It'd be nice if the Churches of the Augsburg Confession in this land would return to the organizational life advocated by our Confessions - namely, evangelical bishops who would teach the parish pastors and make ordinances regarding ceremonies and church practice to insure peace in the church, reverence in worship, and common confession.

But while we're waiting for the current bureaucracies of the current synods to finally crumble, faithful Lutheran ministers need to support one another in living up to our Confession. Here's my short list of what we should be working toward and helping each other achieve. It is modest, yet in many places will be quite a climb. I put it down with the new crop of ordinands especially in mind. What would you add, subtract, or edit on this list?

* Communion offered every Lord's Day and on the other feasts of the year.

* A reverent celebration of the Lutheran Divine Service as contained in the jurisdiction's agenda. See Ap. XXIV.1 for a short list of what a "reverent celebration" will include. In today's Lutheranism, I think teaching the Real Presence with a genuflection after each consecration to be an important ceremony to recover.

* The use of one of the jurisdiction's approved lectionaries and calendars - I believe that the lectionary used by Luther and the other Lutheran fathers - corresponding, more or less, to LSB's One Year Lectionary - has the most the recommend it among the options.

* Re-introducing the Common Service, at least as one among other orders used, in places where it has fallen into disuse.

+HRC