Luther’s thoughts on the “German Mass” and orders of service St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (Luther’s Works—Volume 53—”Liturgy and Hymns”) 6881 S. 51st Street – Franklin, Wisconsin “In the first place, I would kindly and for God’s sake request all those who see this order of service or Pastors Brian Adams & Peter Sternberg desire to follow it: Do not make it a rigid law to bind or entangle anyone’s conscience, but use it in Member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) Christian liberty as long, when, where, and how you find it to be practical and useful. For this is being published not as though we meant to lord it over anyone else, or to legislate for him, but because of the Reformation Weekend ~ November 4 & 5, 2012 widespread demand for German masses services and the general dissatisfaction and offense that has been caused by the great variety of new masses, for everyone makes his own order of service. Some have Welcome to Worship the best intentions, but others have no more than an itch to produce something novel so that they might shine before men as leading lights, rather than being ordinary teachers — as is always the case with On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the ninety-five theses or state- Christian liberty: very few use it for the glory of God and the good of neighbor; most use it for their own ments to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. These statements talked advantage and pleasure. But while the exercise of this freedom is up to everyone’s conscience and must about the teaching of forgiveness of sins and the church’s practice of selling not be cramped or forbidden, nevertheless, we must make sure that freedom shall be and remain a ser- indulgences for the forgiveness of sins to pay for the construction of St. Pe- vant of love and of our fellowman. (page 61)” ter’s Church in Rome at that time. They were to be for discussion only. How- ever, they eventually led to the Lutheran Reformation. “The German service needs a plain and simple, fair and square catechism. Catechism means the instruc- tion in which the heathen who want to be Christians are taught and guided in what they should believe, The Lutheran Reformation is about much more than papers, nails and a castle know, do, and leave undone, according to the Christian faith. This is why the candidates who had been door. It is about “reforming” or changing our way of life. No longer do we admitted for such instruction and learned the Creed before their baptism used to be called live in hopelessness. We live in the light of our Savior Jesus Christ. God so “catechumenos.” This instruction or catechization I cannot put better or more plainly than has been loved the world that he gave his Son and whoever believes in Him has eternal done from the beginning of Christendom and retained until now, i.e., in these three parts, the Ten Com- life. This simple Gospel message changes our life. Our life is now a life of mandments, the Creed, and the Our Father. These three plainly and briefly contain exactly everything continuous repentance, of grace alone and faith alone, of singing, of proclaim- that a Christian needs to know. This instruction must be given, as long as there is no special congrega- ing, of teaching and of preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. tion, from the pulpit at stated times or daily as may be needed, and repeated and read aloud evenings and mornings in the homes for the children and servants, in order to train them as Christians. Nor should In 1523 Martin Luther reformed the late medieval liturgy of the Mass. He they only learn to say the words by rote. But they should be questioned point by point and give answer called it Formula Missae or the Latin Mass. Luther used the purity of the what each part means and how they understand it. If everything cannot be covered at once, let one point Gospel (the doctrine of justification) as his main criteria for reforming the late be taken up today, and tomorrow another. (page 65)” medieval Latin Mass. Luther recognized the need for further reform of the church’s liturgy, hinting at this already in the text of his Latin Mass. “Since the preaching and teaching of God’s Word is the most important part of divine service, we have arranged for sermons and lessons as follows: For the holy day or Sunday we retain the customary Epis- In 1526 Luther further reformed the church’s liturgy. He called it Deutsche Messe or the German Mass. tles and Gospels and have three sermons. At five or six o’clock in the morning a few Psalms are chanted Luther composed his German Mass to provide worship in the language of the people, primarily for those for Matins. A sermon follows on the Epistle of the day, chiefly for the sake of the servants so that they too who were less educated and less experienced in theological matters. What is probably the most surprising may be cared for and hear God’s Word, since they cannot be present at other sermons. After this an an- element of Luther’s reforms of the late medieval liturgy of the Mass, is that he did not select a single form tiphon and the “Te Deum” or the “Benedictus,” alternately with an Our Father, collects, and and hold it up as the ideal liturgy to be followed by all Christians. Luther actually wrote against this. “Benedicamus Domino.” At the mass, at eight or nine o’clock, the sermon on the Gospel for the day. At Vespers in the afternoon the sermon before the “Magnificat” takes up the Old Testament chapter by What Luther in fact did was to evaluate the needs of the Wittenburg community he served, and then pro- chapter….. Namely, on Monday and Tuesday mornings we have a German lesson on the Ten Command- vide God’s people there with these two services. He did not hold up either service as more “authentic” ments, the Creed, Lord’s Prayer, baptism and the sacrament, so that these two days preserve and deepen than the other. Neither did he look down on those who displayed a need for the traditional forms they had the understanding of the Catechism. On Wednesday morning again a German lesson, for which the evan- grown accustomed to. Instead Luther ran these two very different services right alongside each other in gelist Matthew has been appointed so that the day shall be his very own, seeing that he is an excellent the service of the Gospel in Christ’s church. evangelist for the instruction of the congregation, records the fine Sermon on the Mount, and strongly urges the exercise of love and good works…. Thursday and Friday mornings have the weekday lessons Our service this weekend is an adaptation of Luther’s Deutsche Messe, or “German Mass.” from the Epistles of the apostles and the rest of the New Testament assigned to them. Thus enough lessons and sermons have been appointed to give the Word of God free course among us.” (page 68-69) 12 1 The Opening Hymn ……………………..“A Mighty Fortress is Our God” Some scholars The Closing Prayer As the service Christian Worship #200 believe this P: We give thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this holy sup- concludes, we hymn was in- per. We pray that through it you will strengthen our faith in you and increase close with a spired by the our love for one another. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, final prayer and Diet of Speyer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. blessing from where, on April the Lord. 20, 1529, the German princes The version we made their for- use in today’s mal “protest” service comes against the from Christian revocation of The Benediction Worship’s Com- their liberties P: The Lord bless you and keep you. mon Service, and thus gained The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. page s 24 &25. the name The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. “Protestants.” It was a hymn of great comfort to Luther and his followers be- The Closing Hymn ………………..“God’s Word is Our Great Heritage” cause when he Christian Worship #293 The Author of was discour- this closing aged he would hymn is Nikolai often invite his Grundtvig. He friends to sing it wrote this hymn for courage and as a verse 5 to strength, Martin Luther’s (“Kommt, lasst hymn, “A uns den 46 Mighty Fortress Psalm singen” - is our God.” “Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm.”) and he apparently sang it regularly while being sheltered at the Coburg castle. 2 11 The Distribution Hymn …………..…”Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior” Martin Luther Please Rise God’s people Christian Worship #313 suggests using live in daily his own hymn: The Confession of Sins repentance. “Jesus Christ, P: Let us confess our sins and ask God in the name of our Lord Jesus The Confes- Our Blessed Christ's forgiveness. For if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, sion of sins Savior,” which and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to concludes by was first printed forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.