There is nothing like two weeks of high-octane Higher Things conferences in Minneapolis and Asheville to recharge the old ministerial batteries. Particularly the worship. Who can say enough about the worship at Higher Things conferences? Holy smoke! (and we even had some of that too!) Liturgical, reverent, full of awe, a thousand young voices chanting and singing hymns ancient and modern. Wow!
Major thank yous to Prs. Kind and Esget for their fatherly chaplaincy. Kudos to the Rev. Richard Resch, who can transform any space into sacred space simply by playing a prelude. Significant props to the ad-hoc choirs under the tutelage of Mr. Tim LaCroix, and to Mrs. Sandy Rhyne for her lovely flute playing and all the other instrumentalists, not to mention some truly inspiring Law/Gospel preaching from the pastors. And of course, all those folks who took the time and energy to prepare and present breakouts and in-depths on all sorts of topics, and a bunch of terrific kids. It was heavenly!
And yet how ordinarily earthly it all was too. It occurred to me as I was packing my bags to head home that there was nothing really out of the ordinary going at Higher Things. With the exception of being able to play, worship, and work with 2100 youth, everything was pretty much the same old same old. What any Lutheran could ask for in his or her own congregation: Liturgical, sacramental worship, Scriptural, Christ-centered teaching, Law/Gospel preaching. In a word: It dared to be LUTHERAN. Unashamedly, uncompromisingly, unhesitatingly LUTHERAN.
Enduring a 10- hour flight delay on my return to California thanks to an airline who shall remain nameless (they did buy me breakfast, put me up at a hotel for a 3 hour night in Phoenix, and eventually reunited me with my bags so I'm cutting them some slack but will never fly them again), I had plenty of time to reflect on some things about Higher Things.
I thought about the old Walther League, the youth organization of the Synodical Conference, which at that time included the Missouri Synod. Named after C.F.W. Walther (who else?), the Walther League was organized on May 23, 1893 at Trinity Church in Buffalo, New York at a time when Christian youth organizations popping up like dandelions in the front lawn.
The Walther League was a grassroots association of young people organized into congregational chapters. The League didn’t even have a headquarters of its own until 1942, when a building, paid for by the youth themselves, was erected in Chicago. Sadly, by the time I was in youth group, the Walther League had gone the way of the old Synodical Conference, as all institutions are ultimately destined to do, though youth groups still called themselves “Walther Leagues.”
The constitution of the Walther League, adopted in 1894, said: “The purpose of this association shall be to help young people grow as Christians through WORSHIP—building a stronger faith in the Triune God; EDUCATION—discovering the will of God for their daily life; SERVICE—responding to the needs of all men; RECREATION—keeping the joy of Christ in all activities; FELLOWSHIP—finding the power of belonging to others in Christ.”
Worship, education, service, recreation, fellowship. Those guys seemed to know the distinction between worship, work, and play. They dared young people to be decidely Lutheran. I like to think of Higher Things is a revival of the old Walther League spirit - a grassroots movement of youth, youth workers, pastors, and parents working together to instill a distinctively Lutheran ethos among our youth through confessional instruction, liturgical worship, and congregational service.
Higher Things’ Mission Statement (yes, there actually is such a thing!) reads:
The mission of Higher Things, Inc. shall be to assist parents, congregations, and pastors in cultivating and promoting a Lutheran identity among youth through conferences, retreats, print and electronic publications. To fulfill this mission, Higher Things:
- Catechizes youth through instruction in Christian doctrine and life;
- Involves youth in the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people;
- Publishes periodicals, literature, curricula, and other resource materials using print media and the internet;
- Organizes conferences, retreats, and seminars to help youth become informed and active members of their congregations;
- Encourages youth to consider vocations of service in the church;
- Establishes networks for congregations to share resources for youth ministry;
- Connects high-school and college youth with faithful Lutheran campus ministries and assists congregations and campus ministries in their service to Lutheran college students.
All of this happens in a decidedly non-institutional way. Higher Things is a grass roots endeavor, made up largely of volunteers with only a minimal handful of paid staff. Our mailing address is a post office box; our phone number is an 800-number where you can leave a message and maybe someone might return your call some day. The people who make Higher Things happen are all dedicated LC-MS parish pastors, youth leaders, parents, and college students who give freely of their time (and their congregation's!), talent, vacation, and often the treasure of their own pocket. Where else can you find a people willing to work for a t-shirt?
If you want to get a bead on Higher Things, you have to read Higher Things’ magazine, go to Higher Things’ web site, or attend a Higher Things’ conference or retreat. No, it's not terribly well-organized. That’s true. But then, Christianity itself has never been terribly well organized either. And when it is, it usually gets the Gospel wrong.
Higher Things is very much a labor of love - love for the Gospel of Jesus, love for youth, love for confessional Lutheran orthodoxy, love for liturgical worship. It's a thrill for me to be a part of this. I think old C.F.W. would approve too.
Edited on: August 18th, 2007 10:50 pm
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