Worship is more than praising God

Worship is more than praising God April 28, 2015

Pastor Mark Schroeder cites a rather compelling quotation on worship from Klemet Preus:

“If the Divine Service is viewed primarily as our praising God, then you can do that just as well from home. In fact, once we have looked at the topic of vocation, you will see that we can serve God better in the world than in the church building. But if the service is understood as God giving us the forgiveness of sins, then you’ve got to be there. It is very possible that the low attendance at Sunday services seen in so many churches today is a reflection of how we define the service. If I am acting, then I can do it another time. If God is acting, I better be there.”

Pastor Klemet Preus, The Fire and the Staff, Kindle ed. loc 2871

Rev. Schroeder goes on to discuss the point, telling about a sermon he heard that was all about our need to praise God, but forgetting to say anything about Jesus and His cross. 

From Rev. Mark Schroeder, A Circuit Meeting Taught Me Again the Importance of the Liturgy | Steadfast Lutherans.

His sermon was a series of the preacher’s comments on various Bible quotes relating to his theme, the praise of God. Most of said passages were from the encouragement portions of  St. Paul’s Epistles. . . .He lamented the lack of members in many a congregation, our sense of doubt and loss in life, etc.  He got the symptoms right but since there was no diagnosis of God’s Law (since the preacher did not prepare a Law/Gospel sermon)  of the root cause we only heard the symptoms. It would be like going to the doctor with physical complaints and the doctor saying, Yup, those symptoms are bad, hope you get better.

Now the preacher’s solution was his theme sentence: “The praise of God produces faith”. As he preached, I ruminated on the meaning of the theme sentence. What is the result of such a doctrinally faulty sentence?  I had better praise God, so that my praise enlivens my faith.  I thought of another Scripture passage:    “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).The word of Christ makes faith and praise is the result and not the cause.  Even Jehovah Witnesses praise God but it does not result in saving faith in Jesus Christ! In the preacher’s fifteen-twenty minute ‘sermon’, I heard not one “word of Christ”. I do not think he preached once the “Name above all names” (cf. Philippians 2: 10).  He did not mention Jesus nor Christ and His work, such as, His Incarnation, the Cross, His sufferings, death, the Resurrection (during the Easter season!) the work of the Holy Spirit, Holy Baptism, Holy Communion etc.  When in the ELCA, at a meeting of pastors in an urban coalition of congregations, the director led a cheerless discussion about preaching sermons not using the Name of God as a good thing.  In both instances of the circuit and coalition gatherings, results in other claimant agendas usurping the Word in preaching…actually not preaching but a religious address.  The world, the flesh and the devil love those ‘sermons’.

[Keep reading. . .]

Speaking of which, if you are in the D.C. area, your are invited to our congregation’s Good Shepherd Seminar on Saturday, which will feature the esteemed theologian Dr. Arthur Just giving a series of presentations on “Why Lutherans Worship the Way We Do.”  For more information and to sign up (the cost is free), go here.

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