No one in their right mind would dispute the charge that worship and its related forms and ceremonies can become idols. One has only to look at the history of Israel to see how the external replaced the internal. Israel adhered more closely to the ceremonial laws of worship than to the prophetic calls to repentance. Duh. That is not news. But the fix does not come in jettisoning the external for the sake of the internal. If that were the case, then the spiritual but not religious would be the faithful and the rest of us mere hypocrites. Or, perhaps, that is what some in the churches really think. Jesus by practice does not abandon the worship of the Temple or the services of the synagogue. Instead, these were His custom, as Scripture says, and that which He learned from childhood. He certainly spends some time cleansing the Temple and fulfilling the voice of the Word in the synagogue and He also does not fail to call the people to repentance and faith. At the very same time, He addresses those outside the pale and heralds faith He has not seen in Israel. It is for Jesus a both, not a choice between.
Growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, I was sure there was some hidden (Gnostic) knowledge imparted to pastors for they seemed to stand in the same places and do the same things week after week no matter who that pastor was. We were formally liturgical but I would not say that the liturgy was the heart of the faith or the faithful. It was just what Lutherans did. Along with Holy Communion four times a year or eventually monthly, these lived on the fringes of our piety and lives in Christ. I do not blame these pastors but if ever there was a time when the liturgy might become an idol it was when we kept the form but did not understand, appreciate, or pay much attention to its words. Even the sermon texts were not drawn from the liturgy or church year but from a cycle of preaching texts. Sermons mattered for piety but the keeping of the liturgy was the Lutheran law we were meant to keep. At least that is how it seemed. Maybe I am being too harsh. Perhaps those who complain about the idolizing of the liturgy and worship are being too harsh.
We do not need some sort of police to watch how we are worshiping and write out tickets when we are veering away from the rites and forms that belong to catholic identity. We do not need such police to question our motives when we use those rites and forms. We do not need innovators to find out what works or what people want but should pay attention to what God wants and what gifts He has bestowed. We do need prophets to accompany the liturgy with the call to repentance, to a real and lively faith, and to good works. This is what Word and Liturgy are joined together to accomplish. The liturgy is mostly Gospel -- the telling of what God has done for us and our salvation. It is extravagantly and lavishly overflowing with grace and mercy. The sermon will always sound like the Law to us in part because it calls us to live worthy of what God has done and to reflect in our thoughts, words, and deeds the righteousness of Christ placed upon us in our baptism. The funny thing is that for all the talk about Law and Gospel in preaching, Luther and the classic Lutherans did not at all shy away from this call to repentance, to live holy, upright and godly lives, and to the works of love which glorify God and help our neighbor even if they do not add to Christ's work that saves us.
Anything can become an idol. Even the worship forms of typical American Protestantism or the seeker or entertainment services of evangelical style churches. But if we spend all our time trying to figure out what might become or has become an idol, we will not have any time left to practice the Mass of the ages and to preach the unchanging Word of the Lord. If we are diligent in doing these, idolatry will be the least of our problems. If we don't, we need more than an error pointed out to us; we need to be called to repentance, confession and absolution.
1 comment:
Indeed true, “anything can become an idol.” Sometimes folks in the church can become carried away, overly critical. As you noted, we certainly don’t need an internal police to scour the body of Christ for every actual or perceived blemish. Many traditions are not viewed or meant as de facto idols, nor should they be erroneously labeled as such. People view them as comfortable things which strengthen the continuity of worship generationally, and serve to unify the body. One of the errors of John Calvin’s teachings, for example, was he set such harsh and strict standards that resulted in stifling believers under his ministry. Many were oppressed, threatened, and disciplined to a point that led to discord and discouragement. In creating a New Testament theocracy, he brought the reformed church into an Old Testament frame of mind. I suppose he almost forgot to read the verses of scripture relating to the gentleness, fullness, and grace of God. While one can make anything an idol, usually this accusation will not apply to the believing Christian, who has already set Christ above all things, including himself or herself, and merely wants to serve the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria
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