em>“</em><em>It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”</em> Indeed!<br />
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There are multiple points, really, where Matins “wakes me up.” These include the opening versicles’ <em>“make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord”</em> from Psalm 51. You don’t pray that way unless “the streets” are dangerous! I also am minded of this in the Te Deum’s <em>“when You had overcome the sharpness of death.” </em>I think of the wages of sin and my own death one day, but also of the countless daggers, spears and sword points the devil has aimed against us every moment, as Luther says in the Large Catechism. But today, as I drifted off somewhere other than where my mouth was, it was the following that brought me back . . .<br />
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<em>“We therefore pray You to help Your servants, whom You have redeemed with Your precious blood. Make them to be numbered with your saints in glory everlasting.”</em><br />
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Why do we pray that? Because if HE doesn’t make it so it shall not be done, and we are constantly beset by our enemies who don’t want it to be so; the world, the devil and our own sinful flesh, which do not want us to hallow God’s Name or let His kingdom come.<br />
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My daily distractions are often interrupted also by the Te Deum’s <em>“O Lord, save Your people and bless Your heritage. Govern them and lift them up forever.”</em> I can’t tell you how many of God’s dear ones entrusted to my care come flooding to my mind when these words, coming out of my mouth and the children’s, strike my ears and rouse me from my daydream. The dear parents who struggle so against this world’s pressures, wanting to be faithful and getting – like me – too often distracted. The children, facing so much, needing more of what Christ has for them, not less. Precious and beloved members of my congregation whom I haven’t seen in awhile. Those dealing with illnesses, difficulties, family and marital issues, personal wars which God would so love to help them with. Myself and my wife and family. Those who stand firmly in the glad receiving of the Word of Truth, and those I can see perhaps drifting away from it.<br />
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You know about your life flashing before your eyes in an instant? Often, that’s what happens to me in Matins, as I suddenly am grabbed by the reality of that for which the Church is praying. By the end of Matins, I am usually back from whatever mental trip I have taken and praying the Collect for Grace with something approximating sincerity. <em>“Defend us . . . with Your mighty power and grant that this day we fall into no sin”</em> (Didn’t we just pray that? Oh, yeah, it was in the Te Deum! Thanks to repetition, even guys like me EVENTUALLY get it!) . . . <em>“Neither run into any kind of danger, but that all our doings, being ordered by your governance, may be righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord . . .”</em><br />
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As Bilbo said, <em>“It’s a dangerous business, going out your door”</em> each day. <em>“If you don’t keep your feet” </em>– or your wits about you – your heart and mind clinging to the Word of Christ’s Truth, in particular His precious and saving Gospel – <em>“there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to!” </em>So, Luther tells us that if we could see how many are the armaments that Satan aims against us and the ones we love, we’d be eager to go the Sacrament, where the Liturgy teaches us to pray and pay attention and live from the Table Christ has set for us in the presence of our enemies.<br />
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I am still learning to pray and believe. I am like Frodo and the liturgy of the King, whether in prayer offices or the Mass, or simply in my daily devotions with the Word, well, the King’s liturgy is like the Tolkien character, Strider/Aragorn, who in <em>The Fellowship of the Ring </em>asks Frodo: <em>“Are you frightened?”</em> Frodo says, <em>“Yes,”</em> to which Aragorn replies: <em>“Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you.”</em><br />
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In the services we pray I am reminded of who hunts us, but more so, of the befriending of the Rightful King and the Table-guests He has made us. By Him Who died and rose and now gives us the right to appear before His throne of Grace in His Name, calling on our Dear Father like the co-heirs and dear children we are, we are bold – not just to ask for the help we need, but to live, confident that we have it in the One Who has given us His Son, and that Son Who - seated now at the right hand of the Father - has given us His Spirit and His Name! That means a lot! Sometimes, God even wakes me from my walking, talking, rote prayer-slumber to make sure I believe it. Then, fully armored and knowing He will be the One to make it so, we go forth with His Benediction thinking: <em>“Hey, let’s be careful out there.”</em> Because it’s dangerous business, but He is in the business of bringing us safely through - as well as making sure our prayers are heard and ever-so pleasing to Him, not because we're as attentive as we should be, but because He is when we aren't, and has given us His Son!<br />
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Pastor Rick Sawyer + Good Shepherd + Brandon, MSRev. Rick Sawyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041697125084579483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-87837475113265000162013-04-29T12:00:00.000-05:002020-02-11T20:27:19.375-06:00The Catholic Consensus of the ChurchI've recently made passing reference to the "catholic consensus of the Church," but without offering any specific definition of what I mean by that, and without indicating what the "content" of that "catholic consensus" might include. A brother in Christ has helpfully prompted me to give some further thought to this, and to comment on it.<br />
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In part, I have not been more specific regarding the "catholic consensus of the Church," because it seems to me that the contours of what that comprises continue to grow and develop in the actual life of the Church. Even so, what I do have in mind, especially, is that we (pastors and congregations of the Church catholic) ought to begin with what we have received from the saints who have gone before us, and that we should then proceed to live and to pray, to serve and assist one another, in continuity with both the past and the present communion of the Church. Some aspects of that catholic tradition would be more obvious than others, at least in my view, such as following the Church Year, adhering to the basic Ordo of the Mass, using a Chalice for the Holy Communion, confessing the ecumenical Creeds, using clerical vestments in the celebration of the Liturgy, and so forth. Although such things are, in one sense, "adiaphora," forsaking them for some novel alternatives would not be without significance to the confession and life of the Church.<br />
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The "catholic consensus" becomes more "narrow," if that isn't a self-contradiction in terms, within the particular "families" and "jurisdictions" of the Church on earth. Here what I have in mind are such things as our Lutheran heritage and identity, which would include the Catechisms and hymns of Luther, for example; and then also the particular "synods" or territories of the Lutheran communion (albeit that "Lutheran" has become a more ambiguous and amorphous term in the course of generations; I use it positively here).<br />
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I don't believe that it contradicts catholicity for there to be different "local customs, traditions, and practices," from one place to another; but I would assert and maintain that the defining locus for those differences belongs, not to each individual congregation or parish (although each place, as each pastor, will have its own personality), but to the larger fellowship of congregations within a geographical proximity to one another. This is where I struggle for a greater clarity in my own perspective and thinking, and yearn for clarity and consistency, as well, in the life of the Church at large. In contrast to the past, modern transportation and communication have, on the one hand, given us a global community, while, on the other hand, they often separate us from those who are, in fact, our real "neighbors" (those whom God has placed right next to us).<br />
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Within our Synod, our Districts, and our Circuits, for example, my sense is that many, if not most, of our congregations tend to live as islands unto themselves, and that our pastors (myself included) have as much or more interaction with our self-determined online circles of like minds and kindred spirits, than active fraternal conversation, camaraderie, and consensus with those who are closest to us in the particular "loci" where God has actually stationed us. So, I would offer that the current pattern of doing things, and the current "status quo," is certainly <b>not</b> "the catholic consensus of the Church."Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-48041624734075818272013-04-23T19:06:00.000-05:002013-04-25T10:05:05.371-05:00ACELC Free Conference on Worship<a href="http://www.acelc.net/message.php?messageID=36486" target="_blank">The papers presented</a> at the ACELC Free Conference, "<b>Christ For Us: The Divine Service</b>," and <a href="http://www.acelc.net/message.php?messageID=36486" target="_blank">six of the sermons</a> that were preached at the daily prayer offices during the conference, are <a href="http://www.acelc.net/message.php?messageID=36486" target="_blank">now available online</a> at the <a href="http://www.acelc.net/" target="_blank">ACELC website</a>.<br />
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In addition to <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/let_solemn_awe_possess_us_rick_stuckwisch.pdf" target="_blank">my own paper</a>, in which I attempted to address my assigned topic, namely, to represent and defend a "<a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/let_solemn_awe_possess_us_rick_stuckwisch.pdf" target="_blank">High Church</a>" attitude and approach to the Liturgy and worship, I would call special attention to the papers by <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/essential_questions_rick_sawyer.pdf" target="_blank">Pr. Rick Sawyer</a> and <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/concordia_in_worship_bryan_wolfmueller.pdf" target="_blank">Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller</a>, and to the sermons by <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/conference_sermon_scott_porath.pdf" target="_blank">Pr. Scott Porath</a> and <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/conference_sermon_carl_roth.pdf" target="_blank">Pr. Carl Roth</a>. I don't highlight these several contributions to make light of the others, but simply to say that I found these to be especially helpful. I appreciated the contributions made by my colleagues, Pr. Philip Hale and Pr. David Langewisch, and I thank them for the opportunity to engage in dialogue, discussion, and debate. I thought the preaching throughout the week was really quite good.<br />
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Kudos to the ACELC for organizing and sponsoring a great conference, and to the pastor and people of Trinity, Austin, for their gracious hospitality and their excellent hosting of the conference. Well done, one and all! I was impressed with the tenor of the gathering, and with the way that everything aimed at promoting and facilitating theological conversation. It was an encouragement to the rigorous engagement of the Scriptures and the Confessions, in a way that is often hailed but seldom found.<br />
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Of course, it added tremendously to my enjoyment of the conference, that my daughter and son-in-law, and three of my grandchildren, were in attendance. Can't beat that with a stick! But, in addition to the conference itself and my soak-it-up-while-you-can family time, I especially treasure the opportunity provided to share the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren. I was reminded, again, as I have been in the past, of what a blessing and a benefit that is, and I am truly grateful to have received that good gift of God this past week.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-4194495887495179122013-04-22T16:15:00.000-05:002013-04-23T19:07:04.616-05:00Those Who Believed Had All Things in Common<i>Here is Part XI of my ACELC free conference paper (16 April 2013). It is one of the sections that I omitted in my presentation of the paper, because of time constraints. </i><i><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/let_solemn_awe_possess_us_rick_stuckwisch.pdf" target="_blank">The entire paper</a> will be made available on the <a href="http://www.acelc.net/" target="_blank">ACELC website</a>.</i><br />
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The Lutherans of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries regulated the practices of the churches within each territory, in the interest of a unified confession of the faith they held in common. We in our day could, and should, learn something from them.<br />
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There does not need to be, nor could there be, a “lock-step uniformity” in all ceremonies. However, a unity and harmony and consistency of practice, as belonging to our confession of fellowship in the Gospel, is desirable and would be edifying. That was true at the time of the Reformation, and it is not less so in this modern age of internet communications and rapid mobility!<br />
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As Luther and others often cited, it is appropriate that we Christians should have common rites and ceremonies for the administration of the Sacraments, since we have the Sacraments themselves in common. Indeed, we have one Lord, one faith, one Holy Baptism, one God and Father of all. We are called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by one and the same Holy Spirit, and we all partake of one Holy Communion. We are all one Body in Christ Jesus, because we all eat of the one Bread, which is His Body; so do we all drink of the one Cup, which is the New Testament in His Blood. As our fellowship is found in the Sacrament, it is appropriate that our celebration of the Supper be similar.<br />
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The regulating of adiaphorous rubrics, rites, and ceremonies within the good order of the Church’s fellowship, within a particular jurisdiction of the Church’s life on earth, is not contrary to the Gospel, but serves the confession and catechesis of the Gospel within the Church’s catholicity of faith and love. Such commonly agreed-upon rubrics, coupled with the supervision of an overseer, or “bishop,” provides for a common practice from place to place, and from week to week, while it also allows room for genuine pastoral care of the Church in each time and place.<br />
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This approach to the life of the Church, as a fellowship of congregations in the unity of the faith, is beneficial, not only to the mutual relationships of the congregations with one another, but also to the life of each congregation, and to the relationship of pastors and people within each congregation.<br />
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Pastors benefit from the use of what has been received and adopted in common. Especially because it is the case that pastoral piety, in both large and small ways, is never simply personal or private, but is public, “political,” and pedagogical. The people learn from their pastor’s practice. They also pick up on discrepancies between his preaching and his practice (as in his handling of the Sacrament).<br />
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Parishioners benefit, too, when pastors use the common rites and ceremonies of the Church, rather than inventing their own practices, or else importing practices from outside of the Lutheran Church. Wilhelm Löhe advised, for example, that a layperson should be able to discern where there is Lutheran doctrine and Lutheran worship, by comparing what the pastor preaches and teaches with the Small Catechism, and by comparing what the pastor says and does in the Divine Service with the rubrics, rites, and ceremonies of the Lutheran Liturgy. In any event, the people of God should not be asked or expected to pray and confess words which they have never seen before, and which they will most likely never see again. How shall they give their “Amen” to such things, without even knowing where they came from? Of course, they listen attentively to the sermon, which they haven’t heard ahead of time; but they are not asked to pray and confess the sermon, nor to give their “Amen” to it, without first being given an adequate opportunity to follow it through and to consider it against the Scriptures.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-9414427213228231132013-04-19T16:15:00.000-05:002013-04-23T19:07:26.258-05:00The Sacred Tradition of Christ in His Church<i>Here is Part III of my ACELC free conference paper (16 April 2013).</i><br />
<i><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2001/let_solemn_awe_possess_us_rick_stuckwisch.pdf" target="_blank">The entire paper</a> will be made available on the <a href="http://www.acelc.net/" target="_blank">ACELC website</a>.</i><br />
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It is with His own Institution of the Holy Supper that our Lord Jesus Christ establishes the Ministry of this Sacrament for the Life of His Church. His divine command, “Do This in remembrance of Me,” is the power and authority by which the pastor acts in the place of Christ; so that each celebration of the Holy Communion, even to the close of the age, is not the pastor’s supper, but the Lord’s Supper.<br />
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Therefore, the “remembrance” of Jesus, here, is not simply (nor primarily) our recalling of the past, but it is first of all His own active remembering of us in love, and so also the Father’s remembering of Him on our behalf. And then, for us, it is not only an intellectual and emotional “remembering,” but a bodily receiving and trusting of Christ, who gives Himself bodily to us, by and with His Word.<br />
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There, on the Altar, is the Lamb upon His Throne in the midst of His Church on earth. And where He is, there is heaven, and all the company of heaven: The angels and archangels, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures, the saints and martyrs of all the ages, are gathered together around Him at the Altar of His Church on earth. For it is there that the crucified and risen Lord Jesus reveals and gives Himself to His disciples in the Breaking of the Bread. Right there is <i>the Gospel</i>: in the Flesh.<br />
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So it is that everything else — in the Liturgy, in the Church’s worship, and throughout the Christian faith and life — everything else leads to and from this central high point, that is, to Christ Jesus at His Altar, to His Body and His Blood, which are given and poured out for us Christians to eat and to drink.<br />
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Catechesis aims, not only at making disciples of Jesus, but at bringing them to His Holy Sacrament, to eat and to drink His Body and His Blood in repentant faith. It brings them to and from the waters of Holy Baptism, to the Altar of the Holy Communion. Not only to begin with, to get them going on the way, but catechesis continues in pastoral care, whereby the Lord our Shepherd leads His lambs and sheep beside the still waters, and through the green pastures, to the Feast at His Table in His House.<br />
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The pastoral care of ongoing catechesis and discipleship, which is rooted in the ongoing significance of Holy Baptism, is also continued in the regular practice of Individual Confession and Absolution; so that the baptized faithful are regularly brought to the Holy Communion, by the Spirit through the Gospel, in the holiness, righteousness, and worthiness of faith in the forgiveness of Christ Jesus.<br />
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It ought to be noted that pastoral care is the context in which the Sacrament is administered; and that the administration of the Sacrament, itself, is a fundamental aspect and exercise of pastoral care for the Church. The catholic practice of closed Communion also belongs to this context of pastoral care.<br />
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Preaching, likewise, always aims at bringing the disciples of Christ Jesus to and from His Supper. Liturgically speaking, the Sermon has for its primary task the bringing of the people from the Lectern to the Altar, from the Word to the Word-made-Flesh, by proclaiming His death “until He comes.” By the same token, the right administration of this Holy Sacrament, in accordance with the Gospel, includes and requires ongoing catechesis and the preaching of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ (which is the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His Name). To be specific, the pastoral care that brings people to the Supper, also belongs to the right administration of the Supper.<br />
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“Word and Sacrament” is not simply a cliché, nor a “short list” of necessary parts to be performed. Indeed, the means of grace are not “parts” and “pieces” for us to put together like some kind of puzzle, but they are the means by which the Lord Himself lays hold of us in love, and puts us back together. His Word and Sacrament are the heart and soul of the Liturgy, as well as its flesh and blood. For these are His good gifts, and His good works, which He gives and does for us by the Ministry of the Gospel.<br />
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As we then live and worship the Lord by faith in His Ministry of the Gospel, by receiving His good gifts at His Altar, our Christian faith and life is characterized by thanksgiving (<i>eucharistia</i>), which culminates in the celebration of the Holy Communion: as Christ Himself gave thanks at His Supper. From there, His Cup of Thanksgiving “runneth over” into the Christian life of love within the world.<br />
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Love for the neighbor is the fruit of Christ’s Love for the Christian in the Holy Communion. That is the priestly vocation of all the baptized faithful, as they live <i>to</i> and <i>from</i> the Lord’s Altar, into the world wherever God has stationed them. In the Divine Service, they stand in faith before the Father in Christ, hearing His Word and receiving His Gifts with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. So do they offer up themselves, their bodies and their lives, to serve their neighbors as Christ has served them.<br />
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This Divine Service is <i>the</i> sacred <i>Tradition</i> of the Church — the seat of true catholicity — namely, Christ in His “Word and Sacrament,” as the Lord’s Supper and its administration are <i>handed over</i>. For Christ is the Head of His Church, and He is actively present with all of His speaking and doing and giving, within each congregation, wherever He gathers disciples, “in His Name,” by and for the preaching of His Gospel and the administration of His Sacraments in accordance with His Gospel.<br />
<br />
It is the Tradition that begins on the night when He is “betrayed,” or, better to say, “handed over.” Judas betrays Him, that is true, but it is the Father, first of all, who hands over His Son to the Cross. And the Son of God hands Himself over: To His voluntary suffering and death, yes, but so also to His Church, to His disciples as the first communicants, and to His Apostles as the first ministers of His Gospel. The Apostles, in turn, hand over the same Lord Jesus Christ to the Church that comes after them, in the preaching of His Cross and Resurrection, and in the distribution of His Body and Blood.<br />
<br />
The Divine Service is not a malleable tool in our hands, to be “used” by us to achieve some purpose (no matter how noble, sincere, or well-intentioned the purpose may be). It is, rather, a sacred Tradition of the Lord, to be received from Him, and to be handed over faithfully to His Church, by His grace.Rev. Rick Stuckwischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664716292792101540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-11462152521103751902013-02-20T09:36:00.000-06:002013-02-20T09:36:24.357-06:00<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<u><b>2nd Amendment, Gun Free Zones, Carry permits & The Church</b></u></div>
<br />
Congress, the media, State Legislatures, Face book, and nearly every other social media source is alive with the conversation, debate, antagonism about, Guns, Gun owners rights, and the 2nd Amendment both of the American Constitution's Bill of rights and the same at State levels. With all of this "noise" coming from all directions, has the Church made any kind of a statement, should she, and what should that be?<br />
<br />
I must admit that I am not a proponent of "Gun Free Zones" anywhere, and that includes the Church and her worship space. I am a proponent of swift and severe punishment of those who commit crimes/acts of violence with firearms of any sort. I will not quote statistics nor do I like to listen to them for "figures lie and lairs figure" has always been a mantra for me ever since my college days and my entry into the world of high finance a.k.a. the stock market and trading.<br />
<br />
I know of a fellow pastor whose congregation warned him the day he came into town that he had better carry a firearm because during certain times of the year, wild game ran through the streets and you would need it for self-defense. What is the view of your brothers about "pistol packing preachers"? Should there be the ability to protect the flock should a violent person enter the sanctuary or should that just be a case of "turn the other cheek" give them what they want and continue to worship. Of course, the question of personal protect or that of a pastor's family is very different.<br />
<br />
Just yesterday, a story broke on Fox News about a Muslim in New Jersey who had murdered two Coptic Christian men who had recently emigrated to the USA from Egypt. They were beheaded and had their hands cut off. Definitely a ritual type of killing. This is not going to be an isolated incident, not with the American people blind to this religion of the devil that is propped up as a "peaceful" religion. There are Muslim worship centers near most larger towns and the radicalization of American Muslims is growing rapidly. (No, I am not paranoid or a conspiracy guy)<br />
<br />
What should or shouldn't a pastor do to possibly prepare for such an occurrence? Tough for me, former Marine Infantry, to not think about what could happen and think about ways to prevent or contain such a horrid situation just like Sandy Hook, or Aurora. I look forward to your sage advice and emotional responses.Pastor Foyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16796709364277420741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-59605299777048194512013-01-28T21:15:00.000-06:002013-01-28T21:15:25.151-06:00Marching for Life with the Common Service<br />
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I attended the 2013 March for Life and was glad to walk with
fellow Missourians and thousands of others on the National Mall, up
Constitution Avenue, past the Capitol to finish at the Supreme Court
Building. Between the Capitol and the Supreme
Court the LCMS folks gathered prayed the Our Father and for the end to the
legalized murder of unborn children in this land. The LCMS Life Conference, held in conjunction
with the March, was worth the price of admission. I hope it is held again and that thousands
more LCMS people attend. One presenter
exhorted us to encourage all District Presidents to be present next year and to
lead a delegation from their district. Huzzah
to that!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of particular note was the Divine Service prior to the March
for Life. Presided by Father Christopher
Esget of Immanuel Church, Alexandria, Virginia with sermon preached by our
Synodical President, the Mass was joyous and yet somber. We Missourians present were not there on a
junket funded by the Synod’s bank, (Full Disclosure: I recently became a “Partner in Ministry”
with LCEF, which I guess is what one becomes when they sell their home, move
into a parsonage and have to park their money somewhere) but rather to speak,
confess, march and pray for those who cannot speak for themselves and to mourn
the <b><i>55
million children</i></b> legally killed in the womb since <i>Roe v. Wade</i> and <i>Doe v. Bolton</i>
in 1973. I must confess I had a sense of
mourning and grief as I arrived in the Federal City. I would think any pastor having done a decent
amount of time in the Holy Office can rejoice in those lives saved through his
ministrations, but also mourn over those lives taken despite his every
effort. All pastors need to repent of
when we kept our mouths shut, when we did not open our mouths for the dumb and
for those appointed to die or when our words were so convoluted that we hurt
more than helped. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So the Common Service (Divine Service III LSB) was a welcome
gift. Even though it was conducted in
the ballroom of a hotel, one could close their eyes and consider that they were
home. Such is the strength of the
Common Service. Father Esget was Eucharistically
vested, President Harrison was in cope, the Day of Saint Paul’s Conversion was
observed, the Gospel Preached, the prayers were prayed and the Sacred Body and
Precious Blood of Jesus were given for us poor sinners. I was graciously asked by Father McClean,
also of Immanuel Church, to assist in consuming the Holy Body and Blood and was
given food and drink of life even more. It was needed.
How thankful I am for Fathers Esget, McClean and Harrison and for their
ministrations to those gathered, it steeled me for the March for Life, knowing
that I, a poor sinner was cleansed of my wickedness and can speak with a
forgiven voice for Life – Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How thankful I am for the Common Service. Arriving a day before the March, I went to
the National Mall to see my Uncle’s name on the Vietnam Memorial. <a href="http://www.vvmf.org/thewall/Wall_Id_No=21417" target="_blank">PFC Dennis L. Harmon, USMC</a>, was killed in
action 21 July, 1966 at Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. I have his copy of <i>The Lutheran Hymnal</i> in my study, given to him on the day of his
confirmation just a few years before his death.
He knew and prayed the Common Service, as do the children and
grandchildren of his sister – Missourians, just like him. So praying the Common Service, no real frills
or extras added, Lutheran hymnody, Christ preached, Christ delivered, calmed me
as my mind was filled with thoughts of the unborn killed, an uncle killed so long
ago and my own gross sins. The Common
Service unites me to my uncle as it unites my mother, siblings, children,
nieces and nephew to me in a way that is beyond our shared bloodline, but
rather in a way that is of Christ, His Church and His Father. It settles my soul. If I am willing to listen, its familiar
harmony brings me to the rest that has been enjoyed by so many for Sunday after
Sunday and will in the future. The
retention (and re-introduction where necessary) of the Common Service in 21<sup>st</sup>
century Lutheranism following its near destruction in <i>Lutheran Book of Worship/Lutheran Worship</i> era will be a laudable and
needed help toward true unity in practice within Missouri, if we all are
willing to listen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
The Rev. BT Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699707490165113926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-76818795537407427022012-12-31T10:37:00.000-06:002012-12-31T10:38:43.744-06:00The Real Issue With Female Acolytes<br />
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I’ve been chewing, for some time, on the practice of having males
only serve as liturgical assistants and acolytes in the Church. At my current
congregation, for many years both boys and girls had been allowed to serve in
this way. Most of our circuit congregations allow it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The only definitive position that the Synod takes in its
quasi-official documents is that there is no Scriptural prohibition to it. So,
anyone who would use males only, especially in a place where both girls and
boys have been allowed to serve, has “a lot of explaining to do.” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’ve been mulling it over how best to explain this to
those who ask (and some have asked). Two things I come up against: 1) There is
no word of Scripture that I can think of that would prohibit the use of females
in that capacity, and 2) The tradition of most of our congregations has been to
allow both males and females to serve as acolytes. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given the lack of a definite <i>sedes doctrina</i> for female acolytes, the issue is usually thrown
quickly into the <i>adiaphora </i>basket.
However, the fact that something is an <i>adiaphoron</i>,
if it is truly such, does not necessarily mean that we must do it. What it
means is that the Church is free in this regard to do what seems best. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Furthermore, in matters where Scripture is silent our
Confessions do give to pastors some freedom in making ordinances, so long as
they do not make such things binding on consciences or teach that we are
justified by them. The issue of who may serve as an acolyte, I believe, would
fall into the realm of pastoral privilege. In other words, if the pastor’s
preference is not to use female acolytes, then so be it. </div>
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<br /></div>
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In a recent newsletter article for our church, I explained
what our acolytes do: they are liturgical assistants to the pastor, doing much
more than lighting candles. They are also crucifers and torch bearers. They
assist by collecting the Offering plates and taking them into the chancel. They
collect the empty individual glasses from the elderly in the back of the Church
when we take Communion to them. They vest in cassock and cotta.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I also explained that this is a good way for us to teach the
boys and young men in our church about their role as leaders in the Church. It
is a good way to teach them proper decorum and reverence. There are other ways
the girls can serve. They are encouraged to shadow the women who care for the
altar and prepare Communion. And, as in most congregations, there are many
women’s organizations and activities for them to be involved in. I also
mentioned the fact that today the Church suffers especially from a lack of male
participation, and that this is meant to help curb that deficiency. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But all this aside, is there still a more fundamental reason
why the practice of using males only for this role in the Church is ideal? I
believe so. There is no question that we live in a time when there is much
confusion regarding the roles of men and women in the Church. More and more
churches are making it possible for women to have authoritative roles, as well
as female pastors. There is a general lack of understanding of what roles are
appropriate for women to fill in the church. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, is it right for us who value male headship and
authority, who do not allow women to serve as pastors, or to assist with the
conduct of the Service, to allow girls to serve in these minor roles? Isn’t
this rather confusing to them? If a girl has assisted in the conduct of the
Service, has vested just like the boys, has carried crosses and torches, etc,
isn’t she more likely to question when she gets older the practice of a
male-only clergy? Isn’t she more likely to ask, “What’s the difference? Why was
a girl allowed to do all these other things, but she can’t be a pastor?” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe this is an overreach, but as a parent I know that it
is necessary not only to tell my kids how to behave, but also to model that
behavior for them. If I tell them not to do something, but go ahead and do it
myself, that sets a bad example for them, and essentially confuses them. Why is
it okay for Dad to do it, but not me? So also, I think that we almost become
guilty of leading young women into temptation when we give them these roles. We
tempt them by enticement, like leading a young child in front of a candy shop,
even letting them taste the candy, but then saying, “You can’t have any.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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In this case, we let the young women get a “taste” of what
it is like to assist in the Conduct of a Divine Service, but then we say, “You
can’t do that” when it comes to being pastors. Not only is this unloving, but
it creates problems later on down the road. If, however, from their childhood,
they have learned to see only men leading the Service, and young men assisting
with the Service, won’t they be less likely to be among those who question the
propriety of a male-only clergy? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One could, I suppose, take the position that it doesn’t
really matter who lights candles if this is done apart from the Service. We
usually have ours lit 5-10 minutes before the opening hymn, and the boys
extinguish the candles after the closing hymn. When I don’t have acolytes
present, either I light them or an usher does (and our ushers are all men—go
figure). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a compromise, so as not to cause too much offense, I
suppose a pastor could allow girls the opportunity to light candles before the
Service and to extinguish them afterward, while reserving the roles of crucifer
and torch bearer for males only since these take place during the Service. In
this case, however, I wouldn’t have the girls vest, or remain up front after
wards. I would just have them light the candles and go back to sit with their
families. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In either case, I think that the real issue at hand is what
is being taught and conveyed to the young people and the rest of the
congregation. It would seem that with all of the confusion over the roles of
men and women in the Church today, we might do well to listen to the words of
the apostle: “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If something is truly a matter of Christian freedom, then
the rule should apply both ways. If the Church is free to use male and female
acolytes, both lighting candles and assisting the pastor in the liturgy, then
we should also be free not to do it. Too often, however, the opposite is true.
People think that if we are free to do something then we <u>must</u> do it. St.
Paul’s words above would not allow such thinking though.</div>
Rev. Paul L. Beiselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16165560935974759610noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-57370518076839084182012-12-04T00:52:00.002-06:002012-12-04T00:52:57.388-06:00LingeringWednesday evenings at 7:30pm are for the Divine Service. It has been that way for me for years now. Wednesday night after Wednesday night I have been at an altar with the image of Christ Crucified and His Holy Apostles all around. Preaching Christ and distributing His Holy Body and Blood to but a few each time, and this past Wednesday for the last time, at this place, at this altar, with this paten, with this blessed chalice.<br />
<br />
And so I found myself lingering last Wednesday evening. The <i>verba </i>were...slow. The distribution... slower. The cleansing of the Holy Vessels... at...a...snail's...pace. <br />
<br />
The Sunday before was the last too. With a great crowd. A huge banquet to say farewell. Family, friends, Holy Brothers, speeches, tears. A beautiful hymn sing to finish it off. It was not quiet. In. Any. Way. It shouldn't have been. It is a Confessional Lutheran Church, with Confessional Lutherans who sing Luther and Gerhardt and Nicolai. With gusto. People who love their pastor and bid him all the joy and love they've got.<br />
<br />
But Wednesdays. They were always quiet. The Divine Service spoken. The prayers of but a handful - a dozen or so. Maybe twenty, sometimes five. But Christ, this altar, this paten, this blessed chalice, with the lips of countless saints imprinted, among them the almost 80 I buried from this church. With Christ. In Christ. For them, the quiet of death, but given over to life. Christ's death. Their death. Christ's life. Their life. The quiet of peace eternal. The quiet of a Wednesday night forever.<br />
<br />
Now I sit at this desk for the last time. Books in boxes, crucifixes and icons off the walls. It is quiet and I linger here in this study to go someplace else where He will make use of me. Confident in that, I still linger here. It is the hardest thing to do, to leave saints behind. Not only the ones living, but the ease of going to the cemetery to see the graves of those I loved and buried. To linger there for a little while in between visits. Peaceful. Restful. Joyful.<br />
<br />
I suppose at the altar of the new place I'll learn to linger, to stay and find rest at that altar, with that paten, with that Blessed chalice. It will take awhile I think. <br />
<br />
How soon can I get Wednesday Night services going down there?<br />
<br />
<br />The Rev. BT Ballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699707490165113926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-54023785018685067752012-09-24T13:30:00.000-05:002012-09-24T13:30:49.424-05:00A Presentation of God's RedemptionI met Dr. Kleinig for the first time just over a week ago. He is a kind, gracious, and engaging person. He is also widely read and has great command over this material. As a testament to both his kindness and his intellectual acumen, I relate this brief story: He actually sought me out in the student commons after a chapel service. As I was drinking my coffee, he approached me and said, “Are you Gifford Grobien?” After brief introductions, he told me he was reading my dissertation, which he appreciated. (My dissertation investigated the relationship between the divine liturgy and moral formation.) He then queried, “Who wrote the first Lutheran ethics?” After I wrongly guessed Melanchthon (who wrote about ethics, but not theologically), I quickly gave up, sensing that he was getting at something, which he was. He announced that the honor actually goes to August Vilmar (1800-1868), professor at the University of Marburg. His <i>Moral </i>was published posthumously in 1871, based on summer lectures he gave from 1856-1867. Dr. Kleinig then proceeded to educate me on the importance of great orthodox Lutheran writings, including in the area of ethics, and that I ought to give some attention to them. He did this in the kindest possible way. (My dissertation does, admittedly, overlook the orthodox period, focusing instead on Luther, the Confessions and contemporary problems.)<br />
<br />
To remedy this void in my knowledge I immediately obtained a copy of Vilmar’s <i>Theologische Moral </i>(available in the public domain on Google Books), and have purposed to read through it in the next year or two, in the midst of everything else, even if I only get to a few pages a day.<br />
<br />
I am delighted already with what I’m reading. Two points in particular are worth reflecting on here: 1) moral theology should not be confused with philosophical or secular ethics, which is concerned with customs or agreements about social behavior, but has little to do with the character or inner nature of a person; 2) moral theology covers as its scope the teaching about how God’s redemptive activity is carried out in men.<br />
<br />
These points, of course, correspond. A moral person, from a theological perspective, must be the recipient of God’s redemptive activity, activity which regenerates the person and gives life to the new man who desires and pursues the things of the Spirit. True morality cannot be coerced through law. Outward behavior may appear to be orderly and lawful, but only the one who is converted truly lives the moral life in the Spirit. This gives moral theology its particularly theological character, and helps deal with the question of what morality has to do with theology.<br />
<br />
Also interesting is that Vilmar goes so far as to say that moral theology is a “narrative of the fulfillment of the redemption of man” (6). He calls it a “<i>Darstellung von Thatsachen</i>” of God, a phrase which has the tone of an official report or presentation. It is almost as though moral theology, for Vilmar, is the documentary evidence of God’s saving work in people. Such a perspective not only argues for an important place for moral theology, but grounds it properly in God’s work. This helps to keep clear the movement from redemption to sanctification to good works, and not to confuse the relationship.<br />
Rev. Gifford A. Grobienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00940631151031862990noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627517209657132818.post-26208637961509809482012-07-11T06:25:00.000-05:002012-07-11T12:33:00.277-05:00What is a Fan?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZzMcc29WTnjWRA2FWlHLWEDok7LazeEmIIb2Jy9XboYhD-iTIOMFynR_xaECFanKesIK1GlWYT5FFy3BNN6RJhUQWtVhNb8xSK0jAhf0I6IufgIky7IfsrEceua4dXij7NvF1q-L_gI/s1600/836601005508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZzMcc29WTnjWRA2FWlHLWEDok7LazeEmIIb2Jy9XboYhD-iTIOMFynR_xaECFanKesIK1GlWYT5FFy3BNN6RJhUQWtVhNb8xSK0jAhf0I6IufgIky7IfsrEceua4dXij7NvF1q-L_gI/s400/836601005508.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Fan" is short for "fanatic." A fan
is a person with a passion. In fact, to be a true fan of something is to place
it above all things. To be a fan is to have commitment and zeal - and maybe
even in quantities that some might find excessive. A fan doesn't care about
that. A fan pursues his passion with gusto.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many people claim to be football fans. What does a football fan look like? What demographic characteristics define a
fan, say, of the local NFL team, or of NFL football in general? It certainly isn’t related to factors like
age, sex, or race. Football fans come in
every shape and size. There is a
universality among football fans that transcends such cultural and physical
markers. Football is transcultural. It brings people together – even across
boundaries of generation, education, socio-economic status, political
affiliation, and physical appearance.
There is a mutual love of team and sport that binds this “otherness”
into “community.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Local communities of fans rally around the local team,
gathering at specific times and at specific places, e.g. the local stadium or
sports bar. Fans gather to discuss, to
sing the praises of the team, and at times even argue about what is best for
the local franchise and for the sport in general. Fans listen to talk radio, and maybe weigh in
sometimes. Fans watch the NFL Network
and local sportcasts, and they likely read articles in sports newspapers, magazines,
or the Internet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fans share their passion with those around them, perhaps
wearing an identifying mark of the team or of the sport, or perhaps decorating
their homes and property with such symbols.
There may be ritual words and gestures known to other fans when they
greet one another, when they cheer something positive, when they lament
something negative, or when they participate on game day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fans observe a cycle, a season. There is the ever-new excitement of the
draft, of contract negotiations, of new players coming on and old players
departing, of the pre-season games.
There is opening Sunday. There is
a regular season. There are the
playoffs, leading to the culmination of the football year: the Super Bowl. In addition, there are special occasions,
such as all-star games and other events during the course of the year. A true fan participates with, and joins in,
the cycle of the season. Even during the
off season, there are things fans can do to hold onto their zeal. The season provides a personal and community
framework that is both excitingly fresh and comfortably familiar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fans have a reverence for the past. There is a Hall of Fame, there are trophies
and rings and sculptures. There are
statistics. There are cards honoring
iconic heroes. There are tributes and
feasts and opportunities to call to mind times of glory, as well as to commiserate
times of trial. Fans watch videos, read
books, and talk with one another about what came before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fans are ever hopeful for the future. No matter how terrible last season was, true
fans come back with the faith and hope to look forward. For they know that anything is possible “on
any given Sunday.” They stand by their
team, win or lose - even when their heroes throw interceptions or fumble the ball. They are always there to cheer their kicker
through the taunts of the opposition.
They will greet the team at the airport in victory and in defeat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a fan is a family affair. Children are brought in at an early age –
often as babies, being initiated and photographed with a ball or a team logo well
before reaching an age old enough to decide for himself which team to follow –
or even to be a fan at all. In fact, a
true fan feels more that the team and sport have chosen him, grabbed hold of
him, and shaped him - and not vice versa.
There is a trans-generational character of family fan life as older fans
pass on not only knowledge and factual information, but also customs and traditions,
to the younger fans. These in turn will
pass the heritage on to posterity.
Season tickets are sometimes put in wills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Family life of a football fan family revolves around the
game and the team. The family is eager
for Sunday to come. And when it does,
young and old gather in stadiums or around televisions. There is often tailgating and grilling of
food and the serving of drinks. There is
special food and ritual that goes with game day – both regular Sunday games and
those outside the Sunday cycle. Birthdays
and holidays are specially blessed for fans and their families, as gifts often
bear the images of their favorite teams and players. Fan families may toss around a ball or participate
more fully in the sport – in both organized and spontaneous ways. Their homes and offices bear reminders of
their passion, love, and devotion for the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is often great social pressure to be a fan – particularly
at certain times of the season. Many
people are quick to describe themselves as fans, but do not bear the fruit of
fanhood. They may think that a fan is
someone who simply says that he is a fan.
Such people may wear a jersey on occasion, or even watch a game once in
a while. There are people who claim
fanship only when the weather is nice, when the team is winning, or only on
Super Bowl Sunday. But one wonders if
such people are just going through the motions, seeking the benefits of being a
fan without bearing the cost of fanship.
There are indeed those who will abandon the team when it is losing, when
the coach or owner makes an unpopular decision, when the ball bounces the wrong
way, or when another distraction comes along competing for attention. On any given Sunday, one can observe the
motion of crowds to determine where people’s passions are to be found.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To be a fan is indeed to be a “fanatic.” It is to love one’s passion above all things –
to the point even of irrationality. A
fan’s life is governed - in time and space, in family life and social fabric, in
good times and bad - by that which makes him what he is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Rev. Larry Beanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06705910892752648940noreply@blogger.com1