A View from the Heitz

Especially during holidays most of us take time for reflection.  I was listening to a discussion on NPR this week debunking the fact that suicides and depression are supposedly higher during the holidays.  I guess this is just an “old wives tale.”  None the less, I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately.  Not the typical discussion of forgiveness where we confess our sins to each other and to God in true repentance, but rather what do you do if some really wrongs you?

It’s easy to say we forgive, but from the heart?  Most Christians think that forgiveness is a blank slate like emptying the trash on the computer: all gone and all over.  Others think that forgiveness must flow from love.  Others would point to the old language of the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  What happens when a debt is paid in full?  Does that person qualify for more credit?

I’ve been thinking that it’s easy to forgive when you can rationalize it: oh they didn’t really mean to do that or under the circumstances I can understand.  But what if you just can’t understand?  And here I think we begin to get to the heart of God.  I wonder just how God can understand when I constantly come back to him and ask for forgiveness.  So in a sense my exploration of forgiveness is really a way of getting in touch with God’s heart.

Starting out my exploration I went to an old sermon handout from Pastor Pautz’ July 21, 2002 message titled “Forgive One Another.”  The handout defined forgiveness:

1. It isn’t conditional.
2. It isn’t minimizing the seriousness of the offense.
3. It isn’t a fully restoring a relationship without changes.
4. It isn’t forgetting what happened.
5. It IS relinquishing all rights to get even (Rom 12:19).
6. It IS responding to evil with good (Luke 6:27-28).

Numbers three and four have me a bit puzzled.  The rest I agree with.  I am trying to work through the emotional and heart connection that practically comes from not restoring and forgetting.  How does this prevent bitterness and grudges?  I do understand that you don’t put an alcoholic in a bar during the first week of AAA but is that what God does with us?

If you get a chance to visit any of the churches of Europe or even some historical churches in Boston, you will notice right away that something is distinctly missing from most of our churches: visual arts.  Back when most of these churches were constructed visual art forms of the day were architecture, painting and sculpture.  Take St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, which is Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, as a stunning example.  It includes monuments, paintings, mosaics, and an impressive dome.

Today our churches meet in shabby worship spaces by comparison–some even in high school gyms.  Let me be clear that I am not advocating a return to focusing resources on physical buildings when it could be used to build bridges for the gospel.  I am struck however by our lack of visual arts.  In centuries past this meant paintings and sculptures today it means video and interactive media.  In the past the Church commissioned these works.  This meant that the artist was paid, and that the Church directed the theme and purpose of the art.  Today artists create their work and hope to sell it rather than getting commissioned to create works of art for patrons.  The main way art is created for patrons today is through advertising.  And if you think about many art in churches and even the buildings themselves communicated and advertised its message.

Here is an example of the work of Caravaggio, part of a chapel dedicated to St. Matthew which depicts the Calling of St. Matthew and the Inspiration of the Gospel.

Another great example is the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. This church dates from the 4th century and has fantastic mosaics.

What can be done to encourage this today?  Is Vegie Tales our version of Berninni sculptures?  Do we have really skilled artists like Michaelangelo working their entire lives to create masterpieces of visual art?  Are we surrounded by the visual arts in our worship?   I think we may have a long way to go…

Many Christians in America outside of the Orthodox and Catholic traditions have a renewed interest in traditional forms of worship and piety.  Just a few weeks ago the lead article in the East Valley Tribune reported the Pope’s call on American Catholics to return to the Latin mass suggesting that this honored tradition will have spiritual benefits.  During my trip to Rome, I attended mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, which was of course performed in Latin.  Since I did not receive the Eucharist, the main benefit I felt was a 45 minute seat from which I could admire the surrounding art.  I could not help but think of this building as the place that triggered the reformation.  The magnificence of St. Peters was accomplished through the purchase of salvation–the selling of indulgences.  Much of the art was part of the communication of the Counter Reformation–the church defending itself.

The search for tradition outside of the Catholic church goes back to the Orthodox Church.  And at first blush, we find a church that many would say is much closer in doctrine and practice with protestant Christianity practiced by Lutherans.  I should note that understanding Orthodox doctrine can be difficult as word meanings and phrases are not the same.  A pamphlet at one church I attended quoted Ephesians 2:8-9, “by grace you are saved…and not by works,” while at the same time expressing that salvation is achieved through living as an Orthodox Christian.  Patriarch Bartholomew, in his recent book entitled Encountering the Mystery: Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today, claims that salvation and participation in liturgy go hand in hand.  Here is what he says:

Moreover, this salvation through participation is accomplished through the Holy Spirit in the sacramental life of the Church.  The Orthodox Church experiences and expresses its theology in worship.

In fact, worship is referred to by the Orthodox Church as “divine liturgy” which can be understood through the words of the lenten hymn “standing in the temple of Thy glory, we think we are in heaven.”  This is a transcendent event which communicates the divine by engaging all the senses including site and smell through icons and incense. Liturgy does not directly translate to worship as protestant Christians might be inclined to think.  In both the Orthodox and Catholic traditions, liturgy refers to the sacrament of holy communion and is a sacramental experience.

So what is the main benefit of these traditions?  Luther changed many things, but he did this as a result of his commitment to sola Scriptura–to get the scriptures into the hands of the people.  While he did not set out to completely revamp everything, that focus changed the language of the mass and included music as a key way of communicating the truths of scripture.  The whole basis for protestant Christianity is finding final authority in the text of the Bible.  This focus is literal not mystical or transcendental.

So how should Christians approach worship?  What benefits can we gain from 2,000 years of historical Christianity?  And what does it mean for Lutherans who are one of the few protestant groups with a liturgical worship style?

For Lutherans the matter is further complicated by the semi-sacramental nature of worship.  There are two lines of reasoning that follow:

either embrace traditionalism in its fullest sense, or
make form and style subservient to the preeminence of the means of grace by embracing confessional worship.

If tradition is to be embraced in the form of the liturgy then go all the way and make it sacramental.  That means all services would have communion and should consider adding back the missing sensory elements of visual art and incense to make it truly transcendent, including visual art and incense.

The alternate approach is to shift the focus from form and style by placing the means of grace and its communication as the main priority, thus leaving the form, style, and frequency of the sacrament to Christian liberty.  This leaves room for both the current non-sacramental style of some of today’s Lutheran liturgies along side of confessional forms of worship that use modern art forms.

Confessional worship then should provide maximum exposure to the means of grace, which is the gospel message in word and sacrament.  The efficacy of worship in transforming lives is not ours to manipulate.  Rather it comes only by the working of the  Holy Spirit through the means of grace.  This means that confession and absolution should be even more of a priority, and possibly a mandate, because in confession and absolution the pure gospel is revealed in all its glory.

Confessional worship, regardless of art forms or instrument types, maximizes the use of confession and absolution along with the teaching of the scriptures can be used by God the Holy Spirit to transform and strengthen his people for works of service.

As I look at historical Christian traditions I am amazed by the continuity of 2,000 years of history, yet I am at the same time uncomfortable.  For when I see great traditions, I also see that they can keep the church from performing its mission by turning the focus to the form and style rather than on the work of the Holy Spirit.  I see that it takes centuries or more to happen and it is always gradual but I am more and more convinced that traditions are there for the purposes of men.  Since scripture is the only final authority we should continue to be cautious of anything that could stand in the gap between a person and the Bible.

While the old man in me wishes that future generations could walk through protestant sites and art like that of St. Peters, the new man hopes that all they find is the truth of scripture.

Today modernity and its foundations in existentialism are the latest front in the continuing struggle against the gospel message as man continues to make himself the measure of all things and attempts to escape meaninglessness.  Not only does this influence the atheists and agnostics alike as evident from the aptly named blog Everything is Pointless, but it is also impacting the church, particularly many evangelicals who have adopted decision theology in combination with a focus on self help teachings.

First let me say that the Bible has much to say regarding how we are to live, so I am not opposed to spiritual maturity through practical sermons, discipleship programs, or small groups.  However, this focus on the outward fruits of faith combined with the non-scriptural idea that “I choose Christ” or “I participate in or enable my salvation through a decision for Christ” opens the door for a higher view of man and self authentication which is eerily similar to the tenants of existentialism rather than the plain teachings of scripture.  Some evangelicals even go so far as to make the “relationship” with Christ so central that it provides their very meaning outside of scripture and allows them to ignore some of its teachings and become a “denomination of one.”

Many Christians justify this through an improper understanding of the doctrine of free will which they would say gives them the ability to choose.  Existentialism is all about the will.  One of the key tenants of existentialism is that you authenticate yourself or bring meaning to your life by your own actions through an act of the will.  Further this act is pure in and of itself without any moral boundaries.  So a person who helps an old lady to cross the street authenticates himself by an act of the will.  But equally authenticated is the person who runs over the old lady as she crosses the street.  Both have equal meaning because meaning is based in existence not in purpose or relationship.  Francis Schaeffer’s book Escape from Reason is an excellent treatise on this subject.

In the movie Life is Beautiful a father and son end up in a Nazi concentration camp where the father pretends that it is all a game.  This shields the boy from the harsh reality and moral issues at stake in the world around him.  So too many attendees of today’s evangelical churches are shielded from the harsh reality of their true spiritual state and blinded to the subtle but steady focus on good works which can become work righteousness.

Luther and Augustine both point us back to scripture when it comes to the concept of free will.  The Augsburg Confession actually quotes from Augustine’s Hypognosticon, Book III:

We grant that all people have a free will.  It is free as far as it has the judgment of reason.  This does not mean that it is able, without God, either to begin or at least to complete anything that has to do with God.  It is free only in the works of this life…

Or as stated in Article XVIII:

A person’s will has some freedom to choose civil righteousness and to do things subject to reason.  It has no power, without the Holy Spirit, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness.  For “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14)…

Although nature is able in a certain way to do the outward work (for it is able to keep the hands from theft and murder), yet it cannot produce the inward motions, such as the fear of God, trust in God…

So rather than “self authentication” a Christian has “Holy Spirit authentication” which provides meaning in life, purpose, and a relationship with God through Christ. 

“And this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God –not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8b-9)

For those who accept existentialism, regardless of their self authenticating acts of the will or denial of the truth of scriptures, reality, much like in Life is Beautiful, is happening all around them and one day they will have to face it.  For those in the church who motivate through decisions for Christ and self help teachings, both acts of the will, short term changes in behavior or civic righteousness may not bear eternal fruit which can come only through the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s word.

I sat in the pew at St Sava Serbian Orthodox Church following a long service of standing and attending as the “godfather” after the baptism of my nephew Gerald Allen.  Everyone else but the sponsors sat in the congregation including the parents.  The sponsors went through an almost full hour ceremony which was steeped in meaning and tradition.  What struck me most was the connection with the past the service invoked and the meaning it brought to the event in many different ways.  It was so unlike the typical baptism in many other Christian churches which includes about 10 minutes of a normal church service.  It wasn’t just a baptism, for in the Serbian Orthodox Church, where he was baptized, there are actually two sacraments performed: baptism and chrismation.  Even though I hear “christening” often I never understood it until today. 

The service began outside the sanctuary with exorcisms for both the mother and the sponsors for “in order for one to belong to God, one must be completely separated from Satan.”   Also many things were done in triplicate for Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This emphasis on “three” carried over to the actual application of water as Gerald was immersed three times.  They actually had what my brother referred to jokingly as “the Stanley cup” where Gerald was almost fully immersed.   “The life into which one is born in baptism is the life of the Holy Trinity…one in essence and undivided.”

According to orthodoxy, baptism is rebirth while chrismation is the bestowing of the Holy Spirit which gives power to live a new life.  Gerald was anointed with special oil called Holy Chrism which represented the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 

As I think more about it chrismation is so important and so often neglected.  And it’s definitely not a sacrament for most of Christianity.  Luther talks about living in our baptismal grace or remembering our baptismal identity as a child of God, but maybe what we really need is more emphasis on the power in which we can live in this identity. It’s so easy for Satan to make us believe we can do it on our own and blur the separation of the old and new person until we struggle to live in our baptismal grace under our own power instead of the power of the spirit.

Towards the end of the service came the cutting of hair.  When the priest mentioned this included not just the baby but also sponsors I was a little panicked.  Little Gerald Allen already has more hair than I do.  Thankfully, I got out with my hair intact, but Gerald had hair removed in four places to form the sign of the cross.  This was Gerald’s first offering: “an offering of himself…a sign of dedication, commitment, and obedience, as well as faithful service to God.”  This tied right in to my readings this week in Romans:  “use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.”  (Romans 6:13b) 

Another word used often in the sacrament was the word “illumination.”  It really struck me probably because I was holding a candle the entire service.  The candle symbolized the Christians receiving Christ who is the light of the Word.  How much we need this Christ light and the power of the Holy Spirit to in order to live that light.

Today I am sitting in the lunch room at East Fork Lutheran School pondering the ever changing landscape of Christian schools.  As the high school will be closing, I realize that we are losing another Christian school.  Closing a school is always a very emotional experience and I have been here before as I served on the board of Covenant Christian School which closed its main K-12 programs almost eight years ago.  At East Fork, however, there is an alternative.  A charter school run and governed by a group of Christians with high standards and a proven educational model.

As a product of Christian schools, I have been revisiting the reasons why we have Christian schools in the first place.  Don’t get me wrong I think that in most cases the continual evolution of Christian education is a good thing, but at the same time I want to go back the foundational reasons for it and make sure I understand what we are losing.

In marketing we talk about the fact that products and services change but the brand foundation does not.  Translated: the ministry plan may change but the doctrine and teachings do not change.  This is what is happening in Christian education, the delivery of it is changing but the reasons for it should not.

My experience with Christian schools in both Reformed and Lutheran circles has shown that reasons for Christian schools include both the creation mandate and Christ-centered education.

The creation mandate approach to Christian schools starts with the view that:

“Since God is the creator we should only learn from His perspective.”

This approach emphasizes knowledge as we see the character of God revealed in natural revelation.  This goes way beyond slapping a bible verse on the top of a quiz and instead says studying infinity in Calculus teaches us something about God since He is infinite.  Knowledge is important and these educators tend to have more advanced degrees than their counterparts.  This view is largely embraced by evangelicals who are migrating from main-line denominations to community churches.

Christ-centered education on the other hand puts faith first as the most important purpose.

Christ-centered schools focus on distributing the means of grace in word and sacrament as the first and foremost priority–sharing law and gospel with each child.

The Christ-centered approach measures success by number of confirmands while the creation mandate approach measures the intellectual growth in the knowledge of God.  The purpose is not necessarily to learn about God in natural revelation but to strengthen faith.  In the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), which runs the fourth largest parochial school system, this means that teachers are experts in religion but not necessarily experts in their subject matters and few educators in this system have advanced degrees such as a masters or a doctorate.

The big question for both:

Are Christian schools a necessity or a luxury?

People who subscribe to the creation mandate view tend to be more ready to say yes it is a necessity.  I have met many in both camps that would love to have the resources to make Christian schools a non-luxury item.  Parochial school systems are more committed to making this an affordable option than are the loosely-affiliated, evangelical Christian schools.  The problem is resources and by resources this is not only money but skilled educators.  Enter charter schools.

If you believe the creation mandate then you most likely also believe that all truth is God’s truth.  This belief makes secular schools an option as long as the person’s world view is maintained.   If you take a Christ-centered approach than you realize that the distribution of the means of grace for the purpose of salvation is not limited education in its classic forms: elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools.

And so you end up where most parents are:

Give us a school that reflects our values with good families and a safe environment so we can raise our kids.

In the past, Christian schools have met the needs of people with this view in a way the public school system had been unable to do.  Now with charter schools and other options, why run Christian schools?  Let’s just have public schools with Christian teachers, classical curriculum, special focuses, and classroom sizes we are comfortable with.

I recall some of the prayers from the Lutheran Book of Prayer where we pray for the peace and prosperity of our nation that we might live quite, peaceful lives with the freedom to spread the gospel.  Maybe that’s what we are doing here at East Fork.

Schools have become as essential to our lives as food, clothing, and shelter.  This is the “Salvation Army” approach to Christian schools.  Give them the basics and then give them the gospel.   So now we face the challenge of resources that only a public or charter system can provide and in response we strive to create “conditions of peace” which will allow for the spread of the gospel.

I pray that this will not turn out like Joseph and the Israelites in the land of Egypt.  The Israelites ended up there because of a famine and a lack of resources.  God provided through Joseph a way out much like the charter option so many of us are considering.  Many years later however Joseph was forgotten and the Israelites were enslaved.  Egypt was part of God’s plan for the growth of His people.  Charter schools may well be God’s plan for the growth of His people.  In the long term we may say with Moses: “Let my people go.”

Well it’s only January 4th and a few of my resolutions are already broken.  In the past I’ve been able to keep some resolutions going all year long, but to be honest some days I had to play catch-up–like when you decide to read the Bible through in a year and end up doing two days worth of readings in one day.  As I was contemplating my false start this year the words of the hymn came to mind:

Father, let me dedicate all this year to you,
In whate’er my earthly state, In what e’er I do.
Not from sorrow, pain, or care freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify your name.
Christian Worship #75

What struck me about this hymn, and notice that I am deliberately using hymn and not “God’s Word,” were two things that are key our personal growth.  First we must accept that growth isn’t pain free, when we claim freedom from pain we never grow.  And secondly the great inward cry that should mark our days: Glorify your name.  My goal this year is to re-orient my thinking around this theme–Glorify your name.

How does this tie into false starts and New Year’s resolutions?  How did Jesus start his ministry, what was one of the first things he preached?  Matthew 4:17 says:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Daily repentance and living in our baptismal grace is a key part of the life of the believer.  False starts and repentance all remind us of our deep need for a savior.  Hmm… That sounds like instead of me it’s God.  This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify your name.