Bethany and Concordia

Many Christians are confused about God’s command to sanctify the day of rest. Does that mean we need to observe the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, as a day reserved from work and dedicated to worship? Does it mean we should do the same thing on Sunday? Or are we completely free from gathering with other believers for worship, now that we live in the time of the New Testament? Is it pleasing to God if we allow work and other scheduling concerns to dominate our days, so that there is no time left for rest, or for hearing God’s Word? May we do necessary work on the day of rest?

The answers to these questions are contained in the Large Catechism, where Martin Luther wrote about the Third Commandment. This extensive quote comes from the new “Reader’s Edition” of the Book of Concord from Concordia Publishing House, pages 367-370. You can find the edition upon which it was based online at the Book of Concord web site.

[79] The word holiday is used for the Hebrew word sabbath, which properly means “to rest,” that is, to cease from labor. Therefore, we usually say, “to stop working.” Or “Sanctify the Sabbath.” [80] Now, in the Old Testament, God set apart the seventh day and appointed it for rest [Genesis 2:3]. He commanded that it should be regarded as holy above all other days. This commandment was given only to the Jewish people for this outward obedience, that they should stop toilsome work and rest. In that way both man and beast might recover and not be weakened by endless labor [Exodus 20:8-11]. [81] Later, the Jewish people restricted the Sabbath too closely and greatly abused it. They defamed Christ and could not endure in Him the same works that they themselves would do on that day, as we read in the Gospel [Matthew 12:11]. They acted as though the commandment were fulfilled by doing no manual work whatsoever. This, however, was not the meaning. But, as we shall hear, they were supposed to sanctify the holy day or day of rest.

[82] This commandment, therefore, in its literal sense, does not apply to us Christians. It is entirely an outward matter, like other ordinances of the Old Testament. The ordinances were attached to particular customs, persons, times, and places, but now they have been made matters of freedom through Christ [Colossians 2:16-17].

[83] The simpleminded need to grasp a Christian meaning about what God requires in this commandment. Note that we don’t keep holy days for the sake of intelligent and learned Christians. (They have no need of holy days.) We keep them first of all for bodily causes and necessities, which nature teaches and requires. We keep them for the common people, manservants and maidservants, who have been attending to their work and trade the whole week. In this way they may withdraw in order to rest for a day and be refreshed.

[84] Second, and most especially, on this day of rest (since we can get no other chance), we have the freedom and time to attend divine service. We come together to hear and use God’s Word, and then to praise God, to sing and to pray [Colossians 3:16].

[85] However, this keeping of the Sabbath, I point out, is not restricted to a certain time, as with the Jewish people. It does not have to be just on this or that day. For in itself no one day is better than another [Romans 14:5-6]. Instead, this should be done daily. However, since the masses of people cannot attend every day, there must be at least one day in the week set apart. From ancient times Sunday ‹the Lord’s Day› has been appointed for this purpose. So we also should continue to do the same, in order that everything may be done in an orderly way [1 Corinthians 14:40] and no one may create disorder by starting unnecessary practices.

[86] This is the simple meaning of the commandment: People must have holidays. Therefore, such observances should be devoted to hearing God’s Word so that the special function of this day of rest should be the ministry of the Word for the young and the mass of poor people [Nehemiah 8:2-3, 8]. Yet the resting should not be strictly understood to forbid any work that comes up, which cannot be avoided.

[87] So when someone asks you, “What is meant by the commandment: You shall sanctify the holy day?” Answer like this, “To sanctify the holy day is the same as to keep it holy.” “But what is meant by keeping it holy?” “Nothing else than to be occupied with holy words, works, and life.” For the day needs no sanctification for itself. It has been created holy in itself. But God desires the day to be holy to you. Therefore, it becomes holy or unholy because of you, whether you are occupied on that day with things that are holy or unholy.

[88] How, then, does such sanctification take place? Not like this: sitting behind the stove and doing no rough work, or adorning ourselves with a wreath and putting on our best clothes. But as said above, we occupy ourselves with God’s Word and exercise ourselves in the Word.

[89] Indeed, we Christians ought always to keep such a holy day and be occupied with nothing but holy things. This means we should daily be engaged with God’s Word and carry it in our hearts and upon our lips [Psalm 119:11-13]. But as said above, since we do not always have free time, we must devote several hours a week for the sake of the young, or at least a day for the sake of the entire multitude, to being concerned about this alone. We must especially teach the use of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, and so direct our whole life and being according to God’s Word. [90] At whatever time, then, this is being observed and practiced, there a true holy day is being kept. Other things shall not be called a Christians’ holy day. For, indeed, non-Christians can also stop working and be idle, just as the entire swarm of our Church workers do. They stand daily in the churches, singing and ringing bells, but they do not keep a holy day in true holiness, because they do not preach or use God’s Word but teach and live contrary to it.

[91] God’s Word is the true “holy thing” [Heiligtum; relic] above all holy things. Yes, it is the only one we Christians know and have. Though we had the bones of all the saints or all holy and consecrated garments upon a heap, still that would not help us at all. All that stuff is a dead thing that can sanctify no one. But God’s Word is the treasure that sanctifies everything [1 Timothy 4:5]. By the Word even all the saints themselves were sanctified [1 Corinthians 6:11]. [92] Whenever God’s Word is taught, preached, heard, read, or meditated upon, then the person, day, and work are sanctified. This is not because of the outward work, but because of the Word, which makes saints of us all. Therefore, I constantly say that all our life and work must be guided by God’s Word, if it is to be God-pleasing or holy. Where this is done, this commandment is in force and being fulfilled.

[93] On the contrary, any observance or work that is practiced without God’s Word is unholy before God. This is true no matter how brilliantly a work may shine, even though it is covered with relics, such as the fictitious spiritual orders, which know nothing about God’s Word and seek holiness in their own works.

[94] Note, therefore, that the force and power of this commandment lies not in the resting, but in the sanctifying, so that a special holy exercise belongs to this day. For other works and occupations are not properly called holy exercises, unless the person is holy first. But here a work is to be done by which a person is himself made holy. This is done (as we have heard) only through God’s Word. For this reason, particular places, times, persons, and the entire outward order of worship have been created and appointed, so that there may be order in public practice [1 Corinthians 14:40].

[95] So much depends upon God’s Word. Without it, no holy day can be sanctified. Therefore, we must know that God insists upon a strict observance of this commandment and will punish all who despise His Word and are not willing to hear and learn it, especially at the time appointed for the purpose.

[96] It is not only the people who greatly misuse and desecrate the holy day who sin against this commandment (those who neglect to hear God’s Word because of their greed or frivolity or lie in taverns and are dead drunk like swine). But even that other crowd sins. They listen to God’s Word like it was any other trifle and only come to preaching because of custom. They go away again, and at the end of the year they know as little of God’s Word as at the beginning. [97] Up to this point the opinion prevailed that you had properly hallowed Sunday when you had heard a Mass or the Gospel read. But no one cared for God’s Word, and no one taught it. Now that we have God’s Word, we fail to correct the abuse. We allow ourselves to be preached to and admonished, but we do not listen seriously and carefully.

[98] Know, therefore, that you must be concerned not only about hearing, but also about learning and retaining God’s Word in memory. Do not think that this is optional for you or of no great importance. Think that it is God’s commandment, who will require an account from you [Romans 14:12] about how you have heard, learned, and honored His Word.

[99] Likewise, those fussy spirits are to be rebuked who, after they have heard a sermon or two, find hearing more sermons to be tedious and dull. They think that they know all that well enough and need no more instruction. For that is exactly the sin that was previously counted among mortal sins and is called akadia (i.e., apathy or satisfaction). This is a malignant, dangerous plague with which the devil bewitches and deceives the hearts of many so that he may surprise us and secretly take God’s Word from us [Matthew 13:19].

[100] Let me tell you this, even though you know God’s Word perfectly and are already a master in all things: you are daily in the devil’s kingdom [Colossians 1:13-14]. He ceases neither day nor night to sneak up on you and to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against these three commandments and all the commandments. Therefore, you must always have God’s Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where the heart is idle and the Word does not make a sound, the devil breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware [Matthew 13:24-30]. [101] On the other hand, the Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, it is bound never to be without fruit [Isaiah 55:11; Mark 4:20]. It always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts [Philippians 4:8]. For these words are not lazy or dead, but are creative, living words [Hebrews 4:12]. [102] And even though no other interest or necessity moves us, this truth ought to urge everyone to the Word, because thereby the devil is put to flight and driven away [James 4:7]. Besides, this commandment is fulfilled and this exercise in the Word is more pleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy, however brilliant.

In 1530, Lutherans had an opportunity to explain themselves in defense against a number of unfair accusations. It was said that they were abolishing the divine service (with the Lord’s Supper, then called “the Mass”), and getting rid of many long-standing church ceremonies. Here is part of their defense:

Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass. The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence. Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved, except that the parts sung in Latin are interspersed here and there with German hymns. These have been added to teach the people. For ceremonies are needed for this reason alone, that the uneducated be taught what they need to know about Christ. … All those able to do so partake of the Sacrament together. This also increases the reverence and devotion of public worship. No one is admitted to the Sacrament without first being examined. The people are also advised about the dignity and use of the Sacrament, about how it brings great consolation to anxious consciences, so that they too may learn to believe God and to expect and ask from Him all that is good. This worship pleases God. Such use of the Sacrament nourishes true devotion toward God. Therefore, it does not appear that the Mass is more devoutly celebrated among our adversaries than among us.

Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, p. 47-48

As we prepare to enter the season of Lent for 2010, there is much planning to do in our little parish. We are blessed in many ways, not least in having Vicar Gullixson and his family among us. Lord willing, that will continue at least until June. After their stay with us, we will have to readjust to a parish life without a vicar.

In the meantime, we expect to celebrate the confirmation of some of our Jr. Members at both churches on Palm Sunday. We anticipate joint mid-week Lent services, beginning on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17) at 6:30 PM, at Bethany, and then alternating weekly between the two churches until Palm Sunday. After Ash Wednesday, we’ll have a “Soup & Sandwich Supper” at 6:20, followed by a Lent service at 7. Candidates for confirmation will have a public examination in those services.

After Easter, everyone is invited to the Emmaus Conference, held at Parkland Lutheran Church in Tacoma. This will be its third year. The Jacobsens are planning to take some vacation time after April 11, while Vicar Gullixson will be here to “watch the shop.”

In May, Bethany is planning to celebrate its 25th year with a special service. We hope that Pastor Frank Fiedler will be able to attend and preach. Well before that happens, Bethany’s narthex project should be finished, so that we can dedicate it to the glory of God, with thanksgiving for His merciful goodness. (At present, the only essential thing remaining is some fine-tuning of the new outer doors.) As the Summer season approaches, we can be thankful again that God provided the means to replace our air conditioner in 2009.

2010 is already a banner year for Concordia, since we have adopted a revised constitution that we can fully uphold in practice. It will be submitted to the synod this year for review. At our annual meeting, we elected office-holders with a one-year term, since our constitution calls for an election in every odd-numbered year. Also, the narthex renovations at Concordia seem nearly complete, with a beautiful, new, level floor and a fine, custom railing made from local materials. Our guests should already find a welcoming, pleasant atmosphere as they enter the building, and we hope to improve it further as we finish the project. Our maintenance budget this year will be reduced somewhat due to an emergency furnace expenditure, but we can be reasonably certain now that the new furnace blower will be reliable.

As we continue our outreach Bible classes in Klickitat, it has become apparent that we should use a basic introduction to the Bible and to our faith. Meanwhile, our members who are more experienced students of the Bible would also benefit from a fresh approach to a more in-depth study of holy scripture. While I intend to continue using the Gottesdienst class as an overview of Christian teaching and worship, I have found a more comprehensive program for presenting the critically-important elements of Bible study. This program not only introduces the Bible to those less familiar, but provides the tools and skills needed for every disciple of Jesus to continue growing in God’s Word. The course covers many topics, from Bible interpretation through parts of the Old Testament, and also the New Testament. Every member of Bethany and Concordia would find it greatly beneficial, from about 10 years old and older. Our challenge will be to arrange it so that our members and guests will be less likely to miss any classes and fall behind. Your advice is welcome.

At the moment, I am considering a schedule where three presentations of the same class session will be held weekly: one at Bethany, one at Concordia, and one at Klickitat. That way, if a student in one place has a schedule conflict, he can plan to attend the same class at one of the other places that week. As long as the church schedule allows it, I would present all classes in each unit, then take a month or two off before the next unit begins. I could begin teaching the first unit (10 lessons) in May. Again, your advice is welcome.

Let us thank God for His many blessings upon us, and pray for His continued providence — especially the providing of His pure Word and Sacraments, wherein we find and receive the forgiveness of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Soul Cafe is really a church! Beyond being a youth center on 12th St. in Hood River, it’s a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). That’s the largest church body in the United States that calls itself “Lutheran.” We also call ourselves “Lutheran,” but we mean something different by it than does the ELCA. We consider the label “Lutheran,” when applied to a church, to mean the particular confession of faith to which that church holds in its teaching. Specifically, we consider a Lutheran church to be one that holds (without compromise) the teachings confessed in the Lutheran Confessions, because they fully and faithfully agree with the Bible.

Soul Cafe’s church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, acknowledges that the Lutheran Confessions have historical importance, but no normative importance over present-day Lutheran teaching. Therefore, we would not describe the ELCA with the adjective “Lutheran.” Appropriately enough, Soul Cafe seems to avoid that label.

If you’d like to confirm for yourself that Soul Cafe is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, have a look at its web site. Be sure to scroll to the bottom. If you’re still not convinced, you can look it up in the ELCA congregation directory.

Soul Cafe’s web site uses some of the code language of homosexual advocacy (“open and affirming”), extending it to accept and affirm many different social choices that the Bible considers to be sinful. It promotes an organization called “Lutherans Concerned/North America,” which advocates the acceptance of homosexuality in Lutheran churches, contrary to several passages in Holy Scripture. The person it calls “pastor” has written several statements there that show a radical separation from historic Christianity. She alludes to the Lutheran Confessions (specifically, Augsburg Confession article 7), but only to claim that most of what the Confessions say should be considered “adiaphora,” meaning “that which is neither commanded by God nor forbidden.” The effect is to dismiss the Confessions, as well as much of the Bible’s doctrinal content as a matter of mere personal opinion. More troubling, she seems to deny the trinitarian foundation of the Ecumenical Creeds:

I have learned that the Trinity is not some complex theological doctrine. The Trinity is the experience of God the Father/Mother, Son, and Holy Spirit in relation, in community with one another and in relation, in community with all the world. The Trinity is the perichoretic God—the God who circulates and dances through the neighborhood, working healing and wholeness.

Any church that persistently denies the Trinity, or even the authority of God’s Word in all matters of faith and life, is not a Christian church, though it may still claim to be. Christianity is not a matter of being nice to others, nor a matter of merely living a certain way. It is a matter of what we believe, which then flows naturally into the way we live. When we confess that God’s Word is right about our sins, and then trust in the forgiveness He applies through Jesus Christ, we have begun to be Christians. This faith continues with a confession that God is right about everything else that His Word addresses. Unfortunately, the heritage of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America includes theological liberalism, which does not consider the Bible to be God’s Word. Therefore, there is very little to prevent a congregation like Soul Cafe from completely losing the character and doctrine of the Christian Church.

We should pray for our friends and neighbors influenced by such places as Soul Cafe, and do what we can to help them avoid such places. We can offer them so much more, beginning with the certainty that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and has died and physically risen to life again as the atoning sacrifice for every sin — even sinful life choices like homosexuality. Some may still not be convinced that Soul Cafe is a church. Remember Matthew 7:15-20, where Jesus predicted such things:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Christianity is no ordinary religion. It’s the true religion. Though many of our neighbors are “choosing” their religion, they fail to realize that these choices bring them no closer to the true God or eternal life.

Being a member of the Christian Church is not like joining a club. No, it’s much better than that. First, nobody can just decide to join the Christian Church. Membership comes from the Holy Spirit alone, who works this miracle through the message of the Gospel and through Baptism. Second, a club imposes obligations upon its members, like dues or participation in club events. Membership in the Christian Church is far too costly for any of us to afford. Our dues were paid forever by the blood of God’s Son. The benefits of a club are quite temporary, but membership in the Christian Church grows into eternal life.

The Christian Church is the collection of God’s saints in Christ “in which the Gospel in purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered” (Augsburg Confession VII). It’s world-wide, and spans Time from Adam to the End. Your local congregation is one expression of it.

However, just because a congregation calls itself “Christian” does not mean it is. Read the quote again in the last paragraph. If the Gospel is impurely taught, or if the Sacraments are incorrectly administered, we can’t be 100% sure that the Christian Church is there. So please, if you have a criticism about the teaching of the Gospel or the administration of the Sacraments at your congregation, speak to your pastor ASAP.

Beside the Holy Christian Church, we also call our local congregation a “church.” Like the Church, churches don’t charge any dues. Their benefits are also eternal, as long as they teach the pure Gospel and administer the Sacraments correctly. But unlike the Church, we can see who belongs to our local congregation, and we have operating expenses to keep the lights on, the doors open, the restrooms working, the lawn mowed, and — most importantly – the Gospel preached and taught from week to week, and the Sacraments administered.

The Gospel and the Sacraments are a conduit provided by God that runs directly from Christ crucified almost 2,000 years ago to the person who hears the Gospel or receives the Sacraments. It’s how we receive forgiveness of sins, spiritual rebirth, faith, and eternal life. It’s how the Holy Spirit blesses us. We need it daily.

December is when we think about the next year’s church budget. You might do this in your family, too. I’d like you to remember a few things this December. First, remember the priceless gift of God’s Son, and what a difference He has made in your existence. Second, remember that our church budget is an opportunity for each of us to return thanks to God, because it’s mainly our tithes and thank-offerings that make it work. Third, remember to consider the church budget responsibly, with God’s priorities and the world economy in mind. Fourth, remember the example of saints like Abraham (Gen. 14:20) and Jacob (Gen. 28:22), who dedicated a set percentage of God’s blessings back to Him, and were blessed through it. Fifth, remember that God has provided all our blessings, and will always give us far more than we can give in return (Mal. 3:10).

In this economy when many 401(k)s have become 201(k)s, God challenges us to remember Him from whom all blessings flow. Our money reads, “In God We Trust.” Our actions usually speak louder than words. I invite you to prepare for Christmas in the thankfulness that God has chosen you to be His own, brought you into His Church, and continues to provide you with the food of eternal life. What could be better than that?

We just had a long-needed evangelism meeting at Bethany two days before I’m writing this. One of the things we talked about was improving the first impression that we give to our visitors. Over at the Blog of Veith that I mentioned in the previous post, there is a short article and discussion about the way people tend to pick a church. Since the blog entry is short, I’ll quote the whole thing below.

This weekend I talked with someone whom I think highly of who told me all of the different churches he has been a member of. At various times, depending on where he has lived, he has attended Presbyterian, Anglican, Bible, Evangelical Covenant, Campbellite, Christian Missionary Alliance, non-denominational, and house churches.

Whereas for me (even before I became a Lutheran), the criteria for which church I joined had to do with what it believed. For him–and I suspect there are a great many like him, possibly a majority of evangelicals–the criteria has to do with the people in the different congregations, the kind of “fellowship” they experience and whether they like the pastor. Theology is something held by the individual, with these different churches being more or less OK with whatever the individual member believes, within a few parameters, so that these churches today assert few theological distinctives for themselves.

According to the Lutheran mindset, the heart of a church body, the basis of fellowship, and the definition of unity must be its confession. Whereas for much of American Christianity, fellowship and unity are the heart of a church body, which allows for diverse confessions.

This difference between the two different ways of evaluating a church is something we probably have known about before, but we should also take it into account when we think about evangelism.
The primary goal of evangelism is to tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who do not believe it, but we also have the further goal of leading those souls to an orthodox Christian Church where they will be fed the bread of life regularly in the Divine Service. We naturally believe that our own congregation is the most qualified for that, to God’s credit alone, but what if these evangelism prospects finally visit our church only to find themselves uncomfortable with the “fellowship” of our members or the “likability” of the pastor (things Veith mentioned above)? Might we get the doctrine and the Divine Service right, only to fail in the way we treat each other and our guests?

This reminds me strongly of 1 Corinthians 13, the “love chapter,” which is often used at weddings. Read the first three verses of that chapter and see how they apply. You will probably also want to head over to Veith’s blog at the link above, and read the comments left by his readers.

One comment I found particularly interesting described a couple’s experience visiting two different churches. Among other things, the writer said, “after four weeks we’d only had 3 couples actually put forth effort to welcome us (passing smiles, handwaves, and ‘Hi’s’ don’t count).” She contrasted that with the other church, where “I think there were two adults who did not talk to us – one hand waved – one didn’t talk at all.” I’ve always thought that two or three warm greetings from the members is sufficient welcome for our guests, but here is a couple who were more impressed when nearly the entire congregation made an effort to speak to them. It shows how every one of our members can have a real influence on the ongoing work of evangelism, simply through the way we respond when guests visit on Sunday.

I hope that the members of Bethany and Concordia already know my answers to these questions, but if you don’t, I welcome you to ask them. The following is Appendix II of the book What’s Going On Among the Lutherans. If you know anyone who may be concerned that their church ought to teach and practice according to what the Bible says, then you should discuss these questions with them. These questions focus primarily on the “liberal theology” (a somewhat technical term) that has been rampant in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for some time now. Liberal theology is not the only thing that challenges biblical teaching and practice, but it is one of them.

The following questions are provided to assist our readers in determining the theological position of their pastors.

These questions should be asked exactly as worded. Your pastor should be able to answer them with a simple yes or no.

1. Inspiration and Inerrancy

   Do you personally believe that the writers of the Bible were so controlled by the Holy Spirit that they wrote exactly what God wanted them to write?

   Do you personally believe that the Bible contains no errors or contradictions?

2. Creation

   Do you personally believe that God created everything in six 24-hour days as recorded in Scripture?

3. Adam and Eve

   Do you personally believe that Adam and Eve were real, historical people? What about Jonah, Noah, and Job?

4. The Words of Jesus

   Do you personally believe that the Words of Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament, were all actually spoken by him?

5. Miracles

   Do you personally believe that every miracle recorded in the Bible was a real, historical event?

6. The Virgin Birth

   Do you personally believe that Jesus did not have a human father?

   Do you personally believe that the Bible and therefore the Apostles Creed contains myth?

7. Deity of Christ

   Do you personally believe that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man?

8. The Trinity

   Do you personally believe that the Bible teaches of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — three Persons in one God?

   Do you personally believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — three in One — as is stated in the Athanasian Creed, one of the three great ecumenical creeds of the Christian church?

9. Atonement

   Do you personally believe that God took his anger for our sins out on Christ — that he was the final blood sacrifice that appeased God’s wrath and bought the forgiveness of our sins?

10. Resurrection

    Do you personally believe that Christ was physically raised from the dead. . . that these our physical bodies will be raised from the dead?

11. Immortality of the Soul

    Do you personally believe that man has a soul that survives the death of the physical body?

12. Homosexuality

    Do you personally believe that the Bible condemns the practices of homosexuality?

    If he… says it is no worse than any other sin, say you agree but then add: Homosexuality, like all sin requires repentance (sorrow over sins) and the faithful resolve that, with God’s help, a person can give it up and sin no more. Do you agree with that statement?

    Do you personally believe that homosexuality is an acceptable alternate lifestyle ordained by God — a gift from God to be celebrated and enjoyed?

There is great variety among Christian Churches in the way they worship. Yet in recent years, a growing number of congregations have adopted what’s being called a “contemporary” style of worship. Since I have to work Sunday mornings, I haven’t been able to experience these things first-hand. However, I do understand that this trend raises an important question. How valuable or important is the way we worship? … to us? … to God?

If the success of churches is measured in the addition of new members, then the most successful churches have different priorites than we do. The priorities and methods of “megachurches” was recently touched upon by a Wall Street Journal editorial. To such churches, the “worship style” is merely another variable that should be adjusted to attract the greatest number of new members. But we have to ask whether God agrees with this point of view.

One pastor in our synod keeps a regular weblog on current activities in his family and parish. Some of you have met Pastor Abrahamson, who is a good personal friend of mine. In a recent post on his blog, Pastor Abrahamson explains why he instructs the children in his Wednesday School about the liturgy. (“Liturgy” is the word for the order of worship that Christians use in the Divine Service.) He writes, “The point is to enable the students to know where each part of our worship services come from in the Bible, why they are used in the service–especially at this particular part; and how to explain to others who don’t know why we do things the way we do.”

He goes on to write:

So many today in Confessional Lutheran Synods are turning to contemporary worship forms as a way to keep the youth from leaving their congregations. In reality, I think that they are yearning for kings like the other nations have. Now many of them have trained up a generation which has no outward liturgical mark that would distinguish it from the Methodist church or any E.Free church. So, it’s no wonder that the kids are leaving in droves. They can’t see or feel any difference. Why should they stay? And now some leaders within Confessional Lutheranism are promoting this garbage as if it’s the answer to that loss, when it is in fact the main contributing factor to that loss. If there is no difference in worship form or format from the reformed churches, why bother with attending an Orthodox Confessional Lutheran congregation when you’re away from home?

Later in the blog post, Pastor Abrahamson presents some quotes from the Formula of Concord. (That’s one of the Lutheran Confessions, which express exactly what Lutherans believe, and are normative for our doctrine because they are in full agreement with the Bible.) The topic of these quotes is “adiaphora,” a word for the teachings or customs that are neither commanded nor forbidden in holy scripture. The quotes show that there are times when some things are not allowable, even though they would be in other circumstances. Pastor Abrahamson applies these quotes to the question of “contemporary worship,” ending with some powerful examples of the value and importance of the way we worship.

If you have some experience in these matters, or if you would just like to ask or discuss something related, this blog is an appropriate place to do so. You can leave comments on this post, though you may have to create a login for yourself first. If you would rather not discuss it in such a public setting, we can bring up the topic in our Bible classes at church.

The author writes for Christians:

Let this be the first and most important point, that all our prayers must be based and rest upon obedience to God, regardless of who we are, whether we are sinners or saints, worthy or unworthy. We must know that God will not have our prayer treated as a joke. But He will be angry and punish all who do not pray, just as surely as He punishes all other disobedience. Furthermore, He will not allow our prayers to be in vain or lost. For if He did not intend to answer your prayer, He would not ask you to pray and add such a severe commandment to it.

In the second place, we should be more encouraged and moved to pray because God has also added a promise and declared that it shall surely be done for us as we pray. He says in Psalm 50:15, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” And Christ says in the Gospel of St. Matthew, “Ask, and it will be given to you; … for everyone who asks receives” (7:7-8). Such promises certainly ought to encourage and kindle our hearts to pray with pleasure and delight. For He testifies with His own Word that our prayer is heartily pleasing to Him. Furthermore, it shall certainly be heard and granted, in order that we may not despise it or think lightly of it and pray based on chance.

You can raise this point with Him and say, “Here I come, dear Father, and pray, not because of my own purpose or because of my own worthiness. But I pray because of Your commandment and promise, which cannot fail or deceive me.” Whoever, therefore, does not believe this promise must note again that he outrages God like a person who thoroughly dishonors Him and accuses Him of falsehood.

Besides this, we should be moved and drawn to prayer. For in addition to this commandment and promise, God expects us and He Himself arranges the words and form of prayer for us. He places them on our lips for how and what we should pray, so that we may see how heartily He pities us in our distress, and we may never doubt that such prayer is pleasing to Him and shall certainly be answered. This is a great advantage indeed over all other prayers that we might compose ourselves. For in our own prayers the conscience would ever be in doubt and say, “I have prayed, but who knows if it pleases Him or whether I have hit upon the right proportions and form?” Therefore, there is no nobler prayer to be found upon the earth than the Lord’s Prayer. We pray it daily, because it has this excellent testimony, that God loves to hear it. We ought not to surrender this for all the riches in the world.

Large Catechism, part 3, Paragraphs 17-23

Quoted from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions

Apparently, the filmmaker James Cameron, of Titanic fame, has been involved in a project which claims that another tomb has been unearthed in Israel that could belong to the “family” of Jesus.

The phrase “family of Jesus” may sound a little familiar to you. It’s one of the claims made in the fictional book and movie The DaVinci Code. In that story, the discovery is supposedly made that Mary Magdalene was really the wife of Jesus, and that this was hidden by the efforts of Roman Emperor Constantine around the time of the Council of Nicea (325 AD). This is all purely imagination, and only delights those who wish to paint a black eye on the Christian faith, and cause Christians to doubt what they learned in Sunday School.

The Cameron “documentary” will be aired on the Discovery Channel, and has enjoyed a lot of media hype, like the movie The DaVinci Code (which otherwise flopped). It’s called Jesus’ Family Tomb. One page on their web site contains a proviso, intended to help Christians understand what this “discovery” would mean. It says that finding a tomb where Jesus had been buried in another location doesn’t really pose a threat to the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection. It notes that the Gospel of Matthew mentions a Jewish plot to claim that Jesus’ disciples had secretly removed Jesus’ body. Here’s an excerpt from the proviso web page:

Theologically speaking, even if Jesus were moved from one tomb to another, this does not negate the possibility that he was resurrected from this second tomb. Our documentary does not address the issue of whether or not the Resurrection took place, and how. Belief in the Resurrection is based not on which tomb Jesus was buried in, but on alleged sightings of Jesus that occurred after his burial as documented in the Gospels.

If you pay close attention to what is written here, you can see the intentions of Cameron and his associates. They say that their report does not contradict the resurrection. But it does, in spite of what they say, and this is intentional.

In the imaginary scenario they describe, Jesus was moved by His disciples from the tomb where He had been placed on Good Friday, to the tomb mentioned in this documentary. They claim that He could have risen from this second tomb, instead of the first one. They say that Christians believe in the Resurrection because Jesus appeared to His disciples afterward, and that’s possible regardless of which tomb He rose from.

The problem is this: we believe in the Resurrection on the basis of God’s Word. Without the testimony of the holy scriptures, there is no reason for us to believe in the Resurrection. To put it another way, the Resurrection is an article of faith. What this “documentary” does is challenge the basis for our faith, the Word of God. It contradicts the accounts of our Lord’s burial and resurrection in the four Gospels. That means we are being asked to choose between the archaeology of Cameron and his associates on the one hand, and the unchanging testimony of the Gospels, on the other hand.

The proviso I quoted from would have us try to take a middle path, believing the Gospels with certain changes to what they say. It’s a deception. If we decide not to trust the Gospels in some little point because of certain claims based on some guesses made by certain archaeologists, then we no longer have any reason to believe anything written in the Gospels. In other words, if we take the claims of this “documentary” seriously, then we are turning away from God’s Word, including the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I don’t intend to watch this documentary. But what if you do, and it sounds reasonable? What if it makes you doubt the accuracy of the Gospels? Don’t despair, because God will help you. Make sure you read the Gospels too, and pray continuously that God would guard you against the temptations and snares of the devil. Make use of every opportunity to learn from God’s Word, because this is how He creates and builds our faith.

Finally, remember that the Resurrection and many other such things are articles of faith, because God wants it that way. He wants to save us through faith in His Word. To have room for faith, there must also be the possibility of doubt. So God will not prove the Resurrection to you scientifically, but He has already provided overwhelming evidence, mostly in His Word. The empty tomb, the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection, the inability of the Romans or the Jewish council to produce His dead body or even prove their claim that the disciples had stolen it; together with the change in the disciples, who were transformed from terrified cowards into bold, uncompromising martyrs. Despite what anyone may say, we still have good reasons to believe in the Resurrection, but the most important one is because God says it happened.