Variations on a Liturgical Theme

Luther's Expanded Lord's Prayer

2012-02-03T22:51:00.001-06:00

Here at the Sem, one of my classes has me reading a book on Luther's spiritual and devotional practices. When talking about prayer, Luther highly encourages his readers to, when they pray, pray the Lord's Prayer and then go back and expand on it. This is what he does in his Deutsche Messe; and those blessed with an LSB can find a decent translation of it on pages 215-216.

Just the other day, I came across another version of this same prayer. Back in the 16th century, the first person ever to publish the whole Bible in English, Bishop Matthew Coverdale, had to flee to Denmark for a few years when things got heated in England because of the Reformation. While there, he translated parts of their liturgy- including this prayer- from Danish into English.

As you read Coverdale's translation, I encourage you to do so out loud, since this is how Coverdale intended it to be read. If you are "lucky" enough to own an LSB and compare the two translations, see where you like Coverdale's more, and where you like the LSB's more. Then you can read below, where I've given my own "best of both worlds" version. As always, comments are welcome.

Let us heartily make our prayer to God the Father of all mercy, believing assuredly that He will graciously hear us thru our Lord Jesus Christ, Who commanded us to pray, and promised us saying, "Ask and ye shall have; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." Wherefore, in consideration of the same commandment and promise, lift up your hearts, and say thus with me in your prayer:
O Lord God, our Father in heaven, we Thy miserable children upon earth beseech Thee, that Thou wilt mercifully look on us and lend us Thy grace; that Thy holy Name may be sanctified among us and in all the world, thru the sincere teaching of the Word, and thru earnest charity in our daily living, and our conversation. Seclude Thou graciously all false doctrine and evil living, whereby Thy worthy Name might be blasphemed and slandered.
Oh, let Thy kingdom come, and be great. All sinful, blind people, and such as are holden captive of the devil in his kingdom, those bring Thou to the knowledge of the true faith in Jesus Christ Thy Son.
Strengthen us, Lord, with Thy Spirit, to do and to suffer Thy will both in life and death, in weal and woe; that our will may alway be broken, offered up, and mortified.
And give us our daily bread. Preserve us from covetous desire, and carefulness of the belly; that of Thee we may be assured to have abundance of all good things.
Forgive us our trespass, as we forgive them which offend us; that our heart may have a sure and glad conscience, and that we never fear, nor be afraid for any sin.
Lead us not into temptation, but help us thru Thy Spirit to subdue the flesh, to despise the world with his vanities, and to overcome the devil with all his crafty assaults.
And finally, deliver Thou us from all evil, both bodily and ghostly, temporal and eternal. Amen.
They that earnestly desire all this, let them say, "Amen!" believing without any doubt that it is granted and heard in heaven, according as Christ promised us, saying, "When ye pray, believe assuredly that ye shall have it, and it shall come to pass." Amen.

And now my melding of the two, minus the congregation response.

Friends in Christ, let us heartily pray to God the Father of all mercy, believing assuredly that He will graciously hear us thru our Lord Jesus Christ, Who commanded us to pray, and promised us saying, "Ask and you shall have; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." Therefore, in consideration of the same commandment and promise, I urge you all to lift up your hearts and pray with me:
O Lord God, our Father in heaven, we, Your needy children on earth, beseech You to mercifully look on us and grant us Your grace; that Your holy Name be hallowed among us and in all the world, thru the pure and true teaching of Your Word and thru earnest love shown forth in our daily living, and our conversation. Graciously seclude all false doctrine and evil living, whereby Your worthy Name is blasphemed and slandered.
Let Your kingdom come and be great. Bring all sinful people, and those blinded and bound in the devil's kingdom to know Jesus Christ, Your Son, by faith.
Strengthen us, Lord, with Your Spirit, to do and to suffer Your will, both in life and death, in weal and woe; that our own wills may always be broken, offered up, and mortified.
Give us our daily bread. Preserve us from greed and selfish cares; that we may trust in You to have abundance of all good things.
Forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us, so that our hearts may have a sure and glad conscience, and that no sin may ever frighten or alarm us.
Lead us not into temptation, O Lord, but help us by Your Spirit to subdue our flesh, to turn from the world and its vanities, and to overcome the devil with all his crafty assaults.
P: Lastly, O heavenly Father, deliver us from all evil of both body and soul, now and forever. Amen.

Link: On Feelings and Emotions

2012-01-18T11:09:00.001-06:00

In my google searches, today, I came across this excellent blog post by Rev. Woodford.

Lutheran worship (liturgy) intentionally reflects this. In fact, it rejoices in the reality that regardless if one is a distracted mother tending to her children, a day dreaming teenager, a burdened husband, or a hard of hearing 89 year-old, God still connects to them regardless of how they are feeling! He connects to them through His Word going into their ear holes. He connects to them through His Word that opens their lips in prayer and praise. He connects to them with the body and blood of Christ on their lips and in their mouths. Forgiveness is given. Love is declared. Salvation is granted. God is present!

Theology

2011-09-16T16:20:00.002-05:00

Have you heard this critique: "Hymns are too theological?" How 'bout it's mirror: "Contemporary worship songs are not theological enough?"

I disagree. I think both hymns and contemporary songs have theology, since they both talk about God. Where they differ is that the hymns that get complained about have an academic, explicit theology, whereas contemporary songs that get complained about have a more folkish (everyday), implicit kind of theology.

Please check out these links to both an hymn and a contemporary song, each talking about sin and justification.

The fault of this hymn is that it speaks only to my head. One of the faults of the song is that it is so focused on making the words speak to my whole being, its Law is vague (and thus open to the singer's interpretation) and its Gospel is vague (thus open to the singer's interpretation).

I'd like to propose three fixes to the problem of either explicit yet academic theology, or folkish yet vague: Context, poetic imagery, better use of verse and chorus.

Context. For the hymn, the sermon could talk about the practical and emotional effects of both the Law & sin, and Grace & freedom. For the song, the sermon could talk about how sin holds us back and how Jesus restores us to the way we were made. In both cases, the context would give added meaning to the song/hymn.

Imagery. Thanks to movies, TV, and the internet, 21st century folks think in pictures. For someone to be impacted, they have to visualize it. Mark how the following paraphrase of our hymn presents the same theology as earlier, yet creates a clear picture in one's mind.

The rescue we were waiting for
Has come most undeservedly,
While we were groping on the floor
Of deep despair, what did we see?
The hand of Jesus, God's own Son,
Came reaching down to us alone:
No one but He could save us.
Es ist das Heil uns kommen wir
Paul Speratus
Para. Jaroslav Vajda; Copyright ©1987 Concordia Publishing House.

Better use of verse and chorus structure. For example, a song could have folkish verses, and an academic chorus (or vice-versa). This would give meaning to the "theology" and a theological view of everyday observances.
-"Why should I care about sin?" "Because it makes your life suck."
-"Why does my life suck?" "Because of sin."

I hope y'all understand that I'm talking about neither a watering-down or a dumbing-down of theology, nor an academic dissertation every Sunday. Instead I'm talking about preachers and hymnwriters/paraphrasers alike presenting explicit theology in a way that speaks to all people, whether they think mainly with their head or their heart.

Luther on Being Overly Fascinated with Rubrics and Rituals

2011-06-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

Pr. Paul T. McCain, over at Cyberbrethren, has some excellent thoughts about putting too much stock in being "liturgical," an ever present danger for at least myself.

When Luther Made Fun of A Guy Overly Fascinated with Rubrics and Rituals

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

2011-04-24T14:04:00.001-05:00

I promised two posts ago to talk about arrangements. I've decided to show how this has been done in the church of old, taking the lesser-known Easter hymn Victimæ Paschali Laudes, found in LSB 460 and here.

Here is the original.

Here is an arrangement from 1100, Christ ist erstanden, LSB 459.

Here is Luther's arrangement, Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands, LSB 458.

Here is Bach's Baroque arrangement of that.

Here is a Romantic (Joaquim António Peres Fontanes) arrangement of Victimae for Organ.

And here is an Impressionistic arrangement of the same and for the same, by Charles Tournemire.

Bible Vocabulary: Words that Should Be Replaced: Justification

2011-01-25T23:19:00.000-06:00

What?! The most important word in Christian theology should be replaced?! Sadly, yes.

First, I'd like to talk about what the word should mean. Justification should mean "our becoming right before God because God bequeaths us so." The word is a performative one, to use theological lingo. Remember how God said "Let there be _ and there was _?" It's like that. Or like a baseball umpire who calls a runner 'SAFE,' even though the tag was clearly in-time. Regardless of all else, that runner is safe.

Next, let's think about what it means today. Today, one hears things like "There's no justification for what they did!" or "Can you justify that statement?" Justification has come to mean 'excuse' or 'reason.' And that's okay, language changes like that. But the problem for Christians is that God does not excuse our behavior or reason out our differences. He bequeaths us guiltless.

So what word do I propose instead? Acquittal. Now, I realize that this word is a big one, but I really think it accurately conveys the idea and is not terribly uncommon. Like my definition earlier, 'acquittal' is performative: when a judge or jury acquits, it removes all guilt and consequences from a defendant, regardless. Likewise, God acquits us of all charges the devil and our worldly 'friends' may charge us with.

Alternative Hymn Settings

2011-01-08T14:11:00.000-06:00

(Btw, my apologies on the long delay between posts. Turns out that Seminary requires a great deal of my time.)

In my last post, I mentioned Taize as a possible alternative to throwing out the baby with the bathwater of traditional worship. Another possibility is changing the accompaniment of hymns. Let's explore both the upsides and downsides to this.

Upsides
1) Historical Precedent: Alternative hymn settings are about as old as hymns themselves, especially Lutheran hymns. Take, for example, A Mighty Fortress. There are settings by Johann Walther, Michael Prætorius, Heinrich Schütz, J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, etc, etc, etc. Each one of these settings puts Martin Luther's great hymn in a "contemporary" light, without losing the character of the original.
2) No doctrinal worries: Since the hymns will be found in the Church's hymnal already (LSB, for example), there will be no need to do an in-depth search of each text, since that will already have been done by the Church/Denomination.
3) Keeps the traditional folks happy: All those old, beloved hymns are still on the table. "Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower?" No problem! All we need to do is find a setting.
4) Makes the "Contemporary" folks happy: Okay, they won't be overjoyed, but most folks are willing to compromise some things. The organ is an outlandish instrument for virtually every genre of music (save the best!) and merely changing the instrumentation can be enough for some.

Downsides
1) Finding settings: While the LSB has a guitar-chord edition, it almost requires some skill and knowledge in music. After that, it's merely up to chance whether or not a suitable harmonization is to be found, and if it's not been "adopted" by American "evangelicals," good luck!
2) Not traditional enough: For those that like everything done as traditionally as possible, the change of accompaniment will be too much. Furthermore, it might heighten the suspicions of said folks, that something nasty is a-brewing.
3) Not "contemporary" enough: For those that love novelty, merely changing accompaniment will be about as different as watching Scrubs on ABC instead of NBC. For church-hoppers and those that listen to "Christian" radio, not hearing the songs might be an issue.

Like Taize, it's not a flawless solution and it won't get rid of every complaint. But it can be a small enough variation that might be just the thing for some congregation.

Now, for some examples:

1) For percussion. "Il est né, le divin enfant" or in English, "He is born, the divine Christ-child"

2) For a band (electric guitar, electric bass, etc.) "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing"

3) According to one source, Heinz Werner Zimmermann believed that a congregation needed only a bass for accompaniment and wrote compositions to prove it. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any such compositions, but he might be another option.

Next time, we'll consider alternative hymn arrangements.

Culture and the Liturgy Part I: Time vs. Event

2010-11-23T12:07:00.000-06:00

As I see it, huge numbers of Christians are not being fed the Word of God delivered in the Divine Service because they are going to "contemporary" worship services- and this is a major problem. This is one of my biggest reasons for writing this blog. I've begun proposing answers with my series on words that I think should be replaced, or at least better understood. Now, I'd like to begin taking a look at the relationship between culture and the liturgy.

I recently read the book "Ministering Cross-Culturally" by Marvin K. Mayers and Sherwood G. Lingenfelter. One of the topics they discuss is the issue of a culture that is time-oriented over against one that is event-oriented. The West (Europe and the US/Canada) is primarily time-oriented, that is, we focus on when things are, how long they take, etc. Other cultures tend to be event-oriented, that is, they focus on what happens, relationships, etc. However, individuals may or may not fall into the same category as the culture in which they live.

As I was reading this, I began to wonder about traditional, liturgical worship services. These services are very much "we do A for this long, B for this long, and then C for this long." "Contemporary" worship services tend to be "we sing for a while, we pray (impromptu prayers) for a while, sing some more, hear a message, sing more, leave happy." In other words, liturgical worship services are time-oriented, while "contemporary" worship services are event-oriented. Is there a way to present the liturgy to those who are "event-oriented?"

Taizé is one answer. Taizé is a style where short, 4-part (harmony) phrases are repeated over and over, giving ample opportunity for prayer and meditation, while encouraging guided improvisation.The musical advantages include the use of any number of instruments and the fact that it can work in either large or small congregations, regardless of the quality of the acoustics.

Taizé is not perfect, however. It demands musicians that are capable of improvising, does not have a great range of emotional character, and can be boring to those who are time-oriented. And I'm not aware of any full setting of the Divine Service.

We live in a fast-paced society where many things must be done and schedules must be met. Shouldn't the Church be an haven from all of this?

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Afterthoughts

2010-10-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

I've finally finished my thoughts on the liturgy! Why was this so important? It's kind of a long post, so I've highlighted my summarizing points.

1) The main reason, in my opinion, that folks think the liturgy "just doesn't speak to them" is that they don't understand the significance of what they are saying every week. So I've tried to spell out some of the meaning behind these ancient words, hoping that whomever reads this would be edified, as well as more pro-liturgy, as it were.

2) A generation ago, many folks thought that "traditional" worship would eventually die out, while many others thought that "contemporary" worship was just a phase. So virtually no one dialogued or debated their position and instead smugly ignored- or spewed vague, damning comments about- the other.
Today, the so-called "worship wars" have died down, but an entire church body is un-united on one of the most important parts of the faith. Thankfully, there are those who are beginning to wit (see, understand) that neither side is backing down and that the debate needs to be more than a subjective one. My hope is that these posts, yea this blog, would at the very least add "food for thought," if not start other discussions.

3) One cannot talk about variations on a theme if one does not know what the theme is. Furthermore, I am wholly opposed to trying to Lutheranize "contemporary" worship, but instead favor the exact opposite.

4) I knew that even if no one read my posts, I'd at least get practice spelling some of the meaning behind the liturgy, since this will not be the last time I talk about these things (Lord willing).

Posts to come will include thoughts on other reasons why folks have left liturgical worship and finding some appropriate, historical, and Confessional answers (if there are any) to them.

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Acts of Exit

2010-10-25T10:02:00.000-05:00

Benediction

Historically: Like the Nunc Dimittis, this was not originally in the Mass, but added by Martin Luther, replacing the Ite Missa est (basically meaning, "y'all can go, now, the mass is over")

Explanation: This is the Aaronic blessing, the one which YHWH commanded Moses to give to the people, to put "My Name on them". Just as we began the Divine Service in His Name, so we end in His Name.

Sacramental: God puts His Name on us.

Scripture: Numbers 6:24-26

Alternatives: How 'bout this one?

Hymns: May the Grace of Christ Our Savior

Postlude

Explanation: While the prelude was about music for meditation, the postlude is more about getting folks excited about the Gospel they have just heard. Unfortunately, this also gives rise to that when you go into church, you hear sad music, but when you leave, it's happy music. Some organists combat this by playing fiery renditions of hymns sung during the service.
Alternatives: For Good Friday (and some congregations add Maundy Thursday), there is no postlude, but instead everyone leaves in silence.

UPDATE: Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Sacrament Part V

2010-10-11T16:51:00.001-05:00

Since posting this, I found an hymn by Emanuel Cronenwett that would serve as an alternative hymn for the Nunc Dimittis.

Distribution

Explanation: Jesus physically comes to us in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine, thereby forgiving our sins and strengthening our faith.
Sacramental: Hence the name.
Scripture: Matt 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20, I Cor 11:23-25.

Nunc Dimittis

Historically: This was not originally a part of the Mass, but instead from the Order of Compline, or Nightsong, sung at the close of the day. I believe it was Martin Luther who put it into the Divine Service.
Explanation: The Nunc Dimittis, or "Lord, Now Let Your Servant Go in Peace," is the song Simeon sang after seeing the fulfillment of God's promise in the baby Jesus in the temple. We too can sing these words of praise and thanks, since we too have seen the Lord's salvation in Jesus Christ. What can give Heathen/Gentiles like us truer peace than this?
Sacrificial: We sing God's Word back to Him.
Scripture: Luke 2:29-32
Alternatives: I'm not aware of any contemporary settings, but see below for alternative texts.
Hymns: LSB 937-938. Also the following, by Emanuel Cronenwett, written in 1876 and published in his "Hymns and Poems" of 1926, and updated just enough so no one notices. Since the meter is LM (88 88), I think PUER NOBIS NASCITUR (LSB 344) would be fine.

Now lettest Thou Thy servant, Lord,

Depart, according to Thy Word,

In peace; for lo! mine eyes have seen

Thy rich salvation from all sin.

By grace divine my soul is fed

With living drink and living bread;

Fed like a branch of Thee, the Vine,

Thy life is mine, and I am Thine.

I live, for Jesus lives in me;

I die, O death, to sin and thee!

Thus living, dying, Jesus saith

My soul shall never taste of death.

Lord, I am weak, be Thou my Stay!

Guide my frail feet along the way;

O help me live the life of faith,

So that I die Thy people's death.

When Thou shalt in Thy glory come

To gather all Thine Israel home,

Then shall my body rise again,

And clothe my soul in light. Amen!

Thank the Lord

Explanation: This is an alternative text to the Nunc Dimittis. Certainly receiving Christ's body and blood is something to thank, praise, and glorify God for, and certainly He recalls His promises, as He did to Simeon, but the rich imagery of the Nunc Dimittis is just not to be found in this text, however joyful the musical setting might be.
Sacrificial: We sing our thanks to God.
Scripture: Any psalm of praise.
Alternatives: Nunc Dimittis
Hymns: May God Bestow on Us His Grace (LSB 823-4), O Jesus, Blessed Lord, to Thee (LSB 632), Sent Forth by God's Blessing (642), O Lord, We Praise Thee (LSB 617)

Thanksgiving/Post Communion Collect

Explanation: Just as with every other Christian meal, a prayer is said, thanking God for His gifts of food, drink, life, salvation, and Christ- in this case received all at once!

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Sacrament Part IV

2010-09-29T10:55:00.000-05:00

(Before I begin, let me give a quick plug: I've started another blog to not keep up on; this one will only be presenting less familiar hymns, as well as alternative translations to familiar ones. Most of these will be by other folks, although I might alter a few things, since these hymns are in public domain (i.e. older). Hopefully it will be more devotional and less academic/controversial.)

Words of Institution

Explanation: These are the very words that Jesus said when He instituted the Sacrament of Holy Supper. "Because the Words (verba) of Institution are the very heart of the sacramental action, they should always be employed. It is through Christ's word and its power, not through the action of the celebrant, that Christ's body and blood are present in the bread and wine." (Theology and Practice of The LORD'S SUPPER, CTCR Doc, 1983).
Sacramental: The are Christ's very words.
Scripture: Matt 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20, I Cor 11:23-25
Alternative: Some chant this, some just speak it. I suppose having soft piano music in the background (like some do during prayers) might be okay, but this can very easily become distracting, so care should be taken.

Pax Domini

Explanation: Pax Domini means "The peace of the Lord." When the risen Christ first physically appeared to His apostles in the upper room, He greeted them by saying, "Peace be with you." In the same way, Christ is about to physically appear to us in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine.
Sacramental: Christ gives us His peace.
Scripture: Judges 6:23, John 20:19-20, Romans 5:1-2
Alternatives: Some congregations "share the peace" with each other at this time. It's slightly disruptive, but it's a liturgical answer to just greeting each other before the first hymn.
Hymns: no

Agnus Dei

Explanation: This song, spoken by John the Baptist in John 1, has been in use since the 8th Century, maybe even earlier. Thrice we call upon the Lamb of God to hear us, have mercy on us, and take our sins away. This is an illusion to the Exodus of the folk of Israel, where a first-born, spotless lamb was sacrificed, it's blood painted on door frames, and eaten by the household, so that their lives would be spared. Likewise, Christ lived a spotless (free of sin) life, was sacrificed on the cross, His blood placed on the door frame of our hearts (figuratively speaking), and eaten in the forms of bread and wine. Therefore, our eternal lives are spared. In this manner, He "grant(s) us peace."
Sacramental: We sing the words of Scripture back to God.
Scripture: Exod 12:1-23, I Cor 5:7b, I Pet 1:19-20
Alternative: Michael W. Smith has a song called "Agnus Dei," but the text is different. I'm not aware of any other versions.
Hymns: The only hymn version I know is found in the DS IV in LSB.

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Sacrament Part III

2010-09-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Eucharistic Prayer

Historical: This is a prayer that was once in the Divine Service, then taken out, then re-introduced ignorantly and incorrectly in LBW, before be properly re-introduced in the LSB. I'm not going to go into the details here, though; suffice it to say that there is nothing to be afraid of in the LSB version of prayer of thanksgiving.
Explanation: Thanking God for His Holy Supper. The prayer is essentially a retelling of God's Salvation History, and historically can get pretty lengthy. It is often adapted to fit the liturgical season/holiday, as well, focusing on whatever particular event is relevant. The practice of re-telling important tales goes back to Hebrew/Old Testament culture and so the Prayer of Thanksgiving is merely an extension of that practice.
Also note: LSB's version also includes a bit where we ask God that we worthily receive His body and blood, replacing the Exhortation, which I'll discuss later.
(The word 'Eucharist' comes from the Greek word for 'thanks' and it's because of this prayer that some call the Lord's Supper the 'Eucharist.')
Sacramental: We tell back to God what He has told us in His Word.
Scripture: Matthew 26:6
Alternative: a bunch of DS settings exclude this
Hymns: no

Exhortation

Explanation: A number of hymnals (especially older ones, but also the ELH) include this. Taking Paul's warning that one should examine one's self before eating and drinking our Lord, this is basically a just that: an review of the fact that we are sinful beings in need of God's mercy and forgiveness, which we receive in Jesus' body and blood. Most LCMS congregations either hope that folks do this on their own, or they hope that folks pay attention to the Prayer of Thanksgiving.
Please don't think that I'm condemning the (compilers of the) LSB; nor am I condemning congregations that leave Paul's exhortation up to the members. I'm simply saying that this is an historical part of the Lutheran Divine Service and that it's not 100% wrong. I think the LSB did a fine job of keeping the exhortation in mind, both in the "Prayers for Worship" on the inside cover, as well as in the Prayer of Thanksgiving.
Sacramental: We examine ourselves.
Scripture: I Corinthians 11:27-29
Alternative: LSB inside cover
Hymns: a bunch of hymns ask God that we worthily receive His body and blood, but these are more appropriate during Communion than before, really

Lord's Prayer

Explanation: I'm going to skip over the meaning of Jesus' words and just talk about their relationship to the Lord's Supper.
Our Father in Heaven: we acknowledge that God is in heaven (despite what some think)
Let Your Name be hallowed: His Name is hallowed when His people do what He says: like eating and drinking His flesh and blood.
Let Your kingdom come: We are about to sing the song of all the company of heaven, and feast on Christ, the Lamb of God. This truly is "heaven on earth."
Let Your will be done on earth, just like it is done in heaven: "This do in remembrance of Me."
Give us today our daily bread: Um, pretty self-explanatory
And forgive us our guilts, as we have forgiven or guilters: "Shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins."
Save us from trial/temptation/accosting, but allay us of evil: what is more refreshing and enlivening than Jesus' body and blood?
Yes, folks, there is a reason this prayer is not said along with all the other prayers.
Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13
Alternatives: I'm sure there are contemporary songs on the Lord's Prayer. (Please don't sing that schmalzy one from the 40's?- it's awful and anyone without gray hair probably despises it.)
Hymns: LSB 957-959; there are others, too

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Sacrament Part II

2010-09-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

Sanctus (Holy)

Explanation: Like the Gloria in excelsis, the Sanctus is the song the angels sang, but this time in the presence of their exalted Lord and in the vision of Isaiah the prophet. Why is this important? We sinful, deathly, and very earthly beings are eating and drinking the flesh and blood of a sinless, once dead but now living, and very earthly-yet-heavenly Being; that is to say, at the Lord's Supper heaven and earth meet. We are about to experience our Lord Christ: a foretaste, a preview of the feast to come. And so we sing the song we'll sing when we meet Him then.
'Hosanna' means 'save us now,' although it is a word of praise, since we have the Hope and assurance that indeed our Messiah has saved us by His death and resurrection, and He heals us with His true body and blood.
Sacramental: We sing back what has already been told to us in Scripture.
Scripture: Isaiah 6:3
Alternative: Revelation Song (this could also incorporate the Agnus Dei); please don't sing Hosanna, since it really doesn't deal with our text, nor is it 100% theologically sound.
Hymns: LSB 960-961; There also have been a number of attempts to turn Holy, Holy, Holy (LSB 507) into the Sanctus, including by Jaroslav Vajda.

Benedictus

Explanation: The Benedictus (Blessed) is taken from Psalm 118 and said by the crowds when Jesus bodily entered Jerusalem, just like our risen and uplifted Lord is about to bodily enter us. Hosanna means "Lord, save us," and was used for the entrance of the King, akin to "God save the King." Jesus, our heavenly King, makes His entrance.
Sacramental: We sing back what has already been told to us in Scripture.
Scripture: Psalm 118:25-26, Matthew 21:9
Alternative: I'm not aware of any.
Hymns: All Glory, Laud, and Honor (LSB 442)

Series C; Proper 18 (Tyndale Updated)

2010-09-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

The following readings have been translated by the NKJV and altered in light of Tyndale's translation.

Deut. 30:15-20
15 “Behold, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,
16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God and to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His ordinances, and His laws, that you may live and multiply; and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land to which you go to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and go away, and worship strange gods and serve them
18 I pronounce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.
19 I call, as witnesses today against you, heaven and earth, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; but choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 in that you love the LORD your God, hearken unto His voice, and cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell on the earth which the LORD swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Philemon 1-21
1 Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, and brother Timotheus, To Philemon the beloved and our helper,
2 to the beloved Appia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the congregation of your house:
3 Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,
5 when I hear of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
6 so that the fellowship that you have in the faith is fruitful thru the knowledge of all good things which are in you by Jesus Christ.
7 And we have great joy and consolation over your love, for by you, brother, the saints' hearts are comforted.

8 Therefore, though I be bold in Christ to command you what is becoming of you,

9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—though I be as I am, Paul: aged and now in bonds for Jesus Christ's sake-

10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,

11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable both to you and also to me.
12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is to say, my own heart,
13 whom I would fain have kept with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.
14 Nevertheless, without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that good which springs from you might not be by compulsion, as it were, but willingly.

15 Haply he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,
16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave— I mean, a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and also in the Lord.
17 If then you count me as a fellow, receive him as you would me.
18 But if he has hurt you or owes anything, lay that to my charge.

19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will recompense—not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self.
20 Even so, brother, let me enjoy you in the Lord; comfort my heart in the Lord.
21 Trusting in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say for.
22 Moreover, prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through the help of your prayers I shall be granted to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my helpers.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits. Amen.

Luke 14:25-35
25 Now a great company went with Him. And He turned and said to them,
26 “If a man comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, moreover his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 For which of you, disposed to build a tower, does not sit down beforehand and count the cost, whether he has enough to perform it—

29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to perform it, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to make an end’?
31 Or what king goes to make battle against another king, and does not sit down first and throw around the idea* whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he will send a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, none of you that forsakes all that he has can be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltiness, what shall it be seasoned therewith?
35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out the doors. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

*Tyndale has 'casteth in the mind.'

Bible Vocabulary: Words that Should Be Better Understood; Part II: Lord

2010-09-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

I am very happy to be back on the blogosphere. Thank you for waiting to read another fascinating herald.

Now, to business:
Did you know? The word 'lord' comes from an Old English word which, upon modernization, is 'loaf-ward,' or bread-keeper / bread-guard. Guess what: Jesus is not just our bread-keeper, He is our Bread-giver!* He gives us His very body and blood to us (every) Sunday in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine, which body and blood strengthen and (what?) preserve, or keep, us unto life everlasting. Jesus is Lord, indeed!

*Although we can't shorten this the same way as 'lord,' since we'd get 'liver.'

Hiatus

2010-03-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

My computer died last week at the (in my opinion) young age of 3.5 years, meaning I have to go to the library every time I wish to use a computer. I'll resume this blog September 1st, when I my saving for a new computer will have paid off.

And I ran, I ran so far away I came back

2010-03-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered this post., dealing with the question, "Do 'evangelicals' go farther than Luther in their reforms," lengthly responding to the oft-heard comment that Luther did not go far enough in his reform of the Church. (The American president John Quincy Adams even wrote a book entitled, "Baptists: the Only Thorough Reformers.")
In order to prove how interesting this article really is, here is an excerpt:

And instead of the Lord's Supper, at the end of the service we more frequently find the altar call. There is no altar call in Scripture. Luther believed that the Lord's Supper should be celebrated more frequently than it was being celebrated in his day. So less frequent celebration means running in the opposite direction of Luther. The Lord's Supper is all about Jesus giving His body and blood for me. The altar call is all about me having an emotional experience. The altar call was developed by Charles Finney in the 19th century. He believed that the Holy Spirit was unnecessary for conversion and that given the right emotional manipulation you could convert anybody. At least the Roman Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit must get the conversion process going. The altar call has less Scriptural support than praying to the saints and the practice is much newer. The altar call is an example of running as far away from Luther as you possibly can. You're running so fast at this point that the Roman Catholic church doesn't even see you whiz by and you find yourself sitting next to Pelagius and other rationalists.

Series C; Lent V (Tyndale Updated)

2010-03-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

Philippians 3:4b-14 (NKJV, altered in light of Tyndale)
4 If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I much more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the kindred of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Ebrue born of the Ebrues; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 and concerning ferventness, I persecuted the congregation1; and concerning the righteousness which is in the law, unrebukable.
7 But the things that were advantageous to me I have counted loss for Christ's sake.
8 Yet indeed I also think of all things as loss for the excellent knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have counted all things loss, and judge them as dung2, that I might gain Christ
9 and might be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which springs from the faith of Christ, the righteousness which comes from God through faith;
10 in knowing Him and the virtue of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His passions, that I might be conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from death.
12 Not that I have already attained it, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have gotten it; but one thing I say, "I forget those things which are behind and stretch forward to those things which are ahead
14 and press toward the appointed goal to obtain the reward of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Luke 20:9-20
9 Then He began to put out to the people this similitude: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to farmers, and went into a strange country for a long season.
10 Now when the time had come, he sent a servant to his tenants, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him foully, and sent him away empty-handed.
12 Moreover he sent the third, too; and they wounded him also and cast him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my dear son; perhaps they will respect him when they see him.’
14 But when the farmers saw him, they thought aloud to themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’
15 And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
16 He will come and destroy those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” And when they heard that they said, “Certainly not!”
17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then does this which is written mean: 'The stone that the builders refused has been made the chief cornerstone’?"
18 Whoever stumbles on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the high priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people— for they knew He had spoken this similitude against them.

1 Here, 'church' might have been more appropriate.
2 The actual meaning of the Greek is 'excrement,' not the politically correct 'rubish.'

Church and State

2010-03-19T15:07:00.001-05:00

The issue of the separation of Church and State is one that both interests me and separates me from most (okay, probably all) of my Christian friends. Refraining for now on discussing how, where, and why I differ, I instead present a paper to you from the pen of C.H. Little, D. D., S. T. D., presenting a Lutheran view on a specific issue: Prohibition. Many thanks to Lutheran Colportage.

QUESTION OF PROHIBITION
by C. H. Little, D. D., S. T. D.

This is a question that pertains properly to the State, which has within its province the regulation of the outward lives of men and the making and execution of laws for the welfare of society and for the benefit of its citizens. It is not a question that properly pertains to the Church, the sphere of which is quite different. But inasmuch as many Churches have taken action on this question and have attempted to bind their members to a certain course of action in regard to it, this question comes into consideration here.

In fact, in many Churches this question is regarded as one of the major moral questions of the age, and anyone who dares to oppose prohibition is scarcely regarded as a Christian at all. Even Lutheran Churches with their clear-cut view of the separation of Church and State, have in many instances left their safe moorings on this issue. Many synods have their Temperance Committees, which are little else than Prohibition Committees, whose chief function is to draw up resolutions asking the State to enact or maintain prohibition laws. And this they do, not as citizens, but as a Church and in the name of the Church. The ground for such action is that the issue is a moral one, and as such comes within the Church's sphere.

No one will claim that the State has no right to enact and enforce prohibition laws if it conceives such laws to be for the benefit of its citizens. No one also will deny that many evils result from the abuse of alcoholic liquors, or that cases may arise that call for energetic action on the part of the governing body. But the Church in taking action upon this question is departing from its rightful sphere and entering upon that of the State. It is still more culpable when it goes to radical extremes and denounces all use of intoxicants as wicked and wrong, or even pronounces these things as evils in themselves; or when it perverts the Scriptures to prove its point, as is so often done.

The Church must bear unwavering testimony against drunkenness as a heinous sin. It must point out that drunkenness is classed with other sins of the flesh, such as fornication and adultery, which excludes its addicts from any inheritance in the kingdom of God. But when the Church quotes such passages as "Touch not, taste not, handle not," as referring to intoxicating liquors, or on the basis of such passages as Daniel 1: 8, or Jeremiah 35: 6, publishes "Drink no wine" as a Biblical or Divine command, it is wilfully deceptive. And when passages like Proverbs 20:1 and 23: 31 are quoted as proving that wine is in itself an evil thing which must be avoided at all hazards, the Scriptures are again perverted, as the context shows clearly that these passages are directed against the abuse of wine.

Many other passages might be cited which show that wine is a good gift of God, as, e.g., Ps. 104:14-15, and belongs to those things of which it is said, "Every gift of God is good, and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer." The rule to govern us Christians is that laid down in the apostolic exhortation, "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess."

The Church cannot go further on this question. It can warn against the dangers lurking in intoxicants; but it has no right to call upon the State to legislate these things out of existence, or to denounce all opposition to such a course as immoral. Members of the Church have a right as citizens to form and exercise their own judgment upon this matter without interference or dictation from the Church. The Church's only weapon of offense is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit. Let her apply that, and her duty is done.

[source: Jay Webber's site http://www.confessionallutherans.org/papers/little27.html]

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Sacrament Part I

2010-03-17T13:58:00.000-05:00

The third portion of the service, the "Service of the Sacrament (of the Altar) now begins. Here on, be hyper-sensitive to any language that might relate to Communion: you might be surprised how many phrases with double meanings await you in this section of the liturgy.

Salutation

Explanation: For a few notes on what a salutation is, see my earlier post.
Yet because of its placement, there is another angle (and another Bible verse) that comes into play: Luke 1:28. When the angel Gabriel comes to tell Mary that she is going to be the mother of the Messiah, he greets her by saying, "The Lord is with you." While this was a normal greeting of the time, it was also a pun: the Lord (Jesus) was physically inside of her! So too does the pastor, God's messenger, announce that the Lord is with us, before we are about to physically receive Jesus in our bodies.
Sacramental: We repeat God's Word to each other.
Scripture: Ruth 2:4; Luke 1:28 (my second complaint of the LSB is that they did not include this reference)
Alternative: it's so short and so meaningful, I don't see a reason to want/need an alternative
Hymns: I'm not aware of any.

Sursum Corda

Explanation: The pastor exhorts the congregation to think not on earthly things, but on heavenly things. Upon pondering things heavenly, we realise what great gifts He has given us, we naturally thank Him.
Sacrificial: we turn our thoughts to God
Scripture: Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1
Alternative: I suppose, reciting Colossians 3:1.
Hymns: Lift Up Your Hearts, by Henry M. Butler, although some alteration to the text might be preferable.

Proper Preface

Explanation: (The word "preface" means forward/introduction. Literally "beforeface" or "beforehand.") The Preface is one of the most ancient elements of Christian worship. As we prepare to receive our Lord's true body and true blood, we lift up our hearts to God and thank Him for this meal. The Proper Preface focuses our minds on the seasonally appropriate aspect of the life of Christ, Who comes to us in this meal. Those not receiving Communion are invited to meditate on the words and prayer, knowing they too receive the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ Jesus.
Sacrificial: We pray to God.
Scripture: usually based on the Gospel story of the day or season.
Alternatives: the LCA(ustralia) website. By clicking on the season of the church year and then on the specific Sunday, you will have popped up an rtf file. Scroll down to where it says "Seasonal Preface" and make your decision. Some prefaces may be more preferable than others.
Another option would be to replace difficult terminology or phrasing, leaving the spirit of the preface in-tact.
Hymns: I'm not aware of any.

Series C; Lent IV (Tyndale Updated)

2010-03-13T19:30:00.002-06:00

As before, this is the NKJV, altered in lieu of William Tyndale's translation.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus1 no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Nevertheless, all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the office to preach the atonement,2
19 For God was in Christ and made agreement between the world and Himself, and did not impute their sins to them, and has committed to us the preaching of the atonement.3
20 Now then, we are messengers for Christ, just as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be at one with God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we, by His means, might become the righteousness that is approved by God.

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “He receives sinners as His company and eats with them.”
3 So He put out this similitude to them, saying,
11 “A certain man had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my part of the goods that belongs to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
13 And not long after, the younger son gathered all that he had together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
14 But when he had spent all that he had, there rose a severe famine throughout, and he began to lack.
15 Then he went and clave to a citizen of that same country, who sent him into his field to tend his swine.
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “Then he came to himself and said, ‘How many hired servants at my father’s (place) have bread enough, and I die of hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
20 “And he arose and went to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best garment and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is now found.’ And they began to be merry.
25 “Now the older brother was in the field, and when he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 So he called one of the servants and asked what those things meant.
27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Then his father came out and pleaded with him.
29 He answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have done your service; I never broke your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me so much as a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your posessions with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for his pleasure.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you were always with me, and all that I have is yours.
32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

1 The KJV has "Him no longer," whereas Tyndale has "so no longer." Thus the NKJV Tyndalised its revision of the KJV for me.
2 Compare with the NKJV "ministry of reconciliation."
3 Compare the entire verse with the NKJV, "That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation."

Series C; Lent III (Tyndale Updated)

2010-03-06T16:37:00.001-06:00

A commentary on the text can be found here. If you are interested in unique (weird) hymns, check this one out, based on v.7 of the Gospel reading.

I Corinthians 10:1-13
1 Brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that our fathers were under a cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate one kind of spiritual food
4 and all drank one kind of spiritual drink. And they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, which was Christ.
5 But with most of them God was not delighted, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 These things have become our examples, that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted.
7 And do not become worshippers of images as were some of them, according to what is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up again to play.”
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand were destroyed;
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
10 nor complain, as some of them complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our remembrance, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No other temptation has overtaken you, except such as follows the nature of humanity; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength, but in the middle of the temptation will make a way to escape.1

Luke 13:1-9

1 There were present at that season some who pointed out to Him the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered (endured) such punishment?

3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all in the same way perish.

4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Syloe fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

6 He also put out this similitude (parable): “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come and sought fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’

8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilise it

9 to see if it will bear fruit, and if not, then cut it down. 2

1 Here the (N)KJV continues, "that you may be able to bear it."

2 Compare this to the to the awkward (N)KJV: "And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’”

Bible Vocabulary: Words that Should Be Better Understood; Part I: Saved

2010-03-02T20:10:00.006-06:00

"For by grace you have been made safe through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God, and it does not come by works, lest anyone should boast of oneself." Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV, altered in via Tyndale

We all are familiar with the words, 'safe' and 'saved,' knowing that both words have to do with the preservation of something from something else. If I were to say, "I feel safe only when I lock my doors," I would mean that I only feel spared from danger when my doors are locked. If I were to say, "I saved the last piece of pie," it would mean I was saving it from being eaten.

Yet there is an additional meaning in the word, one that has been lost over the years. The word comes to us via the Latin word 'salve,' meaning 'health,' 'well-being,' 'or wholeness.' When a Spanish-speaking person sneezes, one says, "Salud!" A medical ointment used to soothe someone is called a 'salve.' Thus when Tyndale translates that we are made safe through faith, he not only means that we are preserved from damnation, but also that we are made whole, made well.

Hence his translation of Matthew 9:21-22: "For she said to herself, 'If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made safe.' But Jesus turned around, and beheld her saying, 'Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you safe.' NKJV, alt. via Tyndale.

What I like about this added meaning is its relation to post-modern spirituality (broadly speaking). I have heard too many people and seen too many books that talk about how to be spiritually well, what wholesome spiritual living means, etc, etc. Instead of asking people, "Brother, are you saved?" we can ask them, "Are you spiritually well, my friend?" It means the same thing and might even receive a less guarded answer.

(As one who has already studied too much Greek, I should note that it would be incorrect to translate the Ephesians verse, "you have been made whole through faith" because the Greek word 'σώζω' does not carry the meaning of health.)

Series C; Lent II (Tyndale Updated)

2010-02-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

-A commentary on the following text can be found here.
-An hymn that might go along with the following text can be found here.
-Once again, the following text is the NKJV, altered in light of Tyndale's translation.

Philippians 3:17-4:1
17 Brethren, follow my example, and look at those who walk this way, as you have us for a pattern.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ,
19 whose end is damnation, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who are earthly minded.
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform into something else our lowly bodies, that they may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself.
4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so continue in the Lord, you beloved.

Luke 13:31-35
31 On that very day came some Pharisees, and said to Him, “Get out of the way and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
32 And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and heal the people today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall make an end.’1
33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish any where else, save Jerusalem.
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as the hen gathers her nest under her wings, but you were not willing!
35 See! Your dwelling place will be left to you desolate; for I tell you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

1 The Greek word can mean to end/to make complete/to be fulfilled. The KJV has "I shall be perfected."

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Word Part V

2010-02-25T15:45:00.000-06:00

Hymn of the Day

Explanation: This is the main (sometimes called 'chief') hymn of the day that focuses on the theme of the Gospel reading and the sermon.
Sacrificial: We sing to God
Scripture: Ephesians 5:19
Alternatives: Depending on the theme of the sermon, there might be contemporary songs out there. If one does a mixed service, this might be the time to insert the hymn, as most "contemporary" songs are not story-specific.

Sermon

Explanation: This is the part of the service where the pastor takes the theme of the day and applies it to his congregation and her times. A good sermon, like the liturgy, will properly distinguish and apply both the Law and the GoodNews. While it may not always be received well, it should always be what one needs to hear; not what the world has to say, but what God has said.
Sacramental: We hear God's Word.
Alternatives: When done well, narrative sermons (i.e., those given from the eyes of a Biblical character) can be a welcome change of pace and put a new perspective on a familiar theme. Art displays, etc. can be effective if they are presented tastefully. Sermon series can also be a good way to delve deeper into a particular theme, story, or idea.

Prayer of the Church

Explanation: This prayer is a bridge between the Service of the Word and Sacrament, serving as a response to the Word and a preparation for the Sacrament.
Sacrificial: We pray to God.

Offertory: What Shall I Render

Explanation: This serves also as a bridge between the Service of the Word and of the Sacrament and is an acknowledgement that while we cannot repay the Lord for what He benefits of His Word and Sacrament, we can give our lives in worship as a sacrifice to Him. There are some beautiful allusions: an alternative name for Communion is 'Eucharist,' which means 'thanksgiving;' "call on the Name of the Lord' is an Hebrew idiom meaning 'worship;' the 'cup of salvation' alludes to the drinking of Christ's blood; when we take Communion, we proclaim that we are in doctrinal agreement with them; this is, of course, done in God's house (church bldg), and the new Jerusalem is the body of believers on Christ.
Scripture: Psalm 116
Sacramental: We sing God's Word back to Him.
Alternatives: see below
Hymns: Try this one.

Offertory: Create in Me

Explanation: The "Create in me" is a prayer that God would cleanse our hearts from sin, deepen and strengthen our faith, give us divine joy, and prepare us for the Word-Made-Flesh. How does He cleanse our hearts, strengthen our faith, and give us divine joy? He does all this in the giving of His very body and blood.
Scripture: Psalm 51
Sacramental: We sing God's Word back to Him.
Alternatives: This has become a standard in some circles. You can hear the original artist sing it here.
Hymns: LSB 704 (Renew Me, O Eternal Light), LSB 956 (Create in Me)

Offertory: Let the Vineyards Be Fruitful

Explanation: While there is only one setting in the LSB (955), I've seen this text set to a number of different tunes so I'm giving it its own category. The vineyards refers to John 15:5; numerous times the Psalms refer to his cup overflowing- our cup of blessing is the cup Jesus blessed on "the night in which He was betrayed;" we ask God to take the seed of faith that He has planted in us and strengthen that faith with His very body, the bread of eternal life; the hope and dream of all is to live forever with Christ; we further ask Him to be physically present in the meal that is but an appetizer of the feast we will celebrate in heaven.

Scripture: John 15:5, Isaiah 25:6

Sacrificial: We pray to God

Offering

Historically, this was not done during the service, but rather offering plates were placed in the back of the church, allowing for better secrecy. For various reasons, that is no longer the case in most churches.
Explanation: While there is nothing that we can give to pay for our sins, the Word of God
manifests itself in us and through us by our works and sacrifices. Having
just received the Word of God, we naturally say, "Yes!" and give a physical
offering to further the Word of God, so that others may receive the joy which w
e have just received.

If I may... I suggest that in order to not further the stereotype that churches only want money, please either make a verbal announcement or a brief note in the worship folder that the offering is intended for members and that guests should not feel obligated to contribute.
Scripture: Luke 21:1-4, Matthew 25:14-30

Sacrificial: We give our "hard earned" money to God's service.

Series C; Lent I (Tyndale Updated)

2010-02-19T23:38:00.001-06:00

I have decided to further change my formatting; due to growing fears over copyright issues and lengthy posts, I have decided to only include the Tyndalised NKJV, while still italicizing the points where Tyndale diverts from the KJV.

A commentary can be found here.
Alternate hymns can be found here.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
1 When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit and you enjoy it and dwell in it,
2 take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you have brought in from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name dwell.
3 And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I acknowledge today to the LORD your God that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.’
4 “Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God.
5 And you shall answer and say before the LORD your God: ‘The Sirians would have destroyed my father, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there with a few folk; and there he grew into a nation, great, mighty, and full of people.
6 But the Egyptians mistreated us, troubled us, and laid cruel bondage on us.
7 Then we cried out to the LORD God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and looked on our adversity, labor, and oppression.
8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.
9 He has brought us to this place and has given us this land that flows with milk and honey;
10 and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which the LORD, have given me.’ “Then set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.
11 So rejoice about every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house, both you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.

Romans 10:8b-13
8b This is the word of faith which we preach:
9 that if you acknowledge with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord and believe with your heart that God raised Him up from the dead, you will be safe.1
10 For the belief of the heart justifies,2 and to acknowledge with the mouth makes one safe.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, for there is one Lord over all, Who is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be safe.”

Luke 4:1-13
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was carried by the Spirit into a wilderness,
2 and was tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread only, but by every word of God.’”
5 Then the devil, took Him up on a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world but in the blinkling of an eye.3
6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, every last bit, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, they will be Yours.”
8 Jesus answered and said to him, “Go away from Me,4 Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall honour the LORD your God, and Him only serve.’”
9 Then he carried Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written,‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’
11 and, ‘With their hands they shall bear you up, that you do not hurt your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
13 Now as soon as the devil had ended all his temptations, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

1 Or 'made well/whole/healthy.' (Related to the world 'salve') I'll do a commentary on this word, eventually.
2 Think 'acquits.'
3 KJV has "in a moment of time." The Message has 'at once.' Guess which is my favourite.
4 Tyndale has "Hence from Me"

Service of the Word: Part IV

2010-02-09T23:21:00.000-06:00

Scripture Readings

Historically: The readings for each Sunday are based on what is called a "pericope", which is an organisation of readings throughout the church year, intended to cover each of the major points in the life of Jesus and the life of His church. I will discuss this more in a later post; for now, suffice it to say there is a reason we read what we read when we read it.
Explanation: There are usually 3 readings: the 1st from the Old Testament or the book of Acts, the 2nd from the Epistles (Letters of Faith), and the 3rd from one of the four Gospels.
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16,17; many others
Sacramental: We hear God's speaking to us through His word.
Alternatives: One way to shake things up is to have various readers read different parts. For example, have one person read Jesus' words, another read Mary's words, and still another Martha's. Whether this is done or not, all readers should at the very least be familiar with the readings so as to not impede the work of the Spirit. (i.e., don't monotone, stumble over pronunciations, stutter, etc. It's annoying and takes to focus from the Word to the speaker.)
Hymns: Obviously there are quite a few hymns based on Scripture readings. Some hymnals are generous enough to include an index in the back of the hymnal. Cyberhymnal also has a similar section.

Gradual or Psalm

Explanation: This is a short response taken usually from a Psalm, but there are occasions when other Scripture is used. The theme usually corresponds to the Introit. Like the Introit, it is usually sung antiphonally, or responsively.
Scripture: Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3
Sacramental: We repeat God's Word back to Him.
Alternatives: Many congregations have the choir sing at this time. That's fine, but I would prefer them to "highlight" other portions of the service, such as singing a stanza of an hymn or a portion of the liturgy, like the Kyrie; but that's a matter of taste.
Hymns: There are many Psalm paraphrases out there: our LSB has quite a few, the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) has a few more, and the Cantus Christi (Reformed) has a lot more, let alone Cyberhymnal. See also Hymnoglypt.

The Creed

Explanation: The three "ecumenical" (universally Christian) creeds are the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. They are basically summaries of what we believe and what the Scriptures say about God. While no Scripture is directly quoted, they are based heavily on Scripture. This shows Scripture verses for the Nicene, this shows the Same for the Apostles'.
After hearing God's Word, we are moved to "boldly confess" our unity in the faith. I have heard one person describe the Creed as the liturgical version of "testimonials." While this analogy is not perfect, it can be an "in" with those who might be apprehensive of the notion of "creed." This is not a statement of what is needed to be believed (although this is true), but rather a statement of what is believed. A similar idea is that most grammar books do not prescribe how to speak, but instead describe the normal patterns of speech.
Sacrificial: We state what we believe.
Scripture: See my two links in the explanation.
Alternatives: "Because We Believe" Also, check out this document, which offers alternative translations. Then there's this link, as well.
Hymns: In addition to the LSB, Timothy Dudley-Smith has this hymn.

Epiphany V; Series C (Tyndale)

2010-02-06T14:45:00.003-06:00

I Corinthians 14:12-20 (Tyndale)

12 Even so you, since you desire spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the congregation that you seek to have plenty.

13 Therefore let him who speaks with tongues pray that he may interpret.

14 For if I pray with tongues, my spirit prays, but my understanding is without fruit.

15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with my spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit, and I will also sing with my mind.

16 For otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?

17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

19 Yet I would prefer to speak in the congregation five words with my mind to inform others, rather than ten thousand words with the tongue. (i.e. a foreign tongue)

20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; (but) as for maliciousness, be children, but in understanding be perfect.

Luke 5:1-11 (Tyndale)

1 So it was, as the people pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Genazareth,

2 and saw two boats standing by the lakeside; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.

3 Jesus got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to carry him a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Carry us into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have laboured all night and caught nothing; yet now at Your word I will let down the net."

6 And when they had done so, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

7 So they made signs to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Lord, go from me, for I am a sinful man."

9 For he and all who were with him were utterly astonished at the catch of fish which they took;

10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedei, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."

11  So when they had brought their boats to land, and forsook all and followed Him.














I Corinthians 14:12-20 (NKJV)12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?

17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be children, but in understanding be mature.














Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV) 
1 So it was, as the crowd pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 
2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 
3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 
6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 
7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"
 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 
10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 
11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Blog List

2010-02-03T14:27:00.000-06:00

School-work has been heating up, even if the weather has not. Therefore, I've not had as much time to work on this blog lately. However, I would like to introduce each blog that I have included on my blog list to the right. I will go in alphabetical order, although the list is ordered by most recent post.

All for Hymn is an LCMS blog that discusses hymnody, namely arrangements and translations thereof. I like this blog because it is both confessional (i.e., in line with the Book of Concord) and easily applicable to the twenty-first century. It is updated often. There are even a few posts based on this blog, for which I am most grateful.

Better Bibles Blog discusses translations, especially focusing on understandability and accuracy of translation. I believe that it is cross-denominational. Not every post is exciting to the layperson, but there are some gems. It updates periodically.

Cyberbrethren is another confessional LCMS blog. It discusses many different issues, including pastorship, the liturgical year, and the latest news from CPH. It updates daily.

Extreme Theology is a conservative LCMS blog that discusses various issues, especially concerning the emergent church. While I don't always fully agree with the writer's style (often a bit harsh), he often makes excellent points. It updates once in a while, usually every week.

Hymnoglypt is an LCMS blog that translates (mostly) Lutheran hymns. There is often a reason these hymns have not been translated before. Some have difficult tunes, while others have been translated incorrectly. Still others might have been only partially translated. Having said this, these are excellent hymns and can add much depth to ones personal devotion time. It updates usually once a week.

Joyous Exchange is a blog by a couple of pastors in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, a denomination that has been described as traditional in theology and contemporary in practice. It is an unique denomination and this is the best blog I have found from it. It updates a couple times every week.

Latin Word of the Day is an LCMS blog that I just discovered. Each day, it discusses a Latin phrase important to the historic Lutheran Church. (It is currently going through the Ten Commandments and their meaning from the Small Catechism.) Obviously, it is updated daily.

Lutheran Hymn Revival is a Lutheran blog that posts new hymns, essentially. It is updated every once in a while.

Mises Economics Blog promotes the Austrian school of economics. I hate when politics and the Church intermix, but it's always safe to discuss economics, right? Anyway, while not every post is relevant to the average person, many are. It updates daily.

Starke Kirchenlieder is an LCMS blog that posts hymns, either as published in the LSB or recently written by Rev. Steven Starke himself. It updates once every couple of weeks or so.

Stuff Christian Culture Likes is a generic Christian blog that posts humorous discussions of things that stereotypical Christians (usually "evangelical") love. It updates around twice a week.

The Compline Choir is not a blog, but it posts podcasts every once in a while, so that counts! Anyway, every Sunday at 9:30p (Pacific) the Compline Choir of St. Mark's (Episcopal) Cathedral in Seattle, WA sings the liturgy of Compline. On the link, one can click the link to hear the live broadcast at king.org or can listen to recorded podcasts of many of the services by clicking "Podcasts." It is not Lutheran, so there are occasional "moments," but for the most part the service can be useful to all.

Weedon's Blog is an LCMS blog that deals with various topics in the Church, including liturgy. It updates daily if not more often.

Worship Concord is still another LCMS blog that quotes church leaders of yesteryear when dealing with worship, liturgy, etc. It is one of the only blogs that uses the Book of Concord, Luther, and others to defend "contemporary" worship. It updates just about every day.

Worship Ideas You Can Use is a WELS blog meant to aid congregations and music leaders bridge the gap between "traditional" and "contemporary" worship.

If anyone knows of a blog that could or should be on this list, let me know and I will consider it.

Epiphany IV; Series C (Tyndale)

2010-01-30T14:10:00.001-06:00

Once again, I have included the NKJV twice, the first being an alteration based on Tyndale's translation. In the Epistle lesson, notice the difference in tenses between Tyndale and the NKJV.

I Corinthians 12:31b- 13:13 (Tyndale)

31 And yet I show you a more excellent way.
1 Though I would speak with the tongues of men (humans) and of angels, but have no love1, I would be like sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I could prophecy, and understand all secrets and all knowledge, yea if I had all faith so that I could remove mountains from their places, but had no love, I would be nothing.
3 And though I bestowed all my goods to feed the poor, and though I gave my body even that I burned, and yet had no love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is courteous. Love does not envy. Love does not forwardly swell,
5 does not deal dishonestly, does not seek its own, is not provoked to anger, does not think evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth,
7 suffers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures in all things.
8 Though prophesying fails, other tongues will cease; though knowledge vanishes away, still love never falls away.
9 For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is imperfect will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I imagined as a child; but as soon as I was a man, I put away childishness.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know imperfectly, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 Now abide faith, hope, and love, even these three; but the chief of these is love.

I Corinthians 12:31- 13:13 (NKJV)

31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Luke 4:31-44 (Tyndale)

31 Then He went into Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them there on the Sabbaths.
32 And they were astonished at His doctrine, for His preaching was with authority.
33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean devil. And he cried out with a loud voice,
34 saying, “Let me alone! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are- even the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the devil threw himself in the midst of them and came out of him and did not hurt him.
36 Then awe came on them all and they spoke among themselves, saying, “What kind of thing is this? For with authority and power He commands the fowl spirits, and they came out.”
37 And the report about Him spread abroad throughout all places in the surrounding region.
38 Now He rose up and went out of the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s mother in-law was sick with a high fever, and they made intercession to Him concerning her.
39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.
40 When the sun was down, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.
41 And devils also came out of many of them, crying and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He rebuked them and did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.
42 As soon as it was day, He departed and went away into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;
43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Luke 4:31-44 (NKJV)

31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.
32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,
34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.
36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.

39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

41And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
42 And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;

43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

1 One cannot tell from the NKJV, but while the KJV had "charity" Tyndale more accurately had "love."

Here is an hymn that paraphrases the Epistle reading.

Service of the Word: Part III

2010-01-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

Salutation (Greeting)

Historically, this term comes from a Latin word meaning "good health"/"to be made whole." (Salve, Caesar!) In Spanish, one says, "Salud," in response to a sneeze. This is also related to the English word 'salvation.' In Christ, we are made well/are made whole.

Explanation: Since Jesus is about to come to us in His Word, the pastor "hopes" that the Lord enters into the spirit of each member of the congregation. Here is my first complaint with the LSB. Carrying over from the LW, the congregation's response has been changed to "and also with you," instead of "and with your spirit." The imagery described above has been lost. Furthermore, St. Paul says in his letter to the church sojourning in Rome, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness, because we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit Himself pleads for us with yearnings that can't find any words." (8:26; AAT) As we are about to pray the Collect, we are reminded that because we have no clue what or how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us as we pray God's Word back to Him.

Scripture: Romans 8:27; 2 Timothy 4:22

Alternatives: I have come up with this reponsive reading, based on Romans 8, trying to capture its essence.
   L: We wait for You, O Lord, in eager expectation.
   C: Because we, who have the Spirit as our preview of heaven, groan inwardly as we look forward to having
   our bodies freed and our adoption as Your sons.1
   L: The Spirit Himself pleads for us with the sighs for which we have no words,
   C: because we do not know how we should pray, but He Who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit
   has in mind, for He is pleading for the saints in God’s own way.
   L: Therefore, may the Lord be with your spirit.
   C: And also with yours.

Hymns: I am not aware of any hymns that capture the fullness of this text. "Lord, Teach Us How to Pray" (vv.1,6) comes close, though.

Collect (We collect the theme(s) of the day in prayer.)

Explanation: We pray that the message of the week may work within us, that we live-out that message, and that we may grow in our faith and understanding of the particular theme of the Scripture lessons.

Scripture: It varies from week to week.

Alternatives: The Lutheran Church of Australia's website offers essentially a smaller version of Creative Worship, including alternative collects. All is free!

Hymns: I'm not aware of any collection of hymns based on the collects, but that would be cool. (hint.)

1 In Roman times, only adopted males were the full heirs. With this understanding, we all (male and female) are adopted as sons.

Bible Vocabulary: Words that Should Be Replaced; Part II: Amen

2010-01-26T15:14:00.000-06:00

I don't expect this one to go away, but nonetheless I wish I would, to some extent.

What does the word mean? It comes from Hebrew and means "truly, assuredly, or yes: it shall be so." However it has come to serve simply as a liturgical response void of any meaning. I even know what it means yet still find myself saying it without thinking about what I'm really saying.

Solutions: well, there are a few. "Soþlice!"- except it also is a foreign word. "True dat!"- except it's a bit colloquial, I think. "You're darn tootin'!"- except I would never be able to say this without thinking of Laurel and Hardy. So the only serious offer I can think of is the following: "This is most certainly true." It's already familiar to those who grew up on Luther's Small Catechism and carries the meaning of 'Amen' pretty well, even if it does take longer to spit out.

"This is most certainly true!" may never replace 'Amen!' but it can at least be another tool in explaining the meaning of 'Amen.'

P.S. Here is an hymn translated by Matthew Carver, based on the idea behind 'Amen.'

Series C; Epiphany III (Tyndale)

2010-01-23T18:45:00.002-06:00

I Corinthians 12:12-31a (TU)
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of one body, though they be many, yet are but one body: so is Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we are all baptized to make one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, whether slaves or free—and have all drunk of one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a hand, therefore I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear says, “I am not an eye, therefore I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
17 If all the body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If all were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has disposed the members, each one of them, in the body at His pleasure.
19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 Now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor the head also to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 Yes, a great deal more: those members of the body which seem to be most feeble are most necessary.
23 And on those members of that body which we think to be least honorable, we honor most; and our ungodly parts have the most beauty,
24 but our honourable members don't need it. But God so composed the body and has given the most honor to that part which lacked it,
25 lest there should be any strife in the body, that the members should indifferently care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all suffer with him; if one member is honored, all members be glad also.
27 You are the body of Christ, and members of one another.
28 And God has ordained these in the congregation 1: first the apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those who do miracles, after that the gifts of healing, helpers, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all doers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 Desire the best gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (NKJV)
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts.

Luke 4:16-30
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been nursed; and as His custom was, went into the synagogue on the Sabbath days, and stood up to read.
17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
   18 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
   Because He has anointed Me
   To preach the gospel to the poor
   He has sent Me
   And to heal the brokenhearted,
   To proclaim liberty to the captive
   And sight to the blind,
   And freely to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
   19 And to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You may certainly say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,[c] do the same here likewise in Your country.’”
24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Helias, when heaven was shut three years and six months, and there was a great famine 2 throughout all the land;
26 and to none of them was Elijah sent except to Sarephta, beside Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Heliseus the prophet, and yet none of them was healed except Naaman of Syria.”
28 So as many as were in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the edge 3 of the hill on which their city was built, to throw Him down over the cliff.
30 Then went His way through the midst of them.

Luke 4:16-30 (NKJV)
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
   18 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
   Because He has anointed Me
   To preach the gospel to the poor;
   He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,[a]
   To proclaim liberty to the captives
   And recovery of sight to the blind,
   To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
   19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’”
24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

1 This translation was considered an herisy by the Roman Church.
2 Tyndale has 'famishment.'
3 Compare to the (N)KJV, which has 'brow.' I have never seen this word before, except in 'eye brow.'

A commentary can be found here.

The Lord's Prayer in Old English

2010-01-21T15:45:00.044-06:00

(While I may not love math, etc. I am an huge nerd.)

Before I start, let me remind you to the difference between Old English and old(er) English. Linguists have narrowed our language's historical time-periods to Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. Thus Shakespeare wasn't Old English, but Early Modern English (older English, if you must). The Fæður Ure presented here is written in Old English.

Fæður ure,
Father of ours,
Notes: 'æ' is pronounced like the 'a' in humanity. 'ð' is pronounced like the 'th' in 'the.'

þu þe eart on heofonum,
Thou That art in Heavens,
Notes: 'þ' is pronounced like the 'th' in 'thing.' Also, notice how 'eart' and 'heofonum' have both shortened.

si þin nama gehalgod
Let Thy/Thine Name be hallowed.
Notes: 'Ge' is pronounced like the 'ye' in 'yes' and is related the German prefix of the same spelling. 'Si' means let, as in 'let's do this.' (Jussive)

Tobecume þin rice
Let (be)come Thy(Thine) kingdom
Notes: 'Rice' is pronounced like 'rich" with an 'e' at the end, is related to the German word 'Reich,' and in fact has come to mean rich. (A ruler/king is rich, correct?)

Gewurþe ðin will on eorðan
Let become Thine will on earth

swa swa on heofonum
So so/Just as in Heavens

Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg
Our daily-wanted bread/loaf give us today
Notes: 'Syle' could mean either give or sell, from which our modern 'sell' is derived. The 'y' in 'syle' is pronounced like the German 'ü.' The 'h' in the word 'hlaf' is pronounced like the German 'ch' in 'ach.' 'Hlaf' meant bread prior to the Vikings' influence on English. Those who know Dutch will want to note 'dæg.'

And forgyf us ure gyltas,
And forgive us our guilts

swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
Just as we have forgiven our guilt-doers/guilters

And ne gelæd þu us on costnunge
And don't lead Thou us into temptation
Note: The word 'costnunge' is not related to the word 'cost.'

Ac alys us of yfele. Soþlice.
But deliver us of/from evil. In sooth.
Notes: 'Alys' developed into 'allay.' 'Soþlice' (the 'c' is pronounced like the 'ch' in 'church') developed into the word 'sooth,' meaning truly, surely, assuredly. It is an accurate translation of the Hebrew 'amen.'

Let's compare these three translations: (Old English (Updated), Tyndale (Updated), and Mine) I assume everyone is familiar with the KJV.

Our Father, You Who are in (the) heavens, Let Your Name be hallowed, let Your kingdom come, Let Your will become on earth just as it is in (the) heavens. Our daily-wanted loaf give us today; and forgive us our guilts, just as we have forgiven our guilters; and do not lead us into temptation, but allay us of evil. Amen.

O our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, let Your kingdom come, Your will be fulfilled, as well on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts (he has 'trespasses'), even as we forgive our debtors (he has trespassers). And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven; let Your Name be held in reverence; let Your Kingdom come, Your will be fulfilled the same way on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and pardon our debts, just as we have pardoned our debtors; and do not carry us to trial, but rescue us from evil. This is most certainly true. (I'll discuss 'amen' in a future post.)

Assuming my translation is correct (excluding parenthetical remarks), you'll note how much more accurate both the OE and Tyndale translations are, compared to the traditional text.

For the People of Haiti

2010-01-18T15:51:00.001-06:00

Here are some prayers I have found, after searching on the internet. I have altered some of these.

From Worship Concord, this is an alteration of a prayer found in the LSB:

Almighty God, merciful Father, Your thoughts are not our thoughts, Your ways are not our ways. In Your wisdom You have permitted this disastrous earthquake to befall the people of Haiti. We implore You, let not the hearts of Your people despair nor our faith fail us, but sustain and comfort us. Direct all efforts to attend the injured, console the bereaved, and protect the helpless. Bring hope and healing that we may find relief and restoration; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

From the Lutheran Church of Australia, here are two prayers I have altered.

Gracious heavenly Father, there is shock and sorrow across the world at the loss of the life and the devastating effect of the recent earthquake. We struggle in the face of such calamity and cry out to You for Your comfort for those whose lives are now changed and who suffer so much. Mercifully embrace those who are frightened. Look with love and compassion on those who mourn. Restrain those who seek to instigate more destruction. In Your grace, turn tragedy into triumph through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Merciful Father, we commend to Your protection all those who work to bring relief to the earthquake victims. Give those who come to the rescue of others courage in danger and skill in difficult situations. Give them strength of body and clear minds that they may work most effectively in the service of those in need. Give us all compassion and a will to help restore devastated communities; through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord. Amen.

From the ELCA, slightly altered:

Merciful God,
Hear our cry for mercy in the wake of the earthquake.
Reveal Your presence in the midst of suffering.
Help us all to trust in Your promises of Hope and Life
so that desperation and grief will not overtake us.
Come quickly to the aid of Haitians, that they may know Your peace and joy.
Strengthen them in this time of trial
with the assurance of Hope in the death and resurrection
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Gracious God,
Your word stills the storms that rage in our world.
Bring Hope to places that know devastation in the calm after the earthquake.
Bring comfort to those who grieve the loss of loved ones and property.
Let Your Love be known through those who work to bring order in the chaos.
Help us all to shoulder the burden of suffering
and make us bearers of the Hope that can be found in You
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Loving God,
Be with those who endure the effects of the earthquake in Haiti.
Protect those in the path of danger.
Open the pathway of evacuations.
Help loved ones find each another in the chaos.
Provide assistance to those who need help.
Ease the fears of all and make Your presence known in the stillness of Your Peace;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

From North Tasmania Lutheran Parish, slightly altered:

Gracious heavenly Father,
Shock and sorrow is dominating our lives. Bring Your hope among us and among the people of Haiti. Help us as we ponder the loss of lives and property as a result of the earthquake. Bring comfort to those whose lives have altered so much in the last week and who suffer greatly. Mercifully embrace those who are frightened. Look with love and compassion on those who mourn. And give strength to all who offer care, support and rescue efforts during this time. Help us and all others be Your healing hands and comforting arms during this time. So that all in need may experience Your compassion, grace and mercy. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

(Based on Romans 8)

We know that You are is a compassionate God, a God for us, and that nothing can successfully be against us? You gave up Your own Son for all of us. Therefore neither troubles nor problems, sufferings nor hunger, nakedness nor danger, nor even violent death can separate us from Your Love. In all these things we are completely victorious through You. We are confident that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, Nothing now nor in the future, nor anything in the whole wide world is able to separate us from Your Love that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. In His Name we pray. Amen.

From the African Methodist/Episcopal Church, slightly altered:

Lord, we acknowledge that You are here, that You never leave us, even when all around us seemed to be falling apart. We are overcome by grief as we see the images of tragedy, hear cries for help, and feel the pain of others’ suffering. Give ear, O Lord to the cries from our hearts and bring light to darkness, joy to sorrow, healing to pain. Give us strength and courage to do what pleases You, that we can put Your love in action, by word and deed and make Your presence known, that others may come to know Your redeeming Love and put their trust in You. We ask this in the Name of Him who suffered for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

Finally, this hymn was written by Paul Mittermaier and has been altered a time or two. Here's mine for Haiti:

Eternal Father, strong to save,
The earthquake's fury has been grave,
We've seen the pictures, felt the grief,
Of Haitians needing Your relief.
O hear us as we cry to Thee
For those engulfed in tragedy.

O Saviour, Whose almighty hand
Protects all those in ev'ry land.
Send help and aid of ev'ry kind
Grant we a way to serve may find.
O hear us as we cry to Thee:
May Hope rise out of tragedy.

O Holy Spirit, work Your art
in ev'ry place and ev'ry heart.
Stir great compassion, healing, love
Pour down Your blessings from above.
O hear us as we cry to Thee:
May Hope rise out of tragedy.

O Trinity of love and power,
Bless all Your servants in this hour.
To bring relief, to find a way
To rebuild and to heal today.
O hear us as we cry to Thee:
May Hope rise out of tragedy!

Tune: Melita 88 88 88
copyright 2005 Paul Mittermaier, alt. MDS, 2010.

Series C; Epiphany II (Tyndale)

2010-01-14T20:06:00.002-06:00

I have realised that it might be difficult to distinguish between Tyndale's work and my editing. Therefore, my new method will be to copy the NKJV, making edits only when the KJV diverged from Tyndale, marked by italicisation. I have also decided to post the NKJV below for easier comparison of the two. Note: TU stands for Tyndale, updated.

I Cor 12:1-11 (TU)
1 In spiritual things, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles who went your ways to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I declare to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God defies Jesus. Also no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are truly diversities of gifts, but one Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries and yet but one Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities and yet it is one God who works all things that are worked in all creatures.
7 The gifts of the Spirit are given to each one for the profit of the congregation.
8 To one is given the utterance of wisdom through the Spirit. To another is given the utterance of knowledge through the same Spirit.
9 To another is given faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit.
10 To another power to do miracles, to another prophecy, to another judgement of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 And one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

I Cor 12:1-11 (NKJV)
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

John 2:1-11 (TU)
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana, a city of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 And when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were standing there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was turned into wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom.
10 And he said to him, “All men at the beginning set out the good wine, and when the guests have drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and showed His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.

John 2:1-11 (NKJV)
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and takeit to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

A commentary can be found here.

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Service of the Word Part I

2010-01-05T17:34:00.006-06:00

Kyrie (Greek for 'Lord, Have Mercy')

Explanation: The phrase (found in Mark 10, among other places) is more than just a cry for mercy. In ancient times, when a ruler would enter a city, he would do so either to commend someone for a particularly heroic act or to halt an insurrection. The citizens would gather to greet the ruler and shout, "Kyrie, eleison," pleading that their city be spared.

Likewise, our heavenly Ruler comes to His holy city of Zion in the Divine Service. Because we have rebelled against His perfect Law, we cower in terror and plead with Him not to destroy us for our insurrection (sin), but to deal with us graciously. We beg our benevelant King to have mercy on us, a sinner. (Luke 18:13)

Scripture: Mark 10:47, Matthew 15:22, Luke 18:13, Luke 18:38-43

Both sacramental and sacrificial (We greet our King Who is coming to us, having His promise of forgiveness).

Alternatives: The King of Glory Comes or perhaps a responsive reading that greets Jesus.

Hymns: The LSB devotes an entire section in the back of its hymnal to hymnified portions of the liturgy. Also, The Advent of Our King (331), vv. 1-3,6; O Lord, How Shall I Meet You (334), vv. 1,3,5; O Bride of Christ, Rejoice (335), vv. 1,5; The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns (348), vv. 1,5; Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come (350), v.4.

Gloria in Excelsis (Latin for 'Glory in the Highest')

Explanation: Assured He will come with mercy, we burst forth in song, proclaiming Who He is and what He has done for us. We sing the very same song that the angels sang when Christ physically came to earth (Immanuel- God-with-Us) to pay for the sin of all people, just as He comes here physically with His presence (assured in the Invocation), as well as in, with, and under the forms of bread and the wine, to forgive our sins. The proclamation text is really a paraphrase of the Te Deum, the canticle (Biblical song) for Matins (Morning Service). "Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world" is a reference to the quote of St. John the Baptist, when Jesus came to be baptised by John at the start of His ministry; likewise Christ is about to minister to us in His Word. The reference of Jesus as the Lamb of God is continued in a paraphrase of Revelation.

OR
This Is the Feast
Explanation: The image of Christ as the Lamb of God is repeated with added imagery from Revelation. The concept of praising God for Who He is and what has done is also continued. The imagery of Christmas has been replaced with the imagery of the End Time, when the angels will sing in response to Immanuel. "...has begun His reign:" We pray that Christ begins His reign in our hearts, through the hearing of His Word.
I really appreciate the two options, both because it highlights the Lutheran concept of the freedom of rites in the Divine Service, as well as this blog's motif 'variation on a liturgical theme.' 'This Is the Feast' could also be a great Communion hymn, as we are united with the "angels and archangels and all the company of Heaven."
Scripture: Luke 2:14; John 1:29; Revelation 5:12-13;19:5-9
Alternatives: Finding contemporary songs that acclaim God is easy. Finding songs that also reference Christ coming to us is not quite as easy; finding ones that reference Revelation is even tougher; but finding all of these in one is nearly impossible. My suggestion would be to sing two or three songs to cover what the Hymn of Praise does. Do God's people have to have these exact references? No, we have freedom in Christ; yet "What is permissible is not necessarily beneficial."
Hymns: All Glory Be to God Alone (LSB 948) can be sung to the Sussex Carol as a Christmas alternative. LSB 204 (To God on High Be Glory) can be sung to Valet Will ich dir Geben (LSB 442), referencing Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Series C; Epiphany (Tyndale)

2010-01-02T19:15:00.001-06:00

Ephesians 3:1-12

1 For this reason, I, Paul, am in the (jail) bonds of Jesus Christ for your sakes, you who are Gentiles,

2 If you have heard of the stewardship1 of the grace of God, which is given me for you.

3 For by revelation, He showed this mystery to me, as I wrote above in few words,

4 so that when you read, you may know my understanding in the mystery of Christ,

5 which in times passed wasn't opened to humans as it is now, declared to His holy apostles and prophets by the spirit,

6 that the Gentiles should also be heirs2 and of the same body and partakers of His promise that is in Christ, by the means of the GoodNews,

7 of which I have been made a minister through the gift of the grace of God, given to me through the working of His power.

8 To me, the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I might preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9 and to make all people see what the fellowship of the mystery is, which from the beginning of the world has been hidden in God, Who made all things through Jesus Christ,

10 with the intent that the infinite3 wisdom of God might now be known by the congregation, to the rulers and powers in heaven,

11 according to the eternal purpose, which He purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord,

12 by Whom we are bold to approach in the trust that we have by faith on Him.

Matthew 2:1-12

1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Jury, in the time of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

3 When Herod the King had heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him

4 and he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said to him, "at Bethlehem in Jury. For thus it is written by the prophet,

6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Jury, are not the least concerning the princes of Judah. For out of you shall come the captain Who shall govern My people, Israhel.4

7 Then Herod quickly called the wise men and diligently enquired of them the time that the star had appeared

8 And sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the Child. And when you have found Him, bring me word, that I may come and worship Him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

10 When they saw the star they were marvelously glad

11 and went into the house and found the Child with Mary, His mother, and knealed down and worshiped Him and opened their treasures and offered to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And after they were warned by God in a dream that they should not go again to Herod, they returned to their own country another way.

1 Tyndale has 'ministration.'
2 Tyndale has 'inheriteurs'
3 GWT
4 If one "thinks British," one will realise that this sounds closer to the original Hebrew than 'Israel.'

The originals can be found here and here.

A commentary can be found here.

New: Some alternative hymns can be found here.

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Acts of Entrance Part II

2009-12-30T21:25:00.000-06:00

Confession

Explanation: Before we enter the presence of God we must be pure. Thus we confess, or acknowledge, to Him who and what we are: sinners. We are honest- knowing He already knows our sinful condition- but confident of His forgiveness and mercy.
Scripture: for the order, the LSB uses I John 1, Psalm 32, and Psalm 130. Concerning our need for confession: James 5 and Hebrews 10.
Sacramental (God has written His Law in the Bible as well as on our hearts) and Sacrificial (we confess our sin).
Alternatives: (People need to confess their sin; this portion of the service should not be optional, unless private confession is a regular occurance.) I find that most congregations that use their own words for the confession come up short. Either they are too generic (i.e., they tip-toe around the issue of sin) or they are too specific. (e.g. "Lord, forgive us when we eat too much turkey.") Creative Worship usually does a pretty good job of writing confessions that are well-rounded, but also reference the particular season.
Hymns: "Lord, to You I Make Confession" (608) The tune is unfamiliar to many, but well worth learning.

Absolution

Explanation: This is where the pastor, on behalf of Christ, announces to all that they are absolved, or forgiven of their sins. Many Protestants struggle with this, however Jesus says in Matthew 16:19, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you free on earth shall be freed in heaven," (translated by yours truly) and in John 20:23, "If you forgive the sins of anyone, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (NIV)
Scripture: Matthew 16, and John 20.
Sacramental (God assures of His forgiveness in Christ)
Alternatives: Obviously, the Absolution must occur if there has been a confession. Again, check Creative Worship.
Hymns: Jesus Sinners Doth Receive (LSB 609) vv. 1,5-7

Introit (Latin for 'Entrance.')

Explanation: The Introit is usually a Psalm or a paraphrase of a Psalm, with a repeated refrain (Antiphon). Some chant the Psalm responsively, between the pastor and the congregation, others speak it. Once in a while a choir might sing a setting of the Psalm. Chanting is quite foreign to many people, but once learned it can be very effective in creating a numinous (having a wholly other quality) atmosphere.
Historically, this was the beginning of the DS, since Confession and Absolution was done privately. The priest, following the crucifer, et al., would chant the Introit as he made his way up the long cathedral. As the congregation realised what was going on (the bells and incense were big clues), they would turn and face the cross, reminding them that it is the cross that is the focus of God's service for humanity.
Scripture: Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3
Sacramental (God comes to dwell with/in us in His Word)
Alternatives: There are quite a few "contemporary" settings of Psalms out there.
Hymns: There are many paraphrases out there: our LSB has quite a few, the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) has a few more, and the Cantus Christi (Reformed) has a lot more, let alone Cyberhymnal. See also Hymnoglypt.

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Acts of Entrance Part I

2009-12-28T20:10:00.003-06:00

This is a continuation of my series that tries to help explain the elements of the Divine Service. At the conclusion of explanations, I'll also discuss whether something is sacrificial (we serve God) or sacramental (God serves us), what Scripture inspired this element, any (contemporary) alternatives, and any hymns based on that element.

The Divine Service is broken into 4 main sections: the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament, with an introduction (Acts of Entrance) and a conclusion (Acts of Dismissal).

Prelude

Explanation: Members can use the time to tune out their thoughts and cares of the outside world and tune in to the thoughts and cares of the spiritual world, namely our sin and God's solution. The front of the Lutheran Service Book (the LCMS' hymnal) has some very nice prayers that do just this.

Musically speaking, it is a great time to introduce an hymn tune that that may not be familiar to members of the congregation.
Sacrificial (we pray and meditate on His work for us)
Alternatives: While the prelude is optional, it is very useful and can be done effectively across musical boundaries. Controlled silence can be very effectual, but can quickly turn uncomfortable.

Opening Hymn/Gathering Song

Explanation: In purpose, this is a cross between the prelude (focuses our thoughts) and the invocation (invites God's Spirit on the congregation)
Scripture: Psalm 100:4, Psalm 144:5
Both Sacramental and Sacrificial (we sing and invite God's Spirit, Which has already come down)
Alternatives: There are quite a few good "contemporary" songs of invocation.

Invocation

Explanation:

1) We invoke, or call on, the Name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to bless our service. But there is much more to the invocation.

2) His Name was placed on us in our Baptism and we remember this in the invocation, which is why many make the sign of the cross (first done at their Baptism)

3) Christ tells us that "wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in My Name, there I Am among them." (Matt. 18:20, ESV, capitalisation added).

4) Christ's Name has power. St. John records in his account of the GoodNews that when the soldiers came to take Jesus away, they asked him if He was Jesus. "When Jesus said to them, 'I Am He,' (they) backed away and fell to the ground." (18:6, GWT, capitalisation added)

Scripture: John 18:6, Matthew 28:18-20, I Corinthians 5:4, Colossians 3:17

Sacramental (God comes to us, just as He promised)

Alternatives: The invocation can easily be expanded. For example, "In the Name of the Father Who creates us etc. It's also very easy to make this seasonal. For example, "In the Name of the Son Who (came to us in the flesh, died for us, etc.)." The only danger is making this section too long.

Hymns: Heavenly Father, Jesus Taught Us by Emanuel Cronenwett. It can be found in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal; The meter is 87 87 D and I think Hyfrydol (LSB 700) fits it well.

Heav'nly Father, Jesus taught us

Trustingly to call Thee ours;

Lovingly Thy mercy sought us

Early in life's tender hours.

Thou from Satan's realm hast saved us,

Hast adopted us Thine own;

In baptismal water cleansed us,

Given us a fadeless crown.

Heav'nly Father, Jesus taught us

Thus to call Thee, in His Name;

His enduring merits wrought us

Graciously this childhood's claim.

Then with 'Abba, Father!' come we,

Place us wholly in Thy care;

O, let nothing rend us from Thee!

Heed and hear Thy children's prayer.

Heav'nly Father, Jesus taught us

That, where Thou art we shall be;

Hence the Holy Spirit brought us

Into childlike faith in Thee.

In Thine house are mansions spacious,

For the many ransomed blest!

Take us, then, O Father gracious!

There are home, sweet peace, and rest.

Emanuel Cronenwett, alt.

Christmas I; Series C (Tyndale)

2009-12-26T15:18:00.002-06:00

Here is my update of Tyndale's lessons for Christmas I. These are different from other RCL lessons. Also note: Tyndale did translate Exodus.

Exodus 13:1-3a; 11-15
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Sanctify to Me all the firstborn that open all kinds of wombs1 among the children of Israel- of humans as well as beasts- for they are Mine."
3 And Moses said to the people, "Think on this day in which you came out of Egypt and out of the house of bondage: for with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out from there.
11 Moreover, when the Lord has brought you into the land of the Canaanytes, as He has sworn to you and to your parents, and has given it to you,
12 you will appoint to the Lord all that opens the womb, all the firstborn among the beasts that you have, if they are males.
13 And all the firstborn of the donkeys: you will redeem with a sheep; if you don't redeem him, then break his neck. But you will buy-back2 all the firstborn among your children.
14 And when your son asks you in times to come, saying, "What is this?" You will say to him, "With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
15 And when Pharao loathed to let us go, the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstborn of humans as well as of beasts. And therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my children3 I must redeem.

Colossians 3:12-17
12 Now, therefore, as elect of God, holy and loved, put on4 tenderness, mercy, kindness, humility of mind, meekness, fortitude5,
13 Putting up with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a quarrel with another; just as Christ forgave you, do so likewise.5
14 Above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And (may) the peace of God rule in your hearts to which you are called in one body. And see the you be thankfull.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you pleneously in all wisdom. Teach and exhort yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, which have favour with them, singing in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And all things (whatever you do in word or deed), do in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Luke 2:22-40
22 And when the time of their purification (following the law of Moyses) had come, they brought Him to Hierusalem to present Him to the Lord.
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every man that first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord)
24 And to offer (as it is said in the law of the Lord) a pair of turtle doves or to young pigeons.
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And the same man was upright and feared God and longed for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was in him.
26 And an answer had been given to him, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by inspiration into the temple. And when the father and mother brought in the child, Jesus, to do for Him following the custom of the law,
28 then he took Him up in his arms and said,
29 "Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your promise.
30 For my eyes seen Your Saviour sent from You,
31 Whom You have prepared before the face of all people.
32 A Light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel."
33 And His father and mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, "Behold, this Child shall be the fall and resurrection of many in Israel and a sign which shall be spoken against.
35 And moreover, the sword shall pierce your soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be opened."
36 And there was a prophetess, one Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser, who was of a great age and had lived with an husband (only) 7 years from her virginity.
37 And shee had been a widow about four score and four years; she never went out of the temple but served God with fasting and prayer night and day.
38 And the same came forth that same hour and praised the Lord and spoke of Him to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 And as soon as they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and gradually became6 strong in spirit and was filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was with Him.

1 Tyndale has 'matrices,' a borrowing from the French for 'womb.'
2 Tyndale has 'buy-out.'
3 Tyndale uses the term 'children,' unlike the ESV and GWT.
4 Tyndale excludes the word 'bowels.'
5 Tyndale has 'long suffering.'
6 Tyndale has 'waxed.'

Tyndale's originals can be found here on page 107, here, and here.
A commentary can be found here.

Christmas Readings tr. Tyndale

2009-12-26T13:14:00.004-06:00

My appologies for the delay in posts. I'm home from college and my folks still don't have internet.
Since I've missed so much, I'll at least post the three accounts of the Christmas story, updated from Tyndale. I'll also post Tyndale's original (spelling modernised) for Luke's account, since the KJV is so familiar.

Matthew 1:18-25
18 The birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before the came to dwell together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her fiancé, being an upright man, and loathing to make an example of her, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 While he thought this, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, the son of David, fear not to take unto you Mary your wife.
21 She will bring forth a Son and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.
22 All this was done to fulfill that which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 "Behold, a maiden will be pregnant and will bring forth a Son and they will call His Name "Immanuel," which is, upon interpretation, "God with us."
24 And Joseph, as soon as he awoke out of sleep, did as the angel of the Lord bid him and took his wife to himself
25 and did not 'know' her until she had brought forth her first Son and called His Name "Jesus."

Luke 2:1-20 (orig.)
1 And it chanced in those days that there went out a commandment from Augustus the Emperor that all the world should be taxed.
2 And this taxing was the first and executed when Syrenius was leftenant in Syria.
3 And every man went unto his own city to be taxed.
4 And Joseph also ascended from Galilee- out of a city called Nazareth, into Jury, unto the city of David, which is called Bethleem, because he was of the house and lineage of David-
5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, which was with-child.
6 And it fortuned while they were there her time was come that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her first begotten Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them within the inn.
8 And there were, in the same region, shepherds abiding in the field and watching their flock by night.
9 And lo, the angel of the Lord stood hard by them and the brightness of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid.
10 But the angel said unto them, "Be not afraid. For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy that shall come to all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And take this for a sign: ye shall find the child swaddled and laid in a manger.
13 And straight way there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly soldiers lauding God and saying,
14 "Glory to God on high and peace on the earth; and unto men rejoicing."
15 And it fortuned as soon as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said, one to another, "Let us go even unto Bethleem and see this thing that is happened which the Lord hath showed unto us.
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe laid in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they published abroad the saying which was told of them of that Child.
18 And all that heard it wondered at those things which were told them of the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all those sayings and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, praising and lauding God for all that they had heard and seen, even as it was told unto them.

Luke 2:1-20
1 And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Augustus the Emperor that all the (Roman) world must be taxed.
2 And this was the first taxing and (was) executed when Quirenius was leftenant in Syria.
3 And everyone went to his1 own city to be taxed.
4 And Joseph also went up2 from Galilee- out of a city called Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was a descendent of David-
5 to be taxed with Mary his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6 And it happened while they were there that the time had come for her to deliver.
7 And she produced her first-born Son and wrapped Him in baby clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them within the inn.3
8 And in the same area there were shepherds staying in the fields and watching their flock at night.
9 And the angel of the Lord came up to them and the brightness of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said unto them, "Don't be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.
11 For today, in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord, is born for you.
12 And take this as a sign: you will find the child wrapped up and lying in a manger.
13 And right away there was, with the angel, an huge number of heavenly soldiers praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God on high and peace on the earth; and (peace to His people on earth.)4
15 And it happened that as soon as the angels gone gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has shown to us.
16 And they went with urgency and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen this, they made known the saying that had been told to them of that Child.
18 And all that heard it wondered at those things which had been told to them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all those sayings and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, praising and honouring God for all that they had seen and heard, just as it had been told to them.

John 1:1-17
1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
2 The Same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by It and without It nothing was made that was made.
4 In It was life and the life was the light of humanity
5 and the light shines in the darkness but the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7 The same came as a witness to bear witness of the Light, so that all people might believe through Him.
8 He was not that light, but bore witness to the Light.
9 That was a true Light which lights all people that come into the world.
10 He was in the world and the world was made by Him: and yet the world did not know Him.
11 He came among His own and His own did not receive Him.
12 But asmany as received Him, to them He gave power to be the sons5 of God in that they believed on His Name,
13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor still of the will of humnaity, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelled6 among us and we saw the glory of it as the glory of teh only begotten Son of the Father, which Word was full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of him and cried, saying, "This was He of Whom I spoke, 'He that comes after me was before me because He was better7 than I.
16 And of His fullness we have all received grace after grace.
17 For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

1 'His' is correct. The men were the only ones that mattered; women went to their husbands' hometown.
2 Physically up, not northward.
3 Or guesthouse. Since Bethlehem was Joseph's hometown, he should have had relatives who lived there. For whatever reason, their space was filled up, so they sent the new family to the ___.
4 LSB 154
5 If one understands the Roman concept of adoption, 'sons' is the correct term here.
6 Greek has 'tabernacled.'
7 Tyndale has 'yer.' I'm not sure of this word.

Tyndale's original translation of Matthew can be found here. His original John can be found here.
A commentary can be found here.

Understanding the Liturgical Worship Service: Introduction

2009-12-13T15:19:00.001-06:00

The definition of liturgy is an interesting topic. It can mean, 'traditional,' 'ceremony,' 'work of the people,' or who-knows-what.

I'm going to choose to define liturgy as the traditional order of the Church. Thus a liturgical calendar would include the traditional holy-days, seasons, etc. and a liturgical worship service would include the traditional elements of the Divine Service/ Mass.

There is also the issue of how historical the worship liturgy really is. Some believe it originated in the 3rd-5th centuries, others in the 16th century, still others the early 20th century. All these beliefs have elements of truth.

A brief history: the order of service originated as a Christianisation of the Old Testament worship liturgy. Over time various responses (mostly from Scripture) were added. By the mid 1st millenium A.D., the liturgy would have looked semi-familiar. However, the order to continued to evolve and expand and.by the time the 16th century rolled around, the mass was jam-packed with frivolities; so Luther and his co-horts translated the service into the vernacular and stripped down the liturgy to what they believed were original and essential. As the Lutheran church got older, however, more and more elements of the liturgy were being dropped. In the mid 19th century C.F.W. Walther and other confessional Lutherans once again "restored" the elements of the liturgy to what they believed were historically Lutheran. The early 20th century saw the service translated into English and new tunes to accompany the text.

In reality, the basic outline is from the 3rd-5th centuries, a few elements are from the 16th century, and the final product as we know it is largely from the early 20th century. David Luecke doesn't necessarily agree, but that's another story.

Anyway, many Lutherans are questioning the value of liturgical worship today. Questions are being raised as to its enjoyability, understandability, and relevance. While I don't pretend be an expert, I do believe the liturgy is enjoyable and relevant- especially if one understands what's going on. Therefore, I'm going to make my pitch for the liturgical worship service in future posts.