GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN Gaithersburg, Maryland

The – Who Are They? The Saints –Among Episcopalians, Lutherans, and United Methodists. Among Southern Baptists and Independents The Fourth of Five Sessions The Eighteenth Sunday after – , 2020

I. All The Saints Adore Thee! I was reminded this week of one of my many favorite hymns. All of us know it, and many of us know it from memory, all four stanzas of it! It was stanza 2 that began singing inside of me: Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore thee. Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before thee, Which were and art, and ever more shall be.

It’s not enough. I want to sing on. There is so much more to tell and celebrate in this hymn. But, I attend to this paper. Still, as we live apart and yet together in this Pandemic time, we miss our gathering, and for the moment, I miss the blessedness of our singing at Good Shepherd! During Luther’s time, one Catholic Cardinal is said to have remarked about Luther and the Reformers: “It is not their theology that upsets me so much; it is their singing!” During World War II, the Third Reich was known to send “Nazi listeners” into congregations and if what was preached was upsetting to the Reich, that congregation would be closed. On a Sunday evening a crowd gathered outside one of those churches and began to sing. The crowd swelled until the Gestapo arrived, commanding the crowd to disperse. But the singing grew louder. After another warning, the shout came from one in the crowd: “Tonight we sing; tomorrow we die!” Reginald Heber1 has given us this hugely popular hymn, with a stanza about the saints!2

1. Reginald Heber - 1783 - 1826. An Episcopal Clergyman and hymn writer and later the of Calcutta until his death at the age of 42.

2. A similar story had been told by Helmut Thielicke in his book on the Parables of Jesus entitled The Waiting Father. He drew huge crowds in post-WWII East Berlin. Crowds gathered at the churches then, too. They would be dispersed for not having a permit for a demonstration! He was so popular that he would sometimes preach in three different locations in one afternoon-evening. The Saints – Among the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist Churches Rev.3 pdf Pare 1 II. Saints in the Anglican/Episcopal Church Lutherans and Anglican/Episcopal3 Churches largely agree in their “ of Saints” As we have discussed in previous sessions of this series, by the 10th century, there was a beginning of a process of for those believed to be . It has developed in intricacy over the years until the 20th century and the work of The Second Ecumenical Council following, which some efforts were made toward simplification. The Lutheran Reformers had set about to greatly simplify the length of the Roman Catholic lists. In the years following, the Calendars of the Saints Days for Lutherans and Anglicans looked largely the same, leaning overall on the Pre- Roman of the Saints. The Anglicans, of course, added the patron saints of Great Britain and Ireland: George of England, Saint of Wales, of Ireland, and Saint Andrew of Scotland. ( King Charles I, considered as a new saint and has, interestingly, come and gone in the .) Not all saints and heroes, the two terms essentially similar in , are from biblical, early church and medieval times. There are 20th century saints and , too. On the West front of stand statues of martyrs held to be blessed in our time: Maximillian Kolbe, King, Jr., Oscar Romero, , and Lucian Tapiedi. (Anglican New Guinea martyr.) The first met in the late 19th century as a gathering of from the world-wide Anglican intended to develop the experience and the working relationship of being one international communion rather than a group of individual Anglican churches. The Conference convenes once each decade.4 This ninth Lambeth Conference, meeting in 1958 clarified the of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church in the via Resolution 79. It says, in part: ! In the case of Scriptural saints, care should be taken to commemorate men or women in terms which are in strict accord with the facts made known in Holy Scripture.

3, Anglican/Episcopal – In world-wide references, the is referred to as The Anglican Church. In the United States, the primary presence of the Anglican Church is The Episcopal Church in the United States. There are, unfortunately, small bodies of independents as well. Most are accountable to an Anglican bishop, “somewhere.”

4. Lambeth Conference – The 2020 Conference has been postponed to 2021, another victim of Covid19!

The Saints – Among the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist Churches Rev.3 Page 2 ! In the case of other , the Calendar should be limited to those whose historical character and devotion are beyond doubt. ! In the case of new names, economy should be observed and controversial names should not be inserted until they can be seen in the perspective of history. ! The addition of new names shall normally result from a widespread desire expressed in the region concerned over a reasonable period of time. These “Lambeth Conference Rules on Canonization “ are in spirit much like those of the Roman Catholic Churches. They also bear some marks of the relaxed of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. Though the four bullets seem less detail oriented, they show evidence of the same wisdom. A saint or commemoration may be added after an affirmative vote by two Conventions of the Church. Some may be intended for local Calendars of Saints.

III. Saints in the Lutheran Church in America It has been noted earlier that the Calendar of the Saints and Commemorations of the Roman had centuries ago become so huge as to be unmanageable. Some names had no documentation and for some there was no proof that such a saint ever existed. Over the years there have been attempts to tidy this up a bit, and that effort continues to our day. The Lutheran Church Reformers restricted holy days to feasts of our Lord, the days of apostles and evangelists, St. Stephen, the Holy Innocents, St. , St. the , and all The Saints. But for Lutherans the calendar has grown since the Reformation. In modern ELCA practice, the and Commemorations is part of the work of the hymnal commissions in the preparation of a new church hymnal. In our 20th and 21st centuries it has been so, beginning with the Common Service Book of 1917, the Service Book and Hymnal of 1958), the Lutheran Book of Worship of 1978, and now Evangelical Lutheran Worship of 2006. Each of these hymnals has required an affirmative vote of authorization by the supporting church body(s) at a Convention of either the ELCA, ALC, the ELCA, or the LC-MS, the supporting church bodies. The “Calendar of Causes” is a part of each of these hymnals. The “Calendar” includes the saints and commemorative persons, the dates of their feast days, etc. Some congregations do not do much with this calendar, observing , Easter, and Pentecost, but not much else. We miss great inspirational and teaching opportunities! These folks and are here because they help us teach one another, grasp opportunities to praise God with songs of , and so much more. And, it is not just about long-bearded and ancient saints. In our calendar, and in that of the Anglican worldwide Communion, we can find names like Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Oscar Romero. Incidentally, all three of these “Saints” also appear in the Calendar of the Episcopal Church (ECUS). On the West front of Westminster Abbey one

The Saints – Among the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist Churches Rev.3 Page 3 finds statues of a group of saints and martyrs. Among them are Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Oscar Romero. In these latter decades we have come to share so much as Lutherans and Episcopalians. Most of our folks are not aware that it started out that way as well. The German Reformation and the were nearly parallel time-wise in the 16th century. This was so much so that some of the English reformers traveled to Wittenberg to seek the help of the German reformers in putting together the first Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Much later, in the mid-1950's, the most used and loved liturgical music setting in the Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal was the work of Regina Fryxell, a gifted scholar and musician from the former national Augustana Lutheran Church. Ten years of study went into setting 2 of the SBH, the most loved and popular of the three musical settings in the SBH. However, the settings 1 and 3 of that same hymnal were composed by two musicians from the Episcopal Church, Harry Gilbert and Ernest White. So, through the centuries since the Reformation, we have shared much in hymnody, liturgy, and even Reformation theology. It was an exciting time when in the years 1999 and 2000 these two faith communities, having shared so much since the Reformation itself, signed “Called to Common Mission”, a pledge to move into together, sharing resources, , curricular materials and long range planning. It is an exciting and challenging time of mutual “convergence.” And in all of its joy, we have learned that it is also hard work. But we have learned this much: When we are talking about saints, we are in a familiar conversation. Luther, Bonhoeffer, and Romero5, among many others, are in the Episcopal Calendar as well.

IV. Saints in the United Methodist Church In the beginning, the Methodists were members of the Episcopal Church in England. Between John and Charles Wesley, they are among the most prolific of hymn writers, and surely among the best known. We know and love their hymns. It is reported that Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns and 482. Among the hymns of Charles are: ”Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Love Divine All Loves Excelling.” Methodists know their hymns. So do others, among them Lutherans and Episcopalians. Again, we share so much. An older for the denomination is “Methodist Episcopal” and we have with us actively today the AME, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Both are because of the “Episcopal structure”. They have bishops! The heart of Methodism is the focus on our relationship with Jesus. Christians should be -centered. Article XIV of the Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church is clear: The Romish doctrine concerning . . . worshiping , and adoration, as well of

5. Oscar Romero – Roman Catholic Bishop of El Salvador was assanated while celebrating the Eucharist

The Saints – Among the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist Churches Rev.3 Page 4 images as of , and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God. There we have it, explicitly! John Wesley’s belief was that must be Christ -centered. The of the Saints can become a distraction from the Christ-focused life. Therefore, there is no focused and established rule for the use of the “Saint.” But, there is the use of the title of “Saint” for the Twelve Apostles (except Judas Iscariot, of course!) Pre-Reformation Christians may be addressed with the title as well, such as St. Augustine. Churches are named for saints, too. The large Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia is an example.. While Methodists do not practice or veneration of saints, it might be said that they do honor and adore them. Methodists observe All Saints Day, in which they hold forth the Church Universal, as well as the deceased of the local congregation, and St. Mark United Methodist perhaps others of the Church. After all, we have that vision of the Church Atlanta, Gerogia Saints who have gone before us, singing in that awesome choir of heaven. The writer of the Book of Hebrews 12:1 calls them “a Great cloud of Witnesses.” In fact it is written that “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, what sort of persons ought we to be?” As careful as Methodist churchmanship and theology have been in the matter of saints and their role in our lives, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church recognized Dietrich Bonhoeffer in 2008 and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 2012 as modern day martyrs. The vote recognized people who have died for their faith and that they stand as Christian role models. So, apparently, in the United Methodist, there can be saints and heroes who can teach, inspire, and demonstrate a life of faithfulness.

V. Saints in Interdenominational or Non-Denominational Churches Since these churches claim to be neither denominational nor creedal churches, it would appear that there are no creedal definitions of faith. However, one has to wonder: is not having no creedal statement is and of itself a statement that they do not believe in creedal statements of any kind? As it turns out, most do! Nonetheless, congregations in this pattern have had continuous and significant growth in the late 20th and now 21st century. If all of these non-affiliated congregations could be gathered into a single group, they would form the third largest Christian group, after the

The Saints – Among the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist Churches Rev.3 Page 5 Roman Catholic Church and the (Southern6) Baptist Church in the United States in 2010.7 In places such as Singapore and Malaysia, these churches are even more numerous since the 1990's.8 These congregations are, virtually always, “Conservative” and “Evangelical” in their theological formation. But since they see themselves as non- creedal and non-denominational, it is very difficult to know in detail what they believe or to what they ask in congregational adherence. After “Jesus Christ is Lord!” it is very difficult to come upon a wide-based theology. Generally they do not observe saints days. They would adhere to the major festivals such as Christmas and Easter. But as for the saints? It likely Worship Service at Lakewood Church A nondenominational Church, Houston, TX depends upon whom you ask! Since a great deal of emphasis among some is upon the work of the Spirit, they may have a Pentecostal emphasis. A congregation in Montgomery County is named a Pentecostal Holiness church. Perhaps they would add the of Pentecost to the year’s celebrations. Then again, maybe not. But as for saints . . .

VI. Where We Have Been and We Have Yet to Go

September 13 – The Saints - Who are They and Why are They Important?

September 20 – Sainthood in the Roman catholic Church

September 27 - Sainthood in the

October 4 - Saints Among Some Others - Part 1 – episcopal, Lutheran and United Methodist Churches – Baptist and other Independent Churches

October 11 - Saints Among Others - Part 2 - The Church of the Latter Day Saints

6. Just recently, the Southern Baptist Convention a denomination, has voted to remove “Southeran” from its name.

7. Nondenominational & Independent Congregations (http:/hirrhartsem.edu/cong/nondenom.html).. Hartford Seminary, Hartford Institute for Religious Research.

8. Peter J. Phan, Christianities In Asia, John Wiley and Sons, USA, 2011, pp. 90-91.

The Saints – Among the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodist Churches Rev.3 Page 6 - A Non-Christian - Islam

Another Topic in Planning: The Book of the Prophet – A Historical Study – Lifting Significant Passages – Some Passages that inspired hymns

A SOLID PROMISE ALREADY IN THE MAKING The fourth paragraph of today’s paper speaks about the hunger so many of us share during this pandemic, the hunger to be able to be together in worship AND to be able to sing with our choir and one another. That could be a while, and it will probably come to be in “Steps.” However, in the meantime, I am already working on a class series on “Hymns We Hunger to Sing Again! Yes, Doris and I are regular worshipers in our online worship, singing with Peter and our outstanding quartet, and with Mr. Pannebaker at the organ. How blessed we are! But Doris and I, two octogenarians, don’t raise much noise as we sing in our Den each Sunday. and on some Wednesdays. Nonetheless, we believe that in God’s grace there will be better days. And, we want to be ready! It will begin with the wonderful hymn based on Isaiah 6:1-6, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” But I need your help! Please send me the hymn or hymns you are hungering to sing when we can gather and sing again. My e-mail is: [email protected].

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