plug for tabletalk

The IRC channel #tabletalk has been pretty quiet lately, so I'm plugging it here. For confessional Lutheran chat (ie., watch me and Sean go on about organs), go here and follow the directions.

books

I've decided to steal the idea of the library feature from Kepler. This'll just show my books written in English though; a good portion of my shelf is in Ukrainian. :P

New Lutheran Blogger

*Maria pokes Kepler*

While I'm updating blogrolls, do I need to add anybody? (Do you even care?)

Contemporary Worship? Um, no...

This was recently posted on a message board in regards to a discussion on contemporary worship in the Lutheran church:

I like classical music, too. I like organ, handbells, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, too. I don't have a need to rid the church of these things or people. But a church that refuses to understand that people of this generation have different ears than those of a previous generation will be a church that will connect less and less to the people of this generation.

It is mindsets like this one that is part of the cause of the continual draining away of liturgical tradition. Yes, maybe people of my generation listen to different popular music, but that doesn't mean we want to carry that over into the church. Speaking from experience in my parish, at least, the majority of the people in the campus group would love to have more "traditional" hymnody and liturgy. It is more often the older, baby boomer generation that wants to have more modern stuff.

Let's at least be honest. If a church wants to have contemporary services, don't pretend you're doing it for the younger generation. Call it what it is: a desire to abandon the traditional, time-tested forms in order to feel good and "connected".


This doesn't mean that all hymns written in recent times are bad; quite the opposite. It does mean that a better criteria has to be used in choosing hymns than whether they have a nice beat.

Happy Easter

Xpictos Avecti!

Христос Воскрес!

Christ is Risen!

Alleluia!

Yet another hymn.

Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands
For our offenses given;
But now at God's right hand he stands
And brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of alleluia. Alleluia!

It was a strange and dreadful strife
When life and death contended;
The victory remained with life,
The reign of death was ended.
Holy Scripture plainly says
That death is swallowed up by death,
Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia!

Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursed tree -
So strong his love to save us.
See, his blood now marks our door;
Faith points to it; death passes o'er,
And Satan cannot harm us. Alleluia!

So let us keep the festival
To which the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the joy of all,
The sun that warms and lights us.
Now his grace to us imparts
Eternal sunshine to our heart;
The night of sin is ended. Alleluia!

Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the bread of heaven;
The Word of grace has purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed;
He is our meat and drink indeed.
Faith lives upon no other! Alleluia!

Hymn of the Randomly Changing Period of Time

Ah, holy Jesus, how has thou offended
That man to judge thee hath in haste pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.
Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For ma's atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was thine incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
Thy death of anguish and thy bitter Passion,
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee;
Think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.


You know, that's the nice thing about the chorales...they're simply enough that a small congregation can sing them in harmony, and they sound amazing.