{"id":22422,"date":"2015-10-20T06:00:02","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T10:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=22422"},"modified":"2015-10-19T19:59:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-19T23:59:00","slug":"how-god-preserves-his-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2015\/10\/how-god-preserves-his-church\/","title":{"rendered":"How God preserves His church"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

We were on our own for several days in Copenhagen, so on Sunday we attended a service of the Church of Denmark.\u00a0 Gabriel had invited us to a congregation in fellowship with the LCMS, but the service was at 4:30 p.m., and we had to meet up with our hosts around then.\u00a0 We had earlier come across a magnificent church <\/a>(\u201cthe Marble Church\u201d) near the palace (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are all constitutional monarchies, like England).\u00a0 We thought we would go to a service there.\u00a0 So we set forth from our hotel for a trek of probably just over a mile or so.<\/p>\n

When we saw it as tourists, we saw a sign that the building would be closed to the public during services, so we hoped that they would let us in.\u00a0 We were graciously received by the usher.\u00a0 There was a far bigger crowd than I was expecting, around 100 people. \u00a0 We were given an English translation of the liturgy.\u00a0 We could have probably followed it without the translation, since it was the basic service that we had in the United States.\u00a0 The tunes of the hymns were some of the same that we sing.<\/p>\n

\n

There were certainly differences.\u00a0 Pastors there wear a black gown with a cool 17th-century-style ruff.\u00a0 There was no offering, since the government and church taxes support the churches financially.\u00a0 (They did have a box that you could put coins in as you leave, which I think is an ancient practice, before the advent of pews and passing the plate.)\u00a0 They also had no confession and absolution.\u00a0 (I was told later that liberal congregations tend to leave out that part of the service, while conservative congregations retain it.\u00a0 Later, in Norway, we went to an Inner Mission service, which did include the confession of sins, though not an absolution from the pastor.)\u00a0 <\/p>\n

We are more \u201chigh church\u201d in the states, at least in our congregation.\u00a0 Our service book has a service that is sung, with chanted responses from the congregation.\u00a0 This was all spoken, except for parts sung by the choir.\u00a0 The congregation did sing the Creed.\u00a0 The service here, though called \u201chigh mass,\u201d was simpler, with not so many signs of the cross and other elaborations.\u00a0 But the service was definitely reverent and followed the historic liturgy.<\/p>\n

Of course we didn\u2019t take Communion, but part of their practice was interesting:\u00a0 The pastor used a common chalice to pour wine into individual glasses held by the communicants.\u00a0 That was a curious combination of the common and individual cups.<\/p>\n

We couldn\u2019t tell what the pastor was saying in his sermon.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know whether he preached the gospel or not.\u00a0 But the liturgy preached the gospel, as was evident in the English translation.\u00a0 The creed did.\u00a0 The hymns did.\u00a0 The Scripture readings did.<\/p>\n

It occurred to me that this is the way that God preserves His church.<\/p>\n

The heresy of Donatism taught that the sacraments presided over by apostate priests are not valid, but the church has taught instead that God works even through immoral or unbelieving ministers.\u00a0 This is also the Lutheran doctrine of vocation, that it is God who is at work by means of the earthen vessels whom He has called to service\u2013not only as pastors but as spouses, parents, workers, and rulers\u2013despite their personal failings.<\/p>\n

So God can work through these ruff-garbed state-employed pastors, even when they give in to liberal theology.\u00a0 The church often goes through phases of unfaithfulness.\u00a0 The gospel was obscured\u2013though never completely missing\u2013during the Middle Ages.\u00a0 But people were still being baptized.\u00a0 They still received the Body and Blood of Christ (shed \u201cfor the remission of all your sins\u201d) in Holy Communion.\u00a0 In the liturgy they still sang to \u201cthe Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.\u201d\u00a0 The Word of God was read out loud in every service. \u00a0 So the Gospel was there, and the Word of God does not return void but creates faith in those who hear it.<\/p>\n

God is doing the same thing in the churches of secularized Europe, in the churches secularized in perhaps different ways in the United States, and throughout the world.\u00a0 The gates of Hell, let alone the forces of secularism, cannot prevail against it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/0\/07\/Frederiks_Kirke_Interior.JPG\/640px-Frederiks_Kirke_Interior.JPG\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We were on our own for several days in Copenhagen, so on Sunday we attended a service of the Church of Denmark.\u00a0 Gabriel had invited us to a congregation in fellowship with the LCMS, but the service was at 4:30 p.m., and we had to meet up with our hosts around then.\u00a0 We had earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,34,48],"tags":[492,696,1310],"class_list":["post-22422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church","category-personal","category-vocation","tag-church-of-denmark","tag-donatism","tag-liturgy"],"yoast_head":"\nHow God preserves His church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We were on our own for several days in Copenhagen, so on Sunday we attended a service of the Church of Denmark.\u00a0 Gabriel had invited us to a congregation\" \/>\n<meta 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