Reflections
ON WORSHIP AND LITURGY
Bob Busch, Worship Committee
I've recently come across a book by Robert Alter, professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University California, Berkeley simply called; "The Book of Psalms." You might want to consider reading it this summer. In it he re-translates all 150 psalms with an eye toward translating the Hebrew of David's time into contemporary English. Alter seems especially interested in the synonym in the second verse, which strengthens the first verse. This art of parallelism has a "strong forward thrust" which makes many psalms seem more intense.
A thought about Psalm 23, so familiar to all of us (or is it, in Alter's translation?):
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
In grass meadows He makes me like down, by quiet waters guides me.
My life He brings back. He leads me in pathways of justice for His name's sake.
Though I walk in the vale of death's shadow, I fear no harm, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff - it is they that console me.
You set out a table before me in the face of my foes.
You moisten my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Let but goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life.
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for many long days.
Psalm 23 is probably the best known and loved of them all, for it speaks of God's love and faithfulness. In the early church it was generally read at baptisms and now it is often also read at funerals. In this psalm we see a metaphor - the shepherd at work as the leader, provider, and protector of his flock. Such a representation was rather common in teaching and preaching to the generally illiterate people of the time before Jesus.
This is how God is with God's people says the psalmist. God is like a shepherd and we are in God's constant care for God's goodness never fails - and so our lives are transformed to a life of worshipful praise.
Alter has tried to represent the Psalms in a kind of English verse that is readable as poetry yet something like the Hebrew of the day. In the King James' version, line 4 above "Yea, though I walk through the valley …….." contains 17 words and 20 syllables. Alter translates it closer to the early Hebrew which had only 8 words and 11 syllables - a better approximation of the Hebrew rhythm of the psalm.
In his book, Alter seems to invite readers to slow down, to pause, and to notice that we are dealing with a remarkable artistic practice - one that we might miss in a hurried reading because some of the lines have become so familiar to us. For example, did you notice that in Psalm 23 the word "Lord" only appears at the very beginning and at the very end of the psalm? Isn't that rather like our own lives - for we ask the Lord to be our shepherd at the beginning of life, and then, as our lives draw to a close, we ask God to allow us to dwell in God's holy presence forever.
July-August 2008
It's been well over a year since the people of God, assembling in worship at Saint Peter's, began using a new worship book, so perhaps now is a good time to reflect on it. As I see it, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) is not a ground-breaking book as was the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) of 1978, with its increased emphasis on Baptism, on the weekly celebration of the Eucharist, on the singing of Psalms, and the recovery of the liturgies of Holy Week. Our new book, though, is a splendid updating of the work begun thirty years ago.
Since LBW was introduced, music and language has significantly changed, and this too is reflected in ELW. In fact, there are 10 settings of the mass in the new book. We now have the three familiar settings of LBW as well as several newly composed settings, a bi-lingual setting, a Gospel setting, and one comprised of familiar hymn tunes. We've been using most of these settings to broaden our worship experience at Saint Peter's.
The new book is evangelical in that it is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the good news of his life, death and resurrection. It is Lutheran because it embodies the Lutheran Confessions that the God we praise and trust is a triune God - and that this God has created and continues to sustain all things, has acted in Jesus Christ to save us, and has sent the Spirit to bring all people to faith through Word and Sacrament. And at the same time, it is ecumenical because faithful Lutheran worship is, at its very best, ecumenical for it encourages all Christians to place the gospel of Word and Sacrament at the heart of worship, and ELW is designed to foster unity without imposing uniformity.
The book's resources include Luther's Small Catechism as well as all 150 Psalms and many pieces of liturgical music in order to allow for greater flexibility in worship while using just one resource. And there are brief essays explaining sections of the book.
Rites and sacraments such as marriage and baptism are wonderfully updated and there is a healing liturgy which we at Saint Peter's find so meaningful.
The music section begins on page 335 with the Psalms (and 16 Psalm tones) followed by 89 pieces of service music. The 654 hymns contain many new and wonderful songs as well as many, many old favorites. Do you miss a favorite hymn or two? Not to worry, they are all still available for our use in electronic format. Just speak to Tom Schmidt if you have a special request.
Through all of this change though, the liturgy continues to be at the very heart of our public worship taking us back to our Jewish and early Christian roots, and it requires our active participation and praise of God as the gathered people who assemble to worship at Saint Peter's. You see, there are no bystanders in worship - each of us has a part: reading, singing, praying, serving, or perhaps just listening for this is our response to what God does among us.
So, where do we stand after more than a year of ELW? I'm generally pleased with our new worship book. I'm grateful for our new resources, and give thanks that our new book rests and builds on the solid liturgical foundations of our marvelous Lutheran heritage. How about you? What do you think?
May-June 2008
Many years ago while preparing a Good Friday Service of Devotion for the Lutheran church at which I was the organist, I came across a prayer by Abbe Michel Quoist, a French priest in a busy church in Le Havre. Private prayers, of course, should be personal, but in these busy days, moments of being alone with God seem to be very rare. I'd like to share Fr. Quoist's prayer as a starting point for our Good Friday devotions. While reading this prayer, be still before God, talk to God, and listen to God summoning you and me to himself, and then respond -- to God in love and service to one another. Abbe Quoist writes:
A few hours more, a few minutes more, a few instants more. For thirty-three years it has been going on. For thirty-three years you have lived fully, minute by minute. You can no longer escape, now: you are there; at the end of your life, at the end of your road.
You are at the last extremity, at the edge of a precipice. You must take the last step, the last step of love, the last step of life that ends in death. You hesitate. Three hours are long, three hours of agony, longer than three years of life, longer than thirty years of life.
You must decide, Lord, all is ready around you. You are there, motionless on your cross. You have renounced all activity other than embracing these crossed planks for which you were made. And yet, there is still life in your nailed body. Let mortal flesh die, and make way for Eternity.
Now, life slips from each limb, one by one, finding refuge in this still-beating heart, immeasurable heart, overflowing heart, heart heavy as the world, the world of sins and miseries that it bears.
Lord, one more effort. Humankind is there; waiting unknowingly for the cry of its Savior. Your brothers and sisters are there; they need you. Your Father bends over you, already holding out his arms. Lord, save us. Save us.
See. He has taken his heavy heart, and, slowly, laboriously, alone between heaven and earth, in the awesome night, with passionate love, he has gathered his life, he has gathered the sins of the world, and in a cry, he has given all. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
Christ has just died for us. Lord, help me to die for you. Help me to die for them.
Amen.
March 2008
Those of us who took part in Jared's ordination last month were delighted to have been asked to be a part of this significant event in his life. And all of us at Saint Peter's were thrilled to attend this magnificent service of worship. And did you see the wonderful smile on Jared's face?
A liturgy of Holy Communion with the Rite of Ordination is always a celebration - for every Eucharist is a celebration - and a reminder of God's love in Jesus Christ. Yes, it was a marvelous and festive celebration. But just what is an ordination? Is it an admission to some secret society, or inviting someone into a special group of "higher ranking" people. No, it's just the opposite.
To me, "setting apart" a person at an ordination is firstly a service of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving to God for God's love, God's grace, and God's mercy. And it's a service of thanksgiving, to the people of God at Saint Peter's for putting their love, and their trust in Jared to be one of our pastors. For the people of God at Saint Peter's are entrusting our spiritual nourishment, our Christian education, and our religious well-being in Jared.
When the bishop places a stole around the neck of a person being ordained, it is like a yoke being placed around a team of oxen. And when the assembled pastors gather in their albs and stoles, they are affirming their own yokes as well as reminding Jared of the yoke he is accepting. To me it's a symbol of becoming a servant of the servants of God. Read the back of our worship bulletin carefully, and it will tell you that our people of God are the ministers of Saint Peter's. The pastors then become ministers to the ministers, or servants of the servants of God.
So welcome, dear Jared, wear your stole and clerical collar proudly, but always remember that God and the people of Saint Peter's are entrusting you to baptize our children, to marry our people in love, to pray with those who are ill, to care for our elderly, to be with our dying, and to help us bury those who have died.
And each time you consecrate the bread and wine remember that not only do the people of God at Saint Peter's put their trust in you, but that God puts God's trust in you to be a servant among us and, as a person of God, live, work and serve among us as one of God's holy and redeemed community of faith we gratefully know as "the people of Saint Peter's."
January 2008
Celebrating Christmas can sometimes be problematical. One astronomer suggests that, based on the star which the Magi followed, Jesus may have been born about April 17 in 6 BCE (Before the Common Era). In fact, there is no proof that Jesus was born on December 25. Apparently, that date was selected in the 4th century to counter the Roman Saturnalia celebrating the return of the sun.
Nevertheless, Christmas remains a time of joyful celebration for Christians around the world. But Christmas is not only a holy day, it is probably one of the most human days in our church liturgical calendar. It is the day we celebrate - with trees, flowers, garlands and gifts, that precious gift of God: the birth of God's son as a divine but human person in the humblest of surroundings. What could be more human than a mother giving birth to a child, or more holy than when that child is the Son of God - the Messiah. And in the humanity of Jesus' birth, we Christians celebrate the re-ordering of our world and the hope for a new kingdom of God's peace. You see, there can be no ascent of the human to the holy without a descent of the holy to the human. For God, in his holiness, chose to come to earth as a human so that we humans might ascend to the holy presence of God.
But what has become of Christmas? Has gift-giving gotten out of hand? Has Christmas developed into a commercial season rather than a holy one? Has our observance of a birth in Bethlehem developed into a rushing, eating, drinking, partying and shopping spree of unparalleled abundance and lavishness? Are we so busy sending cards and wrapping packages that we don't have enough time to quietly listen to the angels? Do we take time to consider the human package which God so gently wrapped in swaddling clothes and so quietly placed on a simple bed of hay?
After all the preparations for this holy, human day, Christmas is our precious opportunity to pause, to reflect, to remember, and to adore the baby lying in a stable. It is also an appropriate time to remember all those with whom we have celebrated the mystery of God becoming human, and to give thanks for those countless faithful who now celebrate the Incarnation in the holy presence of God. So, welcome, dear people, bring your friends, gather around the manger and join the faithful community which is Saint Peter's Church in singing the fourth verse of that familiar Danish carol by Nikolai Grundtvig (ELW 301):
Him they found in Bethlehem, yet he wore no diadem:
there they saw a maiden lowly with an infant pure and holy
resting in her loving arms, resting in her loving arms.
December 2007
As so many of us are these days, I'm a part of a rather mixed and scattered family. Originally we were from the area of Germany which stretched from near the Dutch border in Bremen along the North Sea to Hamburg near the Danish border. My ancestors were all members of the Lutheran church from Reformation days. But times change, and now our family includes Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and a few who couldn't care less about the church.
Several months ago my Tante Alma (that's German for aunt), the last of my Mom's generation, died - some 30 years a widow. Alma had no children, but after a devastating automobile accident she had to reside in an assisted living facility for nearly 20 years and finally in a nursing home and then a hospice. Alma was 96 when she died in upstate New York. While living in health care facilities for so many years she rarely got to go to church.
Alma left ten nieces and nephews and, by the grace of God, eight of us were at the Lutheran Cemetery in Queens to receive her body for burial. As the eldest nephew there I offered to say the prayers of commendation as we gave Alma back to her Savior and then the prayers of committal as we lowered her body into the ground next to her husband.
But the reason for my personal reflection is this. Because Alma had no pastor, I prepared a brief commendation and committal from Lutheran worship resources to which I added Psalm 23, the Lord's Prayer and also a blessing for all of us who were there in a drenching rain that Friday afternoon. I began with "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" and soon all of us were praying the commendation together. Alma was Lutheran, but knowing that some were Roman Catholic or Presbyterian, I'd planned that only Psalm 23 and the Lord's Prayer would be said by all of us together since there was no priest present. But it was one of those rare moments when spontaneously all of us read the entire text together including the "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" committal, and finally the blessing where I'd changed the words from "The Lord bless you and keep you" to "The Lord bless us and keep us." We also prayed the benediction together asking God's blessing on Alma and on each other. God was there with us that day (just as God always is) as we each recalled our baptism in that soaking rain as we prayed for God's blessing. Surely God smiled on our little family as the soaking rains reminded us of our baptism. When the casket was being lowered into the ground, the skies began to clear and the sun began to break through the rain clouds.
As a footnote, one of my cousins wrote a note afterward saying: "This was the first time that our family has ever prayed together." Thanks be to God, we are one, in baptism, in faith, and in the love of the One who created us and loves us as his own.
As we celebrate All Saints' this year, I'll remember Alma and how her death brought us together. And surely we will all remember not only our own loved ones, but also those countless numbers known only to God.
November 2007
A month ago, a small group of us from Saint Peter's traveled the length of the Rhine River from Basel (near where the Rhine begins) to Antwerp (near where it empties into the North Sea.) Spending a day in Speyer, Germany, we soon learned a lot about Diets. (Diets are similar to Synod Assemblies or conventions.) We Lutheran Christians all know about the Imperial Diet of Worms in 1521, where Luther, defending his 95 Theses, is thought to have said those famous words: "Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nichts anders. Gott hilfe mich. Amen." (Here I stand. I can do nothing else. God help me. Amen.) Religious creeds, religious reformation and civil uprisings had been the dominating issues of domestic politics of the day, and so the Diet of 1521 imposed a ban on Luther and his followers.
But, did you know that in the 16th century there were 30 Imperial Diets in Germany, five of which were held in Speyer. With a great procession of princes and envoys to the majestic Romanesque Cathedral, the Diet was convened on June 25, 1526. After two months of ambiguous discussions, the Diet, voting that each "state" should behave as it sees fit before God and Emperor, allowed the expansion of Luther's teachings.
But in 1529, the Imperial Diet met once again in Speyer, and on April 19, a majority decided to rescind the resolution of the 1526 Diet, and to reconfirm the decisions of the Diet of Worms - now banning Luther. This outraged the participating evangelical princes and imperial towns so they drew up a letter of protest to Emperor Charles V. This sealed the schism with the Roman Catholic Church, and from this time on adherents of the reform movement have been known as Protestants.
Now fast-forward about 400 years. During these centuries, Protestants and Roman Catholics barely acknowledged each other - but now, the ecumenical movement has begun. Lutherans, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are finally in serious conversation about our similarities, and yes, about the differences in our understanding of the scriptures, the sacraments and many other items. But thanks be to God, we were all thrilled when a representative of the Roman Catholic Conference of Bishops came to the August 2007 ELCA church-wide assembly and told us how both Lutherans and Roman Catholics were continuing to work together to seek ways in which we can share in the Holy Eucharist.
We at Saint Peter's are ready and willing to join our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers at the Lord's Table - for as that familiar hymn puts it the church is:
Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth, our charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth, one holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses with every grace endued.
October 2007
We're back - from a grueling hot-summer week in Chicago where 1,071 of us, meeting under the theme: "Living in God's Amazing Grace. Thanks be to God" gathered as voting members of the 2007 ELCA church-wide assembly. And, if you think things were tough here in New York, you should have been in Chicago. But it was also a wonderful week, filled with song, prayer, sharing of bread and wine, splashing baptismal water, Bible study (Galatians, and Luther's "Freedom of a Christian" led by Dr. David Tiede and Dr. Timothy Wengert - two distinguished Lutheran scholars), conversation, debate, and lots of hard work. More than 125 memorials (recommendations) from synods across the country were considered. Most of the debate was very gracious, Spirit-led, and in the best interests of God's church. A bit of it was divisive and perhaps insensitive. Still, in the midst of our disagreements, the church continued to strive to live together faithfully understanding that unity does not always mean uniformity.
The most controversial item on this agenda (and the two previous assemblies I attended) was the subject of human sexuality. And it sure was contentious. In a nutshell, a competent and dedicated pastor from Atlanta was defrocked for living in a committed relationship with his partner. Both sides appealed that decision, and the matter was eventually brought to the floor of the assembly. All of this clearly reminded us that the ELCA is deeply divided over matters of human sexuality, in particular those relating to homosexuality. There is much pain and anguish felt by sincere Christians on both sides of the issues.
On Thursday the assembly met as a "quasi-committee of the whole" where all were invited to voice their opinions without affecting any votes or motions - just conversation. There were passionate and compassionate comments from many, many sincere and devoted folks. As that ended, the group sang:
O Holy Spirit, root of life, creator, cleanser of all things Anoint our wounds, awaken us, with lustrous movement of your wings.
Many of us were very hopeful that the ELCA would soon be allowing gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships to be ordained under the same guidelines as our heterosexual brothers and sisters.
Friday morning brought a continuing discussion of human sexuality with no decision. Unfortunately, the afternoon plenary collapsed after many hours of debate when someone made a tactical motion to end all discussion. Under "Roberts Rules of Order", this meant that all future conversation would go back to the task-force on Human Sexuality while awaiting a formal statement in 2009. Many, many of us were terribly disappointed.
The subject of disciplining gay and lesbian pastors, as well as those congregations that call them was a very, very tense discussion on Saturday morning. We were so proud of our bishop when he rose to speak with great courage:
You take a child. You baptize that child. You catechize that child. You stretch out your hopes for that child. That child comes to New York. That child is gay. We want to be your partner. Give us some pastoral room.
And the assembly did vote to ask synod bishops and the presiding bishop to refrain from any disciplinary actions. It was a rather close vote, but now our bishops have some "wiggle room" allowing them to keep these talented pastors and diverse congregations on the ELCA roster. The sobering element in all of this is that all the fuming and fussing has not divided the church - for we are all, are and always will be one in Christ.
Moving on to other items, our new worship resources, including the core volume, "Evangelical Lutheran Worship," were very well received. In fact, some 700,000 copies of ELW are now in use throughout the church - a remarkable achievement. Future plans for renewing the worship life of the ELCA include additional accompaniment editions, festival settings, Psalm settings for the church year, a book of occasional services for pastors, a Braille edition, and a hymnal companion volume.
In 2005, the proposal for interim "Eucharistic Sharing" with the United Methodist Church passed enthusiastically (877-60). Since that 2005 assembly, the Conference of Bishops has engaged in "rich discussion" with the United Methodist Church and is advising consideration for permanent full-communion at the 2009 Church-wide Assembly. At this years assembly we voted to expand full-communion with our Moravian brothers and sisters so that their geographical territory and ours now coincide.
A highpoint of these assemblies is always the daily Eucharist. We've learned much at these liturgies. Now that we have 10 settings of the liturgy, we were able to worship in a different style each day. Some of these liturgies were wonderful and some were not as well received, but each was designed to worship God in the diversity that is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Another highlight was the election of a Presiding Bishop and a Secretary of the ELCA. Bishop Mark Hanson (who you will recall preached at Saint Peter's in 2006) was quickly re-elected as our presiding bishop for another 6 year term, and Mr. David Swartling, an attorney from California, was elected as Secretary of the church to replace Pastor Lowell Almen who is retiring.
Pastor Almen gave a touching report of his 20 years as secretary of the ELCA with 3 Presiding Bishops - having met with 2 Popes, plus numerous Archbishops, Patriarchs, etc. to further ecumenical efforts so that the church of Jesus Christ can work together in peace and harmony. When he closed his remarks, the assembly sang:
Your hand, O God, has guided your flock from age to age; the wondrous tale is written, full clear on every page. Our forebears knew your goodness, and we their deeds record; And both still bear the witness, one Church, one Faith, one Lord.
Bishop Munib Youman, brought greetings from the church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and told touching stories of how Lutheran Christians live, work, and worship there. Again we sang:
Blessed be the God of Israel who comes to set us free and raises up new hope for us: a Branch from Jesse's tree that we might worship without fear and offer lives of praise, in holiness and righteousness to serve God all our days.
Greetings were brought from the Roman Catholic Church by the ecumenical officer of their Conference of Bishops in which he said: "We are in full communion, now we work to meet at the Lords table." Also greeting us were representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Episcopal Church, the Reformed Churches and our Moravian partners. Bishop Epting of the Episcopal Church remarked that "Some Episcopalians thought that the Bible was quoted from the Book of Common Prayer, but you Lutherans reminded us that the Book of Common Prayer actually comes from the Bible." This was received with much applause.
It was an incredible and amazing week, and when it was over we were all exhausted - having averaged long and difficult 14 hour days, but we were so touched by a prayer in one of the many, many brief devotional periods we shared:
Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know. Be still. Be.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit we truly are all "Living in God's Amazing Grace." And for this blessing, we join in saying "Thanks be to God." Finally, on behalf of all of us who journeyed to Chicago, thank you for your heartfelt prayers, for your incredible trust, and for your unfailing confidence in allowing us to prayerfully and humbly work to further the mission of the ELCA, with grace and with sound judgment, all the while praying that the Holy Spirit was guiding us in our deliberations as together we planned the future of this Lutheran branch of God's one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.
ELCA Churchwide Assembly, August 2007Some state legislatures in our country are deliberating on how best to teach the story of "Creation" to our children. There are those who want children to believe that creation occurred in six days plus a seventh day of rest, and others who believe that creation may have taken many millennia to develop.
We Christians aren't much different. Some of us believe that the creation story in Genesis is to be taken literally. Others believe that the creation story was simply told to people with ancient minds who didn't, or couldn't, grasp the thought of gradual development as in Darwin's theory of evolution.
Modern scientists and theologians will probably never totally agree on how our universe was created. Actually, my guess is that it may be a long time before we know how big "creation" really is.
But I'm not so concerned with how long it took for the universe to be created, or how big it is. For if there was a creation, there had to be a Creator. And that Creator is God. One of the ELCA statements says that "God's dimensions of space and time are not something God made once and then left alone. God is, rather, continually creating, calling into being each moment of the day."
My God - who created everything - is bigger than any of us could possibly imagine. And in that creation, "there's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea." We humans have a unique place in God's order of creation. We are given the capacity and freedom to know and to respond to our Creator: our God is filled with love, mercy and grace, for as the old familiar hymn puts it, "there is grace enough for thousands of new worlds as great as this; there is room for fresh creations in that upper home of bliss."
I doubt that science and religion can agree on how the universe was created. For me it's important that both the literalists and those believing in evolution point toward the creator in their studies. I suspect that Albert Einstein had it right when in 1941 he said: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
At a recent seminar, Pope Benedict XVI seemed to agree when he said "Science cannot fully explain the mystery of creation." And at the same time he did not reject evolutionary theory saying "I would not depend on faith alone to explain the whole picture." He went on to say "science and reason, however valuable, should not rule out God."
In all of this, we Lutheran Christians continue to believe that the Universe was brought into being by a mighty act of God, and with great love for God's creation, God blesses us with a unique place in the order of that creation. We are given the capacity and freedom to know, to adore, and to respond to our Creator. And in this freedom to choose, we at Saint Peter's choose to go out into the world, to serve, to bless, to forgive and to love.
July-August 2007
More than 2,000 years ago there was a festival in Palestine to thank God for the early spring harvest. It was called the "Feast of Weeks" since it was celebrated a "week-of-weeks" - Shuv'ot - or 49 days after Passover.
About the time of the exile the festival began to take on a religious role marking the arrival of the Jewish people at Sinai and the giving of the Torah there. As time went by the Torah became more prominent in the "Feast of Weeks" celebration.
Interestingly the "Feast of Weeks" is known as Pentakoste in Greek which is derived from early Greek for "fiftieth." So, it seems that Pentecost began to be celebrated seven weeks, or fifty days after Easter. The Christian observance of the seven weeks of Easter is a time for great rejoicing of the resurrection of Jesus. (Note the phrase of Easter as this period includes Sundays - as compared to Sundays in Lent which are not a part of Lent.)
Anyway, the fiftieth day is now celebrated as Pentecost - and along with Christmas and Easter is one of the three main festivals of the Christian church, for it commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that God sent to the church which causes some to call Pentecost "the birthday of the church."
Luke describes the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2: 2-4 as a rush of violent wind, and the speaking in tongues of other languages as the spirit gave them ability. At Saint Peter's, banners unfurl in gold, orange and red as members of the assembly simultaneously read in a variety of languages.
In Pentecost, Word and Spirit are forever linked. The Spirit is the source of the Word, the Word reveals the Spirit. Word and Spirit now guide us, for the love of God has been poured into our hearts.
With the Pentecost gift of the Holy Spirit, our celebration of the 50 days of Easter ends. Our attention now turns to the season known as the "Sundays after Pentecost" - a time for spiritual growth, renewal and continuing witness to the living Lord who makes all things new. However, the focus of Easter, Christ's resurrection, continues to be celebrated after Pentecost and every Sunday, year after year, after year.
As the Father sent Jesus, we too are sent, for as a spirit-filled community, we proclaim the Word of God's new people, and open our hearts to the needs of others as we go forth to love, to forgive, and to serve.
May-June 2007
The days of Lent (somewhere around 40 of them, depending on how you count) are a time for prayerful, penitential preparation for the great festival of Easter. It is a time to pause and reflect on our baptism, and to reflect on the sinful nature of our lives and how this sinful nature can be reconciled.
We reflect on our baptism because in the early church, Lent was a time when people were prepared for baptism. To this day we still baptize new members of the body of Christ and we remember our own baptism at the Great Vigil of Easter.
During Lent we not only focus on our baptismal vows, but we consider our sinful lives and strive to do better. We don't practice penance much these days, but it is appropriate to reflect and seek reconciliation with God and with our neighbor. Lent is a time for a spiritual "check-up" and a time for remembering and re-membering damaged relationships.
A key word for us this Lent might be reconciliation, for reconciliation seems to be at the heart of the church's mission. Naturally, there are many differences between people (as well as churches), but any differences are subject to God's incredible reconciling love. Dare we do any less?
Reconciliation is not an easy task, but it is a task that must be taken seriously by each of us. Reconciliation is a requirement if we are to re-establish right relationships, with God and with our fellow human beings, for the goal of the Christian church is unity, not division. Reconciliation is the gift of God, expressed in the saving death of Jesus who, through his death, won for us salvation. God proves his love for us in the death of God's son, so this Lent focus on reconciliation and let the goodness and grace of God flow in. God has given us the greatest gift, God's only son who died for us who sin. And in that saving death, we have been redeemed, reconciled, and made whole.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, God "redeemed" Israel from Egypt and established a covenant. And now God has again "redeemed" all humanity from the power of sin and God has established a new covenant in the life, death, and, of Jesus.
Proclaiming the resurrection has been the principal message of the Christian church for more than two thousand years. The resurrection of Jesus speaks to human hope, human experience, and promise.
So where are we now? As the reconciled and redeemed people of God, we stand at the empty tomb and marvel. And in that awesome marveling, we are assured of forgiveness, grace, God's unfailing love, and the promise of eternal life.
Easter 2007
The back cover of our Sunday bulletin always states: "Ministers - the people of Saint Peter's." And it also says: "Pastors" - and lists our very capable clergy.
But wait a moment! Just what does all of this mean? When a child (or an adult) is baptized we welcome them into "the priesthood of all believers." But who are these priests - the people of Saint Peter's, the clergy, or the newly baptized? At Saint Peter's it's "all of the above." This stems from 1 Peter 2:9 "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Does not this refer to all of God's people?
It is true that our clergy have been ordained into the priesthood of word and sacrament, but what does that really mean? Does it mean that they are special people? Does it mean that they are extraordinary? Does it mean that they are "holier" than the rest of us? Or does it mean that they get to heaven before the rest of us? I think not. However, our beloved clergy are set apart and have the solemn responsibility to preach and interpret the Word of God and to preside at the celebration of the sacraments. And the rest of us serve as choir members, ushers, readers, liturgical assistants, or simply sit in the pew as we all join together in worshipping the one God in whom we put our trust and our lives.
Yes a child is baptized into the priesthood of all believers. But is a child a priest? And what about all the rest of us? Where do we fit into this picture?
For me, the priesthood of all believers means that all of us minister to and support each other. A child gives us the blessed gift of smiles, giggles and trusting dependence; the teen-ager needs our encouragement, guidance and unfailing trust; the hungry and homeless need our help; and the elderly need much love and support in the dwindling days of their lives. And our clergy support all of us through the pleasant and tough times in our lives - the births of children, marriage, illness, suffering, death and bereavement. And for the rest of us, it's an opportunity for all the baptized people of God to minister to, love, serve, and pray for and with one another.
And as we minister to, nurture, and support one another, what do we do? We go forth together, as the baptized and redeemed people of God, to love, to forgive, to bless, and to serve - not only the people of Saint Peter's, but all of God's beloved children.
February 2007
The story is told of little children in a Sunday school class who were setting up the Nativity set. As they moved the pieces around, each child recounted the story of that figure as he remembered it - identifying the mommy and the daddy, the shepherds, and the angels. When a little girl picked up the robed wise men carrying their urns filled with gifts she was puzzled, and finally exclaimed, "And then came the ladies with the coffee"!
Well, it's not quite like that. For we really don't know for sure who the Wise Men (or Magi) were. Historians' best guess is that they were diviners who, by studying the stars, predicted the course of events in the future. Careful study of the movement of the stars and planets (did they really know there were planets in 4-6 BC?) combined with the belief in the effects of the heavenly bodies on earthly affairs was the basis of their pronouncements. People claiming to possess this knowledge and the insight to forecast the future, were known as Magi. Speculation has it that these men came from the east - so probably they might have been from Arabia, Persia, or Mesopotamia, or somewhere else. They are also portrayed as astrologers who followed a bright light (or perhaps a confluence of stars and/or planets) to Bethlehem where they inquired of King Herod about a new-born destined to save the world.
After the Magi brought their gifts to the child they left and went home by another route.
We all know that they did not return to Herod and went home by another route because they feared that Herod would harm the child. But the fact that they went home by another route, could demonstrate another result of their journey, and is something we might think about. Could it be that, as they traveled, they spread the news of a child born in a stable? Could it be that this was the beginning of spreading the news of Emmanuel? They and we have a promise and a person - and that is more than enough. All we need to do is to stay on the journey, no matter where the journey leads. And that's the point. The Magi followed the star to the manger - just as we do symbolically today as on Christmas we gather about the manger to remember the birth of Jesus.
Spreading that news of the birth in the manger is our task today. And as we spread the Good News of Jesus, we go forth in peace, to love, to serve, to bless, and forgive.
A blessed Epiphany. Spread the Good News.
January 2007This month we'll depart a bit from my normal routine. It's a great time to reflect on a writing of Dietrich Bonhoeffer about Christmas and Advent. You will remember that Pastor Bonhoeffer was on the faculty of Union Seminary here in New York City, until he felt it was time to return home to Germany in the early 1940's to resist the Nazi regime. His insights are so focused that it is well worth our time to sit back quietly and ponder Bonhoeffer's words on Advent and Christmas.
"If we want to be part of these events, Advent and Christmas, we cannot just sit there like a theatre audience, and enjoy all the lovely pictures. Instead, we ourselves will be caught up in this action, this reversal of all things; we must become actors on this stage. For this is a play in which each spectator has a part to play, and we cannot hold back.
What will our role be? Worshipful shepherds bending the knee, or kings bringing gifts? What is being enacted when Mary becomes the mother of God, when God enters the world in a lowly manger?
We cannot come to this manger in the same way that we would approach the cradle of any other child. Something will happen to each of us who decides to come to Christ's manger.
Each of us will have been judged or redeemed before we go away. Each of us will either break down, or come to know that God's mercy is turned toward us…
What does it mean to say such things about the Christ child?.....
It is God, the Lord and Creator of all things, who becomes so small here, comes to us in a little corner of the world, unremarkable and hidden away, who wants to meet us and be among us as a helpless, defenseless child."
Bonhoeffer goes on to say: "God becomes human out of love for humanity. God does not seek the most perfect human being with whom to be united but takes on human nature as it is."
How do you interpret Bonhoeffer's words? How do you and I reflect on and receive the message of the birth of that holy child? A reversal of all things? A true mystery of the Incarnation? How does this mystery speak to the world of the 21st century? How do we fit into God's eternal creation? And finally, how does this ancient story fit into our daily lives, and into the lives of those around us? How will you and I both gratefully and gracefully welcome the birth of "God among us"?
December 2006
All Saints' is one of the rare days in the Church
calendar which does not remember a biblical event or person; perhaps we should
call it the Christian Memorial Day. It is a time of remembrance for all the
saints - those we vividly remember and dearly loved as well as all those
faithful people who now rest from their labors. 
The next time you are in our sanctuary, take a moment to walk over to the columbarium and read the names of those who have preceded us at Saint Peter's. And as we give thanks for all the saints, we should also give thanks for those saints sitting next to us in the pew, our relatives, friends, loved ones and , in fact, every baptized child of God. Today we remember and celebrate all the saints - those living among us and those living in the holy presence of God.
As an interesting sidelight, one might wonder why Luther chose the eve of All Saints' to post his 95 theses on the church door of the castle in Wittenberg. Well, the answer is simple. Luther knew that the church would be filled on November 1 (All Saints') so he knew that by nailing the theses on the door on the evening of October 31, folks would read them the following morning. But Reformation should not overshadow All Saints' as it remembers an event while All Saints' remembers a myriad of humans - all those who have been God's witnesses and to whom we are eternally grateful.
As Olavus Petri, one of the principal reformers of the Church of Sweden, wrote in the early part of the sixteenth century: "we may well take the opportunity to give praise, thanks, and glory to God our heavenly Father for his incomprehensible grace and mercy, which he has shown to humankind."
In 1531 Petri wrote a series of prayers for the first Swedish mass book. His prayer for All Saints' is one we might well pray each day of the next few weeks leading up to the end of the church year.
Almighty God, grant, we ask you, that the example of your saints may inspire us to holy living, and as we commemorate their lives, give us your grace to follow them in faith and good works; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen.
So, on All Saints' Day let us give thanks for all the saints - those remembered by many, those dear to just a few, and those held only in the memory of God's everlasting and all-embracing love.
November 2006
To those of us who are old enough to remember, the 1958
red Service Book and Hymnal was a marvelous worship resource. After twenty
years it was replaced with the now familiar green Lutheran Book of Worship and,
as could be expected of a new volume, it met with a bit of skepticism. However
the green book stood the test of time, and with the exception that some folks
were unhappy with the harmonization of some of the hymns, it was truly an
incredible volume. But in the years since the publication of LBW in 1978, the
pace of change, both within the church and beyond, has continued at an
increasing rate. These past three decades have seen not only a growing
ecumenical consensus but also a deepened focus on the church's mission to the
world. The church has embraced broadened understandings of culture, increased
musical diversity, changes in the usage of language, a renewed understanding of
the central pattern of Christian worship with its increased emphasis on Baptism,
and an explosion of electronic media and technologies. All of this has had a
profound effect on the weekly gathering of Christians around Word and Sacrament
and seems to present an opportunity for a renewal of worship resources, grounded
in the treasures of the church's history, yet all the while remaining open to
the possibilities of the future.
In response to this, our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has prepared a new worship book, dark red in color, called "Evangelical Lutheran Worship." Its goal is to renew the church's worship as Christ's mission is carried forward in a new day, in a new century.
Basically, here's what's in the new book. Most significantly, there will be 10 settings of the liturgy including the three now found in LBW. Our familiar setting 3 becomes setting 5 in ELW. New settings were developed in congregations using a variety of musical styles and one setting uses English and Spanish text which might be ideal for our bi-lingual liturgies. The liturgy section has wonderful new settings of both the baptism and marriage rites (which we have been using at Saint Peter's for some time now.) The new book will also include all 150 psalms, daily prayer services, an updated calendar of Bible readings, as well as Luther's Small Catechism.
The hymn section has some 700+ hymns, songs, and service music. Some 350 hymns will come from our familiar green book (many with more familiar harmonies), 127 will come from "With One Voice" (which we at Saint Peter's have become so familiar with), and about 125 hymns will come from Renewing Worship Volume 5 "New Hymns and Songs." Here we will find some old favorites (such as Once in Royal David's City, In the bleak midwinter, Creator of the stars of night, Come, Ye Disconsolate, God be with you till we meet again, Lead Me, Guide Me, and "On Christmas Night) which were missing from LWB. The remaining hymns are from other resources such as "Libro de Liturgia y Cántico." And finally there will be a few new hymns not previously published in Lutheran worship books. Not every hymn from LBW will be in the new book, but an effort was made to retain the best of all of the preceding volumes, keeping those hymns appropriate for the church in the 21st century.
So now we set out on a new adventure, all the while respecting our roots in prior hymnals. Once the new book is published, there will be a constellation of supporting volumes with additional electronic resources, including all of the hymns from LBW, WOV, and many more.
Our Pastors and Worship Committee have carefully reviewed this new book, and enthusiastically recommend that the Parish Council adopt it for use at Saint Peter's. It will be available in October. You'll soon be hearing about opportunities to give copies to Saint Peter's. For additional information, please feel free to speak to any of our pastors or any of us on the Worship Committee. All of us are familiar with the new book and what you will find in it. And if you really would like detailed information, all of the liturgical settings, psalms, hymn texts, etc. can be found at www.RenewingWorship.org.
And finally, we pray that this new resource for our worship will do no more, and no less, than to enhance, support, and energize every aspect of our worship of God and of our love and care for one another.
October 2006
Five years have passed. What a time this has been! First there was the destruction of the World Trade Center, the damage to the Pentagon, and Shanksville. Then came Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bali, the Philippines, Iraq, Madrid, London, Amman, Mumbai, and a number of other places.
And all of this in the name of God? How can this be? Why were thousands of innocent people killed in these terrible events? A response at Saint Peter's was to begin praying the Prayer for Peace which has been a part of every liturgy since.
How can so many people be killed in the name of God? And how can some people believe that God is a God of such hatred and destruction of humans? In the course of history, a common temptation has been to identify God with the interests of one's group, be it a church, a tribe, or a nation. We assume that our concerns and viewpoints are those of God. But, why would a God, who also walked this earth as a human, want other human beings to be harmed or killed? Surely such acts are not those of the God we Lutherans worship and adore.
Much of the destruction was caused by a radical Islamic minority. But what does Islam really teach? Does it teach that violence is a means to an end? Does it teach that terrorism is the way of God? Does Islam teach that such terrible acts have God's blessing? I think not. And most main-stream Muslim scholars have been very clear in saying that violence is not a teaching of Islam. In fact, the word "Islam," comes from the Arabic word, salama, which has a double meaning "to surrender" and "to be at peace."
As Felix Mendelssohn's great oratorio "St. Paul" so beautifully puts it: "Wie lieblich sind die Boten, die den Frieden verkündigen." - "How lovely are the messengers that preach the gospel of peace! To all the nations is gone forth the sound of their words, throughout all the lands their glad tidings."
So, where are we? After September 11 we all had a new glimpse of our relations with the rest of the world. It was forcefully brought home to us that we are not immune to danger or protected from terrorism. But this new glimpse of danger also brought an anxiety that led us to thoughts of self-protection. In fact, our Congress approved a new Department of Homeland Security.
As we claim solidarity with our sisters and brothers around the globe, we need to ask ourselves why we are perceived with hatred in some places around the world. Could our wealth and our actions have contributed to hardship, poverty, and rage in other parts of the world? Have we been too self-centered? Have we learned that our world is too fragile and too small for such a viewpoint?
It's been five years, so where do we go from here? As St. Paul says: "We are members, one of another." Being members of one another suggests that we need to understand each other, and to see each other as others see us in the light of God's universal care for us, and for all creation.
To faithfully be "messengers of peace" and "members one of another" our task is to carry out God's mission, which is nothing less than to join together in the peace of God which passes all human understanding, to forgive, to love, to bless, and to serve.
September 2006
We, at Saint Peter's, know the impact our wonderful Klais organ has on our worship life. Just as the architecture and appointments in our sanctuary send us visual cues of what is about to happen in that space, the sounds of the organ send us aural cues of the liturgy to come. As we gather together for worship, the sound of the organ helps us define our beautiful sanctuary as a sacred space - a holy place set apart for encountering God and Jesus, God's son. And as a sacred and holy space, while we wait for the mass to begin, we are invited to meditate and to pray, each in our own way, for ourselves and for our loved ones as well as for those around us, and for those we do not know but who so desperately need our prayers.
When we think about the organ's power in our liturgy, we realize how it leads us in the joyful singing of triumphant and majestic hymns as well as its quiet, yet gentle support in hymns of contemplation. And the organ has the unique capability not only in the singing of hymns and psalms, but of supporting our singing of the ancient liturgy which we at Saint Peter's value so highly. Whatever else is done, the prime task of the organ, and of the person who plays it, is to assist all of us in the worship of God, for that is truly the heart of the liturgy.
We, in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are soon to receive a new book of worship to replace our beloved "green book." In it there will be some new styles of music, additional settings of the mass, new accompaniments, and more than 700 hymns - many old and familiar favorites and some new and wonderful songs.
In all of this, our fine Klais organ deserves and will receive continued presence in the liturgy. No, we won't be projecting songs on the wall with a bouncing ball over the words, but we will continue to joyfully and reverently sing our praises.
No matter what happens, we will continue to find creative, yet meaningful ways to link the role of the organ to the faithful worship of the people of Saint Peter's. The organ will remain relevant and alive, beloved and appreciated, and with the altar, font and pulpit, the very center of our sacred and holy space.
So worship with us at Saint Peter's, and as the organ begins to sound, quietly meditate, pray, read psalms or hymn texts, and prepare to meet the holy One, and then having met God, go out into the world to love, to bless, to forgive and to serve.
July-August 2006
This year, the church celebrated the 100th anniversary
of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birth. Many today don't know much about Bonhoeffer, a
German Lutheran pastor, but for us older folks, he symbolized and lived out
resistance to the Nazi Party in World War II, for he lived in a 
world of almost unimaginable cruelty and violence.
When Adolf Hitler became chancellor and dictator of Nazi Germany in 1933, Bonhoeffer saw this as a danger to the survival of Christianity. To Bonhoeffer, true discipleship demanded that a Christian live maturely and responsibly in the world, and that he live by God's grace, not ideology. This, for Bonhoeffer, meant resistance to the Nazi state. During the 1930's Bonhoeffer was experiencing the powerful spiritual awakening that grew into his classic book, commonly known as "The Cost of Discipleship." In it Bonhoeffer delivers a scathing censure of the "cheap grace" that seemed to be permeating the heart of wartime German Protestantism. For Bonhoeffer, costly grace, the center of discipleship, is a connection to Jesus, a life spent growing in the clarity of Jesus' gaze and touch, listening to his voice, keeping our eyes centered on him and living in a relationship of tremendous intimacy with Jesus, sustained by love. The book emphasizes people described in the Beatitudes (the poor, the sorrowful, the gentle, the peacemaker, those who show mercy, etc.) as a means of understanding the incarnate and crucified Christ.
In 1939 Bonhoeffer came to Union Seminary in New York to teach, but he soon decided his place was in Germany to support the resistance, and by 1943 he was arrested for conspiracy against the Nazi regime. He was imprisoned in Berlin, Flossenbürg, and was finally taken to Buchenwald where he was hanged on April 9, 1945. He was just 39.
Bonhoeffer's poem "Who Am I" beautifully reveals his personal struggle with imprisonment as well as his strength and faithfulness during the last days of his life. Read it very slowly; and thoughtfully reflect on its contradictions about the world, about ourselves, about the nature of reality and our self-sufficiency, while reaffirming your faith in the God in whom we put our trust and our lives.
Who am I? This one or the other?
Am I one today and another tomorrow?
Am I both at the same time? Before others a hypocrite and in my own eyes a contemptibly self-pitying weakling?
Or does what remains in me resemble a defeated army, retreating in disorder before a victory already won?
Who am I? It mocks me, this lonely probing of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest me; O God, I am thine!
May 2006