Visited a Lutheran service

NoMoreHopelessness · Dec 9, 2007

As suggested by many of you, we have today visited a service in a confesional Lutheran church, the SELK in Germany - we live in the UK but are in Germany in the moment .

It was definitely a new experience.

Do not know what to make of it yet. I see your point when you spoke of the Gospel being proclaimed but for someone like us being used to

it is very, very formal. On the other hand of course we do nothing about congregrational life, we have just seen the service.

It had one BIG advantage though: It was brief!! not like a modern, non-dem service going on for hours. I really liked that.

porterross · Dec 9, 2007

Formality is synomous with reverence for us. That doesn't mean you have to wear a tuxedo.

How wonderful that you were touched by the Gospel.

DaSeminarian · Dec 9, 2007

NoMoreHopelessness said:
As suggested by many of you, we have today visited a service in a confesional Lutheran church, the SELK in Germany - we live in the UK but are in Germany in the moment .

It was definitely a new experience.

Do not know what to make of it yet. I see your point when you spoke of the Gospel being proclaimed but for someone like us being used to it is very, very formal. On the other hand of course we do nothing about congregrational life, we have just seen the service.

It had one BIG advantage though: It was brief!! not like a modern, non-dem service going on for hours. I really liked that.

The one thing that you will find with most Lutheran services is that it follows a fairly tight liturgy and that usually you are out within an hour.

Tofferer · Dec 9, 2007

I love the liturgy, it helps to focus upon what Christ has done for us at the cross and continues to do through our baptism and holy communion. God's forgiveness is awesome.

Ukrainia · Dec 9, 2007

As a poster before me said, Lutherans really want the focus to be on God. We don't help convert ourselves - that is the Holy Spirit's work. And we we don't save ourselves - that was Christ's work on the cross.

That is why we also try to stay away from giving our emotions too large a role in the church service. Being joyful because of what God has done for us is a good thing - we are all for that. But many churches give overimportance to emotion and to what we do. They preach that God is great and that we should be happy which is fine, but it doesn't emphasize the cross and what Jesus has done for us. Jesus died because of we are constantly sinning. That realization that we are so sinful, and that apart from God nothing good comes from us should more reliant on God in our lives. When we see how badly we sin, then we truly realize how great of a Savior Jesus is.

If you want an in depth, Biblically based view at why Lutherans worship the way they do, try reading The Fire and the Staff. If you search for it on amazon.com you can find reviews for it. I'd post a link, but apparently I need to post more before I earn that privilege.

filosofer · Dec 9, 2007

[FONT= "Book Antiqua"]
Ukrainia, welcome to the board!!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

[/font]

Ukrainia · Dec 10, 2007

filosofer said:
[FONT= "Book Antiqua"]
Ukrainia, welcome to the board!!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

[/font]

I’d be happy to.

I’m a junior in college - at a public university in Wisconsin (go Badgers - hopefully that hint will make it pretty easy to guess which one.) However, since all of my schooling before that came at a Lutheran grade school and a Lutheran High School (WELS) I do find myself missing the daily chapel services that went along way towards strengthening my faith.

Probably the most interesting thing about my church life is that I’ve been to Ukraine twice to help teach vacation Bible school. My first trip was during high school and the last one was this past summer. Obviously helping teach VBS was very rewarding, but it was also fun getting to know the people and to get a chance to experience a different culture.

Other than that my life isn’t too exciting. These last few weeks I’ve been not studying for exams. I am ready to spend Christmas with my family as soon as possible.
I hope that helps.

RadMan · Dec 10, 2007

Welcome Ukrainia. We seem to be getting more WELS people on here and that is good.

NoMoreHopelessness · Dec 10, 2007

Tofferer said:
I love the liturgy, it helps to focus upon what Christ has done for us at the cross and continues to do through our baptism and holy communion. God's forgiveness is awesome.

I know and I did like the content of the liturgy. It just did not seem very lively and somehow we felt the congregation to be a bit passive. The service seemed to depend very much on the pastor.

But those are of course very subjective thoughts and obviously I cannot really tell. I have only been there once. I guess it also differs from congregation to congregation. In two weeks time I will be in England for the week-end and I will attend a service in a Lutheran church there. Looking forward to that.

DaRev · Dec 10, 2007

NoMoreHopelessness said:
I know and I did like the content of the liturgy. It just did not seem very lively and somehow we felt the congregation to be a bit passive. The service seemed to depend very much on the pastor.

That depends on the liturgy used. The more formal liturgies do involve the congregation more than the less formal.

SobriaInebrietas · Dec 10, 2007

DaRev said:
That depends on the liturgy used. The more formal liturgies do involve the congregation more than the less formal.

The congregation that I am hoping to visit soon (LCMS), has two Sunday morning services; Are many Lutheran churches like this, where they offer a more traditional service and then a more contemporary service, or am I mistaken about why they have two services in the morning? Why is this done?

Thanks!

DaRev · Dec 10, 2007

SobriaInebrietas said:
The congregation that I am hoping to visit soon (LCMS), has two Sunday morning services; Are many Lutheran churches like this, where they offer a more traditional service and then a more contemporary service, or am I mistaken about why they have two services in the morning? Why is this done?

Thanks!

Those congregations that do have contemporary services normally do have a liturgical service as well.

ctay · Dec 10, 2007

I don't know how often this happens but one of the church's in the area offer 2 traditional services and a contemporary service sunday morning, they have one saturday evening too. They have an average of 375 a week attending and if they had one service everyone wouldn't fit in the church, it doesn't hold that many so they do have to have 2 services anyway.

LutheranHawkeye · Dec 10, 2007

The LCMS should not be having contemporary mumbo jumbo. I have never been to one nor will I ever. The divine service is the only proper way to conduct holy communion. I will be attending seminary in 4 years and when I am ordained I will not take part in any contemporary worship service of any kind. Why be a Missouri Synod congregation if you want watered down services?

LutheranChick · Dec 10, 2007

Ukrainia said:
Id be happy to.

Im a junior in college - at a public university in Wisconsin (go Badgers - hopefully that hint will make it pretty easy to guess which one.) However, since all of my schooling before that came at a Lutheran grade school and a Lutheran High School (WELS) I do find myself missing the daily chapel services that went along way towards strengthening my faith.

Probably the most interesting thing about my church life is that Ive been to Ukraine twice to help teach vacation Bible school. My first trip was during high school and the last one was this past summer. Obviously helping teach VBS was very rewarding, but it was also fun getting to know the people and to get a chance to experience a different culture.

Other than that my life isnt too exciting. These last few weeks Ive been not studying for exams. I am ready to spend Christmas with my family as soon as possible.
I hope that helps.

Welcome! I'll look forward to seeing more of your posts! Good to have another WELS person -I belong to ELS myself, and am quite in the minority. There's only one other that's been here from ELS, and I haven't heard from him lately. Where is your home church?

Ukrainia · Dec 10, 2007

LutheranChick said:
Welcome! I'll look forward to seeing more of your posts! Good to have another WELS person -I belong to ELS myself, and am quite in the minority. There's only one other that's been here from ELS, and I haven't heard from him lately. Where is your home church?

My home church is in Waukesha WI. near Milwaukee but while I'm in Madison I go to the church there.

The organization that puts together the Ukraine mission trips - Thoughts of Faith - is actually ELS along with many of the people I went with. Thanks for your greeting.

SobriaInebrietas · Dec 10, 2007

NordicLutheran said:
The LCMS should not be having contemporary mumbo jumbo. I have never been to one nor will I ever. The divine service is the only proper way to conduct holy communion. I will be attending seminary in 4 years and when I am ordained I will not take part in any contemporary worship service of any kind. Why be a Missouri Synod congregation if you want watered down services?

What exactly is the difference?

The only two kinds of services I have been to have been Pentecostal/Charismatic (the church I was born into) which are pretty extreme, and then the Reformed services that I have been going to at my current church for the last three years, which are very traditional - pretty rigidly structured with primary focus on the pulpit (with singing of traditional hymns accomponied by piano).

I am not quite sure if this is why this church I want to visit has two services, since I haven't actually been there yet. I was just assuming since I have heard that some Lutheran churches do this.

DaRev · Dec 10, 2007

NordicLutheran said:
I will be attending seminary in 4 years and when I am ordained I will not take part in any contemporary worship service of any kind.

Not to discourage you in any way, but...
That will depend highly on your call. Don't think that you will be able to go into a congregation that is doing CW and start changing things right away. I was thrust into a situation where that was the case (motivated by the elders here) and it was disastrous.

LutheranChick · Dec 10, 2007

Ukrainia said:
My home church is in Waukesha WI. near Milwaukee but while I'm in Madison I go to the church there.

The organization that puts together the Ukraine mission trips - Thoughts of Faith - is actually ELS along with many of the people I went with. Thanks for your greeting.

I bet you met the Smiths, then - Michael and family? His father is our Pastor - Kin Smith

synger · Dec 10, 2007

Ukrainia said:
As a poster before me said, Lutherans really want the focus to be on God. We don't help convert ourselves - that is the Holy Spirit's work. And we we don't save ourselves - that was Christ's work on the cross.

That is why we also try to stay away from giving our emotions too large a role in the church service. Being joyful because of what God has done for us is a good thing - we are all for that. But many churches give overimportance to emotion and to what we do. They preach that God is great and that we should be happy which is fine, but it doesn't emphasize the cross and what Jesus has done for us. Jesus died because of we are constantly sinning. That realization that we are so sinful, and that apart from God nothing good comes from us should more reliant on God in our lives. When we see how badly we sin, then we truly realize how great of a Savior Jesus is.

If you want an in depth, Biblically based view at why Lutherans worship the way they do, try reading The Fire and the Staff. If you search for it on amazon.com you can find reviews for it. I'd post a link, but apparently I need to post more before I earn that privilege.

I second the recommendation for The Fire and the Staff. I read it last year when we were seriously considering becoming Lutheran, and it really helped us understand the place of liturgy. Neither I nor my husband come from a liturgical background, so it was very useful.

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