The Litany

Tuesday in Holy Week
March 30, 2010

The Lord be with you

“The Litany” is used in services that do not celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It is traditionally prayed on Good Fridays, and can stand alone as a service in itself. When that is the case it is often concluded with the Lord’s Prayer. Luther Reed wrote:

The Litany is a responsive prayer of the church, penitential in character but unselfish in its intercessions for all human need and mighty in its grasp of the grounds for divine compassion. It is the most ancient of the services of the church except the Holy Communion. In form and content it is a people’s prayer. The Te Deum scales the heights, and the Litany plumbs the depths of our common humanity.

In using the Litany “we can turn to the whole world, Christian and otherwise, and say, ‘This is how we pray, this is how we are taught to think of life and death, of God and man.’” (Bayard Jones, quoting Dearmer).

Some who read this blog might not be able to attend a Good Friday worship service. Others may attend churches that do not use the ancient worship forms and therefore would not have an opportunity to pray the Litany this Good Friday. I love this prayer and would hate it if I did not at least provide those all who read this blog an opportunity to pray the Litany this Good Friday, or any other day they choose. So the Litany, as found in the Lutheran Service book (page 288) follows. May the Lord bless you as you pray.

THE LITANY

L: O Lord,
C: have mercy.
L: O Christ,
C: have mercy.
L: O Lord,
C: have mercy.
L: O Christ,
C: hear us.
L: God the Father in heaven.
C: have mercy.
L: God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
C: have mercy.
L: God the Holy Spirit,
C: have mercy.
L: Be gracious to us.
C: Spare us, good Lord.
L: Be gracious to us.
C: Help us, good Lord.
L: From all sin, from all error, from all evil;
From the crafts and assaults of the devil; from sudden and evil death;
From pestilence and famine; from war and bloodshed; from sedition and from rebellion;
From lightning and tempest; from all calamity by fire and water, and from everlasting death:
C: Good Lord, deliver us.
L: In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death; and in the day of judgment:
C: Help us, good Lord.
L: We poor sinners implore You
C: to hear us, O Lord.
L: To rule and govern Your holy Christian Church; to preserve all pastors and ministers of Your Church in the true knowledge and understanding of Your wholesome Word and to sustain them in holy living;
To put an end to all schisms and causes of offense; to bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived;
To beat down Satan under our feet; to send faithful laborers into Your harvest; and to accompany Your Word with Your grace and Spirit:
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: To raise those who fall and to strengthen those who stand; and to comfort and help the weakhearted and the distressed:
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: To give to all peoples concord and peace; to preserve our land from discord and strife; to give our country Your protection in every time of need;
To direct and defend our president and all in authority; to bless and protect our magistrates and all our people;
To watch over and help all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation; to protect and guide all who travel;
To grant all women with child, and all mothers with infant children, increasing happiness in their blessings; to defend all orphans and widows and provide for them;
To strengthen and keep all sick persons and young children; to free those in bondage; and to have mercy on us all;
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers and to turn their hearts; to give and preserve for our use the kindly fruits of the earth; and graciously to hear our prayers:
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
C: we implore You to hear us.
L: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
C: have mercy.
L: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
C: have mercy.
L: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
C: grant us Your peace.
L: O Christ,
C: hear us.
L: O Lord,
C: have mercy.
L: O Christ,
C: have mercy.
L: O Lord
C: have mercy. Amen.

A Paschaltide Prayer

Monday in Holy Week
March 29, 2010

The Lord be with you

I have a friend who is an ordained Lutheran minister in a different, though conservative, Lutheran body. He is The Rev. Father Fredrick B. Mauney. (That is how they say it in his denomination.) Today I received a letter from him which included a “Paschal Prayer” that I thought was so good I wanted to post it here. (“Paschal” is another word for “Easter,” which is preferred by some. In most of the languages in the world, some form of the word “Paschal” is their word for “Easter.”) Paschaltide is just another name for the Easter Season, which lasts from Easter to Pentecost. (By the way, I changed all the England-English spellings to American-English spellings.)

Thou, O God, by Thy Power and Might didst smash the bonds of sin and death to raise Thine Only-begotten Son Jesus the Christ to Life; send, now, then, Thy Holy Spirit upon us to roll away the stones of discouragement and despair so that we might receive new life in the Same, Jesus the Christ, Our LORD and Savior; that, just as we have died with Him in baptism, so we seek to live with Him, both now and forever; deepen our joy as we celebrate these fifty days of Holy Paschaltide, and strengthen in us the conviction that we need not fear anymore; we ask through the Same Jesus the Christ Our LORD Who is God, and Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, Father, in the Undivided Unity of the Holy Ghost, both now and always, henceforth forever and forevermore even unto ages and ages of ages yet still to come, from Everlasting unto Everlasting, One God, World without end: Amen and Alleluia!

He is Risen. He is Risen, Indeed!

Pastor John Rickert

What Happened During Holy Week?

Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010

The Lord be with you

Paul T. McCain, a facebook friend of mine, has posted an excellent link on his fb page concerning Holy Week. It is interactive with google earth, so you can zoom in on the areas being talked about as well as read what happened throughout the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The link below will take you to the post.

Paul's Post

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Annunciation of Our Lord

The Commemoration of the Annunciation of Our Lord
March 25, 2010

The Lord be with you

March 25, since ancient times, has been set aside to commemorate the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that God has shown her favor and will use her as the means for the Messiah’s birth. So Mary conceives Jesus when the angel says: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:25). This same Spirit who hovered over the waters and brought forth creation (Genesis 1:2) will now “hover over” the waters of Mary’s womb to conceive the creation’s Redeemer. As the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary, she conceives Jesus “through her ear” (as Martin Luther says). The one who is conceived is called Holy, the Son of God. This is the moment of the incarnation of our Lord. The date of the Annunciation falls on March 25, because the Ancient Church believed the crucifixion occurred on that date. In antiquity, people linked the day of a person’s conception with the day of his or her death. Thus, in the Annunciation, the Church joined together both the incarnation of Jesus and the atonement He accomplished. It was this same reasoning, that a person was conceived and died on the same date, that led the Early Church to conclude Jesus was born on December 25.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Worship for Palm Sunday

The Commemoration of the Annunciation of our Lord
March 25, 2010

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday (March 25) will be celebrated as Palm Sunday at Lamb of God Lutheran (LC-MS). The Sunday may be celebrated as either Palm Sunday or the Sunday of the Passion. There are actually two Gospel lessons assigned for this Sunday, one reflecting the Palm Sunday theme and one reflecting the Sunday of the Passion theme. We will use only the Palm Sunday reading (John 12:12-19). Our bulletins come with the lessons pre-printed on the back, and the Gospel lesson the publisher selected to print was the Sunday of the Passion lesson, so everyone will simply have to listen as the Gospel lesson is read. The other two lessons are the same (Deuteronomy 32:36-39 and Philippians 2:5-11). The sermon will be based on the Palm Sunday Gospel lesson and is titled “A Strange Coronation.”

We will be using a specially designed liturgy this coming Sunday. You will recognize that all the standard sections (like the confession of sins, absolution, Sanctus, and so on) are present, however the standard pieces have mostly been replaced with options. So, for example, the normal Sanctus has been replaced with the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” and the standard Agnus Dei has been replaced with the hymn “Lamb of God, Pure and Holy.” So, when I list the hymns, do not be surprised by the number of them. As we have done for a number of years now, the service will end with a procession, the members carrying their palms, outside while singing “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” The service will actually conclude outside. This accents our desire to carry the Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus into the world. As Sunday is a fourth Sunday, this will be a Communion service.

Sunday’s hymns, in the order they appear in the service, are:
“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (LSB 790)
“In Thee is Gladness” (LSB 818)
“Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” (LSB 443)
“Let the Vineyards” (LSB 955)
“Holy, Holy, Holy” (LSB 507)
“Lamb of God, Pure and Holy” (LSB 434)
“Ride On, Ride On in Majesty” (LSB 441)
“Draw Near and Take the Body of the Lord” (LSB 637)
“In Thee Is Gladness” (LSB 818)
“Sent Forth by God’s Blessing” (LSB 643)
“All Glory, Laud, and Honor” (LSB 442)

You can hear the melody for each of these hymns, except “Let the Vineyards,” at the Better Noise website (see the link on the side bar). At the end of these notes there is a video I found on YouTube of “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna.” There is no singing, but the organ playing is excellent. If you have a hymnal you can sing along easily.

The choir will be singing “The Apple Tree”.

Preview of the Lessons

Deuteronomy 32:36-39: This is part of the “Song of Moses.” In this passage, the true Triune God contrasts himself with all the phony-baloney “gods” people run after. These idols are of no help, either in time or for eternity. In verse 39 God says “I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal.” Part of the reason for bringing this up is the obvious fact that He alone, and not the lifeless idols, can do this. However there is a clear Law/Gospel accent in these words. God’s “alien work” (as it is called) is the Law. It is intended to bring us to repentance. In that sense all the calamities that may befall us (kill, wound) have been permitted by God so that we may learn to trust in Him in all circumstances. The “proper work” of God is the Gospel (make alive, heal). Here is the promise of eternal life and all the blessings found in living with God forever. We know, of course, that the “healing” and “making alive” comes by grace through faith in Jesus. This is also a clear promise of the resurrection of the dead on the Last Day.

Philippians 2:5-11: In traditional Lutheran catechistical instruction we speak of the steps of humiliation and steps of exultation of Jesus. These terms are taken from this lesson. Jesus humbled himself, becoming a man, suffering, dying, and being buried. After completing all that was necessary for our salvation he was exulted when he descended into hell to proclaim his victory to the spirits there, rose on the third day, and ascended to heaven, from whence he will return with all creation confessing his greatness and glory. Aside from the obvious Christological importance of this passage, Paul also slides in a moral lesson. In verse 5 he says we are to have the same humble attitude of Jesus. Jesus was willing to lay aside everything for the salvation of the world. We too should not let our pride hinder us in reaching out with the message of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.

John 12:12-19: This is John’s account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Each Gospel writer provides his own details. The name for Palm Sunday actually comes from John’s Gospel as he is the only writer to mention palm branches. The other writers mention branches, but neglect to tell us what kind of trees the branches came from. As the sermon will be based on this lesson, I will say no more.

Sunday’s Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Gradual (Hebrews 12:2)

Instead of using the appointed Gradual, the choir will sing “The Apple Tree.”

Verse (Philippians 2:8b)

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Introit (Psalm 24:7-10; antiphon Psalm 118:26)

Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the LORD!*
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors,*
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory*
The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors.*
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?*
The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!
Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the LORD!*
We bless you from the house of the LORD.

Adult Bible Study

We continue, in our adult Bible class, our series titled Puzzlers and Questions About the Bible. Last week be began what might be called a sub-series. There were a number of questions asked about some of the ancient ceremonial laws in the Old Testament. I’ve grouped them all together. The regulation under examination this coming Sunday will be the test for virginity found in Deuteronomy 22:13-21. The actual submission read: “The Virgin test: Deuteronomy 22:13-21 – Isn’t this a flawed way to test for virginity? We learned in 6th grade health class that it doesn’t take sexual penetration to tear the hymen.” We will tackle this question plus examine the Christological reason for it (otherwise it would be an extremely short study).

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

What Happened to Palm Sunday?

The Commemoration of the Annunciation of Our Lord
March 25, 2010

The Lord be with you

This coming Sunday is now known as either “Palm Sunday” or the “Sunday of the Passion.” When I was a child the common hymnal in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LC-MS) was The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH). The official name for this coming Sunday with that hymnal was either “Palmarum,” or the “Sixth Sunday in Lent,” but we all called it "Palm Sunday." The assigned lessons were Philippians 2:5-11 and Matthew 21:1-9. The Matthew lesson is about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem with the crowds strewing cloaks and branches before him while shouting their “hosannas.” With the advent in 1982 of the hymnal Lutheran Worship (LW), the names “Palmarum” and “Sixth Sunday in Lent” were replaced with “Palm Sunday” and “Sunday of the Passion.” Other changes included the introduction of a three year lectionary (meaning that there was now a three year cycle in the assigned readings for Sunday mornings instead of the one year cycle used with TLH) and the addition of a regular Sunday morning reading from the Old Testament. (With TLH there were only two assigned reading from the Bible each Sunday, one from a Gospel and the second typically from an Epistle, though sometimes the second reading was from the Old Testament or the book of Acts.) Another change was a greatly expanded Gospel lesson for Palm Sunday, which reflected the “Sunday of the Passion” name.

At Lamb of God we, like most in the LC-MS, adopted the Lutheran Service Book (2006) when it came out. It retained the changes LW made that I’ve mentioned. These changes reflect what is called by some “the liturgical renewal movement.” Exactly what this term means depends on who is using it. For some it might mean the inclusion of “praise bands,” skits, dancing, clowns, and the like, in a Sunday morning service, thus “renewing” the service. That is not what in means in the LC-MS. In our circles it means more of a liturgical renaissance movement, with the word “renaissance” meaning more what it meant 500 to 800 years ago. Then it meant a rebirth of study with a looking backward for a guide to the future. So the liturgical renewal movement, as it is expressed most commonly in the LC-MS, is a looking backward at the liturgies of old for guidance into the future. Therefore I expect, though I’ve not done the research to verify the suspicion, that “Sunday of the Passion” is an old name for Palm Sunday.

The general assumption of the liturgical renewal movement seems to be that the worship experiences of the past, which shaped the spirituality of Christians for multiple centuries and produced such luminaries as Augustine, Athanasius, and even Martin Luther, clearly are effective. With the Reformation, and especially in the history of the churches that developed as a result of the Reformation, much of the richness of the past was jettison in an anti-Roman Catholic sentiment. Some denominations went much further down this rejection of the past’s worship practices than the Lutheran tradition. A return to the “good” practices of old would then strengthen the spiritual life and worship of the congregation. I put “good “in quotes because different people see value/corruption in different practices of earlier times.

What is kept of the restored practices will be known in a hundred years or so. I think more of the renewed practices will be retained, instead of less.

The much longer Gospel reading in today’s lectionaries for Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion includes everything from the Triumphant Entry of Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday through his burial on Good Friday. I suspect this much longer reading was adopted because, even back in the early 80’s, attendance at Holy Week services was slacking off. So parishioners might come to a Palm Sunday worship service, skip all the mid-week services, and then attend the Easter Service the next Sunday. Theologically and biblically this gives a very distorted picture. You skip the passion, the price paid for our redemption, the pounding effect of the Law, and only hear the “happy” stories. There is no victory without a battle, and there is no salvation without the cross, but that is exactly what a “Palm Sunday, skip the events of the Holy Week, Easter Sunday” worship life teaches. So, I suspect, the greatly lengthened Palm Sunday Gospel lesson is an attempt to counter the bad theology that people can learn if they skip Holy Week services.

From a worship design point-of-view, the longer Gospel reading presents a real challenge. Do we try to focus on all the events of Holy Week? If so, how can we do Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday justice? If we seek to do the events during the week justice, how can we keep the service down to a “reasonable” length? If we do a little bit on each of the major themes of Holy Week with a Sunday of the Passion, will it further suppress attendance in the mid-week services? On the other hand, if you do not deal with each theme and just keep it as Palm Sunday, are you doing a disservice to those who do not attend the mid-week services? In the days of Augustine they simply started the worship service Thursday evening and it continued until Easter. That’s right, a three day worship service. People did go home to eat a little and sleep a little, but the service continued and they hurried back to rejoin the worshiping community (though even when they left for food and sleep they were encouraged to continue in a worshipful frame of mind). No one I know of is suggesting we return to that practice. Each local congregation will handle these issues in ways that they feel is best for them.

At Lamb of God, we will be using the extended reading from the Gospel, but will keep the worship service theme as Palm Sunday. The members are encouraged to attend Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday services. There are readings assigned for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week, and some churches offer services on those days as well. Information about each of the services will be posted on this blog.

If you live in the Spartanburg area, we invite you to worship with us this Holy Week. If you do not live in the Spartanburg area, we encourage you to investigate what your options are in your area, and attend Holy Week services where you live. Remember, there is no victory without a battle, and Easter has no Christian meaning meaning without the events of Holy Week.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

The Passion

Wednesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 24, 2010

The Lord be with you

This Friday, March 26, at 7:00 PM, we will be showing the movie “The Passion of the Christ,” commonly simply called “The Passion,” at Lamb of God Lutheran Church (1645 Fernwood-Glendale Rd, Spartanburg). This is the movie that was directed by Mel Gibson and in the theaters a couple of years ago. The movie is graphic, dealing as it does with the arrest, mistreatment, and crucifixion of Jesus, and therefore is not suitable for all ages. However watching it again is a good way to prepare for Holy Week, when the events depicted in the movie occurred.

Everyone is invited to come. There will be plenty of popcorn for all. No RSVP is required. A trailer for the movie, that I found on YouTube, follows.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert