February 24, 2015

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“It is well that there is one person who is the same. It is well that there is one stable rock amidst the changing billows of the sea for life…

Let us here recollect that Jesus Christ is the same to sinners today as he was yesterday. Jesus is the same today as he was yesterday in the teachings of his word. Jesus Christ…will be the same forever.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) “For All The Saints” volume III

Lutherans are people who do not like change. In fact, I am sure that the Christian Church is replete with people who want things to always remain the same. But the church is constantly changing. From the language to the styles of worship, the church has been changing in many ways for two millenia. If you only do some research in the area of hymnals, you will find a host of worship books that have been tossed aside for newer versions. What has changed with each new edition? Mostly the language, but also the music and more options for the liturgy. As much as we say we do not like change, there is very little that remains the same from one generation to the next. Except for Jesus.

One of the most difficult changes for our churches in the last 40 + years has been the frequency of Holy Communion. When I was a child, we only celebrated Holy Communion four times a year. In the beginning of the church, Holy Communion would have been celebrated every time the community gathered for a meal – and that would have been every week. So What happened that we lost the tradition of celebrating this Sacrament often? The Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648) happened, which was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history, fought mainly in the territory we now know as Germany. The destruction was so immense that it sparked the migration of people to the “New World” to escape the devastation. In the process, not only were the people losing their homeland and cultural identity by coming to America, but many of their religious practices were also temporarily augmented because of circumstances. One of the first structures that settlers would build would be a church – usually at the center of the community. However, while many of the congregations were founded by lay ministers, there was a severe shortage of ordained Lutheran pastors to fill the pulpits every Sunday. While the lay ministers often read “tracts” or sermons sent over from Germany in the absence of a regularly called pastor, the churches would rely on circuit preachers like Henry Melchior Muhlenberg to preach and provide the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion whenever they could attend. Therefore, over time, the practice of every Sunday communion was relegated to four times a year, first beginning out of necessity, and continuing on after so many generations as regular practice. It literally took some churches almost 350 years to reclaim this practice – the change came gradually alright. Jesus never changed in the process – he continued to be in the meal of bread and wine – we needed to see that this sacrament was so special to us that frequency would not mean it would lose its efficacious nature – but instead it would be held more sacred because it would be our “regular practice”.

Yes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”, says the writer of the book we call Hebrews. There is nothing about Jesus that has changed for two millenia. Jesus still loves the little children; Jesus is still the One; Jesus is still the Son of G*d, the Word Incarnate, the Way the Truth and the Life. No matter how many changes come about in the Church, we know that G*d’s love never changes. And for that we say “Thanks be to G*d.”

Pastor Dave