"Pay careful attention..."
In the one-year lectionary, we are approaching Trinity 8. There is a scarlet thread binding together all three readings: Beware of false shepherds who harm the sheep.
My wife has become long-distance friends with a confessional Lutheran lady who belongs to an LCMS congregation. They had a text chat today that I found sad, but illustrative. My wife’s friend gave my wife permission to share this with me, and gave me permission to share this with you.
She is upset that her adult daughter has left Lutheranism and become a Roman Catholic. The daughter had finally had enough of the shenanigans of the LCMS, and has sought greener pastures elsewhere. After about four years of seeing one LCMS you-know-what-show after another, “she got tired of the lack of unity with the Lutheran churches.”
My wife’s friend describes the Lutheranism that her daughter grew up in as “a Lutheran wasteland.” One of their pastors gave out “The Message” Bibles for Confirmation. The pastor also communed Mormons. When confronted about it, the pastor replied, “They could use a little wine.” They moved to another city where the pastor invited unbelieving Jews to the communion rail.
A few years ago, moving to another city, a local LCMS church sent them a QR code to see the church’s bulletin, only to find “crazy contemporary worship.” Fortunately, her grown son was blessed by a serious pastor and a liturgical congregation, and invites his college classmates to attend his faithful, liturgical LCMS church. Thanks be to God for that!
Though their practitioners are in denial, these two practices kill evangelism - especially among young people who are looking for authenticity: 1) Entertainment Worship, and 2) Open Communion.
Both of these practices cry out: “We are unserious.” The former is clearly manipulation and marketing, being willing to throw away that which is ancient, that which anchors us through the bonds of time to the church of Jesus and the apostles in favor of playing church and for the entertainment of the good old American variety show. It swaps out the sacramental for the sappy. Instead of delving the depths of that which is transcendent and eternal, it ignores the big questions and dulls the senses with yet another shallow dopamine hit, another karaoke-worthy stage performance. The latter says with its deeds, contrary to its words: “Communion is a snack.” Because if it really were the true body and blood of Christ, it would not only be treated with profound reverence, it would not be handed out like candy to anyone and everyone.
This calls to mind the cynical priests that shocked Martin Luther in his 1509 journey to Rome, who mocked the Mass with this little chant: “Panis es, panis manebis; vinum es, vinum manebis" ("Bread you are and bread you shall remain; wine you are and wine you shall remain)."
It is interesting that though open communion runs rampant, including in liturgical congregations, churches that have abolished the Mass in favor of “Contemporary Worship” are even more likely to practice open communion.
My wife’s friend’s daughter left the LCMS for a church that: 1) practices liturgical worship, and 2) practices closed communion. All that said, it must be acknowledged that the Roman Church is not without its own liturgical goofiness - especially in novus ordo (Vatican II) Masses. But even at their goofiest, there will always be an altar, a sacred space that is not a stage, a vested celebrant, a consistent liturgical order, and practice that clearly confesses the Real Presence. There will always be the sign of the cross, genuflecting, and elevating. And they always make it clear - even at funerals and other services where guests are expected - that they shamelessly practice closed communion. All things considered, and even with its serious doctrinal errors and the hidden cracks in the beautiful marble façade, Rome portrays itself as serious. And they are attracting converts. And the same is true with Eastern Orthodoxy (where there is also no “CoWo” option for Sunday services).
Contrary to the assertions and assumptions of our “Modern Worship” enthusiasts, liturgy and closed communion - as well as a rigorous preparation for joining the church - have not harmed evangelism in the Roman Catholic Church. There are no Roman voices saying, “If we get rid of the altar and build a stage, if we put up a drum kit and invite a rock band to play, if the celebrant ditches the vestments, we’ll reach more people.” Nobody in Rome says: “America is too diverse for everyone to worship using a common liturgy.” In fact, the Roman Catholic churches that are growing numerically worldwide are the more rigorously traditional churches: if not making use of the Tridentine Mass in Latin, at least conducting the liturgy with solemn dignity. They don’t have five different Divine Services, not to mention anything-goes services that have thrown out the liturgy entirely. We don’t see historic communions of Christendom panicking and throwing out their traditions. In fact, that is where you find growth among young men and women - especially those who are having children. There is no impetus to casual the worship up, or to lower the bar regarding stewardship of the Eucharist as an evangelism strategy for a certain “context.” Rome’s identity is “catholic,” as a worldwide context that has a shared liturgy for everyone. Sadly, our Lutheran worldview also shared that liturgical catholicity until very recently. We unwisely threw it away - at least some of us did.
The more unserious we are, the more young people see through it and leave. And it is truly sad, because liturgical worship is part of our shared historical Lutheran context and identity, all over the world - even if you narrowly (and artificially) define Lutheran identity as only the exact words of the Bible and the Book of Concord. And closed communion is also our ancient and universal historic practice, which grows out of our belief in the Real Presence and the danger of not stewarding the mysteries responsibly - which comes directly from the Bible.
My wife’s friend also lamented: “I cannot refer a friend to just any Lutheran church (LCMS). I have to call and vet every single one.” That is also my lament. There are people hungering and thirsting for what we offer on the menu, but what is actually brought to the table is something completely different. It is soul-crushing that I have to tell people that there is no church I can send them to, even when there is an LCMS congregation up the road.
Of course, in spite of their claim that they want “conversations,” our CoWo podcasters have no intentions of restoring the liturgy and giving up their “Eucharistic hospitality” (or more accurately, “promiscuity”). So I’m not addressing them here. I also know that even among our liturgical congregations, there are pastors “of a certain age” who will continue to practice open communion no matter what. I’m not talking to them either. Instead, I’m appealing to younger men in the ministry: please remain faithful. Celebrate our traditional liturgy with reverence and joy. Don’t give in to the temptation that if you ditch the liturgy, you too can have a “successful” church. And don’t be afraid to faithfully steward the mysteries. Don’t practice closed communion simply because that is what the synod says, practice it because it is the right thing to do, because we really believe what we say we believe. Souls depend upon your faithfulness.
We have the Gospel in its purity and clarity. We have the Word and the Sacraments in their fullness. We have the transcendent beauty and the gravitas of the liturgy. So let us have integrity, and let us hold fast to our Lutheran identity for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of those who need Jesus, for the sake of the faithful who should not be driven away by unfaithful shepherds and confusing practices. As St. Paul bids us: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).