tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post2178832254618875984..comments2023-11-05T02:55:10.230-06:00Comments on Gottesdienst Online: Post from a different worldPr. H. R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16756503062523543708noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-23313362019172776632013-05-03T08:18:28.169-05:002013-05-03T08:18:28.169-05:00"But when the liturgy will have been pretty w...<i>"But when the liturgy will have been pretty well reformed, then the center, the doctrine, will be attacked."</i><br /><br />The man's a prophet, of course. And an historian of the first rank.<br /><br />God is very liturgical (Ex 25-31), very jealous of His holy things, be they His mountain/Ark/Altar (Ex 19:12,13) with respect to the people, or His resurrected body with respect to a woman (Jn 20:17).<br /><br />The traditional liturgy is given over to encouraging the people's recognition and adoration of the healing Presence of God among us poor sinners, in all His Reality. It is the best expression of God's spittle (the Word, begotten from God's mouth) and the sight restoring waters of Siloam (the Sacraments spilling from God's riven side). It encourages the people to be truly faithful to Luther's advice, that we of God's pasture should at all times and all places come into that Presence with eyes unblinded, with genuine fear (i.e., deep reverence) and love for He who served us mightily through His crucifixion.<br /><br />When the people saw that Moses was away ... when they perceived that the staunch icon of Christ who insisted on the liturgically straight, was no longer available to trouble them with God's "minutia" ... they naturally rose up to play. The best of doctrine went to hell, and the people frolicked after (and before) a nitwit god of their own making (Ex 32:4). <br /><br />Liturgy, of course, matters. It witnesses to God and His heaven, and His Presence amongst us in Word and Sacrament ... that Presence of which He has promised us, until the very end of the age. The seer and pipe-smoking Walther summed things up, exceedingly well.<br /><br />The Church of Augustana has it all; now we only need to behave as though we do. But in the absence of windows to heaven, whatever form they take (priests, liturgy, and Synbols) the Karlstadtian people will rise up to play, or be as free of the Presence as the dour 17th century executioners of Salem MA. Or those plain New England Shaker types. Egad. Have a cigar, lady. <br /><br />Your (unworthy) servant,<br />Herr Doktor<br /> Michael L. Anderson, M.D., Ph.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13158953802996685938noreply@blogger.com