Yearly Archives: 2008

Higher Hymnody: The Gifts Christ Freely Gives

Here’s a good article by Jonathon Kohlmeier over at Higher Things on hymnody.  In particular, he takes a look at Kantor Richard Resch’s hymn “The Gifts Christ Freely Gives” (LSB 602) and comments on the gifts we receive in the Divine Service.  Thanks Jonathon!

A brief excerpt:

Have you ever asked, “Why do we sing all these different hymns during church?” I have. Wouldn’t the service go much faster if we just started with the Invocation instead of singing all of the verses of some hymn before it? Do we really need a Hymn of the Day, doesn’t that just take up more time? I guess communion hymns are okay, they give us something to do while everyone else is receiving communion. Does Pastor really need to make the service even longer by having a closing hymn? What’s the point?

. . .

No, hymns aren’t there to keep us entertained. They are there to teach us. They are gifts to remind us of all that Christ has done for us and is doing for us.

Speaking of “long hymns”, the Hymn of the Day for September 21 is Salvation Unto Us Has Come.  If you don’t sing all 10 stanzas in LSB, take the time to read them.

Habits of Highly Effective Liturgies

The last few months I have been rereading an essay by Joseph Herl entitled “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Liturgies: Insights from the Sixteenth through the Eighteenth Century” which was included in the 2005 publication of “Thine the Amen: Essays on Lutheran Church Music In Honor of Carl Schalk.”

The section I keep returning to is the conclusion:

As I write these words, I have just returned from a Sunday church service.  The congregational singing was strong and the choral and instrumental music was inspiring.  As I left the church, I heard someone exclaim what a wonderful service it was.  But there was something missing.  There was no Communion, and I left unfulfilled.  The liturgy, which was printed in the service folder, followed the same order as in the hymnal; but the words were changed just enough to be annoying, and I couldn’t say any of it without reading it.  The sermon was quite good, but it was unrelated to any of the readings.  The choir sang no Propers, and the choral music was unrelated to either the readings or the sermon.  The liturgy, such as it was, was punctuated by constant verbal instructions.  As a result, even now I cannot recall the theme of the service, if there was one.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that some people thought that the service was wonderful, for they may never have known anything better.  But we know better.  Let’s make it happen.

Herl offers an encouragement and gentle nudging to pastors and musicians to have a unified proclamation each week.  This takes planning and often more than just the week before — perhaps weeks and months to give ample time for planning, practice, and preparation.  Maybe it’s not the best metaphor, but each service should be like a dance that flows without needless cues (verbal instructions) and unexpected stumbles (rewriting the liturgy).  As we step through the service we see the theme of the day and season reflected in the hymns, propers, choral and instrumental music, and sermon.  It’s as though the service was meant to be this way – the Ordinary and Propers joined in a united proclamation.

If this topic is of interest to you, consider attending the 2008 Good Shepherd Institute – Lutheran Liturgy and Hymnody: Theology in Practice with Confidence and Grace.  There will be sections for both pastors and church musicians. “This conference will focus on how to do the Lutheran liturgy and hymnody well, accenting practical ways in which pastors and church musicians may assist the people of God to embody the faith in their worship” (His Voice, Vol 3 No. 1).

We know better.  Let’s make it happen.

Nurturing Future Church Musicians

A few months back in the Lutheran Witness (official periodical of the LCMS), the issue was centered around the need for pastors and how we can encourage men to consider this vocation.  The August 2008 edition of the Lutheran Witness has an article that explores the need for church musicians and encouraging children to consider the vocation of church musician.  A portion of this article can be found here – “Music to the Ears: Inspiring Children to Enrich Worship“.

The article spread begins with this “teaser” to draw us in:

“I am constantly getting calls from pastors, especially pastors in our smaller parishes, who have no organist,” says Rev. Jon Vieker, assistant director of the LCMS Commission on Worship. “They tell me their organist is 85 and can’t play for services anymore, and there’s no one to take her place. Now what are they going to do?”

Future church musicians are nurtured when the congregation gives children the opportunity to serve.  This means the congregation has to actively support and offer opportunities – children’s choirs, handbells, instrumental music, and possibly even scholarships for lessons.  These can take a lot of time and money, but have far greater rewards.  If your congregation has a budding child or teen that has an inkling for the organ, take a genuine interest and encourage them.  While that child may eventually move away, you are nurturing and giving a gift to the church at large.  Who knows what God may have in store for him.

The Lutheran Witness noted that a DVD caled Children Making Music” produced by the LCMS, WELS, and ELS will be sent to 10,000 churches and schools.  Paul Grime, now Dean of the Chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft Wayne, noted that “If the DVD is shown in just half of our congregations and schools, and if it provides the needed encouragement to only a couple students in each of those institutions, that would ultimately mean several thousand additional musicians who might one day be leading our congregational song.”

I think back to when I first started playing the organ nearly 17 years ago (because the “real” organists either died or moved away and I could play the piano).  That small church was quite gracious as I “learned” to play the organ.  They plodded along as I sometimes dragged (or zipped) through a hymn or hit wrong notes, but they were always forgiving and thanked me for serving.  I’ve grown quite a bit as a church musician since then, but I’m thankful for the opportunities that they gave me.

Hymn Boards and Their Use in Early Lutheranism

“Hymn Boards and Their Use in Early Lutheranism.”  That sounds like the title of a dissertation on an obscure facet of Lutheran history.  While I have no idea if anyone has actually researched the history of the hymn board, I did find a passing reference to it in my latest lunch time reading – a book based on a PhD dissertation – “Worship Wars in Early Lutheranism” by Joseph Herl.

In his book, Herl provides an interesting read with some unexpected conclusions on the worship life of the Lutheran church in Germany during the 16th to 18th centuries.  I was initially surprised to learn, that on the whole, during the time of Luther and for a number of years thereafter, the Lutheran church was not necessarily the “singing church” we may idyllically imagine.  The churches did not spontaneously erupt in congregational song — they had to be coaxed, prodded, and reprimanded to sing — and congregational singing, at least initially, was second fiddle to the choir.

Now to the hymn board.  Herl writes that ”In Lubeck, number boards were hung in 1701 because the hymns could no longer be recognized from the organ prelude.”  Evidently the organist’s hymn introductions had little semblance to the hymn tune.

It seems that hymn boards have become an unnecessary church fixture since bulletins are printed (or yes, even projected via Powerpoint).  But let the hymn board be a visual reminder to the church musician and the congregation:

  • The church musician shall clearly introduce the hymn so as to invite the congregation to sing.
  • The congregation shall kindly accept the invitation and sing vigorously since the hymn number is prominently displayed.
  • If either the church musician or the congregation fails to do the above items, the other party is welcome to remove the hymn board and bring it to the other party as a reminder of the covenant between musician and congregation.

The Treasure of the Lutheran Church (according to Lohe)

For those of you not familiar with Wilhelm Lohe, the current edition of Logia focuses on the Lohe Bicentennial and has a number of good articles.

This evening I was reading the article entitled “Why Do I Declare Myself for the Lutheran Church?” by Lohe himself.  He enumerates a number of reasons of why he holds fast to the Lutheran Church.  The following excerpt caught my eye.

I declare myself for the Lutheran Church for the sake of the treasure.  The Lutheran Church lacks many things I would like to see in it, but it has something that lets it be the true church despite all shortcomings, and for the sake of which I find it easy and beautiful to be faithful to it in its outward misery.  Do you know what I am talking about?  I am talking about its utterly pure confession and its pure doctrine in conformity with its confession.  Who has ever proved that its confession is in error in any doctrinal article?  When speaking of its confession, I am not only talking about the Augsburg Confession, but about the entire Book of Concord from the Augsburg Confession all the way to the Formula of Concord.  You do not know these writings, dear reader, otherwise you would agree with me.  Get to know them and you will agree.  What is more beautiful, lovely, powerful, and lively than Luther’s catechisms?  What is more catholic than the Augsburg Confession and its Apology?  What is more thoughtful and bold than the Smalcald Articles?  And what is slandered more wrongfully than the beautiful Formula of Concord in its clean but mild definition of all teachings?  Dear reader, I repeat, you do not know your Church’s confessions of faith.  Get to know them in order to know why you adhere to your church.

One of Lohe’s strengths was his confessional committment which influenced the LCMS from its founding.  It seems he was quite passionate about the Lutheran Confessions and would encourage us as well to be familiar with what our Lutheran church “officially” believes, teaches, and confesses.

A few years ago Concordia Publishing House published a wonderful and accessible edition of the Book of Concord called “Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions-A Readers Edition of the Book of Concord – 2nd edition.” If you don’t have it, I would encourage you to consider getting it; and if you do have it, consider reading it.