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The Creed (Part 2)
Last week I talked about the history of creeds in Christianity, and some details about the Apostles’ Creed. This week I want to continue the creed conversation by talking about the Nicene and Athanasian creeds.
The Nicene creed is the more complex of the two creeds commonly used in Christian worship. It is similar in structure to the Apostles’ Creed – it speaks about the Trinitarian God and works of creation, redemption and sanctification. However, it is much longer, taking time to make statements about Christ’s divinity.
The Nicene creed was formed during a period of theological controversy, particularly a debate beginning with Arius, a bishop from Alexandria who argued that Christ was not eternal or divine in essence. This debate over the deity of Christ lasted for centuries, and it was Athanasius who took the firm position that Christ is fully divine. Athanasius became one of the most influential theologians in Christian church history.
Athanasius argued that the Son of God is of one substance with the father. The Son must be divine, or the entire essence of the Christian faith is lost; if Christ is not divine, salvation is impossible. To be a perfect mediator, Christ must be both fully God and fully man.
The Council of Nicea, first called together by then emperor Constantine, was composed of representatives of the church from both the East and West to solve particular theological issues. This council affirmed Athanasius’ belief that Christ is divine, and this affirmation was included in the creed that is now known as the Nicene Creed. The most significant phrases in the creed, to rebut the beliefs of Arius, are “begotten, not made” and “of one substance with the Father”.
According to the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book, either the Apostles’ or the Nicene Creed may be spoken. “The Nicene Creed is appropriate during Advent, Christmas, Easter, and on festival days; the Apostles’ Creed during Lent and at other times.”
For comparison’s sake, here are the texts of both the Apostles’ and the Nicene Creeds:
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
You can definitely see that the three parts are the same in each version of the creed, and that the Nicene Creed expounds the topic of each part further than the Apostles’ Creed.The third and final creed used is the Athanasian Creed. It is the longest and most theologically complex of the creeds. It was not written for refuting a particular heresy – it is an expansion of the teachings of the Nicene Creed, and is an extended exposition of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. It was named after St. Athanasius, who was the same man who was behind the arguments that led to the Nicene Creed. Contrary to some erroneous beliefs, he didn’t write this creed–it was written long after he died, probably sometime in the 6th century.
This creed includes both a positive statement of doctrine, and a refutation of heresy. It begins and ends with assertion that all who are to be saved must hold to the beliefs outlined in this statement–one’s very salvation is at stake depending on who one confesses God is.
In the Middle Ages, this creed was commonly confessed in public worship, but over time its usage has declined. There is no particular reason for the decline, except perhaps a pragmatic one – it is very long, and most congregations opt for the shorter Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds. In the more recent past, the tradition was to recite the Athanasian Creed on the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Interestingly, it is not included in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book (c. 2006) at all.
Athanasian Creed
Whoever wants to be saved
should above all cling to the catholic faith.
Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable
will doubtless perish eternally.
Now this is the catholic faith:
We worship one God in trinity
and the Trinity in unity,
neither confusing the persons
nor dividing the divine being.
For the Father is one person,
the Son is another,
and the Spirit is still another.
But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
is one, equal in glory,
coeternal in majesty.
What the Father is,
the Son is,
and so is the Holy Spirit.
Uncreated is the Father;
uncreated is the Son;
uncreated is the Spirit.
The Father is infinite;
the Son is infinite;
the Holy Spirit is infinite.
Eternal is the Father;
eternal is the Son;
eternal is the Spirit:
And yet there are not three eternal beings,
but one who is eternal;
as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings,
but one who is uncreated and unlimited.
Almighty is the Father;
almighty is the Son;
almighty is the Spirit:
And yet there are not three almighty beings,
but one who is almighty.
Thus the Father is God;
the Son is God;
the Holy Spirit is God:
And yet there are not three gods,
but one God.
Thus the Father is Lord;
the Son is Lord;
the Holy Spirit is Lord:
And yet there are not three lords,
but one Lord.
As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge
each distinct person as God and Lord,
so catholic religion forbids us
to say that there are three gods or lords.
The Father was neither made
nor created nor begotten;
the Son was neither made nor created,
but was alone begotten of the Father;
the Spirit was neither made nor created,
but is proceeding from the Father and the Son.
Thus there is one Father, not three fathers;
one Son, not three sons;
one Holy Spirit, not three spirits.
And in this Trinity, no one is before or after,
greater or less than the other;
but all three persons are in themselves, coeternal and coequal;
and so we must worship the Trinity in unity
and the one God in three persons.
Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.
It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe
that our Lord Jesus became flesh.
For this is the true faith that we believe and confess:
That our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
is both God and man.
He is God, begotten before all worlds
from the being of the Father,
and he is man, born in the world
from the being of his mother—
existing fully as God,
and fully as man
with a rational soul and a human body;
equal to the Father in divinity,
subordinate to the Father in humanity.
Although he is God and man,
he is not divided,
but is one Christ.
He is united because God
has taken humanity into himself;
he does not transform deity into humanity.
He is completely one in the unity of his person,
without confusing his natures.
For as the rational soul and body are one person,
so the one Christ is God and man.
He suffered death for our salvation.
He descended into hell
and rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
At his coming all people shall rise bodily
to give an account of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life,
those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith.
One cannot be saved
without believing this firmly and faithfully.I hope you enjoyed this blog about the three main statements of faith that have been, or are now still in use during our worship. May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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The Creed
After the sermon, and the Hymn of the Day (whose words reflect the sermon message), we recite the Creed. It is interesting to note that not all Christian denominations use the creed in their worship, since the Second Great Awakening (1790-1840). Those who reject the user of creeds often claim that the heavy emphasis on creeds is inconsistent with sola scriptura (Scripture alone – the Bible is the supreme authority, sufficient, and clear.) I do agree that the Bible has the final say in all issues of Christian doctrine. But a creed serves a different function – it is how the church expresses what it believes Scripture to teach. Creeds (and confessions) give parameters for church bodies and congregations so it is made clear what each church teaches.
The use of Christian creeds was an extremely early practice in the church. Short confessions of faith appear in the New Testament itself and are apparent in some of the earliest Christian writings. These creeds were often written when specific heresies arose in the church so that false teachings might be guarded against.
Take a look at the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 3-8:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
Many scholars believe that this creed originated in the mid-30s. That places it only three to eight years after Jesus’s resurrection (AD 30-33)!
The central message of this creed, and what the Apostles taught and believed, is about Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead. It validates Christ’s post-resurrection appearances–if it is irrefutable that Jesus did rise from the dead, he must be God. These are the essentials of the Christian faith.
As the years and decades and centuries passed, other creeds were often written when specific heresies arose in the church so that false teachings might be guarded against. When a new issue arises in the church, the church responds to make a statement surrounding the issue so that truth may be guarded against error. When particular theological issues affected the church, a group of bishops, pastors and other church people would gather, discuss the issues in light of Scripture, and confirm what it was the church believed. This goes back to the New Testament again, where the Council of Jerusalem was convened to deal with issues surrounding Mosaic Law (see Acts, chapter 15).
When a church adopts a creed, this action guards against false teaching (heresy). Pastors swear oaths to uphold the teachings of particular creeds in many traditions. This means that in a confessional church, every church member can expect exactly what is to be fought and professed from the pulpit.
In my church, the entire congregation recites the creed. By proclaiming the words of the creed, we profess our belief in these teachings of Holy Scripture in a “short” form. The creeds are a confession of both the individual reciting the words, and simultaneously, of the entire congregation.
Understanding the content of the creed and reciting it week after week “catechizes” the congregation in the basics of the Christian faith. Indeed, the Apostle’s creed is one of the main parts in Martin Luther’s large and small catechisms. Knowing the creed equips us congregants to recognize heretical teachings ourselves. Repeating the creed often helps us commit to memory the basics of historic Christian theology.
There are three ecumenical (ecumenical meaning “universal” in the Western church tradition) creeds in use in the ELCA today: Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian.
The Apostle’s creed is the most basic Christian confession of faith. This creed is the most ancient; there were a number of similar creeds used in the first centuries of the church, which developed into its current form late in the fourth century. One of the points that Jordan Cooper makes in his book Liturgical Worship that I find interesting is the following: “One of the most significant phrases in the entire creed is the words ‘under Pontius Pilate’. With this phrase, the church confesses that the works of Christ that the creed enumerates happened at a particular point in history under the reign of this ruler. One cannot simply take the story of Christ’s life as a nice myth or moral fable. The church presents it as actual history. Christ literally came to this earth, lived, died, and rose. There is no getting around a literal and physical resurrection from the dead in the Apostles’ Creed. In this way, as with the virgin birth, the ancient words of the creed continue to guard and protect Christ’s church from error.”
The Apostles’ Creed is divided into three articles:
- God the Father’s work of creation
- Christ’s redemptive work on earth
- The Holy Spirit’s role in the application of redemption and the Christian church
Note the Trinitarian formulation of the creed – we confess our belief in the three persons of the Triune God. Everything in the Apostles’ Creed is found in Scripture itself.
Next week I will continue with the Nicene and the Athanasian Creed. May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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Scripture Readings
The Scripture readings appear after the Prayer of the Day, which I wrote about in March. They are the most specific Word-centric part of the Service of Holy Communion, consisting of four Scripture readings plus the proclamation of God’s Word in the sermon.
Scriptures are read from the lectern, and in my congregation, they are read by a lay person. As a reader myself, I make sure that I’ve read through the scriptures several times before I read them in our church service, so I can do some sort of justice to God’s word, and not stumble over unfamiliar words in the passages.
The formula today is to read from the Old Testament, the Book of Psalms (which we read responsively between the reader and the congregation), and a reading from the Epistles. An epistle was a letter written on a scroll most often dictated by an author to a scribe and then reviewed by the author before being delivered by a trustworthy messenger. Epistles in the Scriptures are only found in the New Testament, which contains 21 such letters extending from Romans to Jude. Finally, just before the sermon, the pastor reads the appointed Gospel lesson for that Sunday. The sermon is most often based on the Gospel reading.
The readings preceding the Gospel reading are related and/or amplify the Gospel readings in some fashion; they are not chosen at random. All of the readings for any given Sunday and special feast days come from the three-year lectionary called the Revised Common Lectionary (1994). This is the most common lectionary now used within Protestantism, and therefore the three-year cycle is the most common type of lectionary in Western Christianity. It is used by a variety of Protestant groups including Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians, among others.
In the earliest records regarding Christianity, Christians have emphasized the reading of Scripture in worship. This focus doesn’t originate with Christianity though; Jewish worshipers read scripture during their synagogue worship. The New Testament epistles themselves were written to be read in front of congregations.
In the earliest Christian settings, the Old Testament had a prominent position as the New Testament books were being written and circulated. Eventually, the New Testament readings became more prominent than the Old. The Old Testament readings were omitted during the Middle Ages, and reappeared later on as the church grew and developed a systematic way of planning the readings in an organized way. What is important to note is that the Revised Common Lectionary does not contain all of the Bible divided up over the course of 3 years; that would make for some very long readings on most Sundays! All Christians should make reading their Bible a daily routine, to make sure they cover ALL of the Word of God. Attending bible studies can also provide more information about readings that are not in the lectionary cycle.
All of the readings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church are available in front of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship. There are also other resources that produce a calendar of the readings for an entire cycle, and this information is also readily available on the internet. I think it’s wonderful that I can prepare myself for any given Sunday by reading the appointed scriptures, to pray over and meditate upon, before I attend Sunday services. There are also devotional books that are organized by the appointed scripture readings throughout the week, such as “Christ in Our Home”, that offer a chance to prepare ourselves spiritually before Sunday morning.
If you are not currently in the habit of reading scripture daily, I heartily encourage you to do so. There are countless resources today that can get you started, whether it’s a small daily devotional, or a focused schedule on reading through the entire Bible in a specific amount of time. I personally love the Moravian Church’s “Moravian Daily Texts” series, which guides you through reading the entire Bible in two years. For a person with a day job, I find this is the right rhythm to incorporate in my own daily routine, preferably in the morning. I’m on the second half of my third time through the whole Bible, and I am definitely hooked – this is a spiritual habit that I never want to lose! I hope to be able to invite all the members of my congregation to join me starting January 2024 for another 2-year Bible reading journey, if they don’t have a regular Bible-reading plan already in place.
May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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Holy Week – the Three Days
We are officially in Holy Week! The main services are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and of course, Easter, or as the Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) book calls it, the Three Days.
For Maundy Thursday, the ELW says regarding the pattern for worship, “On this night we begin the Three Days during which we participate once again in the saving power of Jesus’ passing over from death into life. The Maundy Thursday service includes the words of Jesus’ new commandment (mandatum, from which Maundy comes) to love one another. As a sign of our calling to follow Jesus’ example of humility and service, we may wash one another’s feet as Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. On this night in which Jesus was handed over to death we also gather around the Lord’s supper. At the service’s conclusion, the altar area may be stripped of furnishings as a sign of Jesus’ abandonment.”
For Good Friday, “The Good Friday service continues the journey through the Three Days of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. At the heart of this service is the passion reading according to John, which celebrates Christ’s victory on the cross. As Jesus draws all people to himself, we pray for the whole world for which Christ died. Finally, we honor the cross as the sign of forgiveness, healing, and salvation. With all God’s people we are invited to bow before this mystery of faith. Christ has died, so that we may live.”
I have participated in many Good Friday services with many different traditions. One of my all-time favorites was singing Dale Wood’s magnificent “Service of Darkness”, which focuses on the last words of Christ on the cross. There is a meditative pattern of reading, extinguishing of seven candles, one for each reading, a bell tolls (either a handbell, or a bell in the church’s tower), and the choral piece for that word.
Other times a requiem mass may be performed, or the stations of the cross observed. Any crosses that cannot be removed from the sanctuary are veiled in black cloth. We even had a period where we had a prayer vigil from after the Good Friday service over to Easter morning. I remember signing up for a 2 am prayer slot – leaving the warmth and comfort of my home and family in the middle of the night to be in prayerful communion with the Lord was a very moving experience for me, allowing me to reflect on what his life, death and resurrection meant to me personally. It also highlighted even more the joyous nature of Easter, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
And finally, Easter. We begin our worship with a festive procession – for the second year in a row, we will be processing with bell trees. Our bell choir members will ring out “Now Let the Vault of Heaven Resound” while processing up and down the aisles of the church carrying strings of bells on bell tree crosses, following the triumphant entry of the Easter cross bearing the “Alleluia” banner we “buried” behind the altar on Ash Wednesday. The greeting of the day, “Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed – Alleluia!” resounds throughout the service, as well as the singing of Alleluias in the liturgy, hymns and anthems. The beautiful white paraments adorn the altar and lectern, dozens of beautiful flowers adorn the sanctuary, and the main cross is decorated with a gorgeous flower arrangement. It is the most important day of our church calendar year.
May the Lord bless you richly as you celebrate His resurrection. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
(I will be off for two weeks and resume this blog the week of April 24th.)
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Palm/Passion Sunday
This coming Sunday, April 2nd, is called the Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday, which is the beginning of Holy Week. On Palm/Passion Sunday, Christians around the world mark Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem to complete the work of our salvation. During our worship, we follow in his footsteps as we enter the church, acclaiming the one whose throne was the cross. At Bethlehem Lutheran, we commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem by waving palm branches outside the church and singing “Hosanna!” and the hymn “All Glory, Laud and Honor” as the congregation enters the sanctuary. It is a worship service of “opposites” – we go from praise and joy at the start of the service, and the mood turns solemn at the end of the service, when we read the passion narrative of Jesus’ suffering, death, and burial.
I’ve been to other church denominations that have different traditions for Palm Sunday, including one whose tradition was to bring in a real donkey, dress up one of the children in costume, put them on the donkey, and have the congregation process along with the donkey all the way into the sanctuary! It was something the children of the church looked forward to each year.
Some churches also have different people assigned the different people who speak during the passion narrative, to bring color and additional drama to the already intense scripture reading.
We then return to church on Maundy Thursday, which begins the Three Days during which we participate once again in the saving power of Jesus’ passing over from death into life. This service includes the words of Jesus’ new commandment to love one another. Following Jesus’ example of humility and service, we may wash another’s feet as Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. We also celebrate the Lord’s supper.
At the end of the Maundy Thursday service, the altar guild will strip the altar area of all furnishings as a sign of Jesus’ abandonment.
May you be blessed during Holy Week as you remember Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection for our salvation! Amen.
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Prayer of the Day/Chat GPT
Have you heard all the buzz around an artificial intelligence “chatbot” called Chat GPT in the internet world? It was launched as a prototype on November 30, 2022, and its capabilities really spread around the world very quickly. If you type in a question or a phrase, it generates detailed responses and articulate answers across many domains of knowledge. Its newest model was released just last week on March 14.
Now, artificial intelligence isn’t perfect, and Wikipedia mentions that it is not altogether factually accurate. But I am amazed at how good it really is!
I covered the Prayer of the Day recently in a series of weekly Zoom meetings through my church, so I had already done the research. I wanted to see what Chat GPT would generate on the subject, and so I typed in “What is the Prayer of the Day in the Lutheran Worship Service?” Here’s what Chat GPT generated:
As an AI language model, I do not have access to live updates and cannot provide information about the specific Prayer of the Day in the current Lutheran worship service. However, I can provide you with some general information about the structure of Lutheran worship services.
Lutheran worship services typically follow a liturgical structure that includes various prayers, readings, hymns, and other elements. One key component of the service is the “Prayer of the Day,” which is also known as the “Collect.” This prayer is typically recited by the pastor or another leader, and it is meant to collect or gather the themes of the day’s readings and focus the congregation’s prayers on those themes.
The Prayer of the Day usually consists of four parts: an address to God, a petition or request, a purpose or goal, and a closing doxology or praise. The specific content of the prayer varies depending on the liturgical season, the theme of the day, and other factors.
If you would like more information about the specific Prayer of the Day for a particular Lutheran worship service, you may want to consult with a local Lutheran church or clergy member.
Wow! That is pretty well written! However, I am glad this human can still be of some use, if you would like more information about the Prayer of the Day!
The Prayer of the Day is read in our church by the assisting minister, after the Hymn of the Praise. All of the Prayers of the Day are listed at the front of the book of worship (any book of worship, past and present, in the Lutheran church), according to the 3-year lectionary and follow the themes of that particular worship day.
One correction to Chat GPT’s information about the structure of the Prayer of the Day; it usually consists of five parts, not four, although to be fair to the AI engine, some of the Prayers of the Day omit the second, fourth, or sometimes both from the five parts. The specific structure (with an example) is:
Address: O God,
Basis for prayer: You gave Your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death.
Petition: Make us to die every day to sin,
Benefit desired: so that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection;
Conclusion: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
I asked Chat GPT “Can you write a Prayer of the Day for the Lutheran worship service?” Chat GPT returned the following prayer:
Almighty and gracious God, as we gather in your holy name, we ask that you would open our hearts and minds to your word and your will for our lives.
Grant us the grace to hear your voice, the courage to follow your commands, and the wisdom to discern your ways.
Strengthen us in our faith, comfort us in our trials, and guide us in all our ways, that we may live as your faithful people and bear witness to your love and truth in the world.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
What do you think? Not bad, although I believe that the Prayers of the Day are like beautiful jewels – very focused on a single theme with each word carrying the message clearly and concisely. Looking at the Chat GPT prayer, we have already “gathered in your holy name” at this point in the service. There are a LOT of petitions in this prayer, and usually the third “petition part” is a single petition.
Then I refined my request to Chat GPT, “Can you write a Prayer of the Day about repentance for the Lutheran worship service?” Here it is:
O merciful God, we come before you with repentant hearts, confessing our sins and seeking your forgiveness.
We have strayed from your ways, and we have fallen short of your glory. We ask for your grace and mercy, that we may be reconciled to you and to one another.
Grant us the courage to confess our sins, the humility to seek your forgiveness, and the strength to turn away from sin and to walk in your ways.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth, and renew in us the joy of your salvation.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Again, a bit “wordy”, but I was impressed that the theme of repentance was woven into Chat GPT’s prayer.
The Prayer of the Day serves as a transition point from the time of praise in the worship service to the time for Scripture readings. And I will use this transition point to wrap up today’s blog! I challenge you to write your own Prayer of the Day as well – it’s a wonderful exercise/discipline to incorporate in your daily prayer life! May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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Hymn of Praise
The most common song of praise used in worship following the Kyrie is the Gloria in Excelsis, or “Glory be to God on high.” The text for this song of praise comes from the Gospel of Luke, where angels sing at the birth of Jesus. Luke 2:14 – “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Additionally we sing praise to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit each in the same manner—all praise is Trinitarian in nature. By singing this hymn of the angels, the church recognizes that during our worship service, heaven and earth are united, and together we sing of the glory of our Triune God.
In my church, we use one of several musical settings for the Hymn of Praise. The leader intones “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth”, and the congregation sings the following text:
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
We worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
Have mercy on us;
You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
In the glory of God, the Father. Amen.
Other songs may be used in place of the traditional Gloria. A beloved alternate song of praise written by Richard Hillert, “This is the Feast of Victory” was first included in Setting one of the Holy Communion service in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). It is now widely published in more than 20 recent worship books of several denominations. There are other musical settings of this text:
Refrain: This is the feast of victory for our God Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
- Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Refrain
- Power, riches, wisdom, and strength, and honor, blessing, and glory are his. Refrain
- Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. Refrain
- For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia. Refrain
Of course, during this time of Lent, we would not sing this song of praise because we are refraining from singing “Alleluia” until Easter!
The phrase “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” echoes the words of Revelation 5:13 – Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”And what a beautiful way to end this blog, with this scripture reading from Revelation! May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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Kyrie
During Lent, my church (and many others) sing the Kyrie after the Confession and Forgiveness in our Holy Communion service. In the Kyrie, we ask for God’s grace again, recognizing that it is only by God’s mercy that any of our requests can be granted.
The phrase “Kyrie eleison” is Greek for “Lord, have mercy”. This basic prayer comes from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14:
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NIV translation)
The Pharisee thanks God that he has been created better than others, even the tax collector in the parable. In contrast, the tax collector cries “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The tax collector’s prayer resulted in his justification, unlike the Pharisee’s prayer. When we Christians pray, we know that we, like the tax collector in the parable, have no righteousness to offer God. We are beggars in need of God’s mercy.
As part of my personal daily prayer, I remind myself that, as a sinner, I am always in need of God’s mercy. I often recall Martin Luther’s dying words, “We are beggars. This is true.” And God is so gracious, and loving, He extends a never-ending supply of mercy to His children.
In its earliest forms, the Kyrie includes a variety of petitions with “Lord, have mercy” as a response. Since the Reformation, it has been common to use a shorter form of the Kyrie, which is a threefold “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy”. Many churches, including mine, have restored the earlier version:
Assisting Minister (AM): In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Congregation (C): Lord, have mercy.
AM: For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.
AM: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C: Amen, amen.
The Kyrie reflects this contemplative time of Lent, and is a beautiful addition to our Sunday worship. May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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The Season of Lent
The season of Lent was established on the pattern of fasting and praying for forty days by Jesus’ time in wilderness before He started His earthly ministry (cf Matt 4:1-11), as well as 40-day fasts of Moses (cf. Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 19:8-9) in the Old Testament. These fasts prepared each of them for their work.
For Lutherans, repentance is an important part of being a child of God, and during the season of Lent we put greater focus on our repentance as we remember and observe the passion and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. More recently, there is a resurgence of incorporating the ancient understanding of Lent as a time for baptismal preparation and renewal. Baptisms on Easter were and are celebrated even today in many Christian denominations, using the 40 days (not including Sundays) of the Lenten season to prepare for or to remember our own baptisms.
And so, to reflect these themes during the Lenten season, our worship patterns change accordingly:
- We refrain from singing the word “Alleluia” (which means “Praise the Lord”) in our worship services. I have always considered a type of “word fast”, where we welcome this beautifully expressive word of praise back into our worship on Easter!
- We sing the “Kyrie” (Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy) after the Confession and Forgiveness in the service.
- The Gospel Acclamation is changed from “Alleluia! Lord to whom shall we go” to “Return to the Lord your God”, whose text is taken from Joel 2:13.
- We place purple paraments on the altar and the lectern. Purple has long been associated with royalty, and our Prince of Peace reigns, even from the cross.
- The processional cross we use at Bethlehem for Lent is a simple, wooden cross – again, reflecting the penitential nature of the season.
- We are thankful to be able to gather again for our Midweek Lenten services at Bethlehem Lutheran, after an absence because of COVID. We share a simple meal of soup and bread, then gather for an Evening Prayer service.
We are trying an old tradition this Lenten season at Bethlehem – it’s called Burying the Alleluia. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? At Bethlehem we said farewell to the Alleluia on Transfiguration Sunday, February 12th. A couple of our congregation members created an Alleluia banner, which was placed in a special wooden box by the youth of the congregation, and it was placed behind the altar (some congregations actually bury it in the ground!), to be opened again and used for the processional on Easter. Each member of the congregation also received a small wooden chest, and placed a slip of paper with the word “Alleluia” written on it to take home, as a remembrance of this Lenten season.
Lutherans are not required to fast, but are certainly encouraged and supported if they wish to observe Lent by fasting, or giving up something they feel is a meaningful sacrifice. Others incorporate special devotionals and prayers for the season.
What changes might you observe in your own church worship services during the Lenten season? May grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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Shrove Tuesday/Ash Wednesday
I am writing this blog on Tuesday evening, 2/21/2023 after returning from my church’s “Pancake Tuesday” celebration. Today, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is celebrated under a host of different names: Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras (which means “Fat Tuesday”), Pancake Tuesday and so on. There are any number of traditions about what is traditionally eaten the day before Ash Wednesday. I can’t speak to all of them, but I can tell you what we do to mark the last day in the season of Epiphany – we have a pancake feast in the evening with our church community!
Since I’ve been at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, we take advantage of meeting together for this last feast before Lent by raising money for our youth to go to summer camp. So the youth (and their families) set up tables and chairs in the hall, with festive Mardi Gras decorations on the tables, and spend more than one evening preparing all the homemade food. The menu: Breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers, mac and cheese, pancakes (of course!), eggs, bacon, and all the trimmings for the pancakes. What a feast it was! And it’s so good to be in the company of my fellow Christians as we share a meal together, especially during the socially lean years of COVID.
What is Ash Wednesday, then? According to the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book, “Ash Wednesday is a solemn day of prayer that begins the season of Lent. On this day we confess our sin in a litany of repentance. During Lent’s forty days we are invited to carry out the Lenten discipline, practices of fasting, prayer, and work of love even as we accompany people around the world who are preparing for baptism at Easter. On this day we may receive the sign of ashes. This ancient symbol of repentance reminds us of our mortality. Returning to God’s mercy and grace, marked with the cross of Christ, we make our way through Lent, longing for the baptismal waters of Easter, our spiritual rebirth.”
How do we know which Wednesday to celebrate “Ash Wednesday”? Ash Wednesday is calculated 40 days before Easter. Therefore, we need to know how to calculate which Sunday Easter will be, because it is not on a fixed date each year, like Christmas. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after March 21st (a fixed approximation of the March equinox). In 2023, the first full moon after March 21st is April 6th. The first Sunday after April 6th (which is a Thursday), is April 9th. That is the date for Easter in 2023. Happily, this information is readily available on the internet, and on special liturgical calendars, so we don’t have to do the calculations ourselves!
Jewish Passover is also calculated by the lunar calendar, so we celebrate Holy Week at the same time our Jewish brethren celebrate Passover.
We calculate the rest of our Lenten calendar between the Ash Wednesday and Easter dates. We work backwards from Easter and calculate the following Sundays and Festivals:
April 2nd, 2023: Passion/Palm Sunday (1 week before Easter)
April 6th, 2023: Maundy Thursday
April 7th, 2023: Good Friday
April 9th, 2023: Easter Day
That leaves 5 Sundays for Lent. (There is a maximum of 6 and a minimum of 4 Lenten Sundays.)
February 26th, 2023: 1 Lent
March 5th, 2023: 2 Lent
March 12th, 2023: 3 Lent
March 19th, 2023: 4 Lent
March 26th, 2023: 5 Lent
I will continue to talk more about Lent in next week’s blog. Until then, may grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love! Amen.
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