Whence the Te Deum?

It’s worthy of our time to look into the origins of this hymn, arguably the most venerable in all of Christendom. Whence the Te Deum? Where did it come from?

Burnell EckardtOctober 2, 2024 Comments

From the Archives: Homily on the Te Deum Laudamus

The Te Deum is old. It is an old, old hymn. Although the two traditional guesses at authorship — St. Ambrose and St. Augustine—are apparently not well-founded, the hymn is almost as old as their day. Mid-fifth century, the scholars tell us. For forty generations and more, if forty years be a generation, the church has been singing, most often in the morning, this song of praise in its various renderings, and under its various musical settings. It is an old, old song.

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2024 Comments

Throwback Thursday: Body Language

Note: This 2010 piece penned by Fr. Curtis connects rubrics, body language, and the way that ceremonies teach. ~ Ed.

Heath CurtisSeptember 26, 2024Comment

From the Archives: The Our Father and the Eucharist

When it comes to the Holy Liturgy of the Church, the Our Father has pride of place. It has its station in the daily offices, a prominent position in the Lord's Day Mass, and it appears in most of the auxiliary services. This claim cannot be made for any other sacred text, not even the ecumenical creeds. The Lord's Prayer simply fits. Its absence leaves a gaping hole. This is no truer than when it comes to the Liturgy of the Faithful, the Holy Communion.

Guest AuthorSeptember 23, 2024Comment

Throwback Thursday: Real Worship

Note: This is a piece that I wrote in 2011 upon reflecting on a photograph of a Mass taking place amid the ruins of a bombed out church in Germany during World War II or its aftermath. Someone did share with me the identity of the church, but I don’t have it handy. But the point is not the specifics of this parish or even its affiliation - but rather how we should approach worship as Lutherans who confess the Incarnation and the Real Presence in the ruins of this fallen world. ~ Ed.

Larry BeaneSeptember 19, 2024 Comment

The American Martyr on Joshua, Parts 1 and 2

A soft confessional Lutheran is a contradiction in terms. We are people who have already died. Confessional Lutheran preachers are men who crucify people with Jesus. Men who wear soft clothes are in kings’ palaces. Men who make harmless tweets and go to harmless conferences and say, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace are not confessional Lutherans. If they are, they are men who are selling their birthright. We are called to much more.

Bible, Culture, Doctrine & Practice, MinistryGuest AuthorSeptember 18, 2024Karl Hess, The American MartyrComment

History Repeats Itself

Now the serpent was more crafty...

Larry BeaneSeptember 17, 2024 Comments

8-Balling and the Best Construction

In the Small Catechism’s explanation of the Eighth Commandment, we confess with Dr. Luther that we are obliged under the Law to “alles zum besten kehren” (German) and “in meliorem partem accipiamus et interpretemur” (Latin). Our current translation renders this as “explain everything in the kindest way,” although the earlier translation from the 1921 Triglot reads: “put the best construction on everything.”

Larry BeaneSeptember 17, 2024 Comments

Seelsorge and Celebration vs. Vision Casting and Bean Counting

"I think you're an overeducated 27-year-old virgin who likes to hold the hands of superstitious old ladies and promise them everlasting life."

~ Walt Kowalski

Larry BeaneSeptember 16, 2024Comment

Out of the barn!

Burnell EckardtSeptember 13, 2024Comment

On Weirdness

Alas, the political season is upon us. The latest rhetorical device seems to be casting one’s opponents as “weird.”

Larry BeaneSeptember 12, 2024 Comments

Throwback Thursday: Insisting on Adiaphora (or Not)

Note: In this 2011 offering, Fr. Stuckwisch provides his usual excellence in reflecting upon the topic of adiaphora, and in so doing, refutes a common false accusation against Gottesdienst and those in the Gottesdienst Crowd (that’s all of you) who read our journal, read our blog, listen to our podcast, or watch our videos - not to mention those who are sympathetic with our desire for reverence in the Divine Service. ~ Ed.

Rick StuckwischSeptember 12, 2024Comment

"Never Forget": A Sermon on the Twentieth Anniversary of September 11th, 2001

“Never forget.” These are the words that we hear so much around this time every year. and most especially now as we look back a full twenty years to the events of September 11, 2001. “Never forget.” But what is it that we are never to forget? Is it the lives lost by those working in Lower Manhattan and in the Pentagon on that bright Tuesday morning? Are we never to forget the passengers on the planes, especially those on Flight 93 who managed to stop one plane from reaching its intended target? Are we never to forget the bravery and self-sacrifice of all those emergency workers, especially the firefighters who ran into burning skyscrapers, knowing full well that many of them would not run out again?

Stefan GramenzSeptember 11, 2024Comment

The Trinitytide Skip

Usually, we’ll need to skip a few Sundays of Trinity (up to five) in order to arrive at Last Sunday the week before Advent. But which Sundays should be skipped? This is where the confusion arises, as there are generally three answers:

Evan ScammanSeptember 10, 2024 Comments

From the Archives: Learning from Chrysostom: Indifference to Praise and Insults

Chrysostom is one of the most accessible Fathers. His homilies should be standard and frequent reading for Lutheran preachers. His treatise On the Priesthood is also quite helpful. It was written as a dialogue between Chrysostom, the bishop, and his student Basil. Books 4 and 5 focus on preaching.

David PetersenSeptember 9, 2024 Comments

Throwback Thursday: The Age of Epicurean Delusions: Are Good Works Necessary?

Note: This 2018 offering by Fr. Fabrizius is a reflection upon the Epicurian nature of our American culture, and the danger it poses for confessors of the Book of Concord. ~ Ed.

Karl FabriziusSeptember 5, 2024Comment

In His Presence

Here’s one way to note the difference between our belief about worship and the way of the “contemporary” worship style. Both sides agree that when we are in Jesus’ presence we ought to worship Him, and in fact we can even agree on what that should look like.

Burnell EckardtSeptember 3, 2024 Comments

From the Archives: Singing the Church Year with Paul Gerhardt - Part II

The Church Year begins with the Advent of our Lord, His threefold coming:in the flesh, conceived and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary; in the preaching and administration of the Gospel in His name and stead; and in the Final Judgment at the last. It is a season of repentance, marked especially by the preaching of St. John the Baptist, who goes before the Lord to prepare His way. Gerhardt does not mention St. John by name in either of his two hymns for Advent, but he serves the great forerunner’s task; not so much by a proclamation of repentance, as by the prayer of repentance that he gives the people to sing.

HymnsRick StuckwischSeptember 2, 2024Paul Gerhardt, Hymnody, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter Comment

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