A blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy
I’m being hyperbolic and a bit anachronistic in saying that Sesame Street ruined Christian worship. But only a bit. For Sesame Street started in 1969. And this was five years after the Vatican II novus ordo Mass was implemented in English. So Sesame Street was not the cause of liturgical change, but rather a concurrent change reflected in the zeitgeist, and it continued to transform a lot of things that touch upon education.
Read MoreThe twenty-second barrier has been broken. This is like the four-minute mile. I suspect that this record will be like Beamon’s long jump - whose record stood for almost 23 years. This is like Secretariat winning by 31 lengths. This is like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, still an NBA record since 1962.
Read MoreIn a time of rampant deracination in both church and society, it is a blessing that the folks at Lutheran Identity continue to share our own treasures with us from around the world. Of course, this modern hymn, written by Danish Lutheran pastor and poet Nicolai Gruntvig (1783-1872), is part of our Lutheran identity and of our synod’s treasury of hymnody (LSB 645, TLH 467).
Read MoreI have found that the Martin Luther Day by Day devotional book from CPH is a good resource to introduce lay people to very brief sections of Luther’s writings. Every now and then I will use it for morning devotions with our teachers here at St. Paul’s. The writing for August 19 is taken from Luther’s Works 21:123-24 on The Sermon on the Mount
Read MoreWhenever we Lutherans (so-called) enter a discussion on social media, we can count on people avoiding whatever issue we want to discuss, and instead pivoting to salacious accusations against Martin Luther.
I had a recent debate online that is a case in point.
Read MoreI live in an area where Lutherans are not one of the majority faiths. Evangelism is a huge challenge. I live south of the Bible Belt in the New Orleans area dominated by Roman Catholicism. That said, we are a gumbo bowl, and we do have a mix of other traditions as well - including the whole span of Evangelical Christianity
Read MoreBut when it comes to the Word of Institution, CoWo celebrants sometimes do monkey with the words. They change this or that, or try to make it sound spontaneous. Why they do this with the Sacrament but not the Word is beyond me. It suggests that they hold the Word with more reverence than the Sacrament.
Read MoreHow many times have you heard this sentence: “We should not argue over adiaphora”? However, that’s exactly what we should be arguing over. For if we’re arguing over things that are not adiaphora, we have bigger problems.
Read MoreThe convention did not practice close/open communion, or anything like it. Admittedly, in a large church, it’s hard to keep track of everyone. But the idea is simple enough. Communion is open for all who are members in good standing of an LCMS congregation, or in a body with which we are in fellowship.
Read MoreAdiaphora does not give place to an antinomian spirit; it is not ruled by preference and power. Rather, adiaphora is governed by the Gospel, informed by sound doctrine, exercised with collegiality, respectful of our historic practice, and directed toward the edification of Christ’s Church.
Read MoreI lived "Low Church Missouri." It was "non-communion Sundays" and pastors never explaining what anything meant. We didn't know that Lutherans were catholic and instead were fearful of doing anything that looked like it
Read MoreWe received routine correspondence encouraging us to continue, saying that Gottesdienst was a breath of fresh air, an oasis in the desert, a voice in the wilderness, a light in the darkness, etc. In short, we had tapped into a crying need--including among many lay people--for our Lutheran church to rediscover her heritage and liturgical beauty.
Read MoreThe problem with Low Church Missouri was not simply that it was “low.” The problem was that, too often, nobody had stopped to think about why things were being done. If Dr. Biermann’s video helps us to recognize this danger by way of example, then he has done the church a great service.
Read MoreArthur Just’s autobiography is told in terms of how he sees his own life’s experiences as if participating as a fellow traveler with the two disciples on the Emmaus Road on Easter Sunday.
Read MoreHere is a list of things. They are not random. See if you can identify what binds these things together:
The Union Jack, King Arthur, Monty Python, tea, Magna Carta, fish and chips, Shakespeare, the Beatles, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, St. George’s Cross, and the anthem “God Save the King.”
Read MoreIn a healthy marriage, your wife desires you to desire her. Surprisingly, that simple observation opens the door to a neglected biblical principle, an error common in twentieth-century Lutheranism, and even a lesson for digital marketing in the Christian parish.
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