Immersion Baptism

Because I enjoy pain and suffering… I occasionally read LutherQuest. While some discussions are profitable, most of the discussions turn into personal attacks based on assumptions (you know what they say about assumptions…).

One discussion thread caught my eye recently and it was in regards in baptism by immersion. Apparently an LCMS church had installed a baptismal pool (the link doesn’t work anymore). Some came out firmly against baptism by immersion and others offered a more tempered response. One of the most interesting comments was “when have Lutherans ever done baptism by immersion?” What a denial of history. Pastor Weedon pointed at that Luther spoke about baptism by immersion and that for a good chunk of history baptism by immersion was the norm. I can understand those who are hesitant because they live in an area where baptism by immersion is required by denominations such as the Baptists). However, to completely deny history is just plain wrong. They are also all focusing on the baptism of adults. Why is it wrong to immerse a child? It isn’t! Why do you think the baptismal font at the seminary (CSL) is so big? Because it fits the space and so that we could immerse a child if we wanted!!

In a paper written this past summer I advocated a return (but not a requirement) of this practice. What a beautiful way to show the drowning of the Old Adam!! What a beautiful way to tie together the history of the church where baptism by immersion has been clearly practiced.

I will admit there are times when baptism by immersion is a bad thing. I could see a new convert insisting on baptism by immersion so that their family (who is Baptist) will recognize it. They need to understand that it is not the method that makes the baptism valid, but that the water and the Word are present. I could also see how baptizing by immersion in an area dominted by those who only baptize by immersion could be taken wrongly. It might be better at that point to make a bold confession of our faith and only baptize by pouring or sprinkling. Why? Because our fellow Christians need to be instructed in their error. We need to boldly confess that no matter what practice (immersion, sprinkling, pouring), God himself is present in the Water and the Word.

First Icon: Christ the Just Judge

As a gift for my vicarage I received my first icon (actually a gift certificate that allowed me to purchase my first icon). I purchased the “Christ the Just Judge” icon that is pictured with this post. It hangs on my office wall.

It truly is beautiful and full of symbolism. Of course Christ is depicted at the center. Mark is in the bottom left depicted as a Lion. In the upper left corner a “living creature with the face of a man.” In the upper right is John as an eagle. In the bottom right is Luke as an ox. It is quite common in Christian tradition to connect the four evangelists to the four living creatures spoke of in the book of Revelation, “And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight” (4:7). 

This gift has now got me hooked on icons. Go to Archangel Books in Maplewood (south of the Sem) to find a wonderful sampling of icons (and even more on the web).

New Heaven and Dogs

During two summers in college I worked for the University of Missouri as a maintenance tech for the college of engineering. I did jobs ranging from helping at auctions, driving big trucks, demolition, and painting, with numerous other jobs thrown in there. During one job I was interacting with a young guy who grew up in Columbia. We were chatting and it turns out he was at one point a Lutheran, but had converted to the Episcopal Church. I inquired as to why he converted. His answer: my pastor told me my dog wouldn’t be in heaven.

Silence. That’s all I could muster at that point. I love my two dogs that are living with my family back in MO. I loved my dogs that have died (a number of beagles and black labs). They were wonderful companions for our whole family. However, they are dogs. I was certainly sad about their death and always felt bad when they were in pain. However, I state again, they are dogs. They are not humans. I talked more with the kid, but couldn’t get anywhere with him. I think his concerns were far more complex than just his “dog not getting into heaven.”

I never gave this much more thought until I had a class with Dr. Louis Brighton, author of the Concordia Commentary on Revelation available from CPH. We were discussing the “things to come,” specifically the new heaven and new earth spoken of in Revelation 21:1. He proposed that in fact we might find animals in the new earth. He comments on what is to come in his commentary on Revelation by referencing Isaiah 65:25, “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Brighton points out that, “by way of the messianic reign here on earth, (this) is a typological picture of life in the new heaven and new earth after the judgment and resurrection at this present world’s end” (Brighton, 591). 

Undoubtedly there is still grief over loosing one’s pet. However, I think examining what has been described to us in the book of Revelation, we find comfort knowing that God will provide for a new creation, more peaceful than one can ever imagine and with more provisions than can ever be understood.

What does a seminarian/vicar listen to?

Ever wonder what a seminarian listens to on his iPod?

Here is your chance to find out!

I actually use my iPod for a number of things. I do watch movies and tv shows on it occasionally, especially on trips. I wasn’t sure if I would like the small screen, but I’m sold on it now. I also listen to my CDs that I’ve put on it over the years: rock, alternative, rap, classical, comedy, R&B, movie soundtracks, to name a few of the genres. The only thing not represented: country. Sorry… I can’t listen to it. My wife can, but I can’t handle it.

The other big use for my iPod is for podcasts. Here are the podcasts that I currently listen to (by category) with a few notes:

Theology:

• Issues, etc. I’ve been listening to Issues, etc. since 2003 via web streaming and podcasts. Great show with great topics. I have both the old show (pre-cancelation) and the new show on my iPod. 
• Chapel Sermons from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Before vicarage I was in chapel everyday. Even then I still had some sermons I’d go back and listen to again.
• Seeds of Faith Podcast
• Redeemer Lutheran Church Sermons
• Higher Things Radio
• The God Whisperers
• Necessary Roughness

Educational:

• Car Talk. My mom and I would often listen to NPR’s Car Talk while driving home from church. When it came out as a podcast… who could resist? Lisa and I normally save up episodes and listen to them on trips. Yes… we have listened to five straight hours of Click and Clack.
• USGS Corecast. This is a rather new edition that was added to my podcast feeds after the small earthquake that happened last spring in St. Louis. While surfing the USGS website I found the podcast. Very understandable and reasonably short.
• PotterCast
• MuggleCast.

Technology

• Typical Mac User Podcast
• MyMac Magazine Podcast
• Mac Roundtable Podcast
• MacCast (Enhanced)
• MacWorld Podcast
• MacWorld Video Podcast

Now please don’t think that I listen to every episode of all of these podcasts. Many sit in my iTunes directory for a while only to have me delete them…. that is especially true for the Harry Potter and the technology podcasts.

Death Sucks

Dr. Jeff Gibbs, professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis is famous for a phrase (and I might be paraphrasing here a bit), but it essentially is, “Death Sucks.” We should never minimize the evil that is death by trivializing it and making it seem like a joyous event. Yes, the death of one suffering means an end to their suffering. However, it is still evil. Death is the culmination if sin in this world. There is nothing glorious or happy about that.

I write this after a long five months. Five months ago my grandfather passed away. He was followed shortly by two more friends from my home congregation. More funerals in the fall at my home church. Before Christmas we found out a close cousin of ours (an older man) died. What is sad about this is that we didn’t find out about it until almost a month after his death. From the last December 29, 2008 to January 8, 2009 my home congregation had six deaths including the death of an infant. Last night I got a phone call saying that my grandfather’s younger brother, our Uncle Leroy died suddenly while driving home from eating dinner. This happened five months to the day after my grandfather’s death. That leaves my grandma and one in-law left out of that generation.

Death Sucks. 

However, in all of this, in all the evil and despair I have  a hymn in my mind thanks to Pr. Weedon and a post on his blog (and the subsequent comments):

Then why should men on earth be so sad, Since our Redeemer made us glad, Then why should men on earth be so sad, Since our Redeemer made us glad, When from our sin He set us free, All for to gain our liberty?
“On Christmas Night All Christians Sing” (LSB 377)

Death sucks. However, Christians have comfort in the knowledge that Christ, who came to earth, born of the Virgin Mary, to be crucified for our transgressions, will again come to judge both the living and the dead. Amen. Come Lord Jesus.

Heresy

One of the more humorous parts about being a seminary student is how quickly we can turn on each other.

One example: During Confessions II today, where we are discussing the Formula, my very good friend asks a question about the Two Nature’s of Christ. In the process of asking a hypothetical question, he clearly stated a heresy from the early church (or a combination of two ancient heresies). While we knew what he was asking about and we knew he did not subscribe to that heresy, we of course turned on him like a pack of wolves. In fact, you could probably hear in the background students gathering wood and a torch to burn him. The worst thing is when you are the one talking and you realize that you are going to spout heresy… but it’s too late to stop. You just prepare to be pummeled.

Are we a cult?

Cult:

• a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object : the cult of St. Olaf.
• a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister : a network of Satan-worshiping cults.
• a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing : a cult of personality surrounding the leaders.

Now the question… are we, the Holy, Catholic, and Apostlic Church a cult?

This question got posed to me in my contemporary cults class at CUNE. The general consensus of the class, after some debate was, “Yes, we are a cult.. and that’s okay.”

I started thinking more about this on Friday as I gave a presentation in my Teaching the Catechism with Luther class. I’ve been researching the early church catechumenate, specifically focusing on the mystagogical preachers, Ambrose of Milan, Cyril of Jerusalem, Chrysostom, and Theodore of Mopsuestia. I’m also studying Augustine, since he was a catechumen under Ambrose. As I was describing the early church rituals surrounding the catechumenate, specifically focusing on the Lenten discipline, the Easter Vigil, and the subsequent Mystagogy (preaching on the mysteries), I brought up the secrecy and the mystery that surrounded the church. This was not discouraged, but was encouraged by the Fathers. They didn’t want people to know, prior to Baptism, what took place with the Sacrament. They were encouraged to keep the creed amongst the baptized and not let it “get out.” A fourth-year said, “This sounds awfully cult-like,” to which I responded, “Yup… and I think that’s okay.” I also said, “think about it… we make exclusive claims about salvation, are a relatively small group (the invisible church), we have an exclusive object of our faith (Jesus Christ), and we do things that are considered strange (pouring water on a baby’s head and drinking small sips of wine and eating small pieces of bread).”

Yup… I think we are a cult… and that’s okay.

What do you think?

Thoughts from a Roman Catholic leader in Rome

New Liturgical Movement

The article linked to above provides a lot of food for thought for Lutherans.

Highlights:

• Discussion on sermon length
• Discussion on communion received in the hand (also discussion of the presence of Christ in the Sacrament)
• Focus on the sacred in worship as well as a discussion of the divine mystery

Ahhh… Bach

Enjoy this wonderful video of Felix Hell showing off the true beauty of the pipe organ and of J.S. Bach

HT: Cyberbrethren

Book Review: American Band

American Band: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland by Kristen Lane

Heels Together!
Toes Apart!
Stomach in!
Chest Out!
Shoulders Back!
Chin! Pride!

That was the chant that I learned in high school marching band. We would chant it with our director after every competition and every halftime show. Marching band is truly a way of life, both for the students and their families. Students march in unbearably hot weather in the summer to prepare and finish the season in terribly cold weather. Their families put in time serving as “band moms and dads” preparing sets, uniforms, drinks, and helping with first aid. Students who never thought they could lead step up and take over. I loved every minute of marching band. It was something I inherited from my mom (we are both clarinet players). While my high school band was quite small and never excelled in competition, my mom’s high school marching band in Alexandria, Virginia was of championship quality.

This heritage in my family (my mom and I were both in band and my grandma served both as a band mom and even as a band grandma) spiked my interest in American Band: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland by Kristen Laine. This book, published in 2007, deals with a championship caliber marching band in Concord, Indiana. The town is a small one and is perhaps best known as being the former home of the Conn instrument builders. While small, it boasts a school that is entirely devoted to its instrumental music programs (marching, concert, jazz, and pep). This is fascinating to me because in many small towns life revolves around sports (think Varsity Blues) including my hometown.

The book examines all aspects of the marching band including its “feeder system” of elementary and junior high bands. It also examines the directing staff including the head director, a legend in Indiana music circles. The marching band cuts no one (except in cases of misconduct or just plain poor performance) and marches approximately 250. The book begins with “freshman camp” in the summer and then covers the main full band camp and examines their move from competition to competition, where they win every virtually every single tournament leading up to the state championship. American Band also focuses on individual members of the band which gives a glimpse into the life of small town students.

Perhaps the most fascinating and most relevant to a seminarian reader is the examination and commentary on religion in a small town. Concord is near Goshen, Indiana, and is thus home to a heavy Mennonite population, of various levels of observance, including some quite large mega-churches. The community also includes Catholics and Lutherans (although I’m unsure of what specific denomination). The dominant church in the book is the local megachurch with strong baptist leanings. The theology seems quite typical… “pray-harder,” “find God’s will for your life,” etc etc. The sad and frightening truth of this is the damage that this theology does to students. There was no Gospel, only Jesus being used as an example. You see how students are left to their own “fear and wrestlings” and not pointed to Jesus. We even see a girl who wears a star-of-David, not because she is a Jew, but because she is convinced that she wants to work to bring about the kingdom of God on Earth and convert all the Jews (noble goal, but consider this in the light of Left Behind theology where you must work to bring about the return of Christ).

If you are interested in any or all of the following: small town life, American evangelicalism, music, marching bands, or leadership this book is for you.

Appropriate Prayer

An appropriate prayer this evening as St. Louis mourns the loss of at least five public servants:

Almighty God, merciful Lord, be gracious to the families of those whose lives have been tragically ended and who are now at rest with You. Comfort them in their grief, deliver them from danger, and sustain them with the knowledge that they are upheld by Your everlasting arms. Grant them Your Holy Spirit that they may meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience, and with the hope of the glorious resurrection and a blessed reunion in heaven with those they love who have departed in the faith; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

(from the Lutheran Service Book: Pastoral Care Companion)

Liturgical Beauty

We normally sings the Psalms unaccompanied in the chapel at the seminary. There is great beauty in this with the entire congregation singing in unison. What makes it even better is the Gloria Patri at the end. There is always a change in volume as a large portion of the congregation bows its head reverencing the Holy Trinity and then an increase in volume as the words “as it was in the beginning” are said.

Pure beauty.

Liturgical Observation: Stand or Rise?

Just a little observation:

If you choose to give audible rubrics (which I don’t recommend as they distract from the liturgy) remember this: bread rises and people stand.  

Ack! Christian News

The words that no seminarian ever wants to hear are: “You’ve made Christian News!”

A friend of mine from Ft. Wayne, vicaring up in Wisconsin calls me this afternoon and utters those very words. The various four-letter words that came to my mind are not for print. Thankfully the mention of me (by way of this blog) was just in a list of Lutheran blogs that the publisher prints from time to time.

Whew…

Thoughts on Lutheran Service Builder

First off, I’m not trying to knock CPH, the Commission on Worship, or the developers of Lutheran Service Builder, because I think all of them together have done an excellent job in the development of the hymnal and the software. Through my fieldwork congregation I’ve had the opportunity to work with the software and it is excellent, minus some small glitches which are obviously being corrected in updates.

My concern is that this software fosters in some pastors a “cut and paste” mentality. With the click of a button a pastor can quickly mash together any number of elements from any number of services. A service I recently attended included portions of DS 4, DS 3, and DS 1/2. This is done on a regular basis. What good does such mixing do?

My other problem with the software is in the printing of the liturgy. While I can see the use of printing the liturgy on certain occasions, I fail to see the value in printing the complete liturgy every week. I think that it discourages people from using and exploring the hymnal and also is a waste of paper. I do think it is fine to print an outline of the service (the bulletins with the extra tab on the side work really well for this!). This, combined with the ease of use of Lutheran Service Book makes the services quite easy to navigate.

I would like to hear some response to this… I’m open to arguments for or against…

Modern Heresy

It is widely reported that Arius wrote hymns containing his heretical theology. This allowed his doctrines to spread easily and quickly.

Now for a modern day heresy (not a new heresy… just a new heretical song):

Hymn Scripture Reference

Has anyone else noticed that in Lutheran Service Book (LSB) the reference to the Apocrypha was removed from the hymn, Now Thank We All Our God (LSB: 895, TLH: 36).

In The Lutheran Hymnal the scripture reference given is Ecclesiasticus 50:2: “Now therefore bless ye the God of all, which only doeth wondrous things everywhere, which exalteth our days to His mercy. He grant us joyfulness of heart, and that peace may be in our days in Israel forever: that he would confirm his mercy with us, and deliver us at his time!”

However, it appears those that worked on the hymnody for LSB dropped the Apocrypha for references such as Psalm 107:21-22, Ephesians 5:19; Psalm 105:1-2, and Psalm 37:5-6, 39-40. My question is… why drop the reference? Anybody have any answers…. aside from what some will say… “too Catholic.”

Great joke…

From my History of American Christianity course… not exactly relating to the subject matter… but funny nonetheless.

In heaven the British rule, the French cook, the German serve as the police, and the Italians entertain.

In hell the British cook, the French serve as the police, the Germans entertain, and the Italians rule.

Sacristan Dream

I’m the new Sacristan for the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. I took over from Tutal. A sacristan does many things including taking care of the preperations for daily chapel services and general duties around the chapel.

Last night I had a dream that I showed up right before chapel on a Wednesday (our normal time to celebrate the Lord’s Supper) and I had somehow forgot that we were having it that day. Instead of waiting until I finished preparing the altar area they started chapel and things went crazy. Also, for some reason there were like six professors involved instead of the normal three. Very weird…

Harry Potter Rant

If I hear one more person say that “Harry Potter is satanic” or “Harry Potter is evil” I’m going to snap. I had a old guy say it that to me tonight. He hadn’t read the books. He hadn’t seen the movies. Someone told him they were satanic and evil. If you haven’t read them…. shut up! If you have read them and think they are crap or that they are satanic you have a right to your opinion. I might think your opinion is crap… but that is another story.

Rant off….