tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post1071087655574148227..comments2021-06-03T13:58:52.783-07:00Comments on Fine Tuning: TUNES FOR THE TIMESPhillip Magnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17841725361772353858noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-80337423453883001852008-10-14T18:26:00.000-07:002008-10-14T18:26:00.000-07:00Thanks for checking in, Luther! Yes, I agree if o...Thanks for checking in, Luther! Yes, I agree if one is going to use DS V on Reformation one should be sure to use it (or part of it) a little more often - even if sometimes it is simply the choir singing "Isaiah, Mighty Seer". Keeping these classic chorales in the peoples' ears will prepare the way for their hearts to resonate with these texts on Reformation Sunday! <BR/><BR/>Regarding the congregation & their blaming the lack of "contemporary" worship for the size of the parish, I don't know whether or not they are evangelizing/telling the good news about Jesus. But I do know from what you've described that you have PLENTY of contemporary worship going on in your church. For example: DS I is by Richard Hillert, whom you can have lunch with in Chicago. And DS IV also has parts by living composers! And I bet you are singing hymn tunes by young(er) guys like Blersch, Hildebrand, and Stephen Johnson, too! So maybe that needs to be mentioned. <BR/><BR/>At the end of the day, though, we must remember that the Lord does not promise growth in numbers, nor does he require that of us. Such is the world of the Law. And, it may very well be that we are in the Last Days, in which case Scripture warns us that the church will become smaller, not bigger. Much smaller, in fact. Instead, we are simply called to be faithful. <BR/><BR/>So be faithful in your craft and sing faith into peoples hearts. Just as the pastors preach Christ, we are called to sing Christ. Just as their craft brings Christ to people's ears and connects them to the living Word, that the Holy Spirit may work the marvels of faith, so do we - when we are faithful to our craft - bring Christ in song to people's ears. <BR/><BR/>So whatever setting(s) you sing, and whatever (orthodox) hymnody you sing, bring the texts alive, my friend, and let the faithful rejoice!Philliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13715953453920138624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-84279012125800213392008-10-14T17:04:00.000-07:002008-10-14T17:04:00.000-07:001. Thank you for an excellent argument/discussion ...1. Thank you for an excellent argument/discussion point to be used with our new pastor-to-be-installed next month. He has indicated that our current church year based structure could be changed to have times where a different setting is used on back-to-back Sundays. <BR/><BR/>3. I thought I was unique with this idea several years ago, but you beat me to the idea. Shucks, it is a great idea though! :) We use DS3 for the pensive Advent and Lent seasons, DS1 for Easter through Ascension, DS4 (plenty of variety here) for the Trinity Season, DS5 for Reformation (and possibly more at your suggestion), and I would LIKE to use DS2 for Christmas and Epiphany. <BR/><BR/>4. I also believe that someone who has several (sometimes many) years of experience singing hymns and liturgy out of a hymnal can read music, even if it is on a very basic and sub-conscious level. They might not know it, but their brain has the capacity to understand this: when the "little black dots" go up, I sing higher, when they go down, I sing lower.<BR/><BR/>6. I have yet to see that in my church. I believe they are using our lack of "contemporary" worship as a scapegoat for their lack of drive to evangelize. This creates an easy reason why our elderly congregation is not growing. I continue to pray that they will eventually come around.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the great work and the pure Gospel of Christ!<BR/><BR/>In Christ,<BR/>LutherLuther Gulsethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13029647195028418328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-79496615501358287412008-10-13T04:38:00.000-07:002008-10-13T04:38:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-54322433547851497362008-10-12T18:24:00.000-07:002008-10-12T18:24:00.000-07:00Hi Chris, I think CPH's Creative Worship can b...Hi Chris, <BR/><BR/>I think CPH's Creative Worship can be a helpful tool - particularly the music section in the second half of each book - but that it is easily and often over-used and/or poorly used. <BR/><BR/>I actually wrote a few liturgies for them 3 and 4 years ago, and so know a little bit about the market demands CPH is seeking to address with this project. Unfortunately, some of those demands don't serve the Gospel well, and so contribute to weaknesses in the series. <BR/><BR/>That said, it is possible to draw a few things judiciously from Creative Worship (CW) w/o disrupting the dance which is Lutheran liturgy. Such things as alternative versicles before Confession & Absolution, a Eucharistic Prayer which includes amanesis from the readins of the day, or a hymn stanza to a familiar tune which would work well as an Offerotry can all be found from time-to-time and can certainly enrich a congregation's worship life w/o sacrificing the integrity of the liturgy. <BR/><BR/>The key is to bring in elements from the resource which add to a congregation's estbalished practice. This would be like the "fleshing out" to which Orianna refers to the propers as doing on the "bare bones" of the Ordinary. <BR/><BR/>It is important to remember that each worship service of Creative Worship is written by someone who cannot help but be shaped by his own congregation's estbalished customs. When people just use all or large parts of these services, they in effect move their own parish all over the map from Sunday to Sunday and foster a practice which is erratic at best. Such usage of CW runs contrary to the fundamentals of good liturgical practice and needs to be avoided. <BR/><BR/>I think CW has some light cautions about this buried somewhere in the introductory material, but CPH shoudl really give more guidance to pastors so that they don't overuse and/or abuse the resource. It should never be used as a substitute for true creativity in worship: the authentic use of pastoral and cantoral craft in sensitive interaction with the baptized within the context of the Lord's ministry of Word and Sacrament.Phillip Magnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17841725361772353858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-12835586248805600022008-10-12T15:49:00.000-07:002008-10-12T15:49:00.000-07:00Thanks for sharing your schedule for using the Div...Thanks for sharing your schedule for using the Divine Service settings and prayer offices. Where I currently serve as organist we seem to use a random method of choosing a LSB service setting for those Sundays when we celebrate the Lord's Supper. I would like to move toward using a specific setting throughout a given season of the church year and you provide compelling reasons for a seasonal rotation.<BR/><BR/>Do you have any insights/suggestions regarding Creative Worship from CPH?Chris H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02221188128119610802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461698464806055180.post-82759145941952965632008-10-11T19:22:00.000-07:002008-10-11T19:22:00.000-07:00The church we're at right now does DS III for earl...The church we're at right now does DS III for early service and DS IV for late "blended" service. They use DS I for festival services. <BR/>The college professor I had for worship class talked about how the ordinaries of the liturgy as being the bare bones to be fleshed out with the propers. There is much to be said for using variety in the liturgy.Orianna Launhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01763924682909630509noreply@blogger.com