Know Tea

Several days ago, a friend sent out a request on Facebook for people to send in the order of worship from their churches. His church is in the midst of changing their worship service and he was looking for ideas.
Here are two of the responses:
Ours is a regular service – a praise [...]

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I have never been in a church, as a member or visitor, that did not pass the plate (or basket or bag) during the offertory.
I know some churches don’t, but I’ve never been in one.  I’m really starting to rethink this whole “pass the plate” thing.  It all started this past Ash Wednesday, as I [...]

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I may have to add this one to the Eucharistic Bread Recipes page:
Luther Seminary Communion Bread
We had this one today.  I wanted to try a new one since we have a new wooden paten and a new wooden chalice.  My Roman Catholic and Episcopal friends are scratching their heads right now and asking themselves,”Did he [...]

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For those who are just finding this series, I am responding to the charge that liturgical Protestant churches are inevitably “on the road to Rome.” Those who say this often cite as “proof” the phenomenon of people who are initially attracted to such churches who eventually end up in the Roman Catholic church.  I contend [...]

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Scenario 2:  General Liturgical Cluelessness
This scenario doesn’t describe any particular “flavor” of evangelical/Reformed church I’ve observed so much as it describes a characteristic common to many churches which are not from a long liturgical tradition (such as the Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.) but who are trying to “do liturgy”:  a general cluelessness.

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OK, so why would a dyed-in-the-wool Protestant evagelical who longs for liturgical worship, and who finds liturgical worship in a Presbyterian church somewhere, nevertheless “jump ship” for Rome (or Canterbury)?  Does that “prove” that liturgical Protestants are “on the road to Rome”?
No, but it may prove that a lot of Reformed people who try to [...]

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This Easter Sunday afternoon, my wife and I were discussing that we have each heard of friends and acquaintances who were confirmed in the Roman Catholic church at Easter Vigil services this weekend.  This conversation between us has prompted this series of posts.
I need to preface what I say with this:  these are my thoughts, [...]

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The name “Good Friday” seems odd to some, but not when we remember that the words “God” and “good” are related to one another in all the Germanic languages (of which English is one):  God is good.  God is the source of all goodness.  God defines and is himself the very definition of goodness.  Thus, [...]

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It still surprises me how many Christians have no idea what Maundy Thursday is, when it is, or (most importantly) why it is.  Just the other day someone in the community whom I know to be a churchgoer asked me what events we had planned for this week at the church (this person attends a [...]

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Brief note here.  Getting ready for church, which prompted this thought:
So many people tell us every year to “keep Christ in Christmas.”  How about keeping the “mas” in Christmas?
“Christmas” is “Christ’s Mass.”  Christ’s Eucharist.  Christ’s Holy Communion Service.  Christ’s Lord’s Supper Service.  Whatever the terminology of your particular tradition may be, the Communion Service in [...]

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