Encore Post: [Fifth post in a series on the Divine Liturgy] During two seasons of the Church Year, the Gloria in Excelsis (Glory to God in the Highest) is absent from the Liturgy.
During the rest of the church year, when Pastor and congregation finish singing the tri-fold Kyrie,there is a very short line that is sung solely by the pastor: “Glory be to God on High!” And immediately the whole congregation join in singing “And on earth, peace, good will toward men.” It’s as if the Pastor and congregation are reenacting the events of Christ’s birth according to Luke 2:8-14.
The Pastor and congregation join in that wonderful song with the angel and all the company of Heaven (similarly to the Sanctus). But why does the pastor have the first line by himself? Perhaps, and this my speculation, it has to do with the fact that the Pastor is the “angel” to the congregation. “angel” means messenger. And in the book of Revelation, Jesus tells John to write the seven letters to the seven angels of the churches. The angels are the pastors of those churches. The pastor is the messenger sent by God to this congregation to announce the good news of Christ Jesus, that in Him we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God. Pastors proclaim the same peace sung by the angelic host to those in the congregation! With such news of forgiveness for the sake of the Son, Jesus Christ, it is only right and proper for the congregation to join in the hymn of the heavenly host.
But the words of the Gloria go further than just the words of the angels on the night of Christ’s birth. We know the full story of Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension for our salvation via the Gospels. The canticle hymn of praise hits all of these facets for which we ought to praise God for what He has done to save us from our sins and give to us His peace. With this hymn, we have a fitting close to a little portion of the service, singing praise for the forgiveness of sins just recently announced upon us for the sake of Christ Jesus. We are ready now for the Collect of the Day and the readings of the Day.
Encore Post: [Fourth post in a series on the Divine Service] As we continue looking at the liturgy of the Divine Service, after the Confession and Absolution, Introit, we find ourselves staring at the Kyrie, the most basic and frequent prayer made to our Lord.
The Church has always been a place where prayers are said. In our services, we offer up prayers and petitions seemingly at every point. All of those are prayers in their own ways as we are speaking to God the words He has given us to speak.
The word Kyrie is the Greek word for Lord, which is the first word we sing in prayer. But Kyrie is shorthand for the longer phrase: Kyrie Eleison or in English “Lord have mercy.” This prayer is perhaps the most basic prayer in the entire world. It certainly is the most frequent prayer to Jesus that we can find in the Gospels. See Luke 17:11-19, Mark 10:48, Matthew 15:21-28.
You might ask why do we sing the Kyrie when we do in the service? We have just received absolution. Mercy was just poured out to us in the forgiveness of sins. And you would be correct, so think of this prayer/song not only as a prayer for mercy, but an acknowledgement that mercy comes solely from the Trinitarian God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is why we sing it three times. Dr. Luther wrote his own hymn for the Kyrie, which is much more specific, addressing each person of the Trinity by name.
One Pastor calls the Kyrie the first great pillar of the Divine Service because it teaches us what true Christian worship really is. If we look to the Book of Concord in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, we learn that true worship of God is the reception of His gifts, namely the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life won for us by Jesus. Mercy has been shown to us, and with this prayer leading us further into the Service of the Word, mercy is exactly what we receive by hearing God’s Word in truth and purity.
Encore Post: [Sixth post in a series about the Divine Service] Today we will look at the Collect of the Day, the prayer which “collects” the thoughts of the day’s readings and succinctly summarizes them in prayer form and continues pointing us toward the theme of the whole day. Now, there are other “Collects” that we say in other services. Sometimes you might read in the service of Matins the “Collect for the Word” or something else, but they all follow a typical pattern. The pattern is this: There is an address to God, recalling His character or action in the world on our behalf. Then we make our request known to God. Then we close the prayer typically in this fashion, “through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.”
If you are a parishioner, you probably do not see the “Collect of the Day” unless you are in a congregation which prints it in the bulletin. In past hymnals, you could find each collect printed next to the readings for the day. The Collect, like the readings for each day of the church year, should be understood as a proper. By that, I mean to say that it changes each Sunday. Remember, in the divine service, there are ordinaries and there are propers.
The Collect of the Day, as I said earlier, should help tune our ears to hear what we just prayed for in the upcoming readings. So we pray this prayer with great anticipation, waiting to hear from Christ’s own Word concerning the fulfillment of what we just prayed. May you take a moment in worship to truly hear and listen to the Collect of the Day this Sunday and always.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp Christ Lutheran Church Noblesville, Indiana
Encore Post: [Third in a series on the Divine Service] I began this series because people in my congregation, namely confirmation students, asked me questions about the service. Knowing they probably weren’t the only ones asking why we do what we do, I figured I would churn out my responses here as well. A recent question about the service that I received was about this funny word: Introit.
Yes, what is an introit? I am ever so thankful for the work of The Commission on Worship of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in producing the most recent Lutheran Service Book. It is spectacular. The book is a great resource and really should be purchased for home devotions. It contains so many great things, not just hymns! It contains a wonderful glossary of terms too.
In that little glossary, we find the definition for the word introit. The word comes from the Latin, meaning to enter. An introit is a collection of psalm verses sung or spoken at the beginning of the service. It is a part of the Propers for the day, which, like the scripture readings and hymns of the service, change each Sunday in accordance with the Church Year.
The Introit plays a pretty important part in setting the tone for the rest of the Divine Service. It is the first words we hear that begin to develop the theme of the day.
Why is it called the Introit? Well, historically speaking, the pastors or bishops of the early church would go from house church to house church. Upon entering the church, they would begin singing the psalm and take up their place at the altar. This is still a practice in many churches, see CTSFW, for instance. While I do not begin the service from the back of the church, I do not go up to the altar until we chant the Introit.
This singing of the Introit also begins what is called the Service of the Word, for the Word of God is central to the event taking place. The Introit then is a key aspect of the Divine Service, further preparing us and conditioning us to tune our ears in to the themes of the upcoming readings, hymns, and sermon as well.
I encourage you to take a long look at the introit for upcoming Divine Services. May they help prepare you for hearing the Gospel proclaimed.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp Christ Lutheran Church Noblesville, Indiana
Encore Post: [Second post in a series on the Divine Service] I began this series on the liturgy by talking about Confession and Absolution as preparation. Today, I am hoping to talk about one action that pastors do over the people: making the sign of the Holy Cross.
I received a question from one of my confirmation students asking about the sign of the cross, and why “we don’t do it.” I responded that all Christians are encouraged to make the sign of the cross, for it is their mark. It was given to you all the way back at your baptism (see page 197 of the link). It is by this sign of the cross that you were and are marked as of one of the redeemed by Christ.
The Lutheran Service Book encourages all the baptized to make the sign of the cross at the Invocation and elsewhere throughout the service. There in red, we read, “The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their baptism.” The sign of the cross is not just for the pastor to make, but for the whole congregation to do for themselves.
The sign of the cross is the oldest symbol of Christianity. The cross and specifically the crucifix, that is the cross containing the body of Christ, represent clearly that Jesus Christ and him crucified is the object of our faith and worship. There is no other sign more Christian than the cross, and it is a sign for all the baptized to use in worship and devotional life.
If you have the desire, make the sign of the cross this Sunday when the hymnal suggests, and may it be an aid to you in your worship and devotional life.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp Christ Lutheran Church Noblesville, Indiana
Encore Post: [First post in a series on the Divine Service] We go from one activity to another, often without even beating an eye. This certainly can happen within the Divine Service. How much attention do we pay to what’s going on? Do we know why we do what we do in worship service?
Before confessing our sins as a whole congregation, we speak back and forth responsively, “I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord” and the congregation responds, “and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” After those words, there are some important red words printed in the hymnal. They say, “Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.”
There is a time of silence. It is a time to consider myself and yourself in light of God’s Law found in the Ten Commandments. Have I been the best father and husband I could have been for my children these past days? Probably not. I failed in my responsibility to my wife and children, breaking the 4th commandment not being a faithful to my calling as head of my household. Did I grudgingly congratulate someone who won the raffle or the lottery, when in reality wishing it was me? Yup, so I broke the 7th, 9th and 10th commandments. And oh, by the way, I broke the first commandment because I didn’t trust God to give me all that I need.
Lord, have mercy. I am a sinner. I deserve exactly what I am about to confess about myself. I deserve death. We plead for God to have mercy on us.
But God who is faithful and just forgives our sins. Thanks be to God that, for Christ’s sake, God forgives our sins. We cannot add anything to make God forgive us. Christ has done it all. Thanks be to Christ!
When we confess our sins and receive His forgiveness in the words of Absolution, we are prepared to sing our Redeemer’s praises. We are prepared to receive from His bountiful goodness the forgiveness of sins purchased and won for us by our Lord Jesus by his death on the cross.
So, take a moment slow down and brush up on the Lord’s Ten Commandments in preparation for Confession and Absolution as we begin the Divine Service where God comes to serve us His gifts of forgiveness, life, salvation given to us on account of Christ, our Lord.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp Christ Lutheran Church Noblesville, Indiana
Encore Post: Television, the internet, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other technologies are a blessing and a curse. News — and rumors — spread around the world at the speed of light. Even though we live in the safest, most prosperous and healthiest time in the world’s history, the flow of news and fake news makes us think we live in the most dangerous times of all. In the United States, young adults of the millennial generation are increasingly worried about their finances, health and safety. Although we can instantly connect with almost everyone we have ever known, they report they are lonelier than ever before.
Christians are not exceptions to this pattern. Yet God gives us ways to cope with the worries of this world. Although we have troubles in this world, we do not need to be afraid. Jesus gives us his peace. (John 14:27) St. Paul tells us how the peace of God sets a watch over our hearts and minds. This peace is ours because Jesus made peace between us and God when he died for our sins on the cross. He broke down the barrier between us once and for all. Now, nothing can separate us from the love of God. We will live with God forever.
How do we cope with all the uncertainties of life that cause us to worry? Jesus advises us to focus on the kingdom of God and his righteousness. God will take care of the rest. He provides food and clothing, house and home and everything we need. Yes, the evil of this world will complicate our lives. But Jesus will be with us until the end of time itself.
St. Paul tells us how we can do this. He told us to pray about everything, thanking God for all his blessings and bringing our requests to him. Being thankful helps us to reset our perspective. Life is not about being a victim, but about receiving the many gifts God gives us. We know he hears our every prayer, that he loves us and will work everything to serve for our good. Knowing these things brings the peace of God to us. Like soldiers on watch over their camp at night, this peace protects our hearts from despair and focuses our mind on the tasks God has called us to do in this life by his grace.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Pastor Emeritus Fort Wayne, Indiana
Encore Post: It’s true that some churches use blue for Advent and some use violet. Which one is right, which is better?
First, neither is right and the other wrong. In Christian freedom, we have options of saying the creed before or after the sermon, collecting the offering before or after the prayer of the church, and using blue or violet in advent.
The use of blue for Advent is often attributed to European Marianist cultish worship or pseudo-worship of St. Mary, the Mother of our Lord. To some degree, that may contain truth. But I suspect the source is a little deeper than that. Some will also point to a Byzantine tradition of blue signifying the empress. But, there may be a deeper meaning still.
[Light blue paraments are used Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, and Russian Orthodox Churches. Their use dates back into antiquity. This significantly precedes the Modern Oxford movement in England, which is sometimes maligned as a Marianist source, or an exclusively medieval Marianist origin to the use of blue in Advent.] (2023 Update)
There’s a specific reference in Numbers to the color of the skins on the Ark of the Covenant as the congregation of Israel carried it from place to place. “When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.” (Numbers 4:5-6)
For our benefit, Christian artists will often depict the Ark of the Covenant moving uncovered. They do this so that we can see the gold, the cherubim, and the mercy seat, and know what it is. But, in reality, the ark was always covered from our eyes while in transit. The coverings were of an unclear material (ram, goat, porpoise, or maybe dugong) that was certainly blue in color. Moreover, no one was to touch the ark. The unmitigated holiness of God is dangerous to us in our sinful state and uncleanness.
When King David sought to move the ark back to Jerusalem, he and his men saw the holiness of God in action. Uzzah died when he touched the ark to steady it after the oxen stumbled. “So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. And it was told King David, ‘The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.’” (2 Samuel 6:10-12)
In his commentary on Luke, Dr. Arthur Just of Concordia Theological Seminary points out the parallel between 2 Samuel and Luke 1. Both show a going up into the hill country. The Israelites greet the ark with shouts of joys as does Elizabeth to Mary. The blessing of the house of Obed-Edom is reflected in Elizabeth’s being filled with the Holy Spirit, implying blessings for her and her home. Both the Ark and Mary remain for three months (Arthur A. Jr Just, Luke, Concordia Commentary (St. Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1996, 1:72)).
St. Luke reports, “In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’” (Luke 1:39-45)
In the Western Christian tradition, we call St. Mary “the mother of our Lord.” The Eastern Christian church uses the term: “Theotokos.” Theotokos is a Greek term meaning: “God-bearer.” The Greek term is also a spectacular image for us to have in our minds. It pictures something like the Ark of the Covenant.
The ark was nothing but an acacia wood box, covered in gold and finely decorated. The presence of God upon the ark made it unique. The virgin Mary also had no special attributes compared with other Israelite women. Yet, the presence of the Lord within her caused great joy for Elizabeth and her unborn son, John.
The presence of God in the ark looked to the ecclesia of Israel like a clump of blue animal skins skewered on a pair of poles, and carried about. Artists have depicted Mary in a blue mantle. The blue doesn’t show her specialty. The blue shows us what’s in there: Christ the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. Advent blue shows us what’s coming.
[While violet and blue are certainly both acceptable, I think blue better serves our Christology in Advent. The two penitential seasons, Advent and Lent, are not the same. We treat them differently in our liturgy and hymnody. Lent is more austere. In it we put away our alleluias. This is not the case for Advent. A variation in the colors can reinforce the distinction between the penitence of Advent and the penitence of Lent.] (2022 update)
Blue serves to show us a new thing. While we prepare our hearts in the penitential season of Advent, God is delivering His Son. The Son of Man is born to die for our sins. Unlike the unmitigated holiness of God in the ark, God in human flesh is fully like us in flesh. He has the power to heal, even by the hem of His garment. But His touch does not strike down sinners. This blue points us not to Mary, the God-bearer, but to the God she bore.
Let the blue of Advent fill us with hope.
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
Savior of the Nations, come, Virgin’s Son, make here Your home! Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth.
Jesus is the Savior of the nations. From the very first line, we realize that Jesus comes for more than Israel, but also for the Gentiles, also for sinners. The virgin birth is the miracle of Christmas. Though we do not understand it in our ways of thinking, we most certainly believe that God became man.
Not by human flesh and blood, By the Spirit of our God, Was the Word of God made flesh— Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
Walking through the Apostles’ Creed, we find the following line, that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This “Word made flesh” language is taken right from John 1, the Gospel reading for Christmas Day.
Here a maid was found with child, Yet remained a virgin mild. In her womb this truth was shown: God was there upon His throne.
Jesus’ birth appeared to the world like a peasant’s birth or a servant’s birth. But this stanza reminds us that Jesus is the King of all creation coming to redeem all creation.
Then stepped forth the Lord of all From His pure and kingly hall; God of God, yet fully man, His heroic course began.
Where is Christ the King? Firstly, in heaven with God the Father, the Son lived and reigned. So for Him to step forth from heaven to earth, we realize He has come to wage war for us against sin, death, and the devil.
God the Father was His source, Back to God He ran His course. Into hell His road went down, Back then to His throne and crown.
Now this verse refers to the descent into hell. If we consider this in terms of location, we might think that the descent is part of Christ’s humiliation, “going down.” But the descent into hell is the first act of the exaltation, that Christ declares the victory over the devil forever and it is finished and can never be changed.
For You are the Father’s Son Who in flesh the vict’ry won. By Your mighty pow’r make whole All our ills of flesh and soul.
This verse shifts toward us. It almost sounds like the prayer of the people, that by His suffering, He sympathizes with our suffering. But by His resurrection, we have the promise of redeemed and glorified bodies without suffering.
From the manger newborn light Shines in glory through the night. Darkness there no more resides; In this light faith now abides.
This verse makes clear that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and that darkness has no power anymore. Faith now abides in us.
Glory to the Father sing, Glory to the Son, our king, Glory to the Spirit be Now and through eternity.
Rev. James Peterson St. John Lutheran Church Curtis, Nebraska
Encore Post: I’ve been reading articles and watching spots most of my life, lamenting the earliness of Christmas-ish stuff every year. It doesn’t just seem as if the pre-Christmas shopping season has gobbled up all dates and times preceding it. The shopping season has done exactly that.
In the foggy early reaches of my growing memory, I recall days before there was a Black Friday shopping spree (the week of Black Friday, Cyber Monday/Weekend, Giving Tuesday…). The phenomenon appeared in the 1980s. I’m quite certain there was consternation in the decades before 1980 over the encroaching commercialization of Christmas. Those earlier and earlier mercantile sales dates scheduled on their way toward Black Friday weren’t welcome then either.
We, Christians, habitually grouse about symptoms. It’s as if symptomatic abatement cures the underlying illness. See my articles about fathers and the children’s future attendance here, here, here, and here. Christmas cheer getting sucked up before “the holidays” is a symptom, not the illness.
The illness is this: we are seeing civic festivals and pagan consumerism crossing the boundaries into the life of the church. Instead, let’s reset those boundaries and get our minds around the days of the church. Dear Christians, we are to be in the world, but not of it.
Halloween and Thanksgiving are not church festivals.
Halloween falls on the official church day of All Hallows Eve, October thirty-first. Lutherans more commonly celebrate Reformation Day on the same day, commemorating Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg castle church, sparking the reformation.
All Saints’ Day is November First. Christians will often observe All Hallows Eve/Reformation and All Saints’ Day by shifting the former back and/or the latter forward to the nearest Sunday. Both days fall within the season of Trinity (Pentecost in the three-year lectionary) just ahead of the end of the church year.
Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November and can fall between November twenty-second and twenty-eighth. That makes for seven variable relationships between Thanksgiving and Christmas being twenty-seven and thirty-three days apart. 2023 was an infrequent occasion, with Thanksgiving falling before the last Sunday of the church year. Thanksgiving is still always before the beginning of the new church year.
The pagan world would have us believe all of those holidays are part of the Christmas season. They are not. Those days and commemorations are not even in the same church year as the seasons of Advent or Christmas.
The church year ends with the last Sunday of the church year and the week following it. The day can also be called Ultima Sunday, after the last syllable of a Koine Greek word, or Christ the King Sunday, commemorating Jesus’s second Advent at the end of days. The last Sunday of the church year is always the fifth Sunday before Christmas Day.
After the first two civic holidays, the church year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, always the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Advent can consist of between twenty-two and twenty-eight days. It begins between November twenty-seventh and December third, always containing four Sundays. Advent contains three or four Wednesdays. The three Wednesdays are slightly more common, occurring in four of the seven variations, excluding Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is a day of Advent. It is not typically celebrated as a Wednesday of Advent, when falling on Wednesday. When the fourth Sunday of Advent is December 24th, like in 2023, we observe Memento Nostri/Rorate Coeli (Advent 4) in the morning and Christmas Eve in the evening.
This means that those cute, pre-made, every-year advent calendars are seldom actually right. It’s a lot of fun to open the doors for the little prizes. But, Advent rarely has exactly 24 days. 2019, 2024, & 2030 are years in which Advent does have exactly 24 days.
So, a better Advent calendar would have 28 days, with six indicated as days that may not be in Advent (2023 & 2028), or may be in Advent (2022 & 2033). The same calendar could include the twelve days of Christmas, making an even 40 days, encouraging us to celebrate Christmas in its time. Perhaps something like this:
Like the Advent Calendars, Christians used to decorate progressively. By adding a bit each week heading into Christmas it adds to the excitement of preparation. This is opposite of the Christmas fatigue caused by all decorations going up the day after Halloween or Thanksgiving, before Advent even started.
The twelve days of the Christmas feast begin on December 25. They can contain two Sundays, but more commonly just one. The days of Christmas are December 25th through January 5th. On December 26th, we also celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. We celebrate the feast of St. John, the only apostle to die a natural death, on December 27th. December 28th marks the feast of the Holy Innocents, killed by Herod upon the magi’s visit to Bethlehem. The celebration of the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus on January first is also a named feast within the twelve days. Christmas ends on Twelfth Night/the Vigil of Epiphany, preceding the Epiphany of Our Lord, which is celebrated on January 6th.
It is suitable for Christians to decorate and sing seasonal hymns beginning on Christmas Eve. In decades past, we would have it no other way. Now, it may be impossible to forego all of the civic festivities around us. We should at least save the bulk of our revelry for the actual celebration of the incarnation of our Lord. We should not allow the pagan world to suck all of our Christmas cheer before we’ve even begun the Christmas feast.
The exceptionally short Advent of 2023 gave us a great example of our modern distortion of the Christmas season. In trying to cram all of the programs, “family Christmases,” professional parties, and church social activities into the Advent weeks preceding Christmas, how many of us considered for even a moment displacing the festivities into the eleven days of Christmas following Christmas day? Probably very few did. I’m also guilty of missing this consideration.
This year and in years to come, spend some time in thought and prayer concerning the harrowing of the End of Days, the preparation of our hearts in Advent, and the joyous gift of Christmas (the whole season of Christmas). There’s more to it than the Christmas shopping season. Beyond just thought and prayer, avail yourself of the Lord’s house, receiving His gifts for you.
Blessèd Advent preparation!
Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Sole Pastor Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool La Grange, TX
