Not long ago John Henry Newman was raised to sainthood within the Roman Catholic Church. One of the many English voices for anglo-catholicism who later gave up on the idea that Anglicanism was legitimate, Newman was noteworthy for his continued affection for the hymn even after his conversion. At the masses said in England on the occasion of his canonization hymns were prominent, especially the hymns he himself wrote. Such hymns – especially the great Victorian hymns – constitute a distinctive feature of English Roman Catholicism. The English choral tradition extends to polyphony and great choral anthems but it is also essentially the fruit of a life of rich hymnody. At the mass of thanksgiving for Newman's canonization, Cardinal Vincent Nichols repeated such a comment by the archpriest of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome marveling at the hymn singing and admitting he had never heard such singing in the basilica!
Having said all of this, certainly the hymn is even more essential to the Lutherans. From the tradition of the Deutsche Messe and its substitution of hymn paraphrases to the traditional texts of the mass (something I am not necessarily keen on) to the Lutheran chorales that literally sang in the Great Reformation in Germany, we know hymns, we love hymns, and we cannot conceive of worship without them. I wonder if the greatest impact for those who swim the Tiber (or the Bosporus for that matter) is the loss of the hymn. I have a Lutheran friend who after converting to Orthodoxy admits that Advent hymns were the hardest to live without, followed by the chorales of the greats (like Paul Gerhardt). Certainly for me it would be very difficult to give up the choral tradition with its great Lutheran composers and the great hymns of the faith that are written upon my heart after years of singing them.
When I admit this to my Roman Catholic friends, they look at me in disbelief. They feel the hymn was thrust upon them against their wills and tell me that nobody sings them at Novus Ordo masses because nobody wants to sing. Having been at more than a few, I know exactly what they are talking about. Oh, sure, there are exceptions but these are as uncommon as Lutherans worshiping without music! Now midway through Advent, we are singing some of my favorites. There are wonderful Scandinavian Advent hynms, ancient ones, German texts, and even modern additions and I hate that Advent is too short to sing them all in one season!
Here is the list from Lutheran Service Book. How many have you sung so far?
The Advent of Our King Savior of the Nations, Come Once He Came in Blessing O Lord, How Shall I Meet You O Bride of Christ, Rejoice Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending The Night Will Soon Be Ending Come,Thou Long-Expected Jesus Lift Up Your Heads, You Everlasting Doors Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates What Hope! An Eden Prophesied Prepare the Royal Highway On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding When All the World Was Cursed Comfort, Comfort Ye My People The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns Hark the Glad Sound Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come Creator of the Stars of Night Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring Arise, O Christian People O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Tell me that losing out on these and so many others would not be hard!
14 comments:
I love my little church that loves to sing hymns. We have sang many on your list this advent.
You could also include some hymns from the End Times section, e.g. "Rejoice, Rejoice Believers" (another good Scandinavian tune).
Our congregation has two midweek Advent services on Wednesdays, one at mid-day and the other in the evening. Unfortunately, the evening service gets praise songs and those who come because they work during the day miss out on the good Advent hymns.
“I have a Lutheran friend who after converting to Orthodoxy admits that Advent hymns were the hardest to live without, followed by the chorales of the greats (like Paul Gerhardt). Certainly for me it would be very difficult to give up the choral tradition with its great Lutheran composers and the great hymns of the faith that are written upon my heart after years of singing them.
When I admit this to my Roman Catholic friends, they look at me in disbelief.“
I wonder at the blitheness of these types of regular meanderings on this blog.
It gives one the impression that:
1. Lutherans regularly convert to Catholicism and Orthodoxy
2. This is due to a mass perceived deficiency in Lutheranism
3. This deficiency is rooted in not being part of the right visible organization
4. This deficiency is also located in deeply rooted memories of small, odd Lutheran churches vs. large, influential Catholic churches
5. Also, that the blogger regularly considers what it would be like to be a member of the largest, most influential, impressive, and hence correct church body.
It is the opinion of this blog that the majority of global Lutheranism is theologically bankrupt, and that the LCMS is unforgivably headed toward CoWo purgatory. This, in spite of the inconvenient fact that all LCMS churches have liturgical worship. Joining the Catholic or Orthodox Church only makes sense if you don’t really think doctrine is all that important. Or, that you have been convinced by the liturgical movement that there’s no real difference, since we’re all Catholics anyways.
FWIW
1. I have a couple of friends and acquaintances who have left Lutheranism for Orthodoxy and a couple of more for Rome. Considering I know several thousand LCMS clergy, I think that is a fairly small representation. When have I ever suggested or implied that such conversions were ordinary or often???
2. If there is a deficiency in Lutheranism, it is the lack of effective ecclesiastical supervision and accountability for those who are adrift into evangelicalism (I know of no Lutheran congregations in danger of drifting anywhere else). I have repeatedly said so here. We have a good confession and a good liturgy. Too many of us have forgotten or ignored both.
3 & 4. I have no idea what the next points even mean.
5. I imagine what it would be like to be in a church body in which pew and pulpit were both knowledgeable about, confident in, and consistent in practice with our Confessions. Other than that, my dreams are few.
As to the next paragraph:
1. the majority of global Lutheranism is theologically bankrupt, [well, are you telling me this is not true of nearly all of Europe, Canada, and the US???]
and that the LCMS is unforgivably headed toward CoWo purgatory
[It is a fact that many and perhaps even most of our larger congregations either offer CoWo or have it exclusively]
the inconvenient fact that all LCMS churches have liturgical worship
[I wish it were true and it would be hard for you to prove]
Joining the Catholic or Orthodox Church only makes sense if you don’t really think doctrine is all that important [I am not sure this is true since the people who are joining those churches are making doctrinal choices and not simply looking for liturgical ambiance]
you have been convinced by the liturgical movement that there’s no real difference, since we’re all Catholics anyways [I have been convinced of nothing of the sort and you have not been reading my blog or you would not have postulated such a statement. We may be "all" Christians but we are not all catholic and certainly those who reject the creeds and sacramental theology have also rejected being catholic in doctrine just like those who have rejected the liturgy have rejected being catholic in practice. I refuse to use the term Catholic to refer to Rome since it perpetuates the lie that Lutherans are Protestant and that Lutherans see themselves as rejecting the catholic faith -- which our Confessions insist is NOT the case].
Pardon me for being so terse in my comments but I do tire of people making uniformed judgments about who I am and what I believe and what I have written. Disagree with me. That is fine. But don't make false characterizations of what I have written and then disagree with the straw man you have created.
I am referring to the impression created by a visitor to this blog, not a die-hard reader.
Fine, I’ll disagree with you.
“I refuse to use the term Catholic to refer to Rome since it perpetuates the lie that Lutherans are Protestant.”
As the estimable Rev. Charles Austin chides,
“Ask 100 people from academicians to chimney sweeps who Lutherans are and they will say Protestant.”
Lutherans alone were called Protestants in 1529. It references protesting the Imperial rolling back of Evangelical privileges of married clergy and the cup for the laity. What’s to hate? Where’s the lie?
Lutherans “suffer” from an abundance of titles. One, holy, catholic, apostolic, Christian, Protestant, Evangelical, Lutheran. It’s an embarrassment of riches. If there are American Protestants or Evangelicals or Catholics who aren’t like us, what’s the harm?
We need "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" to the tune Stuttgart. Stuttgart is far superior to LSB's Jefferson tune. How did Stuttgart not make it into LSB? What could be more German than Stuttgart? While I'm at it, how did the Salzburg (Hintze) tune not make it into LSB? Rhetorical questions, of course. But these are two phenomenal hymn tunes that I hope show up one day in a future LSB! :)
for a while it was to Hyfydol.
One Advent hymn a day since The Eve of Advent!
If we give up the hymns, do we also get to rid ourselves of the ringing in our ears caused by the organ being played too loudly?
LUTHERANS. ARE. PROTESTANT. PERIOD.
Did you leave a NOT OUT?
To a few, hymns may not be missed but to most of those born of the Reformation it is hard NOT to have worship with singing hymns.
Blessings
Well, when Lutherans decided that the praise-band worship model was the one to follow, how can any of you be surprised that there is a lack of musical erudition and musical education so that hymnody has become relegated to being "optional." Reap what you sow Lutherans!
It does not matter what chimney sweeps or academicians think, Lutherans in their confessional documents do not ever claim to be Protestant but certainly do claim to be catholic.
If the claim is that the confessions do not recognize a separation of Protestant churches from Roman Catholic, this is not the case:
“It is a grave matter wanting to separate one's self from so many lands and nations, and to profess a separate doctrine; but here stands God's command, that every one should beware and not agree with those who maintain false doctrine, or who think of supporting it by means of cruelty.“ (SD 10, 23)
If the claim is that Lutherans are catholic, that is true and not under debate.
Both Pastor Peters and you are playing Catholic/catholic word games as if you are speaking to simpletons.
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