tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post8948448090001288731..comments2024-03-27T15:47:46.091-05:00Comments on Pastoral Meanderings: The fallacy of the new. . . Pastor Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653554256101480140noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post-30589788349916478982016-11-24T21:11:25.947-06:002016-11-24T21:11:25.947-06:00Where in the hell did any Lutherans get it in thei...Where in the hell did any Lutherans get it in their head that Jesus decried externals and that he only cared for what was in the heart? What utter B.S. If Jesus had decried the externals which the anti-liturgics crowd in the LCMS and other PRotestant divisions are wont to insist, then how come Jesus never said anything recorded about doing away with the worship of the temple? In the Orthodox tradition, one of the things Jesus taught before He ascended was the liturgy that later became the Liturgy of ST. James. Even if you don't buy into that particular tradition, there is nothing in Jesus' earthly life which decried liturgy or the inherited traditional worship associated with the Jewish temple. NOw, he did decry hypocrisy, but that is far and away not the same thing as decrying the mode of worship. There's nothing wrong with the inherited tradition. Don't fix what is not broken.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07737698278079495810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post-72055247141907357332016-11-23T08:49:45.475-06:002016-11-23T08:49:45.475-06:00Indeed, there are many variations of the worship s...Indeed, there are many variations of the worship service, even in the LCMS, and the debate will go on as to the creativity of the process, and the desired mix of traditions and contemporary usages. I for one cannot judge, only state some preferences. But the larger picture is that God does look at the heart, and He has His children in all generations, all denominations, in all lands, cultures, and ethnicities. Should a believing Native American in a Native American church on a reservation in Arizona have the same ceremonial worship style as a German Lutheran in Berlin? Is the German more devout than the believing Apache? Having lived in Arizona for 7 years, I can tell you there are, in fact, Apache Christians, and some of them are Lutheran. I think sometimes we are more concerned with the format of the worship style more than God Himself. In the end, in the final analysis, God weighs our hearts. The Old Testament is filled with references to God's displeasure with the children of Israel for focusing too much on sacrifices and ceremonial laws than on living out their faith in spirit and truth.John Joseph Flanaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06596324816480709495noreply@blogger.com