Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor's Page
Dear Friends in Christ,
Over the years, both at Zion and my previous congregations, I have become alarmed at how little our own members understand the doctrine of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. This is the Biblical beliefs that we claim to profess here at Zion along with all the other member churches of the LC-MS. But if you were asked to explain or articulate those beliefs to a nonmember or member, could you do it? As I pondered this, I realized I probably need to be doing regular sermons on the Six Chief Parts of the Catechism. You studied them in Confirmation Class, but for many of you, that was a long time ago. And you probably haven’t revisited this vital Christian information since. “Why don’t you just address these issues in Adult Bible Class, Pastor?” I’d love to. But let’s be painfully honest. Only a very small percentage of members come down for that time after the worship service. So, the only opportunity for me to teach on these doctrines is from the pulpit. That’s not ideal because there is no Q & A time. But it’s still okay to address these issues in the sermon or sermons because it can both instruct and contain clear Law and Gospel. So, that being said, you know what to look forward to in the future.
Along with this lack of doctrinal knowledge is also a lack of knowledge on the practical reasons why we do what we do in our worship and how we function as a LC-MS congregation. I’ve addressed some of those questions and misconceptions in the last couple of newsletter articles. You’re welcome to go back and revisit them. This month, I’d like to explain another practice in most LC-MS churches which is often misunderstood. Someone once complained to me that our Pastors “wear a fancy robe and sit high in the air above us making himself be viewed as more holy than the rest of us.” I don’t know about the “fancy” part but I certainly know I’m not holier than the rest of you. Now, I explained the reason for the robe wearing last month. But what about this sitting (or standing) “high in the air above us”? Well, like the robes this is not a “manmade” tradition or practice. For thousands of years, Pastors, Rabbis, and Old Testament Priests positioned themselves on an elevated place to preach and teach.
Want proof? Just look back at Nehemiah 8:1-8. Nehemiah gathered the people in the public square in Jerusalem to hear the Word of God read to them. And he built an elevated platform for Ezra, the priest, to read it from and to expound on what they heard. (That’s what a sermon is, by the way.) Was that platform built to exalt Ezra? Absolutely not! From a practical standpoint, it was used so the people could hear and see Ezra clearly. From a spiritual standpoint, it conveyed a message of God’s precious Word being elevated because of its holiness. Jesus did the same thing in the Gospels. He used the side of a hill by the Sea of Galilee to preach and once he used a boat.
I can’t speak for all Pastors, but that’s why I insist on using the pulpit. The reasons are very simple and the same as the ones listed above. You can see and hear me better from there. Would it look cool or more personable if I were to come down and roam among you during the message? I’ll let you be the judge of that. But this is God’s Word that’s being spoken. It should be elevated in our sight and in our hearts. Me looking cool or more personable doesn’t enter the picture in my mind.
Somewhat related is the question of Pastor reading his sermon from a manuscript. It supposedly doesn’t seem personal either. Well, let me tell you I’ve tried going without it before and trust me, you wouldn’t like it. Why? Because without a well-thought-out sermon written before me, my sermons could be 5 minutes (which you’d love) or 45 minutes long (which you’d hate.) The reason being is that I find myself feeling compelled to expound on more and more which comes to mind even as I speak. And then I don’t get the main point and text we were hoping to address. If you want to experience me speaking extemporaneously, come to Bible Class where I have minimal written notes.
Anyway, once again I hope that clears up some of the questions that get raised regarding this churchly practice that goes back thousands of years. If you have any follow up questions in regard to this or anything else, feel free to share them with me. I’d be happy to answer them. God’s peace be with you!
In Christ,
Pastor Meyer
