HYMN: To God’s Great Law You Must Adhere

Since I started writing hymns, I’ve had the idea of working on the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism. It’s not that I think I can necessarily improve on Luther’s catechetical hymns. It’s more that I think I can say things in a different way. Anyway, I finally found an in for the Ten Commandments that appealed to me, so I got to work. Initially I thought I would build on the first stanza of “The Law of God Is Good and Wise,” which is why I chose the meter and tune I did. But then I thought I should do something original. As always, feedback is love.

To God’s Great Law You Must Adhere

1. To God’s great Law you must adhere

In perfect love and holy fear.

Here is your guide for ev’ry day

To keep you steadfast on your way.

2. No other gods you have than Me.

In Me your fear and trust shall be.

Love God alone with all your heart

And from My Word do not depart.

3. Do not misuse My holy name

To bring upon it grief or shame,

But call on Me in any need,

And I am glorified indeed.

4. Remember ev’ry Sabbath day.

Receive My gifts with thanks, and pray.

My Word is precious. Oh, give ear

To keep as holy all you hear.

5. Give honor to authorities.

They are My gift; do not displease

Father and mother, child, but pray,

Cherish, respect them, and obey.

6. “You shall not murder,” says the Lord.

Live not in anger by the sword,

But help your neighbor in distress.

Speak words of love to heal and bless.

7. Be faithful to the one you wed,

And keep as pure the marriage bed.

Live not in lust, but holiness.

One flesh in faith the Lord will bless.

8. Steal not your neighbor’s property,

Nor seek it out dishonestly,

But help your neighbor to maintain

All by God’s grace he did obtain. 

9. Speak no offense, nor seek to shame,

But dignify your neighbor’s name.

God grant you grace, lest you betray

Anyone by the words you say.

10. Scheme not to take your neighbor’s house,

Nor tempt his workers or his spouse.

From thieves and swindlers, evil foes,

Help him retain what God bestows.

11. In Adam’s sin are all conceived.

No sinless life can be achieved.

Sinners transgress with ev’ry breath,

You merit nothing but your death.

12. So place your trust in Christ alone.

Sinless, for sin did He atone.

Baptized in Christ, His grace confess:

His righteousness, your holy dress.

13. God grant you faith, so you believe

His boundless mercy you receive.

With works of love, a saint you live.

Marked as forgiven, you forgive.

(c) 2021, Alan Kornacki, Jr.

LM

ERHALT UNS, HERR (LSB 579)

Ten Commandments; The Law; Life in Christ

"Sing a hymn to Christ as to God"

The panel of speakers

I was fortunate and honored to be selected to attend The Sung Confession: Lutheran Hymnwriting in the 21st Century, a conference of hymn writers this week. The conference took place at the Toddhall Retreat and Conference Center in Columbia, Illinois. If you read my blog--which you must, if you're reading this--then you know that I've been writing hymns for about three and a half years now. Some of them are dross; some...well, some may not be dross after a great deal of editing. A large number of people submitted three hymns for evaluation and consideration, and (because of financial limitations) of those hopefuls only thirty were selected after the evaluation process to attend the conference. 

After taking some time to let everything sink in, I have a few thoughts to share.

The Presentations

The meat of the conference was provided by our presenters. Meat it was, and not cotton candy, with which they fed us over the three days.

• The presentations opened with Dr. Joe Herl on What Works and What Doesn't: Lessons from the Hymnal. He opened his presentation with an interesting premise, and I'm paraphrasing because I don't remember his exact words. It was something like, "The church's song has a longer-term impact on our peoples' theology than her sermons do." He asked how many of us remember hymns we sang as children, and then he followed that up by asking how many of us remember sermons we heard as children. He talked about comparative strengths and weaknesses of certain hymns which spoke of similar subjects, and he emphasized the importance of imagery in hymnody. He encouraged us to examine the works of John Donne and Charles Wesley as positive examples.
• Pastor Steve Starke was next, presenting One Perspective on the Craft of Writing a Hymn Text. He began with the very helpful definition: "A hymn is a combination of doctrine (dogma) and worship (doxa) for worshipers to sing in a corporate setting." As with Dr. Herl before him, Starke emphasized the importance of vivid imagery. He also emphasized the importance of the care which goes into examining the doctrine which goes into a hymn, as false theology in hymns invite worshipers to share in and accept false perspectives. He encouraged us to examine the works of Timothy Dudley-Smith and Paul Gerhardt as positive examples. Finally, he encouraged us to offer our hymn texts for use. (In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I have, at times, been critical of Pastor Starke and his hymns. Part of that, I think, comes from unfamiliarity. Like most Lutherans, I don't like change and find myself suspicious of new things. His large imprint on Lutheran Service Book was all too easy a target for such suspicion. Sinner that I am, part of my disdain has certainly come from the demon named Competition which gnaws into my heart and leaves behind his poisonous saliva infested with the germs of jealousy. As Jesus might say, "Is your eye evil because I am good?" Having met with the man, I can say that I found him to be well-spoken, thoughtful, and willing to share his knowledge without being overbearing or displaying narcissism. I owe him an apology which I probably should have delivered in person.)
• The Reverend Doctors David Maxwell and David Schmitt presented The Nuts and Bolts of Hymn Construction. "Hymn construction" is an apt way of describing their presentation, as they spoke of syllables/meter, accent, rhyme, and progression, the actual skeleton of hymns. As a former English major and after two years of high school music theory, some of this was review for me, but applying it directly as we analyzed and broke down some hymns to examine their skeletons was an eye-opener.
• Matthew Carver presented The Art and Science of (German) (Lutheran) (Hymn) Translation. Matthew has been a blessing to the English-speaking church, translating such treasures as the four books (in two volumes) of The Great Works of God by Valerius Herberger and, more recently, Walther's Hymnal. He spoke of the advantage of using hymns that have been tested by time and circumstances, even when that means translating them into the vernacular. One who would translate must know his own language, the other language, and know the hymn itself inside and out.
• The Reverend Doctor Frederick Baue, known most commonly as Fritz, presented Lyric Poetry. Using popular poetry and song lyrics as examples, Fritz spoke about the what makes for good and memorable texts. He encouraged the reading and study of poetry. (A gifted musician, Fritz used his guitar to good advantage to aid his presentation.)
• Our last presenter was Peter Reske, managing editor of music and worship resources at Concordia Publishing House, who presented Six Lessons from a Hymnal Editor. He opened by telling us that the Church needs good hymns. He spoke of how hymnody is the intersection of three disciplines: theology, poetry, and music, and how those who would write hymns must be students of all three disciples. Writers must write; they must also read. Study hymnals and hymnology, poetry, theology, and music. He emphasized that writers must be willing to edit themselves severely--or as he quoted Arthur Quiller-Couch, "Murder your darlings." And at the end he discussed various methods of getting the hymns out into the Church. 

All in all, the presenters gave an excellent overview of the craft of writing hymns. Though each presenter nibbled at it, the only thing that was missing, I think, was a full-on theological presentation, something to round all of it out and bring it all together. That being said, I was pleased with the content we were given and plan to use their teachings to improve what I've already written and shape what I hope to write in the future.

Chapel

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the opportunities for prayer. We gathered a number of times each day for prayer offices. The services were liturgical, used directly from Lutheran Service Book. We prayed numerous psalms. We sang hymns--and sang and sang and sang! On Monday night we had a hymn sing, hymns from LSB interspersed with hymns from the conference attendees. It was scheduled to be half an hour. Pastor Weedon, who was worship leader, master of ceremonies, and head honcho for the conference, extended that to 45 minutes, and finally let it run for a full hour before we moved into Compline. The singing was glorious, often done in four-part harmony without the aid of the organ--though Dr. Herl graciously thundered out anything we selected. It was a foretaste of eternity, when we will join in the hymns of "angels and archangels and all the company of heaven."

Gemütlichkeit and free time

Whenever Lutherans get together for conferences, there is always the conference within the conference. This is where the rubber hits the road; this is where the actual work gets done, in a sense. The attendees sit around in smaller groups with beer and wine, cigars, and snacks, and they shoot the proverbial breeze. When you gather thirty attendees along with presenters and a few guests, people with diverse backgrounds, you're bound to have some interesting dynamics. Sometimes it was reunions of old friends. In other cases it was complete strangers or "internet friends" meeting for the first time. Excellent discussions, the singing of even more hymns, and the consumption of Lutheran beverages were hallmarks of our free time. (I don't think any of us will look at St. Ambrose the same way ever again. *wink*)

Overall

It would not be an exaggeration for me to say that I'm different now than I was before the conference. If you've ever been to a Higher Things conference, you probably know what I mean when I say that. When you spend an intense period of time with a group of people and learn about the Word and God's gift of song and story, you can't help but be molded, shaped, by what you've heard and seen. (By the way, that's why in-house seminary education is so vitally important.) In some ways I wish the conference had been longer, but if the truth were told, after three days my head was so stuffed with information and thoughts and...stuff, and it's going to take a while to unpack it all. 

I am very thankful to have had this opportunity, and I would like to thank those who organized it; the presenters who gave of their time and knowledge and experience; those who provided the financial backing to make it a free conference for the attendees; my fellow participants, whom I hope to get many chances to meet with and maybe even work with in the future; and my wife, family, and congregation, none of whom begrudged me the time to attend.

Love and Saying No

I made the mistake of reading an opinion piece from the New York Times . I usually don't read from the Times, whether it's what they call news or what appears on the op/ed page, as I wouldn't even trust it as fish wrapping for fear of food poisoning. Anyway, in this piece, the writer attacks a political figure for things she said based on the Christian Faith which is formed by the Word of God.

The source isn't important, really, since the Times is by no means the only rag that considers it their "journalistic" (and I use that word loosely) and editorial duty to attack the Christian Faith and those who cling to it. And the target isn't all that important, either, as the world is fond of calling the Church a collection of hypocrites and vilifying Christians because we do not blindly accept every travesty of humanity--things like the GLBT agenda, abortion (in the name of the feminine agenda), et cetera and ad nauseam--in the name of "love." After all, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." "Love your neighbor." "Love bears all things..." 

In the end, sometimes the Church has to love someone so much that it says, "No." No, we cannot abide what the Word of God calls sin. No, we cannot look the other way. That doesn't make us homophobes. That doesn't mean we hate women. Rather, it means we love them so much that we do not desire to see them abide in sin. Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me" (John 14:23-24). That means that Christians do not--or should not, rather, though it happens--choose indiscriminately what teachings of the Word of God that we keep and which ones we discard. If you consider yourself a Christian but don't take seriously what the Word of God says, maybe you shouldn't call yourself a Christian. "Be thou faithful unto death" doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.

Do you love your child enough to say "no" when he reaches for a knife or a pill bottle? Do you love your friends so enough to keep them from climbing in a car when they're drunk? How can you then love someone so little that you'll let them live in a way that leads to their eternal death?

The world can keep what it calls love. I'd rather have the real thing.

My year with LSB

In 2006, the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and Concordia Publishing House released a new hymnal: Lutheran Service Book ("LSB" from here on). I'm sure Paul McCain will correct me if my numbers are outdated, but last I'd heard, 70% of the congregations of the LCMS have purchased LSB, and over 1,000,000 (one-million, yes, that's the right number of 0s) copies of the hymnal have been purchased. Those are incredible numbers, numbers which reflect the possibility of an increase in liturgical uniformity across the Synod.

This is the fourth major hymnal the LCMS (officially or unofficially) has utilized in my lifetime. I've used all four for significant periods of time. The Lutheran Hymnal ("TLH") from 1941 is the hymnal I've used most. My home church used TLH until I was 8, and all of my congregations previous to this one used TLH nearly exclusively. My home congregation adoped Lutheran Worship ("LW") right away in 1982, and it was the main hymnal I used until I reached seminary. The sem had LW, and my field work congregation for the first two years of sem had and used both TLH and Lutheran Book of Worship ("LBW"), the hymnal released in 1978, which the LCMS worked on with what is now the ELCA but then did not adopt. (Many congregations in the LCMS, however, anticipating that adoption, pre-ordered LBW and used it.) Using four different hymnals has certainly broadened my horizons, and it has given me a strange perspective on each.

For much of these first five years since the release of LSB, I was not a parish pastor. Though most of the congregations for which I was a guest preacher made the move to LSB during my time in Louisiana, it takes a period of constant use to get a real feel for a hymnal. Last year, Pastor Will Weedon made a post on his excellent blog (a blog I highly recommend, by the way) in praise of one of the hymns they had used in the divine service that day. We'd used the same hymn that day, and I'd made a comment about how angry I was that the text of the hymn had changed from the hymnals I was used to. As you can read in the comments on that post, Pastor Weedon, the liturgist at my Installation here at St. Peter, Campbell Hill, allowed me "ONE YEAR of grousing". He then told me that I must cease and desist at the one-year anniversary of my Installation.

I've been pretty busy the past month since right before that anniversary, so I hadn't had the time yet to formulate my one last grouse. But since that discussion on Pastor Weedon's blog took place in July of last year, I'm between the anniversary of my Installation and the anniversary of that blog post. And I promise not to grouse--at least on my blog, anyway--about LSB after this post is . . . well, posted.

That's the background of this post. All that being said, here's the beef.

General Comments, good and bad

• Unlike its immediate predecessors, TLH and LW, LSB does not include the Collects for each Sunday. I'm sure that space was a consideration in that decision, but it makes LSB into a 3-resource book (hymnal, Bible, agenda/lectionary/Propers book) for devotional use instead of a two-resource book (hymnal, Bible).
• The Psalter, while more complete than those contained in either TLH or LW, is still incomplete. This was not the decision of the committee.
• The Psalter comes before the orders of worship. Having grown up with both TLH and LW (and also LBW for a time), I've seen it both ways. My personal preference is for the orders of worship to come first, but it's not a deal breaker. Having the Psalter first makes it easier to find the psalm you're looking for . . . as long as that particular psalm is in the hymnal, of course.
• Again, this is a nit-picky point, but Divine Service Setting 3 in LSB should probably be Divine Service (DS) Setting 1. This is the service that was p.15 in TLH and was DS1 in LW, so it would have made sense to keep it as DS1 in LSB. It's an easy enough adjustment to make, but for the first month or so, it was a distraction.
• The music of the Litany should be in the Pew Edition of LSB. It was in the hymn section of TLH and it was its own order in LW. Not having it in the pew edition of LSB weakens the hymnal, even if it's included in the Lutheran Service Builder software. On a happier note, the musical setting of the Litany was made available online for free, so it's available even to those who don't have the software, but it would have been better to have it in the hymnal itself.
• Instead of burying the Small Catechism in the middle of the hymnal (p.321), it could have been placed in the very back or very near the front, making the hymnal more friendly for catechesis.
• Though space was already at a premium, it would have been nice to have the Augsburg Confession in the hymnal. But that's just a personal dream. I liked seeing it in Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary used by the Evanelical Lutheran Synod. (Of course, that hymnal has its own problems, but that's another matter entirely.)
• I appreciate the inclusion of the wedding and funeral liturgies in LSB, as they were in LW. That was a strike against TLH. Also a great addition over TLH is the inclusion of the Rite of Individual Confession and Forgiveness!
• I know this was not the fault of the hymnal committee, but the response in the Salutation should never be "And also with you"; instead it should always be, "And with your/thy spirit".
• Though I will list some specific instances (though not all), let me say here that some of the textual changes from TLH and LW to LSB were quite unnecessary.  I've been reading, singing, and worshiping with the old versions for over 30 years and teaching the old versions for over 10. Many of my members had used TLH most or all of their lives before switching to LSB. The changes in hymns and liturgies that have been memorized for 50 or more years can be a huge distraction, and I have members who will just stop singing altogether when the hymn isn't how they remember it. What Luther said in the Preface to the Small Catechism about Bible translations should also stand for translations of the Catechism and the hymnal: pick one and stick with it! (I won't list all the unnecessary changes made in LSB, as I don't want to be here until my second anniversary here.)

Hymnody Issues

• LSB 333--Once He Came in Blessing: vv.2-3 are original to LSB. v.4 is an alteration of Winkworth's translation. The old version (TLH/LW) deals more with justification, conversion, repentance; LSB is more Sacrament of the Altar. The LSB version is good, but this was an unnecessary change.
• LSB 343--Prepare the Royal Highway: "O blest is He that came/ in God the Father's name" flows better than "Hosanna to the Lord/ For He fulfills God's Word". (Yes, I talk about flow. No, I'm not a "New Age hippie".)
• LSB 362--O Sing of Christ: The text and tune are not well-matched. It fits the meter, but it's forced. I have the same problem with a number of the many Starke-penned hymns. As a text-writer myself, I know this is a struggle.
• LSB 372--O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is: This new tune to a hymn found in TLH does not have the accompaniment with it in the pew edition. Though the tune was introduced in Hymnal Supplement 98, a new tune to an old hymn should have the accompaniment, especially when it doesn't take up that much more space.
• LSB 383--A Great and Mighty Wonder: This is one of my favorite hymns, and it is a classic. The unnecessary changes are exacerbated by the fact that it had already been changed between TLH and LW. If you can't teach what "for aye" means, at least settle on a substitute! And the refrain is just horrible. Since the text is in the public domain, this will always be sung from a bulletin insert.
• LSB 394--Songs of Thankfulness and Praise: I appreciate the re-introduction of TLH's v.4, which were not included in LW. (And you thought this was going to be all bad, eh?)
• LSB 455--The Royal Banners Forward Go: TLH offers the tune Vexilla Regis. LW offers both Vexilla Regis and Herr Jesu Christ, Wahr Mensch Und Gott. (I REALLY liked using those two tunes antiphonally!) LSB gives Vexilla Regis Nova, a debasing of Vexilla Regis. 
• LSB 615--When in the Hour of Deepest Need: A classic that should not have been changed. Oh, and in v.5 of LSB/v.6 of TLH, should the Lord hide His face or not?
• LSB 672--Jerusalem the Golden: Nit-picky changes that should never have been made to a classic.
• LSB 685--Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus: same as above.
• LSB 700--Love Divine, All Love(s) Excelling: Title change from TLH and LW, but I do like that the tune Hyfrydol is given instead of TLH's O du Liebe.
• LSB 708--Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart: The changes in Herzlich Lieb actually make it easier to sing this hymn than it was in TLH. Kudos!
• LSB 766--Our Father, Who from Heaven Above: Why is this further altered? As a catechetical hymn, it's so hard to use it for catechesis when it changes from one generation to the next.
• LSB 837--Lift High the Cross: I'm probably the only person in the world who thought this hymn was too long at 5 verses, and LSB adds a sixth. But that's just me.
• LSB 851--Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us: The removal of TLH's v.4 is a shame.
• LSB 878--Abide with Me: I will miss the 4 extra verses from TLH, but they chose the best 6.
• LSB 940--Holy God, We Praise Thy Name: Though all seven verses appear neither in TLH or LW, I would have loved to have seen all seven appear in LSB to make the Te Deum Laudamus complete.
• LSB 954--We All Believe in One True God: Like LSB 766, the modernization of a classic Luther catechetical hymn is frustrating.

Hymns Missing from LSB

Pastor Rick Stuckwisch on his excellent blog (another one I highly recommend) made a list of hymns that should be included. I don't agree with every decision, but markedly missing from LSB is a great deal of Paul Gerhardt. In addition to the Gerhardt, my not-fully-fleshed list includes:

• Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning (TLH 607)
• O Jesus, King of Glory (TLH 130)
• O Perfect Love (TLH 623)

Notice that none of my hymns are on that list.

Hymns that SHOULD BE Missing from LSB

Pastor Rick Stuckwisch also made a list of hymns that should never have appeared in LSB. I agree with about 90% of his lists. My list (mostly matters of trite texts or contemporary Christian crap included for contemporary worship proponents who wouldn't be using the hymnal anyway) includes (but is not limited to):

• About 95% of Stephen Starke's hymns: Nothing personal, but the numerous bad marriages of text and tune are VERY distracting.
• Anything Taize: To quote Mark Schlamann, "Don't taize me, bro!"
• LSB 411--I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light: Me, me, me, I, I, I.
• LSB 456--Were You There: Trite, doesn't really say anything.
• LSB 474--Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen: Horrible marriage of text and tune.
• LSB 477--Alleluia, Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven: Enough with the Ode to Joy remakes!
• LSB 479--Christ is Risen, Christ Is Living: A good Spanish hymn that isn't quite as good in English.
• LSB 502--Holy Spirit, the Dove Sent from Heaven: Same thing.
• LSB 550--Lamb of God: Twila Paris? Really?
• LSB 595--O Blessed Spring: The mental associations with "The Water Is Wide" are too much for me.
• LSB 605--Father Welcomes: Trite.
• LSB 669--Come, We That Love the Lord: Watts has other, better stuff.
• LSB 721--Lead Me, Guide Me: Blah. (And yes, I say the same thing about stuff I write.)
• LSB 749--There Is a Balm in Gilead: I have no problem with African American Spirituals of themselves, but this one is . . . folksy.
• LSB 763--When Peace, Like a River: In the interest of full disclosure, I should say right now that I've re-written this with a text of my own. There's just not enough substance to the original.
• LSB 789--Praise and Thanksgiving: Cat Stevens associations are hard to overcome.
• LSB 799--Alabare: The English text (beautiful, by the way) just doesn't work with the tune.
• LSB 806--Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart: Trite.
• LSB 808--O Sing to the Lord: Another instance where an English translation doesn't work with the tune. 
• LSB 817--Earth and All Stars: At the risk of angering my own dear father, it seems like an attempt at combining Psalm 150 with a hymn concerning vocation, and it doesn't quite work.
• LSB 827--Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling (take 2): Unnecessary.
• LSB 879--Stay with Us: The pietist in me likes this hymn very much.
• LSB 910--Now the Silence: Trainwreck-of-thought.
• LSB 911--Lord, This Day We've Come to Worship: Sounds like a bad re-write of "Angels We Have Heard on High; and a little too much about what we do and not quite enough about what He does.
• LSB 939--You Are God; We Praise You: If a liturgical Te Deum Laudamus was to be included in LSB, it should have been the Te Deum from LW's Matins (p.214), not the one from LBW.
• LSB 964--Lift Every Voice and Sing: Can we get any more musical cliches in one hymn? This is like singing the Edelweiss Benediction. In fact, it sounds a bit like someone trying to plagiarize Rodgers and Hammerstein. 

Overall

All that being said, LSB is a treasure. Are there things I'd change? Obviously. Is it perfect? No. Is it a solid resource for corporate worship and personal/family devotions? Definitely. I do believe it's a step (or even two) forward from LW, though LW does have its advantages. I also believe it's a step forward from TLH, though that excellent hymnal has far outlived its intended lifespan. LSB is an excellent hymnal, and I thank God that we have it. I'll ignore or work around the warts, and I will thank God for this fine resource that will (I hope) last the rest of my life. I have no desire to learn a fifth hymnal!

That they may know the truth . . .

"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." -- II Timothy 2:24-26 (NKJV)

On Tuesday evening, for the first time in nearly eight years, I taught adult catechesis. For those of you unfamiliar with that term, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines catechesis in this way: "oral instruction of catechumens". To supplement that ever-so-helpful definition, I looked up catechumens, and there we find some clarity: "1 : a convert to Christianity receiving training in doctrine and discipline before baptism; 2 : one receiving instruction in the basic doctrines of Christianity before admission to communicant membership in a church". In this case, the second definition is the more accurate, as the two ladies in class are both baptized.

Eight years is a long time between classes, of course. Nonetheless, other than having to talk more in a two-hour class than I usually talk in a week, last night I found myself settling into a bit of a groove. It certainly helps that I'm working with good materials with which I am highly familiar. The three main texts for our class are the Holy Bible (I'm recommending the New King James Version, since that's what we use in worship here at St. Peter Lutheran Church), Luther's Small Catechism, and Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal released by the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod in 2006. Our curriculum is simple: we read and discuss Luther's Small Catechism through the lens of Scripture. To supplement that curriculum and to ease the catechumens into the worship life of the congregation, we will also be studying the liturgy of the Divine Service as well as the prayer offices Matins and Vespers, using studies which I wrote as part of my seminary studies and streamlined in the course of my ten years as a pastor.

As I am with other aspect of parish ministry, I am excited to again be teaching adult catechesis. It is a joy to again be doing those things I love, those things I have been trained to do. I thank God for the opportunity to again be an undershepherd to a flock of the Lord's sheep. I just hope my throat adjusts to all the talking I'm once again called to do!

If any members of St. Peter or other area Lutherans are interested in a refresher course, join us on Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM. On Tuesday the 10th we will be discussing the First Commandment.