From the Pastor: Summer’s End

Dear friends,

It hardly seems possible that summer is about gone. This past month has been pretty frenetic at the Johnson household, with lots of comings and goings.

The first weekend of August, I raced home from Confirmation Camp in time to jump in the car and drive to Southern California for our nephew’s wedding. Then it was off to the Churchwide Assembly in Chicago. That was, as always, a fascinating experience. I know some of you followed my comments on the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau web site. On Sunday, September 9, I’d like to take the Sunday School hour to give you an in person report on what happened there, and answer any questions you may have. (David and Gloria Baker were also there, but unfortunately for us will be leaving town the first week in September, so they can’t join me in reporting. But I’m sure they’d be happy to share their impressions if you ask them.)

I was home for a week, and then Johanna, Bruce Lundberg and I traveled to Ft. Wayne, IN, for the annual General Retreat of the Society of the Holy Trinity. That is always one of my favorite and most renewing events of the year, as some 200 pastors gather together to pray, to hear theological presentations, and to spend lots of time in conversation with one another.

The worship was particularly magnificent this year. Most of our worship was in the chapel of Concordia Theological Seminary—a beautiful though simple space. They have a fabulous pipe organ, and our guest organist was Andrew Senn, who is the organist at First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA (and the son of an ELCA pastor). It was marvelous—especially a really great "hymn sing" one evening. Johanna had her oboe along, and offered her gifts, an offer gladly accepted; so she and Andrew did a wonderful Bach movement as the prelude for the closing worship.

The theological theme was a consideration of what Luther called the "marks of the church"—that is, what are the "marks" by which one identifies the Christian Church. He named seven of them, and we’ll be reflecting on them over the next three years. This year we heard presentations about the Word of God and Holy Baptism—outstanding presentations, I might add.

Johanna left for Yale from the retreat, and Luke is furiously packing for his year in Beijing. Soon our house will feel very empty, after having both of our wonderful children home for the summer.

Now we’re ready to blast into fall here at Peace. The congregational meeting approved a contract with Kairos to help us with our stewardship program this fall. The building is nearing completion. Sunday School and Confirmation is about to start again, and the next weeks will be very busy.

Busy, yes, but fulfilling and enriching, as God calls to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. And yet we always go out with courage, knowing that Christ’s hand is leading us and his love supporting us—and that one of the ways he supports us is through the wonderful ministry of his body the Church, and especially through the saints who make up Peace Lutheran Church. Thanks to you for all the ways you so faithfully serve him.

Peace to you,

Pastor Richard O. Johnson

Classic Prayers

Everlasting, Gracious, Heavenly Father, for my pastor I pray; grant him to speak Thy word with joy, fearlessly against every error, false doctrine, and abuse; that he may declare and make plain to us the mysteries of the gospel, and remove from our hearts all delusions. Keep him steadfast in the true doctrine and Christian life, that he may be unto us a leader unto everlasting life. Guard his body against sickness, that to our benefit, he may for a long time go before us and preach Thy divine word without fear or hesitation, without hypocrisy, not of favor, hatred, jealousy, or for self advantage, but proclaim the truth in all its purity and fullness, and denounce evils as becometh them, that I and many more may be won for Thy kingdom. Open my heart and ears that I may listen to Thy word with desire and love, with reverent mind, and hearty attention; to walk in accordance thereto in true faith and bring fruit unto Thy divine glory. Save me from becoming tired of hearing and from slothfulness of soul; and instill in my mind a great hunger and earnest desire for the inestimable riches of Thy grace, which is tendered to us in the sermon. Grant me grace to know and esteem my pastor as a servant and steward of the divine mysteries, that I receive Thy word from his lips without offence, unto the bettering of my life, the abhorrence of sin; and not let correction pass me by unheeded, nor, that I offend, or despise him by whom the correction cometh. Preserve us all in the true faith and a Christian life, that we may daily grow and increase therein, remaining steadfast unto our end, and be eternally saved; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

--J. K. Wilhelm Loehe (1808 - 1872)

Lutheran pastor, theologian, missionary

Liturgy Notes: The Sermon

In many church services, the sermon is the longest single segment of the liturgy. Indeed, for the majority of Protestant churches the sermon is “the main event” on Sunday morning. Particularly a generation or two ago, many congregations looked for a pastor who was, above all else, an eloquent preacher. It was not uncommon in many churches a hundred years ago to find sermons that lasted 45 minutes or longer – no wonder they wanted eloquence!

This emphasis on the sermon was a result of the Reformation insistence that the proclamation of the Word of God was absolutely essential. Luther himself always saw the Word as one focus of worship, the other being the Sacraments. More radical Protestant groups focused on preaching as the primary purpose of worship–at times even more important than the Scripture itself. In many churches today, the only Scripture reading in a service will be very brief–perhaps a verse or two– while the sermon will be much longer.

In Lutheran worship, the sermon is very important, but it is not the primary purpose of the service. There is much else that is at least equally important. But the sermon fills a special function in worship. Philip Pfatteicher puts it this way: “The Sermon is the living voice of the Gospel today. As God’s appointed speaker and the chief teacher of the congregation, the pastor sheds light on the meaning of the Scriptures and shows how their message applies to the contemporary situation.”

Preaching is older than Christianity. In the Jewish synagogue, the rabbi would explain the meaning of the Scripture readings and point out their relevance for the congregation. We see Jesus himself preaching in the synagogue in Luke 4. So it was natural for early Christian congregations to take over this practice, especially as the preachers attempted to show how the Old Testament Scriptures pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.

As the church developed, each new age found it important to have someone apply the Scripture readings to the current day. We are fortunate to have many sermons preached by the early giants of the faith such as St. Augustine. During the medieval period, preaching gradually took a back seat to other parts of the liturgy. At the time of the Reformation, Luther and the other Reformers restored it to a place of dignity and importance in the Sunday service; and preaching has continued to be a vital part of the liturgy in all varieties of Christian worship.

The purpose of the sermon in worship is three-fold, and we might understand this by considering three common words for this part of the liturgy. The first word is sermon, which comes from the Latin for “talk” or “discourse.” A sermon is intended to explain and enlighten the meaning of the Scripture for the day. This is an increasingly important function in a time when Biblical literacy is on the decline, and we can no longer take for granted that the hearers know the Bible. But a sermon is more than teaching.

Another word is preaching. This comes from the Greek word for “proclaim.” In preaching, we are hearing “what the Lord requires of us”; it is not just an explanation about ancient writings, but a statement of what they mean for us today, and what God wants of us.

A third word is homily, which comes from the Latin for “communion” or “conversation.” Preaching at its best isn’t just explanation or proclamation, but an invitation to respond. We should not sit passively and listen to a sermon; rather the intent is that we be actively engaged with the Word as it comes to us and touches us. This is what it means to say that the sermon is a “means of grace”; through the words that are spoken, God touches us with his grace and moves us to respond to him. And so preaching, if it is doing what it should, explains, proclaims, and engages us. Through the sermon, we encounter the Word of God.