Are Churches Replacing Altars with Stages? ,,

Pamela Jackson's new novel, On This Side of Heaven, reviewed here

Apparently this author feels that this is a problem because she has started a group called Restore: “I founded the RESTORE Group to help restore brokenness resulting from wounds created in the church, and to strengthen the body of Christ as a whole.”

The title of this book review caught my eye. Obviously, there are denominations within Christianity that haven't used altars traditionally. Since my tradition does use an altar and the speaker's platform, ie the pulpit, is off center, I feel like the "center of attention" is the altar and the cross. When I've visited in houses of worship in other traditions, I find myself wondering, "Why is my worship directed toward the pastor who is in the center of the platform?" Well, obviously, that is just a mind set. But I can see why morphing toward a "stage" with "performers" (in some people's opinion) isn't as great a change for some groups.

I've also wondered, when occassionally seeing TV "worship services" with this set up, do people who sing to God in public have to be so good looking? Do they have to dress to the nines? What about the praise, songs, and worship of the regular schmucks like me? If I were in one of these big "churches" would I be allowed to join the choir?

21st Century Lutherans at the Confluence of Religion and Ethnicity

"A Mighty Fortress" Far from Lake Wobegon: Selected photographs and audio-visual recordings and hymnals from twenty different Lutheran services in the Twin Cities illustrate our increasing global urban lnadscape and challenge archaic assumptions of who Minnesotan Lutherans are.

Pastors in Worship

I attended a short worship/communion service today. There were 12 pastors and 5 lay people. Besides being a meaningful service, it was great because several of the pastors had great singing voices and they also were using their "public" voices during the worship, even as 11 of them were in the pews. So the Amens and other prayer words were loudly proclaimed.

Could it be that pastors wish that the usual lay people in the pews would speak up more?

Enjoying church???

While I was gone again this past week, I ran across a local opinion newspaper called the Reader Weekly (www.readerweekly.us). Unfortunately, they are behind in posting to the web. I do love well written opinion pieces. This newspaper is definitely full of opinions, and they don't slant to the right! It would probably go up in flames if touched by a Christian-right-Republican. It was interesting, none-the-less.

One article, by Paul Ryan, was entitled, "Nobody enjoys church, not even God." Basically, the guy doesn't like anything about traditional church services. And who ever said that we all have to have the same taste in anything? His concluding paragraph says, in part, "The main problem with church services is they just don't inspire me.....If I'm going to attend something meant to enlighten me, I'd sure as hell better feel at least partly enlightened when it's done. Instead, I just sit there bored, feeling guilty every time I check my watch.....Some church leaders would have us believe that it's our fault for not being interested but is it really? It's not my job to make church relevant. Relate to me, or I'll just stay home and watch football...."

Which begs the question, "why do people attend church anyway?"

I guess I attend both to worship (what I do) and to be fed (what comes to me) through the service. Each week the percentage of each probably varies. Sometimes I attend out of habit, sometimes because there is something special going on, and sometimes I really do want to be there to worship. A Catholic friend of mine says she would tell her kids when they complained about having to attend church, "If you don't have one thing to give thanks for from this past week, well, then you have a sad life."

But who can blame the writer, or any person who has a less-than-deep understanding of the "worship" service for feeling as he does? Perhaps this is why there is a segment of the American Christian church that uses entertainment type music and preaching and other "attractions." Maybe it is meant to hook people with the secular-type goodies, and then give a dollop of the Word of God, but maybe don't be too challenging with what part of the word is preached.

I saw a church ad in the Rochester, Mn newspaper last week for a church which stated, "We are not seeker sensitive and not purpose driven." Now that made me wonder if they are insensitive and without purpose.

Last weekend I attended the church of a relative. It is an old fashioned type of Lutheran Church. The songs dragged on and I could hardly hear anybody singing but us. The liturgy was scant (that is what is in their book.) And the preacher gave a very basic sermon based on Jeremiah 11:18-20 titled, "It's in the Lord's Hands." I felt like he was talking to me and the others as if we were in 2nd grade. The whole theme was how God takes care of His people. If this had been in my own church, you can bet I'd have found a chance to ask the pastor, "But what about ____ and ____???"

Well, as soon as we got up to leave, I said to my companion, "I don't think he could preach that sermon the Sunday after someone in his congregation was murdered." My companion responded, "And not after the Tsunami." That was not the Word of God one could fall back on during hard times.

Quite frankly, I did my best to listen well, to sing praises, to participate during the liturgy, but I didn't feel all that worshipful during those draggy hymns, nor was I fed or inspired.

Hmmmm, why attend church?

Essay on Communion

"I think the thing that strikes me the most is looking at the hands of the people as I put the host into their palm." David wrote this in an great essay on communion here

I hadn't thought of looking at people's hands during communion, but it is right to do so. We are the hands of Christ on earth. It reminds me of a hymn that has a line, "we the hands, we the feet." I can't find that music right now. There is also a hymn by Robin Mann, words by Norman Habel, called "Hand in Hand (1997)." The last verse is:

When I consider God's own church.
sinful sort of saintly band,
I hold my breath, but even more
I stand in awe
when sinners come to share God's meal
hand in hand, hand in hand.
Sinners come to share God's meal,
hand in hand.

Old Hymns, New Music ?

As I posted on another day, our denomination is set to publish a new hymnal.  This will contain some old, some new, some music and hymns of other cultures.  In talking with a few other people about this and about music in their church in general, I’ve come to find out that many Lutheran churches don’t use any of the so-called newer hymnals we’ve had for several years. 

 

(And I’m sure that there are other churches that use music that they gather from a variety of sources, and in fact, some churches print their own music sheets.)

 

But one thing I’ve wondered about is how much of a shock a new hymnal will be to a church that is using our green hymnal exclusively.  That book is almost 30 years old. 

 

The church I attend, as I’ve mentioned before, has used music from a variety of sources.  We have come to love the With One Voice (blue hymnal.)  The copyright date on that is 1995.  We love the “new music” in that hymnal. 

 

Hmmmm, New Music?  Well, I counted the hymns today [while watching the Twins pound the Cubs 8 – 0.]  Since the blue book came out in 1995, I figured that I’d count anything copyrighted in 1990-1995 as “new.”  Anything before would be “old.” That means that new music could actually be 16 years old. 

 

There are 201 numbered hymns in the blue book.  Of those, 175 are more than 16 years old.  What really surprised me was not that many are from other cultures, but that a large number of the hymns are many centuries old.  Of course, at some time, those were new music as well.

 

Our church’s pianist has used the blue book with the Sunday School kids, teaching them the liturgy and a number of they hymns.  They love it.  I personally believe in also teaching the Sunday School kids some of the old beloved hymns.

 

Related Points:

 

No wonder some people seek to use much more contemporary music as a means to draw in the unchurched. 

 

 

The Roman Catholic Church as been commissioning much new music, and, in fact, employing some Lutherans to write it. 

 

 

“New” music doesn’t have to be loud or rock or any of the things that set the generations apart.

New Hymnal

ELCA synod leaders prepare to introduce 'Evangelical Lutheran Worship'

 

My national church body is an the verge of publishing a new hymnal.  I've read that there is some controversy about the new hymnal, which, in some respects has seemed a bit strange to me because some of the people with 'issues' haven't seen this book because it hadn't yet been published  when they were complaining. 

 

Our church has used some of the liturgical prayers and some of the hymns from the trial material.  The hymns were fine, but, of course, I don't know how representative they are.  Our church likes to use music from a variety of cultural backgrounds, so this was nothing revolutionary for us.  We are currently using hymns from the ELCA's green book, blue book, maroon book [African American hymnal], modern RC hymns composed by Lutherans, as well as occasional hymns from the Family of God hymnal. 

 

Regarding the liturgy and prayers, well....it seemed that if you liked to say something with 5 words instead of two, then the new prayers were for you.  But again, I don't know how representative this is of the book as a whole.  The pastor that was using those prayers also preached in the same mode. 

 

I've read through the whole trial edition of the new hymnal.  I didn't see anything in there that was all that revolutionary.  I did see that it says it contains quite a bit from our old green hymnal. 

 

I'm wondering why would we want to put money into a new hymnal if we already have these other resources?  Our books aren't worn out.  Sure, it might be nice to have the same hymnal in all ELCA churches so that there is something familiar when a person is visiting. 

 

Here's another thought if a church has some money to spend on their music program:  send the organist and pianist to some of the sessions to learn more about the new music.  Help them to become acquainted with and learn to play music from some of the other cultures that are represented in the new hymnal.  Help them learn to play the liturgy and the hymns of praise as they are meant to be played. 

 

I'm not trying to make a blanket negative judgment about church organists.  I'm reacting to some things I've experienced and heard.  For example, when we were using the green hymnal exclusively, our very accomplished organist played the hymns of praise in a praiseful, glorious way, but I've heard them played like funeral dirges in other churches.  Our organist said that she went to the sessions introducing the green hymnal and learned how these pieces were meant to be played and sung.  When the blue book was introduced, she played most of that music on the piano.  She said that much of that music, which our church really likes, isn't written as organ music.

 

Maybe the leadership for musical issues isn't entirely with the church's musicians, if the pastors are  picking the liturgy and hymns.  There are churches that still use only the green hymnal.  While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it does seem like only shopping at the same store for 20 years. 

 

 

Full Church

Our pastor has been here less than a year.  It was obvious yesterday that the pastor was surprised to see a full church on a beautiful summer Sunday.   (Actually, I counted 1.5 empty pews. )

 

The Good News is what God has done for us in Christ.  The further good news is that people do take time from their Sundays to worship God. 

A Prayer in song.

Singer/Songwriter, Laura Cohn Adds The Name Allah To Her Spiritual Song “Wakantanka” In Response To Anti-Semitic And Anti-Israel Muslim Politics Full Article Here

"About Laura Cohn:
Laura Cohn is an advocate of new thinking and takes issue when unconscious behavior is being promoted in the news. She particularly seeks to infuse accepted beliefs with new ideas so that people will not automatically buy into what they are being “sold” as necessary in society that does not serve the greater good for all people living on the planet now and in future generations. She is currently performing around LA."

Knowing nothing about this song or songwriter, I am not endorsing her or the song or the prayer. But I thought that the concept is interesting and worthy of thought and consideration.

I am grateful for a class in high school that taught me to look for bias and slant in the news and other media by looking at the words chosen to portray an issue. Too often we are asked to accept a slanted version of something as the whole truth. Too often we are asked to label groups of people as Other, so that we can put them on a step lower than our step. It sure isn't always easy, but I try to remember that all people were made by "my God."