(Untitled)

[the_methotaku]

My church canceled services due to bad weather up in Upper, so I visited St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Delaware. This was my first time attending a Lutheran service. Some things were different then what I am used to in Episcopal or Methodist services- the confession of sin was the first part of the service proper, though they sung a hymn before

Comments

[logodaedaly]

Did they use the new ELW (red hymnal), With One Voice (small blue supplement), or LBW (green hymnal)? I've never known the historical reasons that the ELCA places the confession before the service (it's technically separate from the Divine Service). In the LCMS, it's part of the Divine Service. It's probably hard to tell from a regular Sunday service, but Lutheran liturgy in the US is actually a mix of East (Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom) and West (TLM). If you did the litany that starts, "In peace, let us pray to the Lord," that's from the Chrysostom Divine Liturgy.

Alb and stole is still the basic vesture of Lutheran pastors -- I don't know all that many who wear chasubles. If I saw one wearing a maniple, I'd really fall over

[the_methotaku]

The congregation used the old green Lutheran Book of Worship for the liturgy and two hymns, but used With One Voice for the opening hymn. Since they have a 'contemporary' service twice a month, I assume they use WOV more often then. The Eucharistic prayer was a short one with no epiclipsis (sp?).

One thing that surprised me was how much the service mentioned hell- the apostles creed said "he descended into hell" for instance. I could not say that line, and omitted it.

[logodaedaly]

I like the setting for Communion in WOV. I haven't had time to really sit down and explore ELW - I just went on the Augsburg Fortress site and ordered a copy. It's backordered. (I went ahead and ordered a copy of the new LCMS hymnal, too...should be interesting

[the_methotaku]

I believe in Sheol/Hades, and the lake of fire in Revelation, and in the Resurrection of the sheep and the goats. I thus have no problem with 'He descended to the dead'. Hell, however, is, in my view at this point, a confused conflation of Sheol and the Lake of Fire, and I don't believe in that.

I wonder if 'our' versus 'Him' is not about gender but about a view of the Eucharist as on God's sacrifice for us, versus a view of the Eucharist as our sacrifice to praise to God. That would explain why the ELCA and the Episcopalians have 'him' while the more protestant UMC and LCMS have 'our' even though the LCMS is much more conservative then the other three denominations.

I also wonder if all the hell-talk was put in to appease the LCMS.

[amaebi]

Sounds like a high service, and of course most Lutheran service are high to most UMs. (Not, I would have guessed, to most Anglicans.)

[the_methotaku]

Less so then I thought it would be! I expected it to be very like an Episcopalian service, but it wasn't. The chanting was a pleasant surprise, but I know at least one UMC with higher ritual practices then that particular Lutheran church.