In They Will See His Face, Richard Eyer discusses the Sanctus as something far more than what we see.

At this point in the Divine Service the curtain separating this life from the next is drawn back and we sing with those who have gone before us the glory of Christ’s victory over sin and death. Here, in the Divine Service, as nowhere else on earth, we are together as one, saints above and saints on earth. Here, more than anywhere else in this life, we are near to those who have died in Christ. No memories or private devotions can rival the reality that all the community of heaven worships with us when we worship together in the Divine Service on a Sunday morning. What better place to find healing and reunion with loved ones than in the gathering of God’s people before the altar? (Eyer quoted in Wieting, The Blessings of Weekly Communion, page 202)

One of the great joys I have as an organist is leading this earthly and heavenly host in song. This is the time in the service when all the stops on our 7-rank pipe organ get pulled out and I would use the zimblestern (if I had one).  Today, on All Saints Day, I hauled out the handbells and had several ringers be the zimblestern.  It is both a humbling and exhilarating experience to lead this host.

The next time your pastor says the Proper Preface and you sing the Sanctus, remember you are being joined by all the heavenly hosts.  I don’t think you’ll ever look at it the same way again.

Thanks for reading Singing With All the Saints.

And the survey says . . . . nothing earth shattering.  I read through the 42 page survey results, yawned, and moved on.  A brief summary is:

For the most part, there are few statistically significant differences in worship practices between the two samples, and those differences are primarily related to elements of the different styles [of worship - my addition].

However, Rev. Johnson, the executive director of the Commission on Worship, notes that “No singular [worship] attitude or practice stands out as a significant key to numerical growth.”  Fortunately, God is still at work through His Word and Sacraments.

The Reporter article ends with this snippet:

The survey does not indicate any “silver bullets for the vitality, health, and growth of congregations,” O’Hara said, “but it does provide the commission and the Synod with valuable information.”

One of the highlights of the survey for me was this analysis:

Conversely, songs from the Praise and Worship Genre or independent liturgies specific to the assembly were much more likely to find a voice in the contemporary or blended formats.

Was that a surprise?  It seems fairly obvious — even without a survey.

One area of concern for me was that the Top 5% churches which offered a blended service were less likely (84%) to use the Words of Institution than the random group (100%).  The Aug 18 reading from the Treasury of Daily Prayer was from the Epitome of the Formula of Concord and directly commented on this:

At the same time we also believe, teach, and confess unanimously that in the use of the Holy Supper the words of Christ’s institution should in no way be left out.  Instead, they should be publicly recited, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 10:16, . . .

If you have a few spare moments, it wouldn’t hurt to scroll through the survey results.  (Use the “Page Down” key — it goes faster than the “Down” arrow).

Thanks for reading Survey Says: LCMS Worship Practices & Attitudes.

And what is Dan’s number 1 suggestion? “The real world has no Gospel and has no forgiveness. The best thing a church can do is preach the Word.” Thanks Dan!

Thanks for reading Church, Children, and Autism.

Thanks for reading Children & Worship.

Worship is the gift of the gracious God through the incarnate and suffering Christ for his congregation which receives the gift by faith and so enters into fellowship with God.  Thus worship is a participation in the work of Christ.  — (Luther On Worship, Vilmos Vajta, pg 63)

Thanks for reading Worship Is . . ..

One thing I found very striking in the videos was how people from non-Lutheran backgrounds were drawn to a traditional and liturgical church and their understanding of Lutheran worship.  Pastor Beecroft acknowledges that the church has its own language, is formed by it, and wrestles to understand it.  We constantly hear that the church growth paradigm says this traditional approach should be a “turn off” for “seekers”.  While the people interviewed expressed their initial culture shock, after a time of learning and understanding they had a deeper  appreciation for the traditions and confessional Lutheran faith.  These people seem to have a better grasp on Lutheran worship than many who have been Lutherans all their life.  Catechesis at work!

Thanks for reading A Liturgical and Outreach Oriented Church? Yes!.

Wouldn’t this be a distraction during the time when God is showering us with His gifts?

Thanks for reading Twittering During Worship.

One of the points Cholak brings out in the cantata analysis is the intimate relationship between text and music.  The music was not indifferent — it helped to support and interpret the text.

. . . the Gottestienst experience is not a mono-sense experience, but that our Lord engages all of our first article gifts to convey his love.  It is not just something to be read, but becomes alive in the very eyes, ears, and all our members he has given us.

P.S.  The complete works of Bach on 155 CDs are available from Amazon for $90.99 – only $0.58/CD!  60 of those CDs contain the cantatas.  I can’t vouch for the performance quality, but I still have enjoyed listening to the treasures of Bach.

Thanks for reading Bach’s Road to Leipzig.

What a blessing it is to be in the Divine Service when heaven meets earth. Literally.

Thanks for reading Heaven on Earth.

The Lutheran church has been blessed to have Compline – Prayer at the Close of the Day – included in its service books.  While I don’t know how many congregations gather to pray Compline on a regular basis, it is a salutary practice to consider.  With the recent introduction of Treasury of Daily Prayer, laypeople may be more inclined to pray Compline, if not in a group setting, at least in private prayer before going to bed.

Michael Brown with The Minnesota Compline Choir offers these thoughts from a brief essay on Compline:

Compline is the last in a continuous cycle of daily prayers and worship known as the Divine Office of the Church, to which Matins and Lauds (morning prayers) and the more familiar Vespers (evening prayer) also belong. In the text of the Compline service the act of going to sleep at the end of the day is analogous to the eternal rest that we find in Christ when we die. As we confess our sins, examine our consciences, and offer the actions of the day to God, we are assured that God continually watches over our lives, even as we sleep.

Counter to the current movement in church growth, with trends toward “contemporary” services, the Compline service preserves ancient traditions of simplicity, restfulness and timelessness of text and tune.

Compline is a restful service — whether chanted or spoken — and a fitting conclusion to the end of the day.  It is a service that spans generations and Christian denominations.

If this has piqued your interest in the Compline service, consider listening online to either The Minnesota Compline Choir of St. Paul, MN or The Compline Choir at St Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, WA.

Both of these groups have a weekly Compline service available for on-demand listening, download, or subscription via a RSS feed reader.  The Seattle group also has an option as an iTunes podcast.  You will notice these services are more elaborate than Lutheran Service Book with more “propers”, but you will recognize much of the same “ordinary” text and music.

“Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping that awake we may watch with Christ and asleep we may rest in peace.”

Thanks for reading Compline – Prayer at the Close of the Day.