Living Theology in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Volume 2, Number 3
Pentecost1997
Reflecting Faith In Worship: The Use Of The Means Of Grace
Andrew
H. Leahy
Have you ever sat in your church
building and day-dreamed about how you would redesign the layout, if money was
no object? Okay; maybe you haven’t, but
I have. The proposed statement on the
practice of Word and Sacrament stirred my imagination sitting in church one
day. I began to imagine what the house
of the Church would look like if we designed buildings for worship using what
is presented in The Use of the Means of Grace document.
The document is organized in four
parts, with a preface. The Preface
begins by affirming that we gather to worship the Triune God, who creates the
Church and sustains it through the Word and the sacraments. We are the Church because we gather around
the Gospel “preached in its purity and the holy sacraments…administered according
to the Gospel” (Augsburg Confession, Article VII). This means that when we gather in Jesus’ name the Triune God
meets us, speaks to us, and feeds us.
This meeting of God and God’s people should stir up some excitement
among us. The Holy God, our Savior, and
Supporter in this life and our Giver of everlasting life, is here among
us. How should the building where this
occurs reflect such a happy and awesome meeting?
The arts of human creativity provide a
good start. Like children showing our
beloved Parent what we can do and like artists displaying our best for the
world to see, our meeting places with God should represent our best creative
abilities at work for love of the Creator.
Arts remind us that the Creator God enjoys creativity. Music expresses our heartfelt love for
God. Architecture lifts us into the
mysteries of God. All our creative
gifts help us worship our God and proclaim to the world around us that this is
the place where God comes bringing gifts.
“The public reading of the Holy
Scriptures is an indispensable part of…worship, constituting the basis for the
public proclamation of the Gospel”(p. 8).
God’s Word comes to us in the words of the Holy Scriptures. Where is the power of this Presence captured
in the building where the Church gathers?
Pulpits are sometimes seen as the “barrier furniture” getting in between
the preacher and the people. Some
preachers prefer not to stand behind (or in) a pulpit, especially in those
places where the pulpits are high and lifted up. How can you talk to people when you are in a little box six or
ten (or more!) feet above their heads, looking down on them, forcing them to
look up to you (a most uncomfortable posture for listening and especially
discussing.) On the other hand, some of
those pulpits were built as powerful statements about the centrality of the
Word of God as well as its power in and for our assemblies. Perhaps what is still needed is a high and
lifted up place where the Book can be enshrined. The Book would have to be of impressive size and weight if it is
to visually speak about the importance of what it contains for us. (Thanks to Augsburg Fortress such a Book is
available with the readings from the Common Lectionary.) Carrying the Book to its place of honor and
reading from the Book in that place might help to focus our attention on the
significance of what we are about to hear.
The Proclamation of the Word in the sermon could then take place
wherever the Preacher thinks will work best for the people there gathered. We need the Word proclaimed loudly and
visibly among us!
Imagine a font where water could be
“used generously in Holy Baptism to symbolize God’s power over sin and death”
(p. 19). This could lead to some pretty
outstanding fonts. St. Benedict the
African Roman Catholic Church in Chicago has a small lake with a waterfall and
thousands of gallons of water in the Entry Hall of their building! Imagine standing around this font and
hearing how Jesus “came up out of the water” after his Baptism. Imagine preaching about dying with Christ,
being buried with him in the waters of Baptism, and being raised with him to a
new life, while standing next to such a font (or in it!). Entrance into the Church, the Holy Body of
Christ, takes on a vivid and visual meaning when members of the Body of Christ
must pass by such a monumental reminder of Baptism every Sunday to get into the
place where they will meet the Holy God, their Savior.
Of course, most of us don’t have the
luxury of installing immersion fonts, much less small ponds, in our worship
spaces. But, if we put the font near
the main entry into the Holy Place where the people come to meet God, we
immediately have a powerful visual aid.
With the font at the Entrance we can teach more vividly that it is
through Baptism that we enter into the Kingdom of God, that we are washed in
the blood of the Lamb, that we have crossed the Jordan out of slavery into the
freedom of the Promised Land, that we have been buried with Christ in Baptism
and are now raised with him. Think what
it would mean if there was also a way to get the water moving, to get it
flowing! Then when we sing “Shall We
Gather at the River” from “With One Voice” we would add one more visible
dimension to the waters of Baptism in our worship space. We need water at the entrance to our Holy
Places! And lots of it!
God created us to love touching and
tasting and seeing and hearing and smelling beautiful things. God also created
an incredible variety of things to touch and taste and see and hear and
smell. When Christ promised to be with
us, to meet us when we gather, it was not just in some spiritual, intangible
way. On the night when he was betrayed
he took bread and said, “This is my body.”
Then he took the cup of wine and said, “This is my blood of the new
covenant given for you.” In typical
fashion God has given us a wealth, even an extravagance, of grace. Jesus promises to feed us every time we
gather. Over the years we Lutherans
have not always made the most of this free gift of God’s love. Jesus never restricted the meal to a limited
number of occasions. In fact, as Luther
points out in the Large Catechism, Jesus said “do this often.” Of course some worry that we can do this too
often. That’s probably true. More than once a day is probably too
much. Jesus taught us to ask for “our
daily bread” so we probably ought to be satisfied with once a day. But however often we have Jesus’ meal of
grace and forgiveness in the place this Sacrament is offered, the vessels that
carry the body and blood of Christ to us, and the way we receive it, ought
clearly to say to anybody who wanders in that this is “not mere bread and wine
such as is served at the table. It is
bread and wine comprehended in God’s Word and connected with it” (Large
Catechism, Fifth Part: The Sacrament of
the Altar). This is the closest
connection we are given with out Lord and our God. Even more than having water put on us (though that would have
been enough!) and more than having words spoken to us (though that would have
been enough!) here is God given in bread and wine for us to eat and drink and
make a part of our being. What an
amazing thing for the Holy God to do for us.
So what do we do about the table where
the meal is offered? The altar is the
table for this heavenly banquet. But
this table is not just any table like we have in our dining rooms just as this
meal is not an ordinary meal. The table
is more than a table. Our Lord offered
himself as a perfect sacrifice to take away our sins. The table is also an altar where the once-for-all sacrifice of
Jesus is made real for us today. The
altar is also an empty tomb where we see the linens and remember that our Lord
has conquered death and gives us life with him. The table/altar that focuses our worship and bears the “bread of
heaven” needs to be significant in size and dimensions to visually proclaim the
greatness of the gifts of life there provided.
Font, pulpit and altar are the three
necessary pieces of furniture in the worship space—not because of some Divine
law but through practical necessity. We
need water for the Bath. We need a
place for the Book. We need a table for
the Meal. That these three pieces of
furniture are visually significant in some way simply indicates their
importance in our worship. When we are
received into the Body of Christ through the “washing of regeneration” this
should be more than a dabbling with a few drops of water. It is a flood that washes away sin. It is a burial with Christ into death and a
raising with him to new life. The Font
around which we gather should say to all who see it “Here is a bath that does
more than clean the body.” When we hear
the Word it should be clear that this is different than the words we hear and
read in the newspaper or on television.
This isn’t just good news, this is the Good News, the News of our
salvation, the News of God’s undying love for all people, the News of Jesus our
Lord and our God. The Pulpit from which
the Word is proclaimed should say to all, “Here is news like you have never
heard before.” When we receive Jesus in
this meal there should be nothing to suggest that this meal is just another
snack, another fast food meal, another quick pick-me-up. This is food from heaven. This is “the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world.” This is Emmanuel,
God with us. The Table around which we
gather should say to all, “Here you will receive a meal like no other meal on
earth.”
This brings us to what we eat at this
meal. The statement says “…this church
uses bread and wine in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper” (principle 44, p.
29) and “The bread may be leavened or unleavened. The wine may be red or white.”
A loaf of bread and some hearty wine.
Who can really get excited over paper thin, tasteless pieces of flour
and water? What is stimulating about a
tiny sip of sugary sweet grape juice?
We need bread and wine that tell us through sight and smell and taste
and touch that there is a banquet to look forward to. We need to bite into real food and get a good taste of real
drink.
There is also a basic understanding in this document. The use of the Means of Grace comes through people and is for people. Font, pulpit, and altar are meaningless pieces of furniture without the people. The house of the Church, therefore, needs to provide some kind of accommodations for the people. This may seem so obvious as to be unnecessary to say. But the seating will teach a lot about what we believe in regard to font, pulpit, and altar and the grace there offered.
Throughout the document we are
reminded that the Church has been given pastors, ordained ministers, to serve
the Means of Grace. They function at
pulpit, font, and altar as presiders. “Called
and ordained ministers (emphasis added) bear responsibility for the preached
Word in the Church gathered for public worship” (p. 9). “Candidates for Holy Baptism, sponsors, and
an ordained minister called by the Church (emphasis added) gather together
with the congregation for the celebration of Baptism…” (p. 16). “In witness that this sacrament is a
celebration of the Church, serving its unity, an ordained minister
(emphasis added) presides in the service of Holy Communion” (p. 27). The called and ordained pastor of a
congregation has a significant role to play in the midst of the
congregation. A presider oversees the
order of a service of worship. This
does not mean that a presider does everything.
That would be to deny the gifts that all the people of God have to
offer. The presider is the one with the
responsibility for bringing order to the offering of the gifts of the people
gathered, and the one through whom the gifts of grace are given. This gives the presider a significant
function within the gathered community.
The place where the presider sits, when not in the primary functions at
the font, pulpit, and altar, should suggest that the person who sits here is
authorized by God and the Church to lead this congregation in worship. The presider’s chair should not be a throne
suggesting power over the gathered community.
Nor should the presider take a self-deprecating place just anywhere in
the community. The presider has
significant and awesome responsibilities within the Church given by
Christ. The chair of the presider
should therefore indicate this responsibility and be placed where she or he can
be seen by all, for all should be able to look to the presider for leadership
and direction. The chair also should
say clearly that the person who occupies this place has authority to be there
given by Christ through the whole Church.
This then brings us to the most necessary part of the house of the Church, the place where the people of God gather. The gifts of the Means of Grace and the ordained ministers who preside over them are all given for the good of the people of God, the Church. When we gather to Baptize, to hear the Word, and to receive the Holy Meal we need appropriate space. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Does a set of benches all lined up facing forward really make the Means of Grace most effectively and most efficiently available to the people of God? At one time churches provided no seating. If people wanted to sit they had to bring their own chairs. There was a logic to this. Baptisms were done in one place, lessons and sermons were given in another, and the meal was shared in still another place. Why put in long benches or chairs if everybody was going to keep moving around? Even in small churches, if the Font is located at the entrance it means people have to stand and turn around to participate. Maybe font, pulpit, and altar each need to have their own space with seating around them. This would perhaps suggest moveable seating. Folding chairs may look clumsy and impermanent but they are convenient for easy movement. Individual chairs can get out of line and make a room look messy, but they are much easier to rearrange to suit a particular function or to emphasize the differences in the seasons of the Church year. Besides, must we adjust baptism, preaching, and the meal to suit our seating arrangement? Or might it be more sensible to be able to arrange our seating to enhance our gathering around bath, word and meal? Flexible seating suggests that the people gathered are important to what goes on at font, pulpit and altar. It says that we accommodate people so that they can more effectively participate in their worship. Moveable seating can also suggest that the people here gathered are not an audience gathered to be entertained but a congregation gathered to offer their prayer and praise to God. This also suggests something about where choirs need to be. Choirs are not there to perform for the congregation as to an audience. Choirs are to support the singing of the congregation and to offer songs as means of helping the congregation better worship God in our midst. Where do choirs need to be? Probably behind the congregation if they are to support the singing. Maybe on one side of the congregation so that musicians can lead choir and congregation when that is necessary. It seems that it should never be necessary to have a choir up front in a position that suggests a performance is to be given. God is the one audience member in a congregation. The rest of us are adoring children offering our gifts to God.
There is another aspect to the gathering of the people which we Lutherans have always regarded as good and necessary, the gathering of the people of God for mutual support and consolation. Sometimes this mutual support and consolation occurs best outside of the worship space. The people need a place to gather outside of the space for Bath, Word and Meal. Conversation among individuals isn’t always convenient or desirable during public worship. A large and welcome space for gathering can help bring us together as a family by allowing us to greet one another in peace before coming to the altar to offer our gifts (Matthew 5:23-24), as well as to share the joys and sorrows we bring with us to this place where God meets us. A generous gathering space also allows us to welcome those who are new to our worship. It can be a place that makes them feel comfortable and ‘at home” before they enter into the worship space which may be unfamiliar and a little unnerving the first time.
The last part of the document is
entitled “The Means of Grace and Christian Mission.” This is the part that could be easier to ignore than the
others. We know we need to be in
mission to the world but it can feel so good to gather around a spiritually
pleasing worship service and then just go home. What can the house of the Church say about our mission? Altar, font, and pulpit are all clear
symbols of profound gifts from God to us.
But what do we use to visually proclaim the profoundest gift from God,
the gift of God’s people given for the sake of the world? Perhaps wide doors opening out graciously to
the world. Doors with glass so that all
can peak in and see what’s going on inside and maybe be drawn in to join us. Windows of clear glass all around so that
the Church must always look out into the world (not just at some pretty,
manicured and fenced-in garden) and be reminded that our reason for gathering
to receive God’s gifts is to become gifts from God to the world. Maybe a processional cross or crucifix that
is carried in to the worship space to gather us could then lead us back out
into the world and to the people we are to serve. Perhaps such a cross literally could be carried outside the
building each week and placed there for all to see.
This may be the most difficult part of
the document to symbolize but it is no less important that the other Means of
Grace listed. The font, pulpit, and
altar can be powerful symbols to help us remember that the gifts received at
these places are from God. But the
people of God are the living symbol of the presence of God in and for the
world. Each individual Christian is a
symbol of God’s love given to the world.
It may be that the Church can only grow when Christians gathered around
the Means of Grace can see themselves as Means of Grace to and for the people
they meet every day.
One of the tendencies of the people of God over the centuries has been to see ourselves as sheep tended by Christ the Good Shepherd. This is a powerful image in scripture which seeks to remind us that the Creator God who is far above and beyond us also wants to be close to us as a shepherd to sheep. However, we have tended to abuse this image by seeing it as an end in itself. As such we have often seen the building of the Church as the end and not the means. We have raised up chaplain/pastors to care for us in these buildings to help us make it through the week. What we have not always been willing to accept is that the buildings of the Church are really mission-training grounds with teacher/pastors. In this place God comes to be with us, cares for our needs and strengthens us so that we can go out in mission to others. As The Use of the Means of Grace makes clear, “In every gathering of Christians around the proclaimed Word and the holy sacraments, God acts to empower the Church for mission” (Part Four, page 34).
The Rev. Andrew Leahy
Pastor, Prince of
Peace, Chicago Heights