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Education
“GETTING OLDER, GETTING WISER: REFLECTIONS ON MY MINISTRY WITH ‘SEASONED’ CITIZENS”
Adult Forum Discussion Set for Sundays in November
Are you ready to jumpstart your Sunday morning experience? We’re not just talking about the donut holes, coffee and pleasant conversations with friends! We’re talking this November about what it means to get older and hopefully wiser in our day and culture.
We start at 9:00 in Good Shepherd Hall with food and conversation. At 9:15, Pastor Berg will lead the discussion on “Getting Older, Getting Wiser: Reflections on My Ministry with ‘Seasoned’ Citizens, “ based on his 15-year experience at Fellowship Square Foundation, a Lutheran social ministry organization that owns and manages housing for 800 seniors at four campuses throughout metropolitan Washington. Specific topics presented will be:
Nov. 1 “Myths and Realities in Aging”
Nov. 8 “The Tasks of Aging”
Nov. 15 “The Losses and Gains of Aging”
Nov. 22 “Faith Concerns of Seniors”
Nov. 29 “Ethical Issues of Aging”
Please join us!
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CALLING ALL LADIES OF ALL AGES! Our highly successful Women’s Bible Study Sessions are set to resume on upcoming Wednesdays to be announced, starting at 6:30 p.m. We will be studying the book of Psalms, again with the help of a wonderful DVD series by Christian teacher Beth Moore.
There is no cost for the study, but if you let Edye Diacont know you are coming, she will be sure that there is a journal for your use at the first class. We will also briefly discuss meeting dates & times and future study ideas. Please join us. It’s a great way to come together and learn, and invite God further into our lives!
The “Men of Glen” continue to meet on the second Saturday of each month at the Golden Corral Restaurant (Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie). All men are invited to this time of fellowship and discussion. The next meeting date is set for Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 8:00 a.m.
Contact Pastor Berg for more information.
Pentecost
On May
31, Christians around the world will celebrate the Day of
Pentecost. It's often remembered as the church's birthday.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised that the Holy
Spirit would come upon those who believed in his resurrection.
Three
thousand people were gathered in Jerusalem when the Spirit
came upon them. They were so touched by the Holy Spirit that
they began to worship regularly, especially on Sundays, the
day of Christ's resurrection.
To symbolize
the "tongues, as of fire" (Acts 2:3, NRSV) that
came upon the people present at Pentecost, liturgical churches
display the color red in their worship services on Pentecost
Sunday. Many people attending worship
wear red on that day.
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 The
Protestant
Reformation
Protestants
recall the
Reformation on
October 31.
On that
day in 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on a church
door in Wittenberg, Germany. Ultimately, the following five
statements of belief became central to Protestant Christians.
1. Scripture
alone is the final authority of Christian doctrine.
2. Christ alone is Lord and Savior.
3. God's freely given grace is central to salvation.
4. Sinners are justified by faith in Christ alone.
5. God alone is worthy of all the glory.
At Glen
Lutheran, we commemorate Reformation Sunday by encouraging
worshippers to wear something red to church in celebration.
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 A
Cross Made by Ashes
The
observance of Ash Wednesday, according to the Catholic
Encyclopedia, dates from at least the eighth century A.D.
The ancient custom was for the worshipers to approach the
altar before the beginning of the Mass. A priest would dip
his thumb into ashes made from the previous year's Palm Sunday
palms and make the sign of the cross on each person's forehead.
Ash Wednesday
is a time for repentance and the beginning of Lent. Ashes
were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express
penitence. Dusting themselves with ashes was the penitent's
way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example
of one expressing his penitence is found in Job 42:3-5. Job
says to God: "I had heard of you by the hearing of the
ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes" (v. 5, NRSV).
40
Days to Spiritual Health
Lent
is the 40 day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Traditionally,
it has been a time when Christians re-examine their spiritual
life and try to discern the quality of their relationship
with God.
There
are many individual approaches to strengthening the spiritual
life, including: choosing to fast, praying more often, reading
the Bible and devotional literature, engaging more often in
public worship, serving God more intensely in the world.
We miss
the mark if we focus only on our desires. Lent ought to be
a time of deeper dedication to God and seeking ways in which
we can help to further God's kingdom on Earth.
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Pastor
Berg has clarified the
History and Meaning of the Lutheran Liturgy in a monthly series
of readings:
Other subjects
of interest:
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THE COMMUNION
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
Years
ago, I remember that evangelist Billy Graham, with all the techniques
of modern advertising, invaded Baltimore. From gigantic billboards,
the face of this latter-day John the Baptist looked down upon
the crowds. His name in large letters was plastered across posters,
signposts and great banners.
"My
only specialty," he has said, "is soul winning."
No doubt under the appeal of his powerful preaching, many people
in Memorial Stadium went forth to make their "decision
for Christ."
What
happens to those people after the crusade? What happens to John
Doe or Mary Smith who, in the spirit of fervent preaching, great
music and the enthusiasm of those about them, also went forward
to "decide for Christ?" Can they, for the rest of
their lives, look back to the moment of their "conversion"
and from that moment receive the stimulation to face the dull,
dreary, and many times anxious moments which will confront them?
Memories are not enough. Strength comes from repeated encounters
with joy.
Certainly
Billy graham has admitted this. He told people that his own
spiritual strength is fed by constant communion with God. He
prays frequently. He pores over the Scriptures. Any Christian
who has dedicated himself to Christ does it too.
But
is that all? Are these the only means that the Spirit uses to
feed us with the bread of heaven for our growth in grace?
We
know that in addition to the support of the Spirit that comes
through preaching, reading of the Scriptures, absolution, and
the mutual conversation of the things of God, there are also
the sacraments. God in his wosdom has provided the common ordinary
things of the world in such a way that by using them as he has
commanded, we know he comes to us.
There
are, of course, some people who say that what we need is more
and better preaching, more stirring music and less ritual. We
do need preaching that is urgent, which lifts us out of our
complacency and makes us think.
But
preaching is not the only means. Perhaps the reason that more
people in recent years have come to take greater comfort in
Holy Communion is that worshipers in our churches have found
a certainty, a positive and sure blessing, in the sacramental
meal which is not always available to them in some preaching.
So
e come to that communion table. This is more than a fellowship
meal that looks back on fond memory to the night of the first
of many such suppers. Therefore, Lutherans do not remain in
their seats and have the food brought to them. The emphasis
in our method of receiving communion, on the other hand, has
been to combine the communal meal with the individual communion
of the believer with the Lord. That is why we leave our places
and go to the altar.
Once
there, it has been the tradition of Lutheranism for the most
part to kneel for the communion. Originally the people stood
to receive the sacrament. This is still the custom in Orthodox
churches. From about the 12th century, it became the practice
to kneel.
Luther
continued this custom but the practice of standing reappeared,
particularly in those regions where the bread and wine were
not thought to be the vehicles of the Body and Blood, but only
signs. Unfortunately, this gave rise to strife in the church
and one was soon identified in his beliefs about the Real Presence
on the basis of his posture, Lutherans kneeling, Reformed people
standing.
Before
Luther's time, priests in the Roman church followed the practice
of placing the wafer into the hand of each communicant. Unfortunately,
that gave way to the practice of people not swallowing the host,
but taking it home instead and using it as a good luck charm.
That gave way to pries5s placing it on the tongues of worshipers,
a practice that is still followed in some churches and regions
of the country.
At
Glen, some communicants prefer to drink the wine from the common
cup, whereas others prefer to drink from a small glass into
which the wine already has been pre-poured. My personal preference
for this is a combination of the two, a practice which is common
where I grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania: a "pouring chalice"
is used, which conveys the concept of oneness; but the wine
is poured out from that chalice for each person who holds a
small glass, and therefore concerns about hygiene are eliminated.
These
practical matters are important, but it is the words which convey
the real meaning: "The Body of Christ, given for you; the
Blood of Christ, shed for you."
This
then is our communion, the high point of the service. All that
has been done before has led us to the moment wen in a very
real sense Jesus Christ enters into our hearts.
Just
as he walked the earth once before, although in a different
form, now just as truly he walks the earth to dwell within us.
Cleansed of our sins, cleared of our doubts, we come before
the altar to receive him. And wonder of wonders, according to
his promise, he comes to us.
Pastor
Berg |
November
2003
NOW,
HERE'S SOME GOOD NEWS...
... SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS:
1.
Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really
is, for it has not changed-it is the same Good News I preached
to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for
your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message;
3. I passed on to you right from the first what had been told
to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures
said he would, 4. and that he was buried, and that three days
afterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold.
12. But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, that
Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that
dead people will never come back to life again? 13. For if
there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ must still
be dead. 20. But the fact is that Christ did actually rise
from the dead, and has become the first of millions who will
come back to life again some day. 22. Everyone dies because
all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful
race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who
are related to Christ will rise again. 23. Each, however,
in his own turn: Christ rose first; then when Christ comes
back, all his people will become alive again. 24. After that
the end will come when he will turn the Kingdom over to God
the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. 25.
For Christ will be King until he has defeated all his enemies,
26. including the last enemy--death. This too must be defeated
and ended. 53. For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now
that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that
cannot perish but will live forever. 54. When this happens,
then at last this Scripture will come true--''Death is swallowed
up in victory. "55.O death, where then your victory?
Where then your sting? For sin-the sting that causes death-will
all be gone, and the law, which reveals our sins, will no
longer be our judge. 57. How we thank God for all of this!
It is he who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our
Lord! 58. So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure,
be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord's work,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted
as it would be if there were no resurrection.
[Corinthians 15:1-4,12-13,20-26,53-58]
The Living Bible, copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers,
Wheaton, IL, used by permission.
This
is the message of All Saints Sunday, and indeed, of Christianity.
We mourn for those who are no longer with us in this life,
but we rejoice in the hope of the eternal life to come! Please
join us at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 2 as we remember
the lives of those that have died in the faith this past year.
There will be mention of names during the worship service,
and a special luncheon will be held after church. All are
invited. If you would like a friend or loved one. Everyone
is welcome.
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WHAT IS THE "LAMB OF GOD?"
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
For
centuries before Christ, the lamb had been a symbol in Judaism.
The prophet Isaiah pictures the Messiah "brought as a lamb
to the slaughter." Later, one of disciples, as he beheld
Jesus coming through a crowd, cried, "Behold, the Lamb
of God, that takes away the sin of the world."
There
is something appropriate about the use of this symbol at this
moment in our communion liturgy. Having been instructed in God's
Word through the lessons and the sermon, we have made our offerings
in response to that Word, and now fulfill the command of the
Savior to "do this. ..." Bread and wine have been
set upon the altar. The pastor, in place of Christ, repeats
the sacred actions of that night of betrayal. In a very real
sense we Christians celebrate the new Passover with our Lord.
Having imitated the actions of the first Supper and prayed for
God's gracious blessing we are assured of God's peace. Then
we pray in song to Christ: "Lamb of God, you take away
the sin of the world; have mercy upon us ...Grant us peace.
"
Lutherans
are careful to avoid the error of Rome that would make of the
mass an action equivalent to the action on the cross. No sacrifice
we make to God can gain our salvation for us. The only sacrifice
we can ever make to God is an offering of thanksgiving for what
he has already given us. In our worship we offer him our praise,
our gifts, and ourselves.
There
is a sense in which the Sacrament of the Altar is a sacrifice.
Christ's death, and the benefits derived from it, are made real
to us in the liturgy. True, it is a memorial. He commanded us
to do it "in remembrance of me."
But
is this action only a picture of something that happened 2,000
years ago? If that's so, we might just as well hang a large
painting of the Last Supper in our churches so that people can
see it any time they want to and so eliminate all of the fuss
and bother of long services.
What
Christ accomplished on Calvary effected the salvation of all
people for all time. Only a few of the people affected by his
action were present at the precise moment when their salvation
was accomplished. The forgiveness of our sins depends on what
he did on the cross. The Lord's Supper brings into the present
the sacrifice on Calvary and so people are assured that by Christ's
perfect obedience "even unto death" they are forgiven.
Notice,
for instance, that the words are "... you take away
the sin of the world," not "you have taken...
. " Although we are in time and space removed from Calvary
by thousands of years our sins of this day are still removed
by Christ.
This
then is our prayer. Mindful of the Savior who comes down upon
our altar and gives us himself, veiled in the forms of bread
and wine, who by his death accomplished our forgiveness, we
pray that he may come to us and in coming bring us his peace.
Pastor
Berg |
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WHAT IS THE CONSECRATION?
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
As
we look back in time to that night of destiny when the disciples
gathered in the upper room for the Lord's Supper, we are reminded
of the simple actions of our Lord. It was a common meal, perhaps
of deep ritual significance within the framework of pious Jewish
practice.
The
disciples, we are told, were commemorating the Passover, that
turning point in Jewish history when the children of Israel,
protected by the promise of God, escaped the wrath of the avenging
angel and so began their trek to the Promised Land. For us who
seek to imitate that sacred moment, four features of the ritual
imprint themselves onto our minds.
Scriptures
tell us that Christ 1) took bread, 2) gave thanks, 3) broke
it, and 4) gave it to his disciples. These are the four; the
use of simple elements—bread and wine—the giving of
thanks, the breaking of the bread and the blessing of the cup,
and the distribution.
Whatever
else was added in later years, whether the simplest of prayers
and hymns or the most elaborate ceremony, followed in importance.
These four features of the institution of the Lord's Supper
were essential.
As
century after century continued, prayers were added to this
central part of the communion service. Unfortunately, at times
these prayers—being more human than divine—attempted
to shift the emphasis away from what our Lord intended years
before on that dark night in Jerusalem.
For
instance, as the power of Rome grew and the subsequent importance
of the Bishop of Rome as the head of the church, a new emphasis
soon became evident in the Western or Roman Catholic Church.
Instead of regarding the service primarily as a sacrament, a
gift of grace, it became the custom to stress the change (and
the theologians of Rome declared that it was possible to determine
the precise moment) from bread to Body and wine to Blood. The
liturgy came to be regarded not so much as a sacrament
(God's gift to us) as a sacrifice (our gift to God),
a repetition of Christ's sacrifice which had equal merit with
what happened at Calvary.
In
other words, the long prayer surrounding the Words of Institution
was changed to convey this meaning. In the liturgy the Body
and Blood of Christ were offered anew to God for the sins of
the living and the rest of the dead.
Martin
Luther would have none of this. It is an outrage, he said. Returning
to the earlier emphasis he took the mass in hand to make it
more in tune with the Word of God and not the word of man. Taking
a conservative approach, Luther kept the basic form of the Roman
mass, but eliminated unevangelical features and set again the
gift of God as a jewel within its framework.
It
is the tradition of my seminary, in Philadelphia, to preserve
Luther's approach on communion Sundays and to keep this part
of the service as simple as possible. I simply turn to the congregation,
first with bread and then with wine, and repeat our Lord's words
as written in scripture: In the night when he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread..." Other congregations
or seminaries may do this differently, by placing these words
within a larger context of prayer. Perhaps on some special Sunday
I'll add such a prayer -and see if anyone notices!
One
other consideration concerning the Consecration. Unlike the
Roman belief that the priest's words "transubstantiate"
or convert the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood while
they remain on the altar, the Lutheran teaching is that God's Word does this as the believer
receives these elements. Luther maintained that only as
they are eaten and drunk do these elements really become God's
gifts of forgiveness and grace for us. In other words, God's
gifts are in the actions for you and me, and not the
things in themselves.
And
what wonderful gifts they are: Christ's body broken! Christ's
blood shed! For you! For me! For the world! Amen!
Pastor
Berg |
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"THE GREAT THANKSGIVING"
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
Some
time ago a friend and I attended a wedding in an Episcopal church.
As a part of the service, the bridal party received Holy Communion.
Except for a few hymns and the organ music, all parts of the
service were read, all, that is, with the exception of three
short sentences. The rector had prepared the vessels on the
altar. Then, turning to the people, he chanted the versicles
which introduce the Great Thanksgiving. Afterward, my friend
was puzzled: "Why did that nice old man read everything,
but when he got to the Thanksgiving, he began to chant?"
That's
a good question and I tried to explain that the versicles are
traditional but I'm afraid that my reply satisfied neither my
friend nor myself.
Historically
these versicles are quite ancient and most denominations use
them to introduce the second half of the liturgy. Perhaps you
remember well this brief interchange:
| Pastor: |
The
Lord be with you! |
| Congregation: |
And
also with you! |
| Pastor: |
Lift
up your hearts! |
| Congregation:
|
We
lift them to the Lord! |
| Pastor: |
Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God! |
| Congregation:
|
It
is right to give him thanks and praise! |
All
this, of course, sets the stage for what is to follow-our service
of Holy Communion and therefore we hear the invitation to imitate
our Lord's actions on the night of his betrayal. If we were
to paraphrase this little threefold exchange between pastor
and people, it might go something like this:
| Pastor: |
God
be with you. This is important, pay attention! |
| Congregation: |
May
he be with you too! |
| Pastor: |
Forget
the things of the world and go up to the throne of God!
|
| Congregation:
|
We
agree and go with you! |
| Pastor: |
Now
let us prepare to thank him for his goodness! |
| Congregation:
|
It's
the only right thing to do! |
Continuing
in the vein begun in the last of the three versicles, the pastor
begins this prayer of thanksgiving, "It is indeed right
and salutary..." In the traditional language of worship,
we emphasize that the Christian's life ought to be filled with
gratitude. One has but to remember Luther's explanation of the
first article of the Creed. After making a long list of the
benefits of creation, he adds, "for all of which I am
in duty bound to thank, praise, serve and obey him."
Now
of course the giving of thanks is not an occasional exercise
in the life of the Christian. This is not a duty to be regulated
by the clock or the occasion. What would you think of a child
who embraced you only when you gave him a present, but treated
you with indifference the rest of the time? "We should
at all times and in all places give thanks to you... . "
We
do not pull God out of the closet when we need him. This is
the fault with so much "psychological" preaching.
In this preaching, God is the plug that fits into the gap in
our lives. Persons afflicted with such an outlook seldom preach
God as an end in himself, and the result is that when a person
(however mistaken) feels there are no "holes" in one's
life, he or she forgets God.
God
is not simply the answer to all our problems. He is that only
incidentally. God is God! And we as his creatures, both by birth
and so much more by new birth in baptism, owe him more than
we can ever give. This is why we say, "It is indeed
right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks" to him.
These
words, then, proclaimed by the pastor, conclude with a magnificent
all-inclusive triumphant chorus. "Therefore with angels
and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we praise
your name and join their unending hymn... ."
Many
times in my 33 years of ministry I have officiated at communion
services in prisons, hospital chapels or senior citizen high
rises when only a handful of persons showed up for services.
Sometimes there also was little privacy and others passed by
in hallways apparently disinterested in our worship. At these
times these small groups discouraged me. Why did there have
to be so few?
Then
one day I reread those words: "... therefore with angels
and archangels, and with all the company of heaven... .
" We were not a small handful. We were united with the
whole body of the faithful. In churches, chapels, and cathedrals,
in prisons, hospitals, extended care facilities, foxholes, battleships,
at sickbeds, and with all denominations and realms of heaven,
our voices were united, and in that glorious unity heaven and
earth sang in thanksgiving to God!
Pastor
Berg |
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THE PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
Now
we arrive at a part of the liturgy that has known some controversy-the
Prayer of the Church. Imagine that the congregation has confessed
its sins and received absolution, has riveted its attention
and praise on the three Persons of the Trinity through the Gloria
in Excelsis, has heard the Word of God through scripture and
sermon, and now, after the offering (not the "collection")
has been given, kneels in prayer before God. What are the proper
things, then, for which we ought to pray?
Years
ago one layman wrote:
Instead
of the beautiful and comprehensive prayer given, there is
a very short ex tempore prayer which usually consists
of a brief restatement of main points of the sermon, asking
God to give us grace to do whatever the sermon said we should
do. Often there is added a brief petition for any in the congregation
who are sick or in special trouble. And that is all.
The writer
then continued that there was no place in such a prayer for
invoking God's blessing upon the government and its leaders
and then concluded, "There is nothing to direct our thoughts,
much less our need or our desire to pray for the church universal,
for missions, for the needs of the world."
It was perhaps
with this thought in mind that in 1526 Martin Luther introduced
a structured all-encompassing prayer into the service which
was then followed by the recitation of the Lord's Prayer by
the congregation. The Calvinistic and Zwinglian churches, however,
developed free prayers.
The trouble
often with these prayers, Luther may have concluded, is that,
because they are not written, they soon begin to follow a repetitious
pattern and eventually become more tedious than a regular reading
of the Prayer of the Church. Today, worshipers who have heard
clergy and others offer free prayers over a period of time can
almost tell how the prayer will begin, what will be prayed for,
and in exceptional cases, recite word-for-word some of the phrases.
Free prayer,
unless carefully worked out beforehand (and then is it really
free?), often becomes a solemn broadcast to the Almighty of
a lot of things he most certainly knows better than we. If not
that, it is a rehash of the sermon, in which the officiant frequently
tries again to make a point which was made in the sermon.
The Prayer
of the Church is intended to be comprehensive. Many areas of
the Christian's life should be touched by its petitions. Members
of the congregation then often respond to the petitions with
the words, "Hear our prayer" or some other suitable
response.
Finally,
this prayer also is part of our offering. Just as we sing, "Create
in me a clean heart, 0 God... " and put words to the
silent act of placing our money on the altar, we give our prayer,
uniting the congregation we know with the church throughout
the world. This then is our sacrifice, a sacrifice of thanksgiving
to God.
Pastor
Berg |
|
THE PREPARATION OF THE VESSELS
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
Drama
is a combination of words and actions. At Glen on a Sunday morning,
there are many movements and much drama: the processional, the
moving about of the pastor from lectern to altar, the turning
to and from the altar, the reception and presentation of the
offering by the ushers, and, of course, our varying postures—kneeling,
sitting and standing.
In
addition, there are other movements less attached to the liturgy:
the lighting and snuffing of the candles and the zealous performance
of ushers guiding communicants to and from the altar rail.
Notice
that in the service the words are most important. The actions,
for the most part, are incidental. These actions serve a purpose
and so are related to the words they accompany: for example,
the pastor's turning to and from the altar to indicate the sacramental
and sacrificial divisions of the service. Facing the altar,
the pastor is our spokesman before God. Turned about, he speaks
for God to us.
At
one moment in the service, however, a movement takes place that
is not identified in any way with the script of the drama. That
is when the pastor uncovers the communion vessels and reverently
prepares them for the Administration of the Holy Sacrament.
In
the Middle Ages, what the Roman Catholic priest did at that
moment was to repeat the sacrifice at Calvary, and, in its effect,
it was equal with what our Lord did there—the mass became
in its chief emphasis a thing the ! ! people gave to God instead
of something he gave them.
Luther
would have none of this. The Roman mass, he said, "stinketh
of oblation." It was not something to be offered to God,
an unbloody repetition of Calvary; it was instead Christ's body
and blood, offered to us.
When
I was a small boy, I remember the "white tent" on
the altar, gleaming white in the reflection of the altar candles
that made communion Sundays
different from other Sundays. This sense of awe has never left
me. I wonder if there isn't a pastor who doesn't experience
the same sensation when he or she goes silently to the altar
to prepare the vessels for Holy Communion.
It
is a sacred moment, surrounded by awe and mystery. It is my
special honor to administer—and the honor of all of us
to receive.
Pastor
Berg |
|
WHAT IS THE "OFFERING AND OFFERTORY"?
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
In
recent years, the church has emphasized the meaning of stewardship
as the giving of the Christian's offerings of both his gifts
and himself. After the sermon, we share with our Lord and his
Church our time, talents and treasure—all that is ours—as
a thankful, joyous and obedient response to his gifts of creation
and redemption.
When
we sing the words of Psalm 51, "Cast me not away from your
presence,..." we mean just that. Sometimes I wonder
if some unthinking folk are singing, "Cast me not away
from your presents!" Truly, this is a time during
the service when we should be thinking of responding to God's
love in Christ, not in terms of what additional goodies He has
for us.
God's
Word always demands a response. When a worshiper places an envelope
or a bill in the offering plate, is it regarded only as part
of a payment for a pastor's salary, the lighting and heating
of the church, or educational materials for our children and
youth? Is it simply paying one's share of the bills? Or is it
an expression of one's commitment to Christ? Are the coins and
bills placed inthe offering plate a return to God, the best
we can offer, of all that He has given us?
With
such an understanding, the worshiper can appreciate that, in
effect, he is offering himself to God when those plates are
returned to the altar and offered to Him.
Please
allow me to indulge in to pet gripes of mine: I hate the terms
"collection" and "collection plates." The
church is not a collection agency! We "offer" to God
what he has first given us—our self, our time and our possessions.
Second,
there is the practice in some hurches—fortunately not Glen—where
only a handful of the envelopes are returned to the altar as
a token of dedication. The larger portion is rushed to the office
area where the ushers begin to count so that they won't have
to stay so long after church. Years ago, I served a congregation
where that was done, and some memebers protested vigorously.
They believed that all of the offerings should
be dedicated to God's use at the altar. They had a point!
The
church will always be limited by the willingness of its members
to remember their obligation to return to God all that He requires
to accomplish his purpose. A christian dare not hold back. The
horizons of the church are limitless; the world is its goal.
Our commitment must be entire.
Pastor
Berg |
|
April
2003
THE WAR AGAINST SADDAM:
WHAT DO SCRIPTURE
AND LUTHER HAVE TO SAY?
Many
people today are asking about the moral justification for war.
Is it right and necessary? What does the Lutheran church teach
concerning it?
Without
necessarily going into the specifics concerning this particular
war, I want to layout some general views of scripture and of Martin
Luther towards this sensitive and timely subject.
The
Bible does not take an explicit position on the right and wrong
of war and military service, except to say that God's covenant
,vith Noah is a sign of the fallen world and war bears that sign.
While the Old Testament is full of wars and rumors of wars, these
are understood as holy. Sometimes God wages a holy war with and
for Israel; sometimes He works against Israel in execution of
judgment and with the help of foreign nations. However, the privileged
position that Israel occupies in the history of salvation as both
nation and "church" makes the concept of "holy
war" vithout analogy today.
At
the end, namely, in the kingdom established by God's Messiah,
the Old Testament describes a period of peace when swords will
be turned into ploughshares and the earth will be filled with
righteousness and peace. But in the present, this age is still
the time of war and there can even be a "Book of the Wars
of God" (Numbers 21:14).
In
the New Testament, it is striking that Jesus never advises soldiers
to give up their jobs. John the Baptist simply tells them to rob
no one by violence and to be content with their wages.
When
Jesus commands Peter and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane
not to use force to prevent his arrest by Roman soldiers, this
has no bearing on his understanding of war, but instead reminds
us that they were not to protect Jesus from pursuing his path
of suffering which led to the Cross.
The
New Testament also views war as a sign of this age: "This
must take place" (Mark 13:7). The situation will get
worse at the end, when the nature of this age becomes more intensively
crystallized (Matthew 24:6ff).
The
epistles of St. Paul have no more guidance to offer than the Gospels.
He uses military pictures for our spiritual warfare, but these
are mere illustrations. Neither Paul nor Peter demands that soldiers
change occupation in connection with their conversion. Peace,
however, is God's plan for his people, and real peace is more
than the opposite of war.
Luther's
views on war can be understood only in terms of his concept of
the two kingdoms. In the kingdom of the right, God empowers the
people of his church with faith and selfless love. Because we
live, however, in a fallen world where sinful people have their
ways of treachery and evil, God also rules in the kingdom of the
left by means of reason and might. Therefore, we are to be subject
to the governing authorities by paying taxes, submitting to military
service and being good citizens (Romans 13), but are never to
equate Caesar with God (Revelation 13).
Therefore
in education, love has to be combined with punishment. In politics,
love has to be armed. If the world is unjust, if there are thieves
and those who harm others, I exercise love for my neighbor by
protecting him. If I let him fall among thieves, I am a murderer.
By my negligence, I may encourage a mob to do harm and plunge
the world into the very chaos that God intended to hold at bay
by the state's restraint of evil.
When
God's love goes public and takes the form of justice, there is
a kind of bending of the shape of love. Love no longer consists
in a direct and unbroken doing and desiring of good. It takes
on a kind of dark side to the degree that I can practice it only
if at the same time I involve myself in actual conflict with the
forces that threaten my neighbor. As concerns himself, the Christian
may be obliged to suffer. But he cannot let his neighbor and his
people suffer; he has to resist those who inflict the suffering.
When
asked whether he would exercise the right of self-defense if attacked
by robbers, Luther answered in the Table Talk: "Yes,
of course. I should then act the prince and wield the sword, since
there would be no one else around who could protect me, I should
strike out for all I was worth, and then go to Communion feeling
I had done a good work. But if I were attacked as a preacher and
on account of the gospel, with folded hands I should say: 'Well,
my Lord Christ, here I am; it is you whom I have preached; if
it is now time, I commit myself into thy hands,' and then I would
die."
Because
of this understanding of love and how it is altered in the kingdom
of the left, war for Luther can in principal never be called
seriously into question. In principal it belongs among those governmental
tasks performed by the judge and the police officer. War is the
legitimate expression of the government's duty to protect its
citizens.
Practically
speaking, however, Luther did hold that there is no right to wage
war if the motivation consists, not in discharge of its protective
function of secular government, but in egoism such as the desire
for honor, riches, bloodlust or fame, or if the war is for allegedly
spiritual ends such as taking on the character of a crusade. On
the latter point, Luther stated that it would be better for Christians
to seek to crush the Turks not by force but with the Word and
prayer.
Thinking,
responsible Christians in our congregation and beyond will express
different views on the United States' war against Saddam Hussein.
We owe it to one another to listen to all views, but more importantly
to listen to God's Word and to pray to Him for guidance in these
complex times and for the real peace only He can give.
Pastor
Berg |
|
WHAT IS "THE SERMON"?
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
One
of my favorite weekly routines over the years has been to read
the church notices in Saturday's paper. I've often wondered if
there are some people who scan Saturday's list and pick their
church for the Lord's Day much as one decides which movie he'll
see. And are there those in multi-staff congregations who select
the service on the basis of whether the pastor or his assistant
will preach? Does one go to church because the selmon subject
arouses his interest?
To
say "preaching is important" misses the point. The church's
lifeblood is preaching. Christ commanded it. The apostles established
it. In every age the church's greatest advance resulted from it.
Captivated by the irresistible brilliance of the good news, inflamed
by the urgency of One whose voice speaks to their innermost self,
people have found their minds to be obsessed, their hearts ablaze,
their words convincing. This is preaching and without it there
can be no church.
And
yet, many complain that there is no marked effect upon our culture
or the lives of people. Are Sunday worshippers being lulled to
complacency by platitudes? Are sermon subjects unrelated to life?
Is religion being sold as a sort of heavenly life insurance? Do
preachers speak over the heads of their people? Are they fearful
about offending someone?
For
every question there are several answers. Some will say that the
already-crowded schedule of the pastor affords little time for
serious sermon preparation. Others contend that too much emphasis
is put upon externals--the sacrament is magnified and so the sermon
suffers.
Before
anyone criticizes preaching today, that person ought to know what
happens when one attends church.
First,
there is anticipation, marked by the confession and God's forgiveness.
This is followed by praise and prayer. Then God speaks to us.
From the pages of the record of people like ourselves, their experience,
their witness are conveyed to us.
The
lessons from the Old Testament, the Epistles and the Gospels are
voices out of the past but, in a real sense, are voices which
are timeless. Our ears hear the voices of people, but our souls
receive the voice of God.
Then
the pastor enters the pulpit. He is not there to offer his opinion,
to say "it seems to me" or "in my opinion."
Worshippers have not come to hear the views of a particular person.
With firmness, with zeal, with loyalty, the servant of God stands
in the midst of his people with only one message-- Thus says
the Lord!
The
worshiper willfind that his heart responds. God's Spirit is busy
within as he lubricates the gears of our brain, softens the hardness
of our heart, and by a word or tvo those gears are set in motion,
that long-pent-up impulse to love and to serve is unleashed. God
is speaking! We shouldn't turn him away.
From
a very early time, preaching and the service always were connected.
The order of lessons and prayers developed the church year, and
by sermon and service the people were united with God.
A
period of decline followed. Sermons became subjective. Much emphasis
was given to "living a good, clean life." The established
order of service became a formal thing. Mass could be said without
a congregation. No longer was what happened in the church each
Sunday related to life.
Luther
brought about a change. Preaching was restored to its rightful
place in worship. The balance and integrity of the sermon and
service provided
an antidote in later centuries to bom Pietism (in which one went
to church to be scolded into being good) and Rationalism (in which
the gospel was limited by one's ability to reason and one was
lectured on subjects such as animal husbandry and philosophy).
The
observance of the church year with its annual reenactment of the
life of Christ on earth and in the hearts of the faithful has
influenced preaching to the extent that sermons over the period
of a year can provide the whole cycle of all that one needs to
know about God.
When
Sunday after Sunday, we come through a period of anticipation,
thought and prayer, and then are arrested by our passionate God
who even offers his only Son that we might be redeemed, something
deep inside of us is penetrated. Comforted when afflicted, afflicted
when comfortable, we know that God has spoken to us and out of
that message there comes peace; God's peace which passes all understanding.
Pastor
Berg |
|
"THE HYMN"
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
Just before the start of a World Series, a Super Bowl or a large
political rally the audience hums with the small talk of a thousand
voices. Over the loudspeaker, a voice rises above the babble:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the national anthem."
People rise
from their seats. Men remove their hats. Silence falls. A well-dressed
man or woman fills the place with the majestic words so familiar
to us all. "Oh say, can you see...." Patiently the assembly
maintains a respectful silence through the rapidly changing melody.
The singer reaches a mighty climax--"...and the home of the
brave!" The notes trail off as the people settle themselves
for the program before them.
Why is it
that only a few people ever join in the singing? Most Americans
learned the national anthem as children. Certainly "The Star-Spangled
Banner" isn't an easy melody to sing. But this isn't an excuse.
Have we become such a nation of watchers and listeners that we
expect people to do things for us?
Of course, there are exceptions, but for many of us, the old thrill
of a group of men and women lifting their voices in song is largely
a thing of the past. "We feel too self-conscious," some
say. "I can't carry a tune." "The melody's too
high."
One of the
joys of my Luther League days was to sit with a group of youth
on summer evenings and join in melodies that are almost forgotten
today. There were rich voices and great harmony. It was so good.
I suspect
more people would like to sing. Persons who timidly mouth the
words of a hymn for fear of calling attention to themselves might
thrill if they could open their mouths wide and lift the expression
of their heart to God on wings of song.
Maybe it would
be a good idea to encourage group singing at congregational functions,
if for no other reason than to break down the walls worshipers
build about themselves when they come to services.
Lutherans
are conservative, so much so that at times our Methodist and
Baptist friends say we're too close to the Catholics. Yet we are
also called the singing church. One of Luther's chief contributions
to worship was the inclusion of hymns, some of which he wrote
himself, in the structure of the mass. Preaching might not always
break through into understanding. Our liturgy with its beautiful
and historic ritual might be lost to the heart. But when the truth
of Luther's recovery of the gospel was set to song, few could
escape its influence. Much later, Catholics, many of whom claimed
that hymns had done more to make Lutherans than all of the preaching
of the Reformers, copied the idea.
Choosing hymns
today is not always easy. A pastor likes to vary the selection
of hymns, yet wants to pick those that are fairly well known.
Of course, there are also seasonal themes in our liturgical year
and the need to harmonize with the scripture texts of a given
Sunday. Parishioners always should feel free to tell the pastor
directly what hymns are most meaningful, or thought provoking,
or stirring, or comforting.
Maybe we need
to have some hymn sings. Perhaps our choir needs to introduce
some unfamiliar hymn as an anthem. Then, pastor and people can
practice. Perhaps someone ought to lead, even with a cautious
bit of arm waving if for nothing more than to give the beat. When
some portion of the hymn sounds as if it needs improvement, we
should stop the singing and start over again, working on it until
it is right. Let the whole congregation take part in an enlarged
rehearsal. People will be surprised at the result, and the uncertain
faces one sometimes sees when a strange hymn is announced will
be no more.
Pastor
Berg |
|
WHAT
IS "THE CREED"
Part
of a Continuing Series on
the History and Meaning
of the Lutheran Liturgy
Many years
ago, a ballad entitled "I Believe" flooded the airwaves.
It was full of allusions to raindrops, flowers, candle glow, the
ever-present "you," and the inevitable "Someone."
Certainly it wasn't a Christian creed, in spite of the fact that
it was used in some churches as a junior choir anthem! But for
many people, it was unfortunately an all-too-accurate expression
of what they believe.
Any creed
is simply a statement of one's beliefs. That's what "creed"
means. But before a person is able to declare what one believes,
he or she must be confronted with a fact, or group of facts.
Jesus asked
his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter's
reply is one of the earlies of Christian creeds, "You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Following
the day of Pentecost, the church grew. People had to express their
convictions. Creeds were prepared which believers affirmed at
the time of their baptism. Several of these early creeds are known
today, and it isn't hard to see how they were expanded to form
the Apostles' Creed.
Creeds follow
events. But often, although creeds have become established, a
dispute arises about the events. Then it becomes necessary to
restate the creed, or establish new ones.
The early
church faced just such a crisis. A controversy concerning the
nature of Christ threatened to split it. In 325, a council of
representatives from all over the church met in the city of Nicea,
and there the debate was resolved with the adoption of a statement
of belief, which takes its name from the place of the meeting,
the Nicene Creed.
The Creed
is our response to God, not a mere recitation of events of history.
God speaks to us through his Word. His words are the piercing,
burning summons reaching into the depths of our innermost self.
As a mark of our tribute to the presence of God with us, we say
with conviction, "I believe in one God... ."
That is why
we have creeds. the Nicene and Apostles' creeds are our way of
affirming our faith in God's good will for us. We use the former
at communion to reflect on the divinity of Chirst; we use the
latter on other Sundays to express his humanity.
We ought to
learn to use the Creed. We should be careful to say it properly
and with a conviction born of our appreciation and understanding.
Some people recite it with the same unconcern as did the little
boy praying the Lord's Prayer who said, "... and lead
us not into Penn Station."
For your devotions,
try taking the Creed apart. Each portion is a window which looks
out upon a whole landscape of God and his concern for us. During
the offering or some other lull in the service, meditate on the
Creed instead of gazing around the church. Each Sunday, let your
mind swell upon all that each part of the Creed means to you.
You might find fresh delights facing you.
A few years
ago, a small book attracted much attention. Containing the brief
statements of prominent people, it attempted to put before the
reader what they believe. It was a disappointing collection of
vague references, with few mentioning God, and even fewer owning
up to any formal religious conviction.
This is the
voice of our politically correct times. We who hear the voice
of God have our answer, and dare not keep it to ourselves. Against
such sentimental vaguenes, today's Christian must declare boldly,
"I believe in one God... ."
Pastor
Berg |
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