The Liturgy

Today my Pastor stands before an audience in Austin, Texas to set forth why Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church, South Bend, makes use of particular forms while confessing the Faith. He was asked to present these things with an eye toward what some people call a “high church” approach to the liturgy.

Having been a parishioner at Emmaus for over 17 years, the words “high church” have never come to mind. To be sure, there is a great amount of consistency, but it is not some kind of lifeless, robotic, rote, perfunctory set of rubrics. Not that that is what people mean when they speak of “high church,” either.

There are parishes where such strict attention is given to rubrics (the red-letter instructions given to assist Pastors and Congregations in reverent conduct) that they might be considered as important as the remaining substance given to create and sustain faith. There are a good many parishes where the liturgical practice is far more elaborate than at Emmaus.

It is absolutely critical to understand that Divine Service is God’s way of dealing with you; meeting you face to face as it were, to stoop down, draw near, and tenderly forgive all your sin and iniquity, no matter how great. It is the King of the Universe Who meets you there, so that He might lavish His love upon you and teach you of the cross He endured for you and all people, so that you might be drawn to follow Him.

As soon as you introduce the notion that Divine Service is something you must do to please God, you’ve turned the whole thing into a sham. This notion is so ingrained in your old Adam, it will never go away completely until your baptism is complete and you enter into glory.

Since God, in His most bare moments of revelation in declaring Who He Is, came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Virgin Mary to suffer and die in your place, and has also declared from ancient times how He is slow to anger and abounding in mercy, you may confidently draw near to where He has promised to be, and that is in His Word.

The Divine service is characterized above all things by rich reading and hearing from the very texts given among men whereby God revels Himself. To that Word He was also attached Holy Baptism, Sacrament of the Altar, and Holy Absolution, all of which are regularly practiced in Divine Service.

Inasmuch as God could turn stones into voices giving praise, He instead has turned your heart of stone into a heart of flesh, so that you may receive the benefits of everlasting life in His presence both now and forever.

Because the sum and substance of the gifts delivered in Divine Service reach back into all of time, we treat them with reverence and awe, and yet keep in mind that these things are not a method of some kind that we have cobbled together, but a carrying-on of what has been handed down from one generation to the next.

Divine Service at Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church, South Bend, takes the best of what has been received, and continues to distribute the gifts of heaven in truly evangelical fashion, not making a law of liturgy, but treating it as a reverent, ordered pattern whereby the benefits of Christ may be delivered in person to all mankind in that place. Christ be praised!
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Tend My Sheep

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

God has so arranged matters in the Church that one man, namely a Pastor, is given to preach and administer the Sacraments. In this way grace and peace are multiplied toward all mankind. It would be a real mess if everyone and his brother all got up at the same time to speak.

Beneath the office of Pastor is hidden all the glory, majesty, eternity, and blessing that comes with being in His presence. He has established this ministry as a means of dwelling in your midst in tender mercy and compassion, so that you are not dealt with as your sin deserves.

The same happens, in a way, when the head of the household teaches his children. The majesty and glory of God are hidden there, as His Name is brought to bear in truth and purity upon lives from one generation to the next.

No Pastor is able to undertake this work of his own accord or with his own genius. No, he takes what he himself has received, and distributes it. You see, by one man preaching and doing this work of distributing the gifts of forgiveness of sins, many are blessed as this grace and peace is multiplied.

Some may take offense at being called “sheep,” but this is one of the most apt descriptions for poor sinners, whose will is constantly at odds with the Creator, who have an inclination toward a herd mentality, and who must be fed proper food if they are to flourish in peace.

It is best if we admit and confess who we are as Christ Jesus calls us this name of “sheep,” despite how lowly the attribution might be. What this means is that you have been taught to hunger for righteousness and receive it in the Sacrament of the Altar.

A faithful Pastor does not consider the people to whom he preaches as his own possession, but rather Christ’s, who were purchased at the price of His holy precious blood; His innocent suffering and death, His resurrection from the dead.

“Shepherd My sheep.” The admonishment leaves out every kind of trickery, gimmick, and program that people would use to wield power over one another. Instead it places firmly within the Pastor’s prerogative the gifts and blessings needed to bring poor sinners into the Kingdom of Heaven, namely the Word to which God Himself is bound forever, and the Sacraments to which He and His Word are also bound
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Their Jealousy

But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.

Peer pressure and jealousy are no way to run a church, and yet these attributes have their effect all too often in the world.

The sect of the Sadducees had no regard for any concept of the resurrection of the dead, yet here was this raggedy bunch of untrained followers of Jesus publicly teaching a resurrection of the dead beginning with His appearing in the flesh to say, "Peace be with you."

Today there are all kinds of sects vying for your attention, too, begging you to be their follower, being jealous when your heart and mind are instead called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, Who draws you to the crucified, living Christ.

The high priest and all his associates are a force to be reckoned with. They represent all those powerful people who give every evidence of righteousness and holding to true spirituality. They have lots of power and money. They are widely recognized for their authority.

Why would they be jealous over you? Their jealousy is not of the same kind your Father in Heaven has for you when He says, "I the LORD Your God am a jealous God." His jealousy is born of a desire to save you from sin by grace alone, through faith alone, and saying "Peace be with you." Theirs is a jealousy born of a desire to have you take additional measures and pay up.

This tension will not go away in this life, inasmuch as there will always be people hankering for your devotion, attention, and substance while offering some comfort and recompense for your efforts. Your old Adam is inclined to agree.

But you do not belong to them. Instead you are counted among the Apostles who rejected any person, method, or means of salvation that does not put forth Christ crucified and risen from the dead as the only name and hope under heaven whereby men must be saved.

As you are gathered into Christ's Holy Church, it is not peer pressure or jealousy on the part of other people who cause this, but the Holy Spirit who testifies of Christ crucified and risen for you, living for you, and laying upon you both freely and bodily His own life and righteousness, calling you his dear child.
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Two Artists

Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.

Of the many vocations that invite the concentrated application of gift and skill, being a graphic artist is aimed toward the light of the body, namely the eyes.

Centuries before we had the advantage of photography and digital manipulation, our forefathers had to use imagination tied to the digits on their hands to render images of beauty, proportion, and interest.

Two artists who gained notice for this skill were Lucas Cranach and Albrecht Durer, both of whom were admirers of Dr. Martin Luther; both of whom treated biblical themes in their work.

While Dr. Luther testified from common man to king in bringing to light the Gospel of Christ Jesus, which in that day had been obscured by all kinds of philosophical innovation, these two artists did the same with visual depictions crafted with skill which until that time was unknown.

It was not as if these men had a driving urge to be noticed. Rather, knowing themselves to be recipients of grace from Above in every way, they applied themselves with diligence and joy to their vocations, and this in turn led to wide recognition.

For you, dear Christian who has been purchased with the blood of Christ Jesus, there is a work of great skill to be set before kings, namely the work of Christ Jesus on your behalf, which you possess completely and fully by faith.

It was not through any driving urge on your part that this work is yours, but a driving urge from before the foundation of the world that took you and set you up in a high place, namely the presence of God.

While you may not think your confession of Christ Jesus is made before kings, it issues forth from the King of Kings on behalf of all mankind as you render quiet service with the skills and blessing you've received from Above, no matter how great or small.

Terminator Terminated

Christ Jesus has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

It is a tall order only the Great Physician of body and soul could accomplish: the abolition of death. It took a legal decree, a legal declaration, and a real death of innocent flesh and blood in the Holy Son of God, Christ Jesus, for this to happen. That is what the cross is all about. Your Savior’s resurrection from the dead is proof that the sentence of death spoken upon Him and those who abide in Him no longer holds sway.

With the abolition of death comes the abolition of every evil, because death is an effect brought into to world through the evil one who is a liar and a murderer. Thinking he has control over life and death, he sunk his fangs into what he thought to be his biggest prize, only to have his head crushed and his fangs broken; rendered totally ineffective.

Now the descendants of Abraham, the Children of Israel, the whole Christian Church on earth together with all mankind, have a certain hope. Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death.

Now the Word sounds out to the ends of the earth: “I forgive you all your sins!” “Christ is risen!” Through this Word life and immortality are brought to light. Unlike sin and death, these truths are not self-evident. They are brought to light through speech and deed in accord with what is written in Holy Scripture.

This is why the Gospel is handled and proclaimed with the utmost joy and clarity: it is the means whereby your Creator brings you out of death to life, declaring publicly in no uncertain terms that your sin was placed upon your dear Savior; that He carries you and your every burden with joy and thanksgiving, not waiting for you to get your act together, but through His act of sacrifice on the cross and rising from the dead, attaching Himself and His righteousness to you.

From Adam to Moses death reigned; but the presence of the Word abolished death. No longer in Adam are we all dying. In Christ we are all reviving. - Athanasius

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Two Stages

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming . . .

The history of eternal salvation is such that it does not all happen at once in time, even though it has been in the heart of God from eternity. Everything is done in order, and as humankind has experienced it, the period of time has drawn out over thousands of years at least.

You may attribute this stretch of time to the longsuffering patience of Your Creator, Who, although He could have wiped out all of mankind at any time in a manner much more dramatic and final than the flood in Noah’s day, took time instead to arrange the history of salvation in such a manner as to draw near to you in perfect love; in Word and in deed.

Now that Christ is raised from the dead, having made payment for the sin of the world as told first to Adam and Eve and now to you in these last days, the first final phase of salvation history is in effect. Christ the First Fruits has gone before all resurrected flesh, paving the way for the rest of mankind in the order God has established from eternity.

Those who are Christ’s at His coming are all those who are baptized into His name, including you. Your resurrection from the dead is included in that of Christ Jesus because He is joined to you in Holy Baptism, His Word, and His Supper.

The children of Abraham are described as numbering the grains of sand on the seashore, or the stars in the sky. All who have gone before you as believers, as well as all those who will come after you, are counted in the number who will be raised from the dead in Christ Jesus when He comes at the last day.

The evidence is substantial in pointing to a long history for the orb of creation. Some say millions and billions of years, neither knowing the power of God nor believing what is plainly written. What matters is that this history of salvation now includes you, who have the forgiveness of sin and everlasting life, being robed in the pure righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Since He is raised from the dead, it will only be a little while till you, along with all the saints, see with your own eyes the glorious day when death is swallowed up in victory.

For the time being, this resurrection is preached to you and to those who are afar off, as many as God will call by the Gospel. For the time being the same cross under which Christ Jesus suffered is laid upon you in just those ways you are able to endure.
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This Life Only

If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

Being baptized into Christ Jesus is a “both/and” condition, for you have His blessing in this life as He carries you through all troubles in love, and in the life to come as He carries you into the bosom of the Father where eternal joys are found.

Following his conversion, the Apostle Paul lived day by day with his eye on the goal of eternal life. It was this hope that drove him forward in such devotion that he underwent severe suffering at the hands of men, and yet endured with love and grace, being at peace with all men.

The separation between life in this world and life in the world to come can be a difficult thing; in fact it is impossible without the grace of God in Christ Jesus. It is your nature to be drawn toward the things of this world as if they are permanent; as if they are the source of true joy and satisfaction.

Only as the Gospel of your dear Lord Jesus Christ rings into your ears - how He suffered and died and rose again for your sin and the sin of the world – does the prospect of enduring this life patiently and looking forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come have any appeal.

This appeal is to your new nature as Christ Jesus abides in you, urging you to flee from sin and seek asylum in His merits and righteousness, which can never be taken away. This righteousness avails before God your Father in heaven to the extent both body and soul are preserved for eternity.

The full nature and extent of your salvation is not merely a pie-in-the-sky platitudinous undertaking, but a reality that draws you bodily from earth below to heaven above, because it is your bodily Christ – your risen and living Christ in the Flesh - Who feeds you with His own body and blood in the sacrament of the altar, Who is ever-so-patiently refining and forgiving.

Because the joys of this life are often overwhelming, it may at times seem as if you would rather stay here forever. But those joys are only a small foretaste of the true joy that awaits you. You are not counted among those who are most to be pitied, but among those who are most blessed. You will be delivered from all evil as you abide in Christ.
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The Ready Ear

It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Because Christ Jesus is risen from the dead, all answer to prayer is made, even for those things you fail to ask or think. The heart of your Creator has always been such that He would go ahead of you, making all things new before you even knew your need.

When Jesus taught among his earthly disciples as we read in the Holy Gospels, He taught them in particular what to ask as He taught them the Our Father. Every petition of this prayer, which addresses our every need in this life, has been answered before you ask, because you are intimately joined to Him Who asks on your behalf before the Father.

It is the deepest desire of your Creator to reveal Himself to you as merciful and kind; your only Hope; your utmost Good; your Savior. He does this as His Word sounds out into your ears, pure and unadulterated in itself, but subject to questioning only because your old Adam is not about to give up.

And yet, before you could even ask your old Adam to give up and go away, your Father in Heaven drowned him in the One Holy Baptism sanctified by the Word of Christ. Before He baptized and taught you in the Faith, He saw to it that the work of Christ Jesus would be complete on your behalf, being crucified, arisen, and ascended so that He might be present in His Baptism for you in every need according to His glorified flesh.

Your prayer is heard while you are still speaking, because it is Your Creator and Redeemer who taught you to pray, having gone before you to win the prize of salvation before you entered the world to live out your days under the sun.

Consider how it is that Your Father in heaven has already answered your prayer:

He has made known to you His Name in truth and purity.
He has brought His kingdom to you in Holy Baptism.
He works His will in and through you despite your weakness and sin.
He provides you richly with daily bread.
He forgives all your trespasses and sets your heart at peace.
He leads you in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.
He has already placed you in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, thus delivering you from the evil one.

All this is accomplished for you because Christ Jesus is risen from the dead, and live and rules ot all eternity for the sake of His dear children, among whom you are counted.
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Treated and Released

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness.

It is with the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead in view that your Creator spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying that He creates Jerusalem for rejoicing. Without this resurrection there is no joy or gladness. With it there is joy and gladness that lasts forever, for in Christ Jesus your sin has been treated to its just deserts, you have been released from bondage to it, and your body is no longer subject to permanent decay.

The effect of sin and death, were it not for the saving work of God in Christ Jesus for you, would have consequences of permanent sorrow and banishment from the Garden of Paradise. With this resurrection, however, the Garden of Paradise is wide open, because Christ Jesus made substitute for your flesh of death, was crucified to make payment for it, and is now risen to intercede for you and bring you into this new creation through His living flesh and blood.

It is true enough that in this Jerusalem there remains a remnant of sorrow. You still experience pangs that, at times, cause you to wonder whether this could possibly be true. The cross is like that. There are matters attendant to your own sinful flesh that still need discipline and refinement. But even in these matters, because you are joined to Christ Jesus by faith, by His Word in Holy Baptism and Holy Supper, He is always at work in you to will and to do His good pleasure.

This Jerusalem, the Church of rejoicing, is His creation, not yours. Because it is His creation it is true and everlasting. As He teaches you in love, the reality of this new creation is what causes you to rejoice greatly, precisely because you know for certain that what you see and experience of the sinful flesh is only that which is being cast off and put away, drowned as it were, so that the new creation may spring forth.

The proof of this new creation is the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, which has been testified to in word and deed from the time the first man, Adam, fell into sin, to this very day. It has been witnessed and testified to directly by those who saw with their own eyeballs that Christ Jesus did not remain sealed in a tomb. It was also witness directly and abundantly that He shed real blood, and at the end said, “It is finished.”

“He is not here. He is risen.” Because of this you may walk even through the valley of the shadow of death and rejoice, because He goes before you, and with you, into this new creation made for your rejoicing.
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