THE LATEST NEWS
A New Card + Spring Sale – up to 30% off
With call services just over a week away for our seminarians in Fort Wayne and St. Louis, it is the perfect time to debut our new Office of the Holy Ministry greeting card. You may recognize this artwork from the cover of Ceremony and Celebration, where it is embossed in gold on a deep red cloth binding. We worked with Ed Riojas to colorize it so that this image, rich in theological symbolism, can be used as a card for seminary call night and graduation, ordinations, installations, Office of the Holy Ministry anniversaries, or congregational anniversaries. Since the inside is blank, it can be utilized to send congratulations or to invite family and friends to any of these events. It would also be ideal for any kind of pastoral correspondence.
Furthermore, now through April 30, all of our books (and the BPB CD) are discounted up to 30% off. This is the first time that our latest books – The Conduct of the Service, Ceremony and Celebration, and Thy Kingdom Come – have been on sale, so this is a wonderful chance to buy them for yourself or as a gift. If you live near Fort Wayne and would like to pick up your order from Redeemer Lutheran Church, contact us at emmanuelpress@gmail.com.
The Search is On: Artwork for our 2013 Christmas Cards
It may still be Easter, but it’s time for us to begin the search for Christmas card art. In the past few years, we have created cards with frescos from a German cathedral and oil paintings by Ed Riojas.
This year we’re looking for new artwork featuring our Lord’s nativity, whether it’s from your personal collection, a church’s stained glass windows, pictures from travels abroad, or something you’ve seen on the internet. Leave a comment here or send an us an email: emmanuelpress@gmail.com.
Click here to peruse our greeting card collection.
Antiphon for Psalm 51 for the Triduum
Beginning on Maundy Thursday, there is a special antiphon for Psalm 51, which is sung quietly after each Canticle at Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline during the Triduum. Each day, the length of the antiphon expands until it is at its fullest on Holy Saturday. Thanks to Sean Daenzer, we have the full antiphon sung as it is pointed on p. 448 of the Second Revised Edition of the Brotherhood Prayer Book. The rubrics on p. 445 explain the use of Psalm 51 during the prayer offices of the Triduum.
“Christ for our sakes became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name.”
Free Download: Solid Declaration Readings as Eastertide Bulletin Inserts
As a continuation to the bulletin inserts that we offered for Lent and Easter Sunday, we have now added a free download of Solid Declaration readings formatted as bulletin inserts for the Sundays after Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Find them here in our Downloads tab.
Many thanks to Pr. Craig Meissner for choosing the readings and to Pr. Erich Fickel for formatting the inserts.
*Pictured at left is our Eastertide card
Back in Print: Ceremony and Celebration by Paul H. D. Lang
By the generous permission and encouragement of Pastor Lang’s family, Emmanuel Press has brought Paul H. D. Lang’s Ceremony and Celebration back into print. It was reprinted by Redeemer Press in 2004 but was quickly snatched up and has been sold out for several years.
Several months ago, we also added Piepkorn and McClean’s The Conduct of the Service (published by Redeemer Press) to our collection. Both of these books instruct on the actions and words in the liturgy, yet each has a specific focus. The Conduct of the Service focuses on the role of the pastor (and others who assist in leading worship) in the Divine Service according to the General Rubrics that govern all of the hymnals of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod since TLH. The broader scope of Ceremony and Celebration includes liturgical definitions, the role of the clergy, the role of the laity, liturgical music, church architecture, sacred vessels, furniture in the chancel, the liturgical year, and the liturgical ceremony within our Lutheran heritage from the time of the Reformation.
As noted in the Preface to Ceremony and Celebration, 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).
Ceremony and Celebration is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to better understand why we do what we do in the Divine Service. Understanding what is going on around us increases our appreciation for and insight into the details of the liturgy.
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