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Gottesblog

A blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy

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From the Archives: We Never Pray Alone (Part I)
From the Archives: We Never Pray Alone (Part I)

Standing in front of the used religious book section in the Value Village thrift store in a town near my home in Canada, I was amazed (although perhaps should not have been) at how many books there were on prayer amongst the discarded volumes on various forms of spirituality. They were, for the most part, of the typical evangelical variety directing their readers to the life-changing power of truly personal and heartfelt prayer. Some touched on the power of communal prayer. Others, like the Prayer of Jabez volumes, promised a surefire way to guaranteed worldly happiness and success if you followed their tenets.

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Guest AuthorComment
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi

Note: Our LSB sanctoral calendar doesn’t recognize St. Francis of Assisi - unlike the rest of Western Christendom. Conversely, there is no entry in the Treasury of Daily Prayer summarizing his life and work. So I wrote my own for use at Matins today (see below).

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Larry BeaneComment
From the Archives: Homily on the Te Deum Laudamus
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.

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Guest Author Comments
From the Archives: The Our Father and the Eucharist
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.

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Guest AuthorComment
Throwback Thursday: Real Worship
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.

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Larry Beane Comment
The American Martyr on Joshua, Parts 1 and 2
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.

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Bible, Culture, Doctrine & Practice, MinistryGuest AuthorKarl Hess, The American MartyrComment
8-Balling and the Best Construction
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.”

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Larry Beane Comments
Throwback Thursday: Insisting on Adiaphora (or Not)
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.

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Rick StuckwischComment