This is the way a local church advertized a special worship service this past weekend. According to a newspaper article, some of the songs that “attendees [sang] along to” were “Eight Days a Week,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” and “Let it Be.” The pastor is quoted as saying, “This is part of who we are as Lutherans….It’s commonly understood that some of the many hymns that Martin Luther wrote, the music was music that was common everyday music–even bar tunes. So we are only keeping Luther’s tradition going.” I can just hear Luther saying, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
The church’s musical director is quoted as explaining the rationale behind this special service: “We are taking the secular and putting it into the sacred.” Mission accomplished.
I guess we could just see this as a day in the life of our Lutheran friends although it does seem like more and more of this is happening across the universe. If you ask me why, I will simply have to say, “Because.” I just don’t understand, although it would make me glad all over if someone could just tell me why. It seems like just yesterday that this kind of thing was unheard of. I wonder if Ken Puls will try to do this in our church? Right! That’ll be the day! Perhaps I should let it be and just try to act naturally when these kinds of things are called to my attention. That is virtually impossible for me, though, because, in spite of all the danger of this kind of church life, evangelicals seem unwilling to slow down. When we stop using the Word to govern our worship practices, everything becomes helter skelter.
All together now: Help!