Gro…Gro…Gro…Gro…Gro. Groan. Groan. Groan.

Our District Convention was finally held after the pandemic delay, and there was plenty to groan about! It was held the Monday and Tuesday of the 3rd week in Lent—not the best time for a 400 mile drive one-way! We didn’t get any of the resolutions until within a week of convention and didn’t know the slate of nominations until the day before! The voting machines didn’t work. For some things, we raised our hands. Everything else was done by paper ballot. Patience began to wear thin for most because a tornado was bearing down on the city!

Now that list could certainly be added to depending on perspective, but if I will get out my “groans,” it won’t be about any of it. Despite the challenges (especially of having a severely understaffed district office), everything moved along quite well thanks to the patience of our District President and the hard work of our district office secretary. The “groan” of which I write isn’t limited to the Southern District. It is widespread—even creeping into various Winkels! It’s hymn selection.

We’re spoiled when we’re at seminary. Every day we gathered for chapel and no matter what hymn was chosen for the day, it resounded loudly. That didn’t mean that everyone knew the hymn or had sung it before for that matter, but there were enough voices who could carry it for others to follow along and sing confidently. Luther and Gerhardt weren’t avoided out of fear of people saying, “We’ve never done that before.” Instead, they were clung to as a “Wait ‘til you hear this!”

Many pastors don’t have that luxury in their congregations. Consider it with the beginning of the Church year. For most, Advent is left completely skipped over in favor of Christmas. Christmas as a season is even limited to Wesley rather than Luther. “From Heaven Above” is too long! Give me more “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!” Forget “O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is.” I want my “Away in a Manger!” This trickles all the way down to the point where “On Eagles’ Wings” or “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” take precedent over “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth” and “Preach You the Word.”

And this is my “groan” with conventions and many Winkels. We have a room full of hundreds of people—mostly pastors—who (should) know the hymns and (should) sing them confidently. Why is it, then, when we are finally able to gather for the Divine Service or other prayer offices that we sing such weak hymns? While opposition might say, “Well, they’re doctrinally sound,” we could do so much better and be examples to our lay people who are with us. Below are the list of hymns sung at our Divine Service for convention:

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”

“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”

“Holy, Holy, Holy”

“Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed”

“The Church’s One Foundation”

“Just as I Am, Without One Plea”

“Onward, Christian Soldiers”

Groan.

On the following day, we had the Memorial Service in remembrance of those who died in the previous three years. The hymns are as follows:

“For All the Saints”

“Precious Lord, Take My Hand”

“Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”

Groan. Groan.

My first groan: it’s Lent. My second groan: it’s as if no one in the room was Lutheran at all. That’s the most generically evangelical list of hymns from the hymnal with the exception of adding “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace.” We’re the men of the Church! Surely, we can do better!

Thus my groaning has come to an end, but I’ll leave you with a little encouragement. Not every pastoral and lay gathering has to be sappy! There is another coming your way. Come to Redeemer in Ft. Wayne May 2-4 for good camaraderie, food, liturgy, and hymnody. But no conference or convention is “groan” free. Don’t get me started on the speaker…