Whether you agree with me or not here are some of my naive thoughts. What is Worship as a Christian Church today? And have we changed to far? After belonging to numerous congregations that were Lutheran (ELCA), the other day this thought came to my mind. What are Lutherans unique perspective on worship and Church issues period? That is one question I have never asked a Pastor with out feeling a little guilty and confused. So I decided to first discus this with a number of people. I prepared myself for the follow type of answers: Worship is praising the Lord" or "Worship is what human beings do to express their thanks to God" or "Worship is going to church," or something like that. Well, I didn’t exactly hear those same words but it wasn’t far from it though. While there is some truth to each of those answers, they did not adequately feed me spiritually, help with describing the main purpose of Lutheran worship today or understand what message I was hearing today. It only has made me wonder where is the Lutheran Church Today?
I thought to myself I know that God's Word and His holy Sacraments are His precious gifts to us and are the tools the Holy Spirit uses to give us forgiveness, life and salvation. Then is the main purpose of our worship and church life to receive these gifts from God? But how do we understand this during this climate of change? Hmm, I am not sure whether we have adequately emphasized this important truth or maybe we are limping with two different gospels. The one we all grew up with at the foot of the cross that is based on repentance, and another that follows a different gospel of acceptance that has been foisted on us. You see this new gospel is emphasizing, “God is love and God is only love, and since Jesus’ ministry was all about love, his followers were to love others in the same way.” Again, love is to be defined solely in terms of inclusion, acceptance and not to be reminded of our ungodliness. The result of this new gospel’s love is not repentance and death to ourselves, but instead love for and acceptance of ourselves because God has accepted and loved us. It has taken me a while to understand this second gospel but given such assumptions, that is why to me our gospel message has focused so much on social justice. (A reason found for the church to exist today). This second gospel mission cannot be proclaiming God’s justification of the ungodly, because the gospel of acceptance does not believe that people are ungodly, except to the extent that they exclude people. Instead, that is why the mission worship message of the church today as been dominated by social and political issues in my view.
But we cannot do both because it divides us.” My ears have been closed to it and it needs to be revisited. God gives His gifts. We receive them. He does this as His Gospel is proclaimed, as His Word is read, as His forgiveness is announced and sinners are absolved, and as we receive our Lord's body and blood in Holy Communion. In these wonderful ways, God is present with us, His people, drawing us to Himself and giving us what we need so much--His mercy, forgiveness, love, joy, peace, power and comfort! The purpose of worship, therefore, is to be gathered by God around His gifts. Then why is this today such a battle between the mind and the heart? Boy oh boy We need to take great care with change today help our visitors as well as ourselves appreciate and understand what is happening with changing things just so that every point is new guy but old perfectly clear.
Then it follows that our worship is Christ-centered from the heart or as we take a look at the liturgical orders of service now I understand why everything said and done is filled with His Word for the mind as well. Why? Remember what St. Paul wrote to the Galatians? “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one that called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to another gospel – which is no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6 - 7).”
Because our focus is on Christ and His work, that's why. The focus of church service worship is on Christ, not man. Who is present for us and with us in His Word and Sacraments? He is truly among us. We are not contemplating a far-off Christ, or meditating on abstract ideas. Lutheran worship is not like going to a self-help group or a therapy session. It is God who gathers us for worship around the gifts He gives to us through Word and Sacrament. But I would like to remind you that it is not really our church, it is the Lord's church. As long as the church tries to acknowledge two different gospels, we will never be united or have answer to those little questions, it will never be at peace, and it will never settle all the issues of today.
God Bless You and This Ministry!
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