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Sermons from Day One:
The Palm Sunday sermon was by Pastor Treptow. My impression was that it was primarily a law-obedience sermon. Here were his main points: We should worship the King with unquestioning obedience (go get the donkey), with creativity (robes and palm branches), and with spontaneous shouts of praise (hosanna in the highest). Maybe one small reference to Christ’s cross. I didn’t hear anything about the depravity of my condition; rather, I heard about how we sometimes feel uncomfortable when we don’t want to sing out loudly.
He started off with a Bill Cosby reference about the Lone Ranger, and how Tonto would always “get the snot beat out of him.” He then compared that to how we also might want to tell Jesus not to ride into Jerusalem, because, “You’re going to get the snot beat out of you!” He made humorous references to the smell of a donkey, and how it might trample on someone’s good cloak, and how some didn’t know that there was a “dress code” that day.
I guess I didn’t hear why I was supposed to worship the King; rather, I should get over my inhibitions and creatively shout some praises without questioning why.
The Maundy Thursday sermon was by Pastor Zank. This sermon used Law and Gospel well. His main point: we are heirs of the Holy Supper, and ought to cherish its use. He discussed the Corinthian abuse of the Supper, but then discussed how Satan loves it when we also attend Communion bearing grudges and being otherwise unprepared, to our soul’s harm. God would have every right to take his Holy Supper from us, and not give it back until we showed ourselves worthy. He made very clear gospel proclamations, about how Christ’s death on the cross redeemed man from all his sins, including the sin of abusing the Supper. He said that Communion is a testament to the other people in the congregation—man, woman, child, visitor—of our unity.
He began with a story of his grandfather handing down to 10-year-old Joel a family heirloom—a golden pocket watch—that he had received from his grandfather, and that he hoped would get passed on to his grandson someday. He didn’t tell the whole story at once, but artfully weaved the story in and out of his sermon, telling how he abused that watch, and eventually broke it. He tied that into our own sins and abuse of Communion. While his parents fixed the watch and kept it until he was old enough to be trusted, we thank God that he doesn’t wait until we can be trusted before entrusting us with his Holy Supper. We receive the very forgiveness that we so desperately need in the Sacrament. It is not “more special” forgiveness than what we receive in Absolution, but it is “more of the same”—a strange way to put it, almost making it sound ordinary. But he was guarding against the abuse of puffing ourselves up with pride and turning Holy Communion into a ritual that makes us look good. It is only God pouring out his love and mercy on us poor, miserable sinners!
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Sermons from Days 2-3:
The Easter Morning sermon was by Pastor Cherney. “Be honest: what would you have expected to see if you had come to the tomb?” So begins the sermon. We put ourselves in the women’s shoes as they travel to the tomb that first Easter morning. He talks about some of the things that some go to church to hear—how the church can fix their families, their finances, their communities, etc. “And after all that fails to work, then people are right back in the sludge pit they were in before.” Rather, when they come to church, tell them something really amazing—He is risen.
The Easter Evening sermon was by Pastor Degner. Jesus used the powerful Word of God to “connect the dots” from the Old Testament to his cross and resurrection for the Emmaus disciples that Easter evening. He spent quite a bit of time extolling God’s Word and its power, sharper than any two-edged sword. And yet, are pastors afraid to use it on the delinquent member? When we visit, do we make small talk and talk about everything else, but forget to preach God’s Word? Rather, try going back every week for eight weeks, and preach God’s Word. He closed by mentioning how he’s beginning to see why the pastors in their 60s still have that “fire,” and why he does too—with the Word of God, we need not fear.
The sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday was by Pastor Patterson. We long to be there in heaven! Started with a story about an elderly woman with lots of heartache—“why am I still here, pastor?” He stated in his sermon that everyone will not go to heaven; only those who believe. He ended his sermon, with something like, “We will keep holding on to the Shepherd’s hand, and be the best sheep we can be. Amen.” He did not stand in the pulpit, but walked back and forth in front of the altar as he spoke.
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Quotes from “Recruiting Choir Members and Vocalists” by Professor Tiefel: “Public worship that works well for both nurture and outreach includes: excellent preaching; a suitable worship space; friendly and engaged people; a solid repertoire of hymns, old and new, which proclaim the gospel clearly and which the people sing accurately and enthusiastically; the stability of a liturgical framework without the staleness of identical worship each week; a unified service that reflects a seasonal emphasis and highlights a specific facet of the gospel in both spoken word and vibrant song; the saving gospel set to a variety of musical forms from different times and places within the Holy Christian Church.”
Questions: Do we cater our worship to visitors in the name of “outreach”? Are “friendly and engaged people” overemphasized in today’s church? Is the proclamation of God’s Word in the liturgy ever “stale”?
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AC V has left a new comment on your post "WELS Worship Conference Reports":
"He did not stand in the pulpit, but walked back and forth in front of the altar as he spoke."
Because it's about ME and how INTERESTING and ENGAGING I I I I am! Just like the TV preachers, Enthusiasts all.
