Comments on: Lutheran Liturgy: Confession and Forgiveness of Sins

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 15 May 2007 13:41:35 +0000

When we ask the Lord to forgive us for what we have left undone, I cannot help but remember all of God’s children who have been aborted. I am ashamed that the ELCA would give in to the secular world, and keep silent on such an important issue, in an effort to not give offense to anyone. While this is not neccesary for salvation, I would be ashamed to stand before God as President of a congregation or of a synod, having done nothing to save God’s children.
Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
and Proverbs 6:16 says that the Lord find this detestable, hands that shed innocent blood.
As Christians I ask you to take a responsibility at least within the Church to offer forgivness to those who have had abortion, but also teach that this certainly is not God’s will that a child die for the will of the mother.

By: I am a Christian Too » Lutheran Liturgy: Hymn of Praise

I am a Christian Too » Lutheran Liturgy: Hymn of Praise — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 01:58:54 +0000

[...] So on to the liturgy. I think the structure of the liturgy is inspired, divinely so — it’s flow is just…perfect. Last time I wrote about the Confession and Forgiveness of Sins. So now we’ve all admitted we’re sinners and heard that we are all forgiven, so what’s next? God’s kingdom is what’s next. There is only one possible response to God’s forgiveness — singing our praises to God. This is the Hymn of Praise: This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia. Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Power and riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his. This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia. Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever Amen. This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia. Alleluia. [...]

By: Reformed Catholic

Reformed Catholic — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 21:03:58 +0000

I beleive confession should be said in every worship service. The fact the most modern liturgal & Evangelical worship is missing this is a scamp.

Worshiping God other than Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is false worship.

With the blood atonement on the cross we would die in our sin. The Godhead was gracios enough to work out a plan before the creation of the world to deal with the sin problem. The Fathers election of sinners, the Sons voluntary taking on the consequences of those sinners, and the Holy Spirit calling those sinners.

I know I am not without sin even as a Christian, how about you?
1John 1:9,10.

By: Sousy

Sousy — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:01:51 +0000

But I’ve never been clear on why that needs to be stated at this particular time. Perhaps it’s meant as a further assurance that the promise of forgiveness is true, but I’m forgiven regardless.

What you’re noting is a rather pointed theological debate about the importance of the Office of the Keys. This is one of the oddities in the LBW that reflects for non Missouri Synod churches a bit of MIssouri Synod thinking. From the LCMS “Cyclopedia”:

http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=k&word=KEYS.OFFICEOFTHE

3. The Office of the Keys is spiritual (Mt. 20:25–26; Jn 18:36; 2 Co 10:4; Eph 6:10–17); it includes all spiritual rights, duties, and privileges necessary for the welfare of the ch. on earth, e.g., the conveying of grace to mankind through preaching, administering Baptism and Lord’s Supper, and through mutual conversation and consolation. In particular, the Office of the Keys gives power to forgive and retain sins (loosing and binding), i. e., not merely to announce and to declare to men the remission or retention of sins, but actually to give forgiveness to penitent sinners and to deny forgiveness to impenitent sinners (Jn 20:23; 2 Co 2:10). See also Justification, 6.

You’ll note that in the ELCA Renewing Worship matierials, the announcement about “called and ordained” has been removed. (I can’t speak for the ELW liturgies – I haven’t seen them yet.)

By: Mystical Seeker

Mystical Seeker — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:43:38 +0000

A confession of sins is not a part of the services at the UCC church I have been attending the last few months (except, I am told, at Lent), and it was one thing I really didn’t like about the one and only BCP Episcopal service I ever attended. I understand the value in humility in the face of our own imperfections, but this “bonded in sin” business is so negative and reflects a theology that says by all rights we really aren’t even good enough to be in God’s good graces, except that we are lucky enough to be forgiven anyway. It is not a theology that I endorse or an outlook that resonates with me. I believe we aren’t “lucky” to be forgiven by God; God forgives because that’s just God’s nature, and rather than focusing on the negative, I prefer to be constructively encouraging about our possibilities of listening to God’s voice within us. I would rather focus on, to use a Quaker term, “that of God within us”, rather than emphasize what is wrong with us so much. Anyway, that’s the way I view it.

By: Chris T.

Chris T. — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 01:45:12 +0000

I’m looking forward to the continuation of this series, Bob — there should definitely be more liturgy blogging in the world.

In our services, the priest also faces the altar along with the congregation, so we are all confessing together. However, in the classical Roman Mass, as well as (my favorite) the Sarum Use in England, the priest first confessed to the congregation, which prayed for his absolution, then the congregation confessed and received absolution from the priest. Also kind of cool, though different. I think most folks do find it odd to have the priest confessing her/his sins right in front of them, though.

Regarding the “called and ordained bit” — in the context of the liturgy, the pastor/priest her/himself is pronouncing absolution. It’s tied to the power to “bind and loose” given in the Gospel by Jesus. So yes, the celebrant’s ordination is relevant here. (I prefer “called and ordained servant of the Word”, though.) God is of course always giving us grace, although we have not worked to deserve it, but it is very powerful to experience that absolution directly. Luther was right that we are all able to be our own priests and encounter God directly, but IMO the reconciling factor between Catholic and Protestant theologies is that grace is multiplied over and over when we mediate it for one another, when we are priests for one another. Luther’s option is a safeguard for when we are unjustly kept away from the sacraments. But being our own priests, including in confession, is not the ideal.

Blessings for the New Year!