"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Cor. 1:25)
Scripture, Catechism, Hymnal
Posted On: July 09th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Scripture, Catechism, and Hymnal are the three books of the Christian life. I first heard that from the sainted Dr. Kenneth Korby, and I think he got it from Wilhelm Loehe, but I'm too lazy to look up the reference. This is a blog, after all, not a term paper. The sentence has stayed with me through 16 years of ministry. Scripture, the written Word of God. Catechism and confessions, the road map and guide, the summary of Scripture doctrine. And the hymnal. The hymnal is the "lex orandi" (rule of prayer) that goes with our "lex credendi" (rule of faith) - the liturgy, service orders, hymns, and prayers which have come down to us and to which we have added the best of our own.
At our recent Amen conference in St. Louis, I was reminded again of these three books, and how all three were in play throughout the four days of the conference. Scripture, Catechism, and the Hymnal. The teaching sessions and plenaries were steeped in Scripture and the Catechism. You would expect that from a Lutheran youth gathering, but it was great to hear everyone recite the familiar words of the catechism and apply them to the topics at hand. We are truly blessed to have the small and large Catechism as part of our tradition. When we "dare to be Lutheran," we are daring to believe and live these simple words, making them the rhythm of our lives.
What really struck me though was the use of the hymnal. Higher Things conferences are built around worship. Lots of worship. Four times a day. And the worship is hymnal-liturgical. It all comes from our hymnal - Lutheran Service Book. Matins, Vespers, Evening Prayer, Prayer at the Close of the Day. We sang old hymns, new hymns, familiar and unfamiliar hymns. I was reminded of how valuable that "third book," the hymnal, is. I was particularly struck by the singing of “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending” at the closing Vespers. I turned to the man next to me in the chancel and said, “Wow!”
When we use our hymnal, we don’t need to submit our worship books for doctrinal review and approval. They are already reviewed and approved by the whole Synod in convention. We don’t have to have anyone review our hymns. Most importantly, we are singing all together - the youth, middle-aged guys like me, our grandfathers and grandmothers. We’re all on the same page in the same book.
The wisdom of Proverbs says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is older, he will not depart from it” (Prov 22:6). If we give our children and young people man-centered, purpose-driven, pop psychology-driven theology in their hymns, we shouldn’t be surprised if they go that way when they get older. We primed them for it. It’s their primary theology. Similarly with our hymnal. If we give them Christ-centered, sacramental, Law/Gospel theology in their hymns, they will learn to recognize the counterfeits when they hear it. Foreign theology and worship sound “foreign” to those whose primary theology is shaped by the real deal.
One of the greatest “complaints” I heard from the Amen conferences was that some kids wanted to sing “all the verses.” Now that’s what I call daring to be Lutheran!
Edited on: July 09th, 2008 1:58 pm
Comments:
Wacky kids
Posted On: July 09th, 2008 at 5:13 pm by Rev. PTM
Those crazy kids!!
I had a blast during my two catechesis lectures, and the Tuesday Evening Prayer, was...heavenly.
It is nice actually to have incense when we sing, "Let my prayer rise before you as incense" and I was temped to raise my hands, at the next line, "the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" but that would have been perhaps looked upon with some suspicion.
Great conference!!!
Re: Scripture, Catechism, Hymnal
Posted On: July 10th, 2008 at 12:12 am by Paul Willweber
And I guess there's really nothing else to say about your post than: Amen!
Re: Scripture, Catechism, Hymnal
Posted On: July 10th, 2008 at 10:11 am by sarahlaughs
Yes! All verses please!
Re: Scripture, Catechism, Hymnal
Posted On: July 10th, 2008 at 10:20 am by Rev. David J. Lofthus
I couldn't agree more and was equally struck as we sang "Lo, He Comes" in Scranton with, I'm sure, equal gusto and reverence. Perhaps a little text would be appropriate: "Those dear tokens of His passion still His dazzling body bears, cause of endless exultation to His ransomed worshipers. With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture gaze we on those glorious scars!" I turned to one of our adult leaders (who happens to be my organist) and said, "Wow!" What I meant was Amen!
Re: Scripture, Catechism, Hymnal
Posted On: July 10th, 2008 at 2:01 pm by Rev. William M. Cwirla
"Wow!" is a suitable paraphrase for the very rich word "Amen," which defies translation.