The text itself is quite familiar — the words of the Divine Service that have been sung by Christians for hundreds of years.  The same words that have accompanied the travelers of this world as they receive the gifts of God and confess and respond with thanksgiving.  The same words where the “now” of earthly life and “not yet” of eternity are joined.  Kyrie Eleison.  Gloria in Excelsis.  Credo.  Sanctus.

One of the things you find with Bach is the interconnectedness of words and music.  Bach takes these words and through the music provides a theological commentary.  For those interested in learning more about Bach’s compositional techniques in his Mass and how they enrich the text, you can download Christ’s Gifts in the Liturgy: The Theology and Music of the Divine Service (free download) from the Good Shepherd Institute and read Bach and the Divine Service: The B-Minor Mass by Paul W. Hofreiter.  The music isn’t just background noise to provide cover for the text and neither does the music dominate the text.  This is a good reminder for church musicians even today.

It is for these reasons that I’m drawn to the Mass in B minor.  While the words are in Latin, I inwardly “know” what is being sung — the music helps to reinforce those words.  It is a sung confession in faith of what Christ has done for us.  Hofreiter writes that “Bach could proclaim, in unison with Luther and all who have believed and will believe:”

All to the praise of Him who is the Master of all beauty.  All praise sung by faith at the present time is but a beginning of the eternal hymn. (Luther)

In closing, I’ll leave you with two of my favorite selections from Bach’s Mass — the Sanctus and Dona nobis pacem.  If you watch the Dona nobis pacem, notice what happens at the conclusion — a hushed silence and reverence.  Grant us peace.  If you don’t see the videos, click here and here.

Thanks for reading Bach and the Mass in B minor.

I have a small tome on my desk called the Propers of the Day that has all the propers (parts of the service that change) for each Sunday and feast or festival. The Psalms often permeate each day in the introit, gradual, and of course the Psalm of the Day. They announce the theme of the day in the introit. They offer responses to the other lessons. They, along with the other propers, are meant to be used — whether on the lips of the pastor, choir, or congregation — whether spoken, chanted, or sung —  not for the sake of “having” to do it because it’s listed in the hymnal or tradition says so, but because we “can” use them in Christian freedom to unify, unfold, and accent the day’s theme. If you don’t use the propers, why not? If you do use them, why?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that:

“Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure vanishes from the Christian church. With its recovery will come unexpected power.”

There are numerous ways to present the Psalms ranging from simple to complex. I’d like to share a YouTube video of an unpublishsed (as far as I can tell) invigorating setting of Psalm 149, the appointed Psalm for All Saints Day. As a brief background, Reformed churches often have a rich tradition of Psalm singing, sometimes (unfortunately) to the exclusion of non-Psalm based hymns. This setting is from Christ Church in Moscow, ID and a video from one of their Psalm sings (which you’ll notice encompasses all generations of their congregation — even the children sing). When I first heard it, I thought the music sounded familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. After a few days of the tune in my head, I was singing a Psalm from the Brotherhood Prayer Book and realized a part of the setting was based on the Gregorian chant Tone VIII, albeit with some rhythmic additions.

And a second Psalm setting (Psalm 98) for good measure being sung by their congregation (not choir).  Prepare to be astounded.  I also commend them for their resourceful use of instrumentation.

Thanks for reading Psalms for All Saints.

A wonderful choral selection that my iPod reminded me of for the 2nd Sunday of Easter is “Although the Doors Were Closed” by James Clemens.  I know it from the Concordia Theological Seminary’s Kantorei CD “Te Deum”.  You can hear another choir singing it by listening to an episode of Sing for Joy produced by St Olaf College.  Go here, click on the April 19, 2009 link, start the episode, and scroll to 10 minutes 50 seconds into the episode.  Easter blessings to you.

Thanks for reading Seeing Christ in Word and Sacraments.

The LCMS Commission on Worship just posted the MP3 files of the conference speakers on their website.  While certainly not a substitute for being there, these MP3s do allow for greater distribution and review of the topics.  Yet another opportunity for exploration.

Thanks for reading Model Theological Conference – Worship MP3.

In this holy body You will find life, for He was given into death for the life of the world. In this holy blood you will find forgiveness of sin, for it was shed for the forgiveness of sin.

Ponder especially here the wisdom of God. The Lord Christ took upon Himself flesh and blood from our nature. He exalted and embellished it in His personal union with divine, incomprehensible attributes.  He now gives that back to us again in the Holy Supper so that our nature no longer need be distanced from Him; but, on the contrary, through this eating and drinking of the Supper we again have restored to us that which Adam had lost with his forbidden eating. [40-41]

Thanks for reading Gerhard on the Lord’s Supper.

And this is all in one worship service.  Yet, do we appreciate and understand this treasure?  “Traditional” worship can be done simply for the sake of tradition and nostalgia.  “Contemporary” worship’s horizon (specifically referencing music) spans a few short years (sometimes a decade or so) and often charts a path forward without turning around to see the mountains left behind.

Kantor Richard Resch from Concordia Theological Seminary has these rich thoughts:

You either treasure something, you live with and tolerate it, or you abandon it.  A significant part of Missouri Synod Lutheranism lived with something for decades without an understanding of what they had, and it was not treasured, except perhaps as an icon of stability. The result, then, was that they often went looking for ways other than Creeds, liturgies, and hymns for worship.

The solution to this situation comes through catechesis. It comes from leaders who know how to teach a subject that they understand and love. It comes from holding high the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all of the church’s catholic forms. Our church year, lectionary, liturgy, hymnody along with our doctrine require this kind of careful catechesis. (The Music of the Divine Service: Propers and Proclamation. 2001 Journal of The Good Shepherd Institute, pg 55.)

It saddens me to see both Traditional toleration and Contemporary abandonment of our worship heritage.  To go from toleration and abandonment to treasuring, as Kantor Resch wrote, requires catechesis.  That starts with leaders – pastors and kantors.  Last week Pastor Peters of Pastoral Meanderings wrote a very fine article (Wise Words) on teaching by your practice and piety.  It is well worth your time to read.  And lest I forget, take a look at Singing the Faith produced by the Good Shepherd Institute – another gift to the Church.  Treasures shouldn’t be forced upon people, but over time their value can be made apparent.

Since I certainly don’t have all the answers here, please share your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks for reading Worship Treasures: Past and Present.

It is a hymn full of comfort and devotional thought.  Jesus the bright Morning Star.  God’s blessings in the midst of life’s difficulties.  Those blessings being the gifts God gives us in His means of grace that sustain us.  Then strengthened and nourished, we go forth and proclaim the story as we wait for the feast to come.

O Morning Star, how fair and bright!

You shine with God’s own truth and light, (st. 1)

. . .

Now, though daily

Earth’s deep sadness

May perplex us

And distress us,

Yet with heav’nly joy You bless us. (st. 2)

. . .

Your Word and Spirit, flesh and blood

Refresh our souls with heav’nly food.

You are our dearest treasure! (st. 3)

. . .

Your Son has ransomed us in love

To live in Him here and above:

This is Your great salvation. (st. 4)

. . .

Tell the story!

Great is He, the King of glory! (st. 5)

. . .

Come, Lord Jesus!

Crown of gladness!

We are yearning

For the day of Your returning! (st. 6)

This Epiphany, “Tell the story!” (rather than how much you love to tell the story — that’s a different song).  Tell the story of Christ — the God man who lived, died, and rose for us.  Sing and treasure this hymn of the faith!

Here is an organ setting of the hymn by Pachelbel.

Thanks for reading A Blessed Epiphany.

The Christmas season seems like a blip on the church year calendar (with respect to the amount of time observed) sandwiched between two “sprawling” seasons of Advent and Epiphany and often reduced further to observe Epiphany on the 2nd Sunday after Christmas.  So much compressed, and yet so much heard and received during these last two weeks.  These words from Jaroslav Vajda’s hymn “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt” seemed fitting for the close of the last day of Christmas.

Can I, will I forget how Love was born, and burned
Its way into my heart unasked, unforced, unearned,
To die, to live, and not alone for me,
To die, to live, and not alone for me? (LSB 369, st 4)

Thanks for reading Another Christmas Season Ending.

These Lectionary Summaries are designed to be included in Sunday bulletins for worshippers to read prior to the service. As such, they provide a thematic summary of the readings for each Sunday and festival, as well as a description of how the readings fit into the particular season of the Church Year, where appropriate.

These summaries are provided free of charge and may be edited as needed for local use. They will normally be posted two to four weeks in advance. (LCMS Commission on Worship)

These summaries could also distributed the week prior so that worshippers could prepare themselves throughout the week by reading the lectionary texts and the summary.

Thanks for reading LSB Lectionary Summaries.

Rev. Steven Cholak wrote a blog post for Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary in April 2008 about pastors soaking their flock with Christ’s blood as they preach Christ and the forgiveness of sins.  It is a short essay I reread frequently, but recently found that it is no longer available on the seminary blog.  Pastor Cholak has graciously given me permission to repost his essay here.  The only modification I have made is to break up the 1 long paragraph into several shorter ones for readability.  Pastor Cholak has his own blog and website at StarBoCho.

God Speak by Rev. Steven Cholak
I expect to be soaking in the blood of Jesus when the preacher says, “Amen.” That bright red river of life from the cross of Calvary makes the robes of God’s people white like snow. The professors at Concordia Theological Seminary would say that a sermon should be a good exposition of Law and Gospel in a liturgical context. There should be Law that cuts you down and Gospel that picks you up. BUT the Gospel should always predominate. In other words, when the preacher opens his mouth – Jesus picks you up.

The preacher must give you Jesus. He shouldn’t just tell you about Jesus. He shouldn’t just mention the cross. Preachers should never tell you about telling the story. Preachers are called to preach the Christ. They are called out of darkness to proclaim light and life into this dark and dead world. Preachers do that by preaching Jesus to your person.

Pastors bring the forgiveness of sins from the cross and wrap you with it, like a warm blanket on a cold, winter’s night. They take his blood and wash you with it. Like a mother after you’ve played in the mud, a pastor scrubs you clean (even behind the ears) with Christ’s blood. They do it because only that blood can take away your sins. They are faithful to this call because God resurrects the sinner from his watery grave and gives him new life.

How does God do it? He does it by opening the mouths of preachers, and then soaking you in his Son’s blood. He does it by opening your mouth and pouring that blood down your throat. He does it through weak and sinful men. He does it through your pastor. Expect to be soaking in Christ’s blood when the pastor says, “Amen.” Expect to be alive because Christ has wrapped you with his love and breathed new life into your ears. Not only should you expect it, you should demand it. It is your heritage. It is God’s good gift. AND…it’s yours.

Thanks for reading Soaked, Scrubbed, & Washed in Christ’s Blood.