A monthly column about the news & noise of Music & Worship

Joyful Noise

A monthly column with all the noise
that is news about Music & Worship

May 2000

Resurrection "What if's"

"What if they held a war and nobody came?" That was a popular slogan in the 60's, as people from my generation protested the futility of the Vietnam War. Many young adults adopted principles of "Peace" and "Love", lived together in "communes" and promoted a simple life free from the "rat race". Of course, that life-style didn't last. Today, most of those free-lovin' "peace-nik" Hippies are middle-aged, middle-income "normal" people, living invisible lives in the cookie-cutter houses of suburbia. The pressures of "real life" quickly overran the ideals of young adulthood.

"What if they held a resurrection and nobody believed?" First century Christians faced similar "reality checks" in their lives. During May, we'll hear scripture readings that tell us about what life was like in the weeks and months following the resurrection. Jesus appeared several times before some believed he had REALLY risen. Even today, the majority of those living in the "Holy :Land" are Jews and Muslims, who deny the deity of Christ and the miracle of the resurrection. Christ's closest followers adopted communal living and tried to follow Christ's insistence on living a life of peace and servanthood, but their belief in the Risen Lord was NOT well received. Many were exiled, tortured, and killed for their beliefs.

"What if they held a resurrection and nobody witnessed?" Imagine what would have happened if Christ's closest followers had all been killed, or, if they had abandoned their beliefs under pressure from non-believers. Christianity would have been the shortest-lived religion in the history of the world! THANK GOD that didn't happen. THANK GOD that the saints of the past HELD FAST to their beliefs and SHARED the gospel for OVER 2000 years, so that today, there are MILLIONS of believers all over the world!

"What if they held a church service and nobody came?" NOW - in this post-Easter time, many churches see attendance drop like a ROCK. People abandon God's house for sports, vacations, recreation, etc. Who will spread the Easter Gospel? Who will Share the GOOD NEWS with others? Will YOU? BE A ROCK! What? I said, "BE A ROCK." I don't mean drag yourself to church and occupy a pew like a piece of rock. I mean BE A ROCK like Jesus meant when he said to Peter...

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matt 16:18 (NIV).

Jesus said this BEFORE he died, knowing full well that Peter would later deny him three times. We must be ROCKS for St. John Lutheran Church. We must BUILD and support the church, the body of believers. Even small children learn the characteristics of a ROCK. Think of the Three Little Pigs. Which pig's house survived when the wolf huffed and puffed? The one built of BRICKS (stones, rocks, same idea). This analogy also appears in Christ's parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders:

24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matt 7:24-25 (NIV).

Then, just in case you don't know who that "rocky foundation" is, the Bible explains:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

Eph 2:20 (NIV)

SO...with Christ as our CORNERSTONE (brick) and FOUNDATION (rock), our faith should be SECURE when Satan and the world huff and puff and try to blow our house of faith down, and we can now help BUILD THE KINGDOM of God. HOW? COME to church every Sunday, SING the hymns and liturgy, RECEIVE the sacraments regularly, INVITE your friends and relatives, JOIN a fellowship group (Bible Study, Choir, Sunday School class, etc), and EXPERIENCE THE JOY of the Easter Season. It's up to US to be the apostles now..."Little Christs", Luther called us. We must SPREAD THE GOSPEL as we sing in the popular hymn:

It only takes a spark, to get a fire going,

And soon all those around,

can warm up in it's glowing.

That's how it is with GOD'S LOVE,

once you've experienced it,

You spread His LOVE to EVERYONE,

You WANT to PASS IT ON!

Remember: The crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Luke 19:40 (NIV)

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

Why do some Lutheran make the "sign of the cross" in church?

During Lent and Easter, the cross is ever before us and very much in our minds. The answer to this question is found on the ELCA national church's web site at:
http://www.elca.org/dcm/worship/qa/signofcross.html

Here is a summary of the ELCA position:

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit." These words begin the orders for Confession and Forgiveness in the Lutheran Book of Worship. The direction that accompanies these words says: "The minister leads the congregation in the invocation. The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism."

As this invocation is made, an increasing number of Lutherans trace the sign of the cross over their bodies from forehead to breast, then from shoulder to shoulder, and others trace a small cross on their foreheads. The sign of the cross is a sign and remembrance of Baptism, used by the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Episcopalians, and is slowly increasing in use among mainline Protestants.

The sign of the cross is a treasured part of our liturgical heritage as Lutherans, because the practice was encouraged and used by Martin Luther himself. Luther made provisions for using the sign of the cross on at least four occasions.

The text of Luther’s 1526 Order of Baptism called for the sign of the cross to be made over the candidate as a part of Baptism. "Receive the sign of the holy cross on both your forehead and your breast" (Luther’s Works 53:107).

In his order for the Ordination of Ministers of the Word, Luther says of the benediction: "The ordinator blesses them with the sign of the cross" (Luther’s Works, 53:126).

Luther instructed his followers to make the sign of the cross at both the beginning and the end of the day as a beginning to daily prayers. In the Small Catechism, in the section on morning and evening prayers Luther says: "When you get out of bed, bless yourself with the holy cross and say. . . ." This same instruction is given for bed time.

In current ecumenical usage, the sign of the cross is made or may be made at the following times or occasions:

At Baptism: "The minister marks the sign of the cross on the forehead of each of the baptized. As the cross is made, the minister says: ’______, child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever’" (LBW, page 124).
At the start of the order of confession and forgiveness in Lutheran Book of Worship.
At the absolution following confession, as the minister says, "I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit."
At conclusion of the Nicene Creed, when the phrase "and the life of the world to come" is said. Making the sign here is a remembrance that resurrected life is promised to those baptized into Christ.
At reading of the Gospel, as the words "A reading from the holy Gospel according to ____" are said, a small cross may be traced with the thumb, first on the forehead, then lips, and finally on the breast, as a prayer that Christ's words may be written in our head, on our lips, and in our heart.
At communion, immediately before or after receiving the elements of bread and wine.
At the benediction when a trinitarian form of benediction (one that includes the words "Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit") is used.

Meet our Members - Pepper Bauer. This month we feature Pepper Bauer, one of our council-appointed members. A life-long Lutheran, Pepper joined St. John in 1977. She was baptized, confirmed, and married at Bethel, Bartonville. As a child, she studied piano and accordion, and as an adult, studied banjo. Singing has always been important to her; she sang in school choirs, including the Limestone High choir. After graduation, she sang with a local Gospel Music group until it disbanded in 1984, and has sung alto in our Gospel Choir for 23 years.. After getting a degree in Psychology from ISU, Pepper worked as a counselor for Planned Parenthood and National Health Care in Peoria before moving to the Lutheran Home, where she served as their social services designee until the mid-1980's. Currently, she serves as the Pantry Director at St. John, as president of the Peoria Area Anti-Hunger Coalition and a writer for the Limestone Independent News. Pepper listens to a variety of music, but prefers "oldies" (60-70's), Blues, Ethnic, and new-age Space Music. Regarding music's role in worship, Pepper says, "Music is worship. A well-planned worship service, where the music and message complement each other, enhances the spiritual and ascetic benefits for the worshiper. Music can uplift, inspire, or usher a listener into a state of prayerful meditation. I've always liked the old sayings that say something like, "When you sing, you pray twice." And "God gave us music that we might pray without words."

Until Next Month: Remember to "Thank the Lord and Sing His Praise; Tell EVERYONE what HE has done" (from the post communion canticle, LBW).

Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone be the Glory)

Donald L. Bauer, Choral & Contemporary Music Director