Everybody's Got an Opinion

It is, in a way, exciting for a new Lutheran museum to open up in the headquarters of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I like museums of most kinds--even the SPAM museum. I'm one of those unusual people who enjoy learning about various parts of history, and yes, I do read most of the signs posted around as I look at the exhibits.



Anyway, you can read about the opening at the Post-Dispatch website, and see some pictures. Go soon--most newspaper websites will allow content to be seen only for a while before a person has to subscribe. Before you leave the news story and look at the pictures, however, take a gander at the comments left by readers. As of the writing of this post, there are twelve comments.



The comments start off commendably, thanking the LCMS for the work the Human Care arm does. From there, it degenerates. Only few of the twelve followed Thumper's advice: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." It seems to be an exposition of post-modern society. We cannot dialogue like civilized people; we have to insult and make blanket statements with nothing to back it up. We blurt out whatever we want without showing someone in love (or at least tact) how and why we disagree. If one wrote similar comments about a disenfranchised, minority, oppressed, or racial group, there'd be an uproar; maybe it's just okay to do it to the Lutherans. . . Maybe the SPAM museum is a cult museum too. . .[walking away humming, "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM; SPAM, wonderful SPAM. . .]

Old School

The church at which I am playing tomorrow still uses The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH). My home church, by which I mean the congregation of my childhood and youth, also uses TLH. I have a feeling neither of them will switch anytime soon or even not-so-soon. That does not matter, however.
There’s been much talk of one’s grandfather’s church. I admit that the Missouri Synod of today does not look like the Missouri Synod of my grandfather’s day; then again, neither does the world of today look like the world of my grandfather’s day. What then? Should we make the church of today look like the world of today? Well, did the church of my grandfather’s day look like the world of my grandfather’s day? I can’t say positively, as I was not alive then; nor is my grandfather alive now to ask, but I’m guessing the answer is no.
My grandfather fits into “The Greatest Generation”, while I am a Gen Xer. The Gospel is still the Gospel for me as it was for him as it was for the disciples. Do times change? Sure. Does worship change? Sure. Do we have to throw everything from the past out? Sure—uh—wait—no, we don’t.
The disciples did not throw out the practices of their fathers, Luther did not throw out the practices of his father, nor should we toss out the liturgy. Here’s the rub: too many people (especially the Baby Boomers, sorry guys) are too eager to either hang on to tightly or toss. I think it’s a throw-back from the sixties (again, I was not alive then, so I can’t positively say). In the sixties it seemed to be either “question authority” or its antithesis. Carry that forward to the church.
History without understanding is as ignorant as no history at all. Worship practices without understanding is similar. When I was a youth and there was no Higher Things to set me straight, I thought that the church WAS my grandfather’s church and not for me; therefore, it should be scrapped. Bring on the drums, the guitars, the praise choruses, get some verve and vigor in the door. I didn’t understand the liturgy, even if I had had it memorized since I was five or six.
Today I hope I know better. I have more understanding about liturgy and worship. I can recognize the difference between Christocentric and egocentric texts. I vaguely comprehend the lack when it comes to the theology of glory. I’m not saying I’m a know-it-all (although others might assert that, but that’s another story). I guess all I’m saying is that to be pointlessly stuck in the past is little better than being pointlessly stuck in a place that’s “relevant”.
God’s Word is always relevant. Worship is always relevant. It is the reason we practice what we practice that is the issue. If we don’t know why we do what we do, we run the risk of being stuck somewhere we don’t want to or should not be. This is why some congregations are opening themselves up to any whim of worship to coerce people in the door. This is also why there are some congregations who “have always done it that way” and always will. Even Shirley Jackson warned us against this in her story “The Lottery.” We need to move beyond the rock throwing.
Consider Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. He knew when to hold to tradition and when to budge. It was adiaphora to allow his daughter to circumvent the matchmaker. It was not when his middle daughter married outside the faith. I know I sound as though I sit solidly on the fence. Let me assure you: I know on which side I am. Christ crucified is what I confess; the doctrine of the church is to what I subscribe; the liturgy as it has been handed down to us from our forebears is what I practice. I am trying to say in a prolonged, sort of way (which will probably get misinterpreted because I’m not as pithy or witty as some) that there are some churches who want nothing more than to claim to be on the conservative/confessional bandwagon, when really they merely like their old hymnals just fine, thank you. It’s not the same. Even McDonalds adjusts to the time without compromising their heritage. Just teach your people the truth.

The Muny and other Worship Thoughts

Here am I in Seward, NE; no corn jokes please; for the "Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, & Church music. It's been fun so far--okay, one day. I've seen many people, learned a few things, had some mammoth choir rehearsals, and the like. The opening worship service was fantastic. The music, the singing; and the sermon was pretty good. I'm sure some would have not liked it. Ah, such is life.
It's interesting hearing other folks' conversations. I'm not eavesdropping when they speak loudly enough for others to hear. Perspectives are always fascinating.
This is not a complaint post, as much of what I have seen so far has been positive, but there were a few things that set me on edge. Such as the liturgical dancer at the evening service. I'm sorry, but I don't find it worshipful when it was much like what I saw at the Muny a couple nights ago for their 90th anniversary show. I'm not exaggerating, either. The ballet dancer at the Muny for the reprise of "If I Loved You" had movements very similar to the liturgical dancer. No joke.
The thing that quite irked me was this, however: My roommate for this conference is a nice lady from a midwestern state. She is "typical" Lutheran. Listening to her, I see she is an average churchgoing woman. She is in a seminar (I'm not sure how she ended up in it) which unsettled her after the first day. There are 2 more sessions left. The presenter was essentially advocating church growth and not calling new plants Lutheran to be more sensitive to people's biases. This did not sit well with her. She is "forward thinking" (some would call it church growth or liberal), but she didn't like the idea of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. It bothered her. I imagine there are many in our church who would not go for this. Average member Joe wants church to be recognizable. Lutheran is our identity, our heritage, and yes, our future. When we don't want to say who we are, who are we. In the summarized words of Romeo, without a name, who are we? Without our heritage, we are no one. Sorry guys, we can't be Lutheran and Rick Warren too.

Whose Church?

I’ve been doing some thinking here. The phrase that keeps popping up, especially under “comments” on the petition is, “This is not your Grandfather’s church.” The phrase, as you know, is a certain synodical leader’s turn of the phrase, “This is not your Father’s Oldsmobile.” This of course makes my mind jump to Dave Barry’s 25 things I’ve learned in 50 years.

Number teen-something states:
“The value of advertising is that it tells you the exact opposite of what the advertiser actually thinks.For example: If the advertisement says, "This is not your Father's Oldsmobile," the advertiser is desperately concerned that this Oldsmobile, like all other Oldsmobiles, appeals primarily to old farts like your father. . .”

In good Lutheran fashion, I pose, what does this mean? Obviously Dave Barry is attempting to be funny, yet I ask if he is inadvertently commenting on the fact that no matter how much we try to move away from our grandfather’s church, there is no getting around the fact that that’s exactly what we should be?

What is/was our grandfather’s church? I speak with others who say our grandfather’s church is nothing more nor less than CHRIST’S church. Never was ours. It wasn’t Peter’s, the Pope’s, Martin Luther’s. . . it is Christ’s. I’d like it to stay that way. Period.