Worship: Week Four

Last week's discussion focused on worship in the hymns and songs we sing. An article in the Good News issue of worship, spoke directly to this with a discussion of Colossians 3:16.

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another, in all wisdom, singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

The Lutheran Study Bible has a great commentary on this verse:

"Songs conveyed some of the Bible's greatest teachings. Great expressions of joy and thankfulness naturally flow from the rich doctrine of Christ." The discussion continues with words from Martin Luther in his Large Catechism. "Certainly you will not release a stronger incense or other repellent against the devil than to be engaged by God's commandments and words, and speak, sing or think them."

In his book, The Fire and the Staff, Reverend Klemet Preus said that the confusion and conflict over hymns and songs can be quelled with the question, "What does the hymn teach?" Using this as a springboard for discussion we analyzed several songs through the lens of what they taught.

"Salvation unto Us Has Come"
Salvation unto us has come

By God’s free grace and favor;

Good works cannot avert our doom,

They help and save us never.

Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,

Who did for all the world atone;

He is our one redeemer.

Since Christ has full atonement made

And brought to us salvation,

Each Christian there-fore may be glad

And build on this foundation.

Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,

Your death is now my life indeed,

For you have paid my ransom.
Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone

And rests in him unceasing;

And by its fruits true faith is known,

With love and hope increasing.

For faith alone can justify;

Works serve our neighbor and supply

The proof that faith is living.

Contrast what is taught in the previous hymn to the popular praise song, "I offer my Life" by Claire Cloniger

All that I am, all that I have

I lay them down before you, oh Lord

All my regrets, all my acclaims

The joy and the pain, I'm making them yours

(Chorus)

Lord, I offer my life to you

Everything I've been through

Use it for your glory

Lord I offer my days to you

Lifting my praise to you

As a pleasing sacrifice

Lord I offer you my life

The first hymn clearly teaches Christ crucified for us. The second clearly teaches what the Christian does.

Molly Hemingway, a regular contributor to the web page Brothers of John the Steadfast had this recent post. She writes...

"I came across this fantastic quote:

'We must take note also of a most deplorable tendency of our times, namely, that of preferring the shallow modern “Gospel anthem” to the classical hymns of our Church. The reference is both to the text and to the tunes in use in many churches. On all sides the criticism is heard that the old Lutheran hymns are “too heavy, too doctrinal; that our age does not understand them.” Strange that the Lutherans of four centuries and of countless languages could understand and appreciate them, even as late as a generation ago! Is the present generation less intelligent or merely more frivolous?'

"When was this written? Back in June 1929. (Source: Paul E. Kretzmann, Magazin für evang.-luth. Homiletik und Pastoraltheologie [June 1929], pp. 216-217)

"Perhaps it should make me sad that confessional Lutherans have been fighting these battles for so long but, for some reason, it makes me hopeful. I think sometimes we think things used to be great and now they’re awful. In fact, I think that we’ve always had people in our midst who didn’t appreciate our Lutheran identity. And sometimes I think things are actually better now than they have been in recent memory.
In any case, a blessed Holy Week to everyone."

Excellent point then and an excellent point for today.