Whatever It Takes for God's Kingdom
A dear couple in my congregation is considering moving out of state to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Their first concern, which all Lutherans should share, is to find a faithful church within driving distance of their potential new home. They gave me a list of seven LCMS churches in that area and asked for a recommendation. What I found, though not surprising, was still very saddening. I could not recommend six of the seven churches.
In one church, the pastor sways at the microphone as he performs an effeminate rendition of a praise anthem by Essential Music. No one in the congregation appears to be singing along. In another, the pastor stands behind the altar with a vested woman as they take turns leading the liturgy. In a third church, the service concludes with this bizarre ritual: “The worship has ended. The service now begins… Let us do whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom.”
Why do we find such nonsense in a synod in which every congregation claims to hold to the same confession? Why do so many of our pastors think themselves wiser than the confessors, doctors, and martyrs of the church who framed our liturgy with the Spirit-breathed words of Scripture? Perhaps an answer can be found in the “contemporary” liturgy quoted above: “Let us do whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom.” Whatever it takes, man. Should the pastor demean himself and his office by cosplaying Walmart Bieber on stage? Whatever it takes. Replace the greatest corpus of hymnody on the planet with maggoty Methodist mush? Whatever it takes. Improve on the historic liturgy with a slogan stolen from a pyramid scheme tri-fold? Let us do whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom.
The “whatever it takes” crowd calls their worship “contemporary” (somewhat akin to how Madonna dresses like a teenager), but it smacks of desperation to lie about one’s age. Far from being contemporary, God’s people have been doing “whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom” from ancient times. “We want to be like the other nations,” they said to Samuel. “Give us a king!” Samuel warned them, but they insisted: “Whatever it takes for the kingdom of God!”—including, apparently, removing God from being King over His own kingdom.
You see, in order to grow the kingdom of God, we must become like the other nations. Do we live in America? Then our synod should have a president, just like our nation. Are we surrounded by Baptists, Methodists, and Pentecostals? Then we should sing their hymns, fly their flags (the “Christian” flag was designed by Methodists in 1907), and borrow their Christless crosses. Are people uncomfortable with the language of sin and judgment? Then let’s rewrite our confession of sins to exclude any mention of sin—all in the name of bringing in more people. Whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom!
Apart from the obvious problems, such as unfaithfulness to God’s Word, denial of our confessions, and promotion of spiritual malnutrition, is the inconvenient fact that “whatever it takes for the sake of God’s kingdom” doesn’t actually work. It didn’t work when the Israelites tried to import the worship styles of the surrounding nations (Exodus 32:1–4; also, The Old Testament). Nor did it work when King Ahaz was so enamored with the pagan altar in Damascus that he sent exact measurements back to Jerusalem to replace the bronze altar of the Lord (2 Kings 16:10–16). These attempts at “contemporary” worship did not succeed in building God’s kingdom in ancient times, nor will importing heterodox worship practices succeed today.
After two generations of failing to bring in the youth by being like the other denominations, perhaps it is time for the “whatever it takes” element in our synod to try something truly contemporary and new, something that they have hitherto been unwilling to do: reverent and historic worship. Not that this should ultimately matter, but a recent statistical report (one among many such) shows that this is what young people actually want. The churches that are growing in America are those with a strong liturgical and sacramental tradition, whether Oriental Orthodox, Latin Mass Roman Catholic, or Confessional Lutheran.
Are you truly willing to do whatever it takes? Then step aside and watch our Lord build His church as He has promised. Sit and do nothing, while Jesus serves you with His Word and Sacraments. How could anyone believe that the conclusion of the Divine Service is the moment “the service now begins” when Jesus has been among us from the beginning as the One who serves? We are not the ones who give whatever it takes; He is. To confess otherwise is an attempt to dethrone Christ and set up a human king like the other nations. Protect us from this, heavenly Father! Heterodox worship is all about what we give to God. But true worship, that is, Lutheran worship, is about His gifts to us.
Until the return of Christ, the faithful church will always be contending with heterodox worship and the heterodox doctrine that accompanies it. Sometimes it seems that when one golden calf has been ground to dust, two more spring up in its place. When the last of the CoWo contingent enters heaven to find robes, chanting, genuflecting, and incense, those who remain will face a fresh set of problems here on earth. But we soldier on, knowing that Christ will keep His promise to build His Church and bring His kingdom. And I even dare to hope that within my lifetime I’ll be able to recommend more than one church in seven.