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“As we worship, so we believe” – Lex orandi, lex credendi
*Note: All books are on sale to celebrate the upcoming release of Apostolic Agenda.
“Our attitude toward human rites and ceremonies is evangelical, not legalistic. Rubrics and directions do not proceed from the Law but from the Gospel. We do not want conformity on the basis of legal compunction, but on the basis of our new life in Jesus Christ by which we are made free from the curse of the Law and are enabled by the Holy Spirit to live more and more in Christian love and liberty.” (p. 22)
“Ritual and ceremonial are component parts of the liturgy. They are materials of the liturgy, the things involved in doing the liturgy….Ritual refers to that part of a divine service which consists of its words, that is, the rite or the order of service….Ceremonial is everything connected with the performance of a rite. It refers not only to bodily expressions, such as speaking, singing, kneeling, bowing, making the sign of the cross, and the outward observance of the church year, but also to the ornaments, symbols, and material objects employed in the church’s worship, for example, the church building, the altar, crucifixes, candles, and vestments. Ceremonies are solemn religious things and actions….Rites and ceremonies are an outward expression of what a church believes and teaches. An ancient Latin formula puts it this way: Lex orandi lex credendi. ‘As we worship so we believe’ or ‘as we believe so we worship.’ The externals in worship are a means of communication which people understand and by which they are often affected more readily and powerfully than by words.” (p. 6, 11)
Ceremony and Celebration by Paul H.D. Lang is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to better understand why we do what we do in the Divine Service. As noted in the Preface, there is “a pious desire of both pastors and parishioners to be reverent in worship. That is the genius of this little book: It speaks to all participants in the Divine Service, not just pastors and theologians.”
The Divine Service is where Christians gather around Word and Sacrament. Its liturgy provides the structure for keeping Christ as the central focus. The words, music, actions, and physical elements of the Divine Service all play a role in the liturgy. Pastors and parishioners join together to receive God’s gifts, each playing a distinct yet integral part as defined by the liturgy, in accordance with God’s will (Heb. 10:25; 1 Cor. 14:40).
An excerpt from The Great Works of God: Exodus
*This title is currently 10% off to celebrate the upcoming release of Apostolic Agenda.
The Israelites could have reached the Promised Land in twelve days, had they been allowed to travel in a straight line. But God knew that would not be good for the Israelites, so He led them in a wide circle, for He saw their frailty. No kink or crook is found in a good and pleasant way around. Of course, God understands better than we how to lead, guide, and govern us. So let us humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Pet. 5:6), and not resist His will, but stop and go and follow and move how and where He wishes. All things must work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). He will make the temptation to have an end, that we may be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13).
Oh, how our minds are pricked when we see the good life lying before us and cannot instantly get it! What pangs fill our hearts when we are made to suffer on strange, rough, winding ways. Yet he is a wise and blessed man who does not try to overrule the Lord God’s counsel.
The Israelites were to go forth into the Promised Land, but God went before them on the road through the wilderness to the Reed Sea.* Whoever is to make the journey into eternal life must first be led into the wilderness of this world’s misery. He who would inherit heaven with Christ must first suffer and die with Him [Rom. 8:17].
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An excerpt from The Great Works of God: The Mysteries of Christ in the Book of Exodus by Valerius Herberger, translated by Matthew Carver
*this spelling is explained in a later paragraph
Coming Soon – Apostolic Agenda: The Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul to Titus and Philemon
It is an honor to announce our partnership with a large host of students* of Concordia Theological Seminary – Fort Wayne to publish Apostolic Agenda: The Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul to Titus and Philemon. This translation, which is the first full-length work of Friedrich Balduin available in English, was commissioned and funded by these students as their class gift in appreciation of Concordia Theological Seminary and to edify the hearts and minds of Christ’s Church.
Apostolic Agenda is now available for pre-order (10% off) with an expected release in mid-May. To celebrate our newest title, we are holding a site-wide sale on all books! Browse our collection by hovering over the Books tab in the black bar above. (Apostolic Agenda will ship when released; all other books will ship promptly after the order is placed. This essentially means free shipping for the new book!)
Dr. Benjamin Mayes notes in his Introduction that “Friedrich Balduin was a significant Lutheran theologian of the early 17th century, a well-respected exegete and churchman in his day, who deserves to be rediscovered in our day.” In Apostolic Agenda, Balduin divides Titus and Philemon into sections, first giving the original text with a translation printed alongside. He then offers his analysis and explanation of the text, explaining the context of each verse, indicating parallels to other biblical passages, and discussing other aspects such as geography and history that aid in understanding. Next, Balduin follows up with theological questions, which Dr. Mayes indicates are “often taken from the Bible commentaries of opponents, who used the biblical text to try to prove false doctrine. This is where Balduin shines as a casuist [that is, one who studies cases of conscience].” Finally, he concludes with insightful theological summary statements of doctrines (aphorisms) gathered from the text in an enumerated list. (Visit the Apostolic Agenda page to download a sample of Chapter 1.)
As Berett Steffen, an M.Div. student involved in the book’s editing, points out, “While there are enough complex arguments and obscure references to the classics and other works of antiquity to keep professionals entertained, there is just as much in the way of clarity, application, and simple, well-done exegesis to edify Christians at any theological level.” Indeed, Balduin seeks to teach all Christians about the heart of the faith – the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
*These 56 students are comprised of those from the Master of Divinity class of 2020, the Alternate Route class of 2019, and deaconess students in various degree tracks.
Excerpt for Holy Saturday
“This Jesus, who was crucified, who went as weak as a kitten to the cross, has sapped the devil of all his strength. The trickster has been tricked. He ate the fruit that hung from the tree on Calvary, tempted and beguiled like Eve in the garden. He ate, and now his belly bursts. His jaws are seared shut. He can take no more. He is done, finished, over. He has no accusations left. He hurled every last one of them at the Christ, and the Christ has answered for all of them, and there are none left for us or for anyone. Jesus died to take them away.”
-David H. Petersen in Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Kingdom Come: An Excerpt from Holy Monday
“The Son of Man is glorified by being lifted up from the earth. If you would see Him, if you would behold Jesus, behold Him there. There, and there alone, you might gaze upon God’s glory and not be destroyed, for you gaze upon where and how He was destroyed for you. There you might look into the things that the prophets longed to see and kings desired. There you will know the love God holds for you and the cost He has gladly paid to make you His.”
-David H. Petersen, author of Thy Kingdom Come
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