"When necessary, use words"
Few things send Lutherans into apoplexy more than the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” Of course, the quote is apocryphal, and probably spurious. But it is still fun to watch Lutherans lose their you-know-what whenever this old canard is trotted out.
Obviously, the reaction is grounded in a good impulse: the idea that it is always necessary to preach the Gospel using words, Romans 10 and all that. For the Word - especially the preached Word - is efficacious unto forgiveness, life, and salvation. And so the casual dismissal of “words” as is suggested by this trite quote is to miss the point about preaching.
That said, there yet remains not only some truth to the bromide, but there is an aspect of it that is quite Lutheran.
Experts in human communication and project management tell us that 60% of human communication is nonverbal: based on facial expressions, gestures, and body language.
We advocates of liturgy understand this instinctively. Yes, it matters how you hold your hands while presiding. We “say the black and do the red,” understanding that the unspoken “red” is also important in conveying the Gospel. We insist on not only using the right words, but accompanying those words with reverence - lest we communicate one thing with our words and something else with our bodies. Ceremony is important. Ecclesiastical art is important. Church architecture is important. All of these unspoken things are important because they do convey a message - one that can either bolster or gainsay what we say, one that can either affirm or mock that which comes out of our mouths.
We believe in “taking pains” with not only what we say when we preach, but how we say it when we preach and when we preside at worship. We have all seen examples of pastors whose slovenliness or casualness in their celebration of the Mass belie the sublime Words of Institution and the confession that Jesus is present by virtue of His miraculous Word.
I remember many years ago when a high school senior - one of the very top students in the Lutheran high school in which I formerly taught - was shocked to learn that Lutherans believe in the Real Presence. She was under the impression that this was a Roman Catholic belief, and that Lutherans believe the elements are symbolic. This was a girl who otherwise knew her theology well, and was a lifelong Lutheran. Interestingly, her congregation met in a gymnasium and the altar was on wheels. The Divine Service was surrounded by volley balls, a large scoreboard, and bleachers. This was the imagery surrounding the liturgy. At that time, the pastor was not known for his emphasis on ceremony. No doubt he was teaching correctly in Confirmation class, Bible class, Sunday School, and Adult Instruction. I’m sure he said all the right words. But clearly something gave this bright student reason to hear and to believe something entirely contradictory.
How we say something - including our nonverbal cues - are important.
There is an element of pedagogy in the ceremonies of worship, as we confess in the Augsburg Confession:
“For ceremonies are needed to this end alone that the unlearned be taught [what they need to know of Christ].”
And this communication that is done by means of ceremonies is also carried out by a lack of ceremony. For just as the act of deliberately and reverently genuflecting and elevating during the consecration nonverbally communicates and confesses what is happening at the altar, a rapid and casual approach, devoid of ceremony, also teaches something.
Of course, while other reforming groups were iconoclastically tearing down statues and covering up murals, our Evangelical tradition (advocates of Pietism being the exception) has always appreciated the power of art to convey the truths of Scripture - even without words. Altar pieces depicting Jesus as the Lamb, as well as blood pouring from the side of the crucified Christ into a chalice convey the Gospel without words. The image of the corpus on the crucifix proclaims both Law and Gospel. Stained glass windows explicitly convey truths of Scripture. Baptismal fonts are often adorned with crosses, doves, or some variation of the octagon - confessing a sacramental and salvific view of Holy Baptism. Ceremonies like the sign of the cross, ashes on Ash Wednesday, and rising for the Gospel and for doxological stanzas of hymns all teach by virtue of their action.
And especially if one has been properly catechized, and if the preaching in one’s congregation is solid, the art and architecture and the ceremonies used in the Divine Service will, like the gestures and body language of the pastor, proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
So indeed, it is necessary to use words to preach the Gospel. But let us not neglect those times when we really do preach the Gospel nonverbally. Let us never allow a separation or a contradiction between what we say and what we do, between our preaching and celebrating, between our doctrine and ceremonies, between what we teach with our mouths and what we convey with our body language.
Let us proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. So yes, “preach the Gospel at all times,” and yes, “when necessary, use words.”