With this post, I continue by beginning the Explanation of THE ORDER OF The Service, from the Invocation through the Preparation.
Some points that may be worth pondering as you read this Explanation:
- It is interesting to observe the delicate balance of sacramental and sacrificial in the Liturgy, as it is described in this Explanation. Is it not a demonstration of the same delicate balance between Law and Gospel for which we Lutherans strive? Indeed, the balance of sacrament and sacrifice in the Divine Service, is the Law & Gospel of liturgical life! What can careless meddling with it accomplish, but to disrupt this balance and lead worshipers into false worship and error? I quoted Dr. Gene E. Veith to this effect last week in the post Culture and Lutheran Worship: "[d]esigning a liturgy ...is no light or easy undertaking. It demands the best and most careful work of high culture scholars, theologians, and musicians." In Day 3 of my series of posts, Lutheran Worship: History & Practice, I similarly quoted Dr. Arthur A. Just:
- One problem today is that our congregations are generally uninstructed, not only in biblical theology and Lutheran liturgical traditions, but worse, they do not know the Lutheran tradition as a positive unfolding of the New Testament and early post-apostolic church, which in turn comes from the Old Testament as practiced by Jesus himself... Concerned liturgical scholars are well aware of the consequences of lost liturgy and are equally aware of the sad state of biblical knowledge and traditional awareness in our congregations. They recognize that it is disastrous to leave the liturgy in the hands of people who know little of liturgy, theology, or Scripture.
In a favorable construction, the Church Growth Movement (CGM) in Lutheranism has sprouted from a good thing -- evangelical zeal. Nevertheless, it has succeeded in creating its own imbalance of sacramental and sacrificial in the Divine Service: CGM is elevating the sacrificial elements of the Divine Service by holding them up as sacrament. That is, taking their lead from non-Lutheran Protestants, whose theology of worship is distinctly sacrificial, CGM Lutherans have reformulated the sacrificial elements of the Divine Service according to the distinctives of pop-culture, and emphasized them as "sacrament" by pointing out their supposed evanglical utility -- indeed, requiring these reformulations in order for the Church to be evangelically effective -- while eliminating sacramental elements of the Divine Service or otherwise allowing these supercharged sacrificial elements to overshadow them. CGM is corrupting Lutheran Worship by using the Law as a form of Gospel. This is truly "upside-down evangelism," is it not?
Are we Lutheran laymen well-catechized enough to spot these errors? If not, then we will need to diligently and judiciously seek our own catechesis, not only for our benefit, but for the benefit of the Church and for the benefit of Society.
-------------------------
An Explanation of the Common Service (1908)
Board of Publication of the General Council of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America
To the
Young Lutheran who asks
The Meaning of the
Beautiful Liturgy of
His church
Board of Publication of the General Council of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America
To the
Young Lutheran who asks
The Meaning of the
Beautiful Liturgy of
His church
...
ORDER OF The Service OR The Communion
24. What name is given to our principal Service?
Order of The Service or The Communion. German: Haupt-Gottesdienst (Chief Service). Swedish: Högmässa (High Mass). Norwegian and Danish: Höimesse (High Mass). The term Mass is authorized by the Augsburg Confession (Art. XXIV).
25. Should it be used at any other than a morning hour?
Certainly. It should always be used when only one service is held on Sunday; and also whenever the Communion is administered.
26. What private preparation should the Christian make before attending the Service on the Lord's Day?
He should devoutly read the Introit, Collect, Epistle and Gospel, of the Day.
27.What should be the first act of the worshiper upon entering the House of God?
He should bow his head in silent prayer, asking God to prepare his heart for worship.
- A FORM OF SILENT PRAYER
O God, Send Thy Holy Spirit into my heart, that He may enable me to receive the gift of grace which Thou hast for me this Day, through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.
Because it is only by the Holy Ghost that we can render worship to God through Christ. I Cor. 12:3; Eph. 2:18.
Invocation
"In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
"In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
29. Why does the Service begin in the name of the Triune God?
Because God has reveled Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and it is by His authority that the Minister proclaims the Gospel, and for His worship that a Christian congregation assembles. Compare Ex. 3:13-14, and Matt. 18:20.
30.Why does the congregation respond, Amen?
Amen means, So be it. By its use here the congregation accepts and confirms the words of the Minister.
The Preparation: The Confession of Sins
31. What is the purpose of the preparatory Confession?
It prepares the hearts of both Minister and congregation for communion with God. Without sincere confession of sin, God does not bestow His grace upon us; nor does He accept our sacrifices of prayer, praise and thanksgiving.
32. Name the several parts of the Preparation.
- I. The Exhortation
II. The Versicle
III. The Confession of Sins
IV. The Prayer for Grace
V. The Declaration of Grace
The Exhortation
“Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart, and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.”
33. What is suggested in this Exhortation?
“Let us draw near,” i.e., The entrance to the Divine Sanctuary is always open to us, our great High Priest and Reconciler being there to receive us. This approach is the mark of a true believer. Read Heb. 10:22
“With a true heart,” i.e., Properly prepared to confess; not hypocritical or double-minded; conscious of our depravity and failings. Read Psalm 32:5 and I John 1:8-9.
“And confess our sins,” etc. This we do in the following Confession.
“Beseeching Him ...forgiveness.” This we do in the Prayer for Grace.
The Versicle
“Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
Who made heaven and earth.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”
34. What is the office of a Versicle?
Versicles are short passages of Scripture intended to incite the worshipers to devotion and to suggest the central thought of what follows. Here the Versicle encourages us to approach.
35. Where is this Versicle found?
In Psalms 124 and 32.
36. What is indicated in the Versicle?
- 1. From Whom our help comes
2. God's power to help
3. The condition on which help is granted
4. A word of God assuring help
37. What is contained in the Confession proper?
- I. A confession to God by the Minister for himself and the congregation,
- 1. Of original sin,
2. Of actual sin in thought, word, and deed.
The Prayer for Grace
“O Most merciful God, Who hast given Thine Only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us, and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins: and by Thy Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of Thee, and of Thy will, and true obedience to Thy Word, to the end that by Thy grace we may come to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
38. What is contained in the Prayer for Grace?
- I. The ground of this prayer – the death of Christ.
II. The petitions of this prayer,
- 1. For mercy
2. For grace
3. For an increase:
- (a) of the knowledge of God and His will, and
(b) of true obedience to His Word
The Declaration of Grace
“Almighty God, our heavenly Father, hath had mercy upon us, and hath given His Only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgiveth us all our sins. To them that believe on His Name, He giveth power to become sons of God, and hath promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. Grant this, O Lord, unto us all. Amen.”
39. What is contained in the Declaration of Grace?
- I. That God has always had mercy upon us, and therefore gave His Son to die for us.
II. That for Christ's sake He now forgives us all our sins.
III. That to those who believe He grants the increase of knowledge and obedience for which they pray, by giving them power to become the sons of God, and by giving unto them His Holy Spirit.
40. With what does this Declaration close?
With the prayer that the Holy Spirit may work this faith in us, and thus apply to each heart the forgiveness which Christ has obtained for it.
These words (“Grant this, O Lord, unto us all”) resolve what precedes into a prayer for the forgiveness of the confessing penitent, which was the earliest form of the Absolution (precative). The form in the Order of Public Confession is declarative (“I declare unto you,” etc.). The form used in the Roman Church is indicative (“I absolve thee”).
41. What is the significance of the Amen here?
It affirms our belief that God has forgiven our sins. Amen: Yea, yea, it shall be so.
5 comments:
Fantastic series Mr. Finkelstein.
I would object to this statement though, "In a favorable construction, the Church Growth Movement (CGM) in Lutheranism has sprouted from a good thing -- evangelical zeal." This statement would indicate it is possible for a fig tree to produce thistles, or in this case a fig (fruit - evangelical zeal) to sprout a thistle (CGM). This isn't a contention about the order of nature but that Christ says it is always good to be zealous in a good thing and also that a good tree cannot bear evil fruit. Evangelical zeal grounded in Christ did not sprout the luciferic tree of CGM.
Matt. 7:15-20, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
To hold to the statement would be in harmony with the Church Growth Movement which in part is founded on the false doctrine of UOJ which embraces the combining of evil and good, good and evil, God declaring those carnaly minded as righteous and justified etc.
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
Brett,
Thank you again for reading, and for offering your comments, above. The term "favorable construction" always seems to imply a naive dismissal of negative information -- even though that is not its purpose at all. The purpose, as you know, is to act in the interest of others, to defend the character of one's neighbor, until all the facts, both negative and positive, regarding their motives and actions are known. In the case of CGM, however, it is not a matter of personal motivations or other aspects of sin that individuals may involve themselves in. Rather, it is a matter of Public Offense. Regardless of individual intent or actions, the errors and offense created by CGM are publicly engaged in, they impact the entire Church, and are a matter of objective appraisal on the basis of public statements and actions that occur in the name of the Church.
Because people tend to immediately take things personally, however, I opted to assure individuals that decrying teachings and methods of CGM does not mean that I am also decrying evangelical motivations they may personally have... Even so, perhaps my use of the phrase "favorable construction" is out of place, and only contributes to confusion, given that the issue is a matter Public Offense, and not a Private matter at all.
You raise the point, however, that good motivations cannot give rise to evil fruit. Perhaps I misread St. Paul on this, in Gal. 4, but was he not chastising them for being carried away in their "zealous affectations," to the point of rejecting his teaching? Recalling from my catechesis, I understand the the term "sin" generally means "a falling short of God's expectations," and that there are two categories of sin often addressed in the Bible. One is "transgression," which is a "rebellious crossing of the line." The second is "iniquity," which is a "perversion of what God has told or given to us," into something evil. Surely, "a good tree cannot bear bad fruit," but is this the end of the matter? How does this square with what the Bible clearly refers to as a perversion of what is Good into something that is sinful, or evil?
Can we not say that Christians, being sinful people, may start with otherwise proper motivations, yet fall into error? I agree that the teachings of CGM are fundamentally false, and like all falsehoods, only serve the Father of Lies. However, I don't think it is fair to say that Christians who fall into these errors, being captivated by the allure of "glory," are also fundamentally evil. They are sinner-saints, and the old man has temporarily gotten the best of them -- they need to be called to repentance. We also need to recognize those who are hardened in their error, and send them out from among us. This applies to clergy as well as laity, and after 30 years, it's about time we start talking seriously of such separation.
Did I miss your point? Perhaps I'm being too soft...
Anyway, thanks for reading and posting your thoughts. It's now time for me to get back to what's left of my lunchtime...
Freddy
I understood your "favorable construction" as a friendly gesture to those caught up in the CGM.
Christ through Paul was chastising the Galations for allowing themselves to be carried away by the false doctrine of false teachers who were trying to pull them away from Paul's teaching, Christ's doctrine.
His reference to their zealous affectations in verse 18 was in reference to how they first accepted Paul's teachings and since they were zealously affected then why aren't they still. Luther in his commentary on Galations says this of the verse, ""When I was present with you, you loved me, although I preached the Gospel to you in the infirmity of my flesh. The fact that I am now absent from you ought not to change your attitude towards me. Although I am absent in the flesh, I am with you in spirit and in my doctrine which you ought to retain by all means because through it you received the Holy Spirit."
I would still say that good motivations do not give rise to evil fruit in and of itself. To attribute any responsibility for evil to anything good is wrong. It is sin's (evil) affect on a person which may produce the evil fruit even though the person also has good motivations. If the fruit is evil it is soley the effect of sin alone and not also of the good intention (motivation).
Matt 12:35, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." It does not say a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth evil things.
I would maintain that the sentence I object to is not speaking of individuals affected by the CGM but the false and satanic movement itself. As such a delination between transgression and iniquity is not in order. The Movement itself is satanic because of it's rejection of the Holy Spirit etc. etc. and can be judged on those facts alone. It seems that your effort to assure CGM supporters that you don't decry their motivations lead you, in my opinion, to falsely attribute the source of the satanic movement to too much of a good thing. I think your last full paragraph supports this since you feel I was condemning the entire breadth of humanity who embrace the Church Growth Movement. I wasn't. I condemn the movement itself and the false doctrines that are inseparable from it.
In regards to those shown to be persistent CGM errorists I would agree with Luther in his comments on verse 17 of his commentary on Galations, "They say it would be better if we would make some slight concession rather than cause such commotion and controversy in the Church regarding an article which is not even one of the fundamental doctrines. My reply is, cursed be any love or harmony which demands for its preservation that we place the Word of God in jeopardy!" I would agree that it would be unfair to say that Christians who fall into these errors are fundamentally evil. To clarify even further it would be wrong to say that Christians who unwittingly fall into error are evil. Although those who do so intentionally and continue in it, defending the error, are not Christian but oppose Christ and His Church. Hebrews 10:26, "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"
Still really enjoying your series,
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
Brett,
Thanks again for your comments. Glad you're enjoying the series -- there's at least three more parts to come...
You make the following statement, above: "I would still say that good motivations do not give rise to evil fruit in and of itself" followed later by, "[i]t seems that your effort to assure CGM supporters that you don't decry their motivations lead you, in my opinion, to falsely attribute the source of the satanic movement to too much of a good thing. I think your last full paragraph supports this since you feel I was condemning the entire breadth of humanity who embrace the Church Growth Movement. I wasn't. I condemn the movement itself and the false doctrines that are inseparable from it." (emphasis mine)
I agree with your clarifying statements, here. It isn't "too much of a good thing" at all, but, I would argue, a sinful perversion of something good that has lead to so many Christians to fall into the errors of CGM. I don't think I made that clear enough.
Also, if I inferred that you were "condemning the entire breadth of humanity who embrace CGM," it was only in an attempt to draw out three important distinctions for those who may read our commentary: (1) the false teachings of CGM and appropriate condemnation of this movement, (2) the need to call individual Christians who have fallen into the errors of CGM to repentance, and (3) the need to identify those hardened in their CGM errors (indeed, even the need to be willing to do so), and to send them out from among us, as the Scriptures direct us to do.
Thanks again for your clarifying notes!
Freddy
I embrace your clarification and explanation. Many thanks.
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