In a recent conversation with my pastor, I was asked by him if I would consider sharing something about my journey from the Charismatic church to the Lutheran church, especially some of the primary differences I had noticed. Also if I could explain why I considered those changes I had encountered since joining the Lutheran church, to be of benefit to my Christian life.
To be honest, that simple question got me thinking a lot about some of the practices I had encountered along my Christian journey. Not all have been bad by any means, but some have been utterly horrendous! Also it would be remiss of me to say that I think the Lutheran church has it right in everything, because to be quite honest, I don’t. But then again, what church does?
I’m going to keep these posts to the point, and simply try and highlight some of the main points I’ve noticed. Hopefully this might at least cause readers to reflect on some of the practices in their own church congregations, and prayerfully consider how they stand up in the light of God’s Word.
The reason I’ve title this post “Putting the Cart Before the Horse“, is I believe that is precisely what happens in many, many churches every single week! Especially in those churches that seem to have broken ties with all things historical, in favour of what they believe is a more “relevant” way of reaching the masses with the Gospel.
To put a best construction on it, I have spent much of my Christian life in churches where there is a sincere desire to share the love of God with others. Where there is an excitement about all that God has done in their lives, and a genuine thankfulness too. This somehow over time though, has translated to a mentality that new vibrant ways of worship are far superior to those crusty old ways found in “traditional” churches.
This brings me to my first marked difference I have noticed, and that is simply what is preached week in and week out. In this post I’m not necessarily even talking about the content of the sermons, but rather the subject matter. For instance, in virtually all my time spent in charismatic mainstream churches that are probably most popular today, I would rarely know ahead of time what would be preached on any given Sunday. The point being that the content of the sermon, was totally reliant upon what the preacher had a desire to preach about.
In the worst case scenario (and believe me this happens a lot!) a sermon can be based on something as trivial as what the pastor experienced while out shopping during the previous week. Whilst at best, the preacher may have chosen a specific Bible text, and gone to great lengths in studying it in order to preach upon it accurately. Obviously these two examples are poles apart, but both have one thing in common, and that is the preacher decides what to preach about.
When the apostle Paul is addressing the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-32, he admonishes them to follow his example in caring for the flock by preaching the whole counsel of God. Obviously that is going to be a tall task for any preacher, but can it be considered anything less than prideful and arrogant, for a preacher to think he knows best what his congregation needs to hear every Sunday? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have an organised plan to preach through the whole Scripture on a regular basis, rather than only the texts that happen to spring to mind?
During my time as a charismatic, I wouldn’t have known what a lectionary was if you had hit me over the head with it! But now, as a member of a church where I know that I am going to hear the whole counsel of God’s Word preached over the church year, I think the lectionary is worth it’s weight in gold.
For anyone unclear what I’m talking about, a lectionary is a tool by which a church congregation will choose the Biblical texts to be taught and preached upon every week, that has been specifically prepared for the task of preaching through the whole Bible on a regular rotation. Obviously they’re not a perfect tool, but the benefit to Christians who hear sermons based on Scriptures chosen for the preacher rather than by him, is huge. In fact, I would argue that it is not only the hearers, but the preacher himself who benefits massively too, as he is forced to study and prepare his preaching and teaching by God’s leading rather than his own.
At our own church congregation, we use the historic one year lectionary, whilst some churches use a three year lectionary, and I’m sure there are many others. I’m sure many will argue in favour of one lectionary or another, just as over anything else. But the point is, the Word of God is being regularly mined in a far fuller way, which can only be of great benefit to the whole congregation!
