Contemporary or Liturgical Worship?

Zion Lutheran Church of Tomball, TX., the church I've been serving during this past year, is committed to the historic liturgy that has been a part of the Lutheran church since before the sixteenth century Reformation. The reformers insisted on keeping that liturgy even while making some much needed corrections. 

Undoubtedly, the question of "worship styles" will continue to be near the forefront of Zion's work in the coming years—especially since several Lutheran churches in the area continue to push the "contemporary" button. 

I found an article from Christianity Today that talks about the "deeper relevance" of liturgy: http://bit.ly/1Bdg962

The article's author suggests how churches that promote so-called "contemporary" worship may view liturgical churches like Zion . . .

Liturgical worship leaders wear medieval robes and guide the congregation through a ritual that is anything but spontaneous. They lead music that is hundreds of years old, prayers that are scripted and a sermon based on a 2,000 year old book. The high point of the service seems to be the Lord's Supper—all of which seems irrelevant to what's really going on in the world.

Here's a description from the article of an Ybor City, FLA church called Relevant Christian Church:

"Our service is designed specifically for college students, urban professionals and young families. At Relevant, we feel that it's our responsibility to "clear the way" for you to come to church. We want you to be able to experience the great music, encouraging messages, friendly people and enjoyable atmosphere that are a part of Relevant."

Is that what our neighboring "contemporary" churches are saying? It seems to be.

In turn, Liturgical churches, says the article, force us all to rethink some very important things: 

• what is meant by relevant?
• that the liturgy transcends our time and place and connects us to the church catholic
• that the liturgy separates us from the world's culture
• keeps us from becoming distracted by that culture
• invites us into the culture of the Triune God and His kingdom
• that the pattern of the liturgy—its rhythm—Word followed by Sacrament is a holy pattern 
• that the world's culture must not be allowed to reshape the form and meaning of our worship
• yet the people in a given culture have freedom and variety within the basic structure of that liturgy. 

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I've read a number of the sainted Robert E Webber's books. He took his ThD from Concordia Sem., St. Louis, but was never a Lutheran. Nevertheless, he has much to teach. 

One book of his that I have in my Kindle library is Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God's Narrative. 

He calls for "Evangelicals" to take seriously the visible character of the church. He calls for them to turn away from an individualism that makes the Church a mere addendum to God's redemptive plan.

 "Individualistic Evangelicalism has contributed to the current problems of churchless Christianity, redefinitions of the Church according to business models, separatist ecclesiologies and judgmental attitudes toward the Church. Therefore we call Evangelicals to recover their place in the community of the Church catholic."

He also criticizes "the self as the source of worship." Such worship, he writes, has resulted in lecture-oriented, music-driven, performance-centered and program-controlled models that do not adequately proclaim God's cosmic redemption. 

Read the book. It is not difficult, but hits the target much of the time. 

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The Challenging Vocation Of Motherhood

Yesterday I was deeply moved by our pastor's sermon about motherhood. The basis for his sermon was words spoken by our Lord Jesus as he told his disciples what was about to happen to him. His words are recorded in John 16. Our pastor focused particularly on the part about women giving birth.

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. - Jhn 16:19-22 ESV

Pastor pointed out that the family is under attack and that motherhood in particular is less and less seen as a vocation, a calling in our culture. Women are told they should find something more significant to do with their lives other than merely raising children.

Out in the narthex after the Service one group in the congregation was taking orders for corsages for mothers. We're planning to celebrate Mother's Day in a couple weeks. But is that enough? Should we not be doing more than having a once a year worship service? Do we really believe in motherhood ? Are we prepared to go out of our way to support those women who are moms?

What exactly is motherhood? How do you define it? This is a very difficult question in today's culture. For many women it is not at all a simple question. They also have vocations as writers, artists, teachers, lawyers, business execs or engineers. How does one balance two vocations? And what about the vocation of wife? Or what if you are a single mom? The answers to these and related questions are always going to be specific to the individual.

And the answers will be different depending on the children to whom you are a mom. Being a mom to a mentally challenged child is different from being a mother to a gifted child. And raising one child is different from raising five. And it gets more complex if a woman and her husband are not on the same page when it comes to the how of raising kids. What if your husband has no interest in spiritual matters, for instance? Or what if his vocation as a soldier or a businessman takes him away from the home for months at a time?

Kate Harris writes about motherhood as a vocation. She says, "As I think about what it means to faithfully pursue my work as a mom, I hope myself and others can commit to this larger vision of our role as “culture shapers” who can hold our own beside PhDs and playwrights, lest we be tempted to think our daily occupation as nose-wipers and shuttle drivers is anything less than a grand enterprise."

I'd like some input from some of you my readers this week as I pursue this question. Let me hear from you.