Weedon: So Very Ordinary

It's so ordinary.

I go to church every Sunday and everything is the same.  Can't they do anything different?

Funny you should mention that!  Certain parts of the liturgy are called the Ordinary.

These are the things that remain essentially the same week-in and week-out.

Those parts include:

• Kyrie: Lord Have Mercy
• Gloria: Glory be to God on High/Glory to God in the Highest/This is the Feast
• Credo: Apostles Creed/Nicene Creed/Athanasian Creed
• Sanctus: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth (Power and Might)
• Agnus Dei: Lamb of God

Pastor Wil Weedon of Weedon's Blog tackles the differences in the texts (including Luther's Chorales) in his post On Variation in Text of the Ordinary.

One might ask, if these remain constant, what does change?

The things that change every week are called the Propers.  These include:

• Introit/Entrance Hymn
• Collect of the Day
• Appointed Readings from Scripture
• Psalm or Gradual
  
• Alleluia (or other Verse)
  
• Hymn of the Day
• Prayers of the Church
• Offertory

More on those later.  For now, check out Weedon's Blog for a blub about Ordinary things.

Rev. Larry Peters: Basic Differences

Rev. Larry Peters of Pastoral Meanderings has an interesting post called Basic Differences.

Pastor Peters serves Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville, TN.  There aren't a lot of Lutheran churches there, much less liturgical ones.  Yet he writes about using the liturgy in a growing church that gets 3-8 visiting families every week.  He tackles issues surrounding the Divine Service and its use with visitors for whom the liturgy is foreign.

He frames this around a discussion centered on worship for "seekers" vs. worship for the baptized.

Here is a sample...

This remains the biggest chasm between those who advocate a service that appeals to people's wants, needs, and culture, and those who insist that worship must conform the historic pattern of Word and Meal (within the framework of the mass form, with is Service of the Word and Service of the Sacrament). The debate is not about the age or youth of the hymns (read that songs). It is not about whether the confession can be here or somewhere else in the order. It is not about the words being "King James" or twitter speak. It is not about the use or lack of technology. It is not about vestments or lack of vestments. It is first and foremost about the basic question: Who can worship?

Check out the rest here.

Issues, Etc.: The Nicene Creed

The Lutheran Confessions refer to the three ecumenical creeds as the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian.  The Western Church subscribes to all three of these "because" they are the correct exposition of Scripture, and not "insofar as" they are the correct exposition of Scripture.

The Eastern Church sees only the need for the Nicene Creed.  A little research revealed that they view their entire liturgy as creedal, so they did not adopt additional creeds.  Their version differs in a couple of spots, the most significant of which is that the third article does not include the words "and the Son."

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord and Giver of Life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]

Issues, Etc. did an entire week on the Nicene Creed with Pastor Wil Weedon.  You can catch the "and the Son" controversy and more on the Nicene creed all right here.

October 5, 2009, The Nicene Creed: Introduction & God the Father

October 6, 2009: The Nicene Creed: The Who of Christ & the Incarnation

October 7, 2009: The Nicene Creed: The What of Christ & the Offering of Himself

October 8, 2009: The Nicene Creed: The Holy Spirit & the Filioque

October 9, 2009: The Nicene Creed: The Church & Last Things

Notes:

* There was some issue with the embed codes (probably a user error) so links are provided instead of direct broadcasts.

* A download will start when you click on the link

* The some of the differences between ICET, ELLC, and LSB translations will be discussed in a future post.

* Latin Lesson 1:  A "because" subscription is often referred to by it's Latin word, quia (pronounced quee-ah)

* Latin Lesson 2: An "insofar as" subscription is often referred to by it's Latin word, quatenus (pronounced quah-tay-noos)

* Latin Lesson 3: The "and the Son" controversy is often referred to by the single Latin word that has the same meaning, filioque (pronounced fee-lee-oh-quay).