September 2020 The Impact of COVID-19 on Biblical Worship

The Impact of COVID-19 on Biblical Worship

Mr Dave Joslin is a well-read layman from Canada who recently converted to Confessional Lutheranism. Here are excerpts from his article that appeared at Gottesblog on August 24th. It is well-written and worth the read. - Pastor  
 
There is a great deal of confusion amongst Christians when it comes to the question of biblical worship. This has really come to the fore in 2020 because of the impact of the Covid-19 virus and the governments’ attempt to control virtually every aspect of life including Christian worship. Governments have not been shy about interfering in the worship of Christian congregations. Depending on where a church is located it may be forbidden to meet altogether; it is may be forced to maintain “social distancing”; communion may be banned or drastically altered; singing may be banned; parishioners may be forced to wear masks; it may be forbidden to exchange greetings, pleasantries and to engage in other social interactions within the confines of the church building. . . .

After it has become painfully obvious that the [Canadian] Government’s reaction to the virus has generated more social and financial harm and more threat to life and property than the virus itself, the vast majority of Christians are still in favour of responding with meek obedience to every demand placed upon them by an obviously Christian-hating government system. Indeed, Christians who have begun to question the wisdom of submitting to the State in church matters have to face not only the wrath of the State but contempt and derision from their fellow Christians who seem to think that we should be grateful for any crumbs thrown to them by the State. Nowhere in this whole sorry business has anyone stopped to ask the question, “Is the Government-truncated worship that we are engaged in biblical worship and is God honoured by and pleased with the fact that we have put the Government’s demands before God’s demands.” . . .

The theme of covenant runs right through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation: it is what ties everything in the Bible together so that it is impossible to properly understand the Bible without reference to the concept. . . . Because the Persons of the Trinity exist in covenant with Each Other, the concept of covenant is basic to the Trinity and since that concept involves personal relationship and since we are made in the image of God covenant is fundamental to understanding the nature of man. The first characteristic of covenant is that it is personal. The second is that it is intimate. Man was created in covenant with God and man was created with a helpmeet because God said it is not good for man to be alone. . . . Just as God’s relationship with himself is personal and intimate God’s relationship with man is personal and intimate and man’s relationship with man is to be personal and intimate. Man was created to live in community. . . .

A close examination of Leviticus chapters 1 through 9 shows that the whole sacrificial system is intensely personal and the climax of the system is communion with God in the meal offering of which the Lord’s Supper is the New Testament anti-type.

Now this is exactly why I have a problem with the “worship” that we have been engaging in since the phony Covid crisis was thrust upon us. The protocols forced upon us and accepted by a Christian Church too meek to assert its rights to serve God as required has resulted in a worship service that is depersonalized and antiseptic. We are not allowed to greet each other before or during the service or even after the service within the building. We may not sit with each other but rather must sit apart. Our minister and elders must be masked in order to serve us the Lord’s Body and Blood. We are not allowed to fellowship with each other and are not even allowed to be dismissed without maintaining “social distancing”. And as of August 17 in Northwestern Ontario we have to be masked in the service-the ultimate act of depersonalization. As if that wasn’t bad enough even the communion in one church is handed out with tweezers! This is not covenant worship-it is a horrible distortion of covenant worship. The form may be somewhat there but the heart and soul, the intimacy, has been cut out of the worship. If this is the price we have to pay to meet inside the church building, in my opinion, the cost is too great. . . .
 
Addendum
 
. . . I have been outraged by the statements of Christian leaders that they are going along with the Government’s pandemic protocols out of love for neighbour. To me this is the height of hypocrisy and deceit. Why? Because anybody familiar with the teaching of the Bible would know that isolating people in the lockdowns is un-biblical and bound to create serious emotional and psychological problems, especially in those whose emotional makeup is fragile to begin with. . . .

You hypocrites that say that you’re going along with the protocols out of love for neighbour tell me, how is bankrupting your neighbour, possibly costing him all future livelihood and possibly his house and reducing him to a dependent of the State--how I ask you in the name of anything holy is that loving your neighbour?!

Finally, within the last month or so disturbing reports have been surfacing that child sex trafficking is dramatically on the rise, especially in areas where mandatory masking is in effect. . . . You cannot see the face of the adult and you cannot see the face of the child. . . .  There are more slaves today than when slavery was legal. Some are sex slaves, some are forced labor slaves, and some are harvested for organs. Most of them are women and children. It is not just something that happens in third world countries. It is well established within the United States, you know, the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. . . .

Dave Joslin
For Christ’s crown and covenant August 15, 2020
 
For the entire article, see Gottesblog, at www.gottesdienst.org. Click on the Gottesblog link, and find the post from Revd Dr John Stephenson on August 23, 2020
 
Special Voters’ Assembly Sunday, September 6th
 
A special voters’ assembly has been called for about 10:15 in the morning, at the first part of Bible Class hour on Sunday, September 6th. There is one item on the agenda: to discuss and decide whether we want to keep our Sunday morning time of service at 8:30, or to move it back to 9:00.
 
Altar Guild Notes

• Color is GREEN for all Sundays and Wednesdays except:
• Color is WHITE for Wednesday, September 30th, to observe Michaelmas, the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The actual day is September 29th; we will observe it one day late.

 
Church Council
The council will be meeting on Wednesday, September 16th which is the usual third Wednesday.
 
Please make a note of it.

Progress in the Music of St. Paul’s
As most of you are aware, we have made great strides in restoring the place of the organ to prominence in the Sunday morning life of the parish. In the course of the summer, I decided to take more seriously the fact that I am able to play hymns on a keyboard. This is something I could easily ignore for many years here, because we always had an organist. That all changed when Ryan had to leave us a year or so ago. Suddenly our music was all a capella, no accompaniment. To the credit of our people, we handled it pretty well, but still, the organ was missing.
 
Here's a recap of what we have done since then.
 
Last year I determined to make some changes to work towards rectifying that lack. With the use of an electronic keyboard and some creative use of silence in the church, I was able to provide some of the organ accompaniment myself. Admittedly, it is not ideal for a pastor wearing the celebrant’s vestments to be sitting at an organ bench, when it comes to a small parish sometimes you must allow for certain things that are less than ideal. So, as most are aware, I began to play the opening hymn seated at the keyboard in the back (I do not think it would be appropriate for me to be using a keyboard in the chancel). When finished, I joined the procession to the chancel in silence and the service opened with the invocation etc. Then when it was time for the hymn of the day there would be another small silence while I retired to the back to play again. Following that hymn, silence again while I returned to the front. And then, following the benediction, a procession out in silence, after which I would play the closing hymn.
 
Finally this summer I purchased some recording items to make it possible to pre-record hymns and have them played at the appropriate time. About then I also decided to make use of our real Casavant pipe organ in the balcony, at least for the opening; I hate to see it get no use at all. So currently I play a simple prelude and the opening hymn on the Casavant. The bells are then rung a second time while I come down the steps to join  the procession. A number of hymns I have pre-recorded are now in use as well, so we normally can have accompaniment for all of the hymns.
 
We may also be able to have accompaniment for the canticles: the Gloria in Excelsis (Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace . . .), the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy Lord God . . .), and the Nunc Dimittis (Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace . . .).
 
Once in a while we’ll still have a real organist. On September 6th, Cantor Peter Eckardt will be here to play for the entire mass. Here and there we can expect something like that.
 
We’ve come a long way. Our small parishes finds ways to keep on. Thanks be to God.
+ Pastor
 
September Birthdays
9/1 John Ricknell
9/10 Jan Schoen         
9/17 Mary Beth Jones
9/18 DeAnne Anderson
9/19 Jaclyn Kraklow
9/19 Jamie Kraklow
9/20 Derrick Baker     
9/28 Allan Kraklow
 
September Anniversaries
9/18/1976 Tom and Sue Ann Wells
 
September Ushers: Jim Hornback, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells.
 
In Our Prayers
Our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following.  To update the list please inform the pastor
 
in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Emmy Wear, Sue Murphy, Don Murphy, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Sandra VerPlaetse, Derek Baker, Carol Eckardt, and Barb Kraklow
 
and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jody Rutowicz [Harrises’ daughter]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Rachel Smith [Emmy Wear’s cousin]
Matthew and Yvette Baker [Dale’s son and wife]
Warren Williams [relative of the Kemerlings]
Theresa Moore [Ricknells’ niece]
Carol Grigsby [friend of Jewneel Walker]
Tim Newman [Kemerling relation]
Melinda Fisa [Monroe Kemerling’s granddaughter]
Kathy Boeger [re Harrises]
Allison Leezer [relative of the Kraklows]
Christopher Lewis [nephew of the Eckardts]
Floretta Reynolds [Jim Watson’s aunt]
Laura Koch {cook] [friend of the Eckardts]
Kimberly Johnson [friend of Derek Baker]
Dana Conley [relative of the Kraklows]
Roger Wear [Emmy’s father]
Les Murphy [re Murphys]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s brother]
Everly Stoner, great grandchild of the Murphys
and those we name in our hearts.

in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel, Traven Wetzel, Shawn Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey, Trevor Shimmin, Shad Draminski
Brett Armstrong, James Armstrong Jr., and Ann Lee Armstrong

in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, India, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere.
 
Some persecution details. see www.persecution.net for more.

SYRIA: Christian Refuses to Turn Over Christian School. Radwan Muhammad is a Kurdish teacher and headmaster for a Christian school in the city of Afrin in northern Syria. He was ordered by the Sham Legion (Faylaq al-Sham) -- a coalition of Sunni Muslim groups -- to turn over the school building for an Islamic school. He refused, and has been arrested.
 
ALGERIA: Court Upholds Church Closure Order.
The Spring of Life Church in Makouda is the second largest Protestant church in Algeria with about 700 members. In October 2019, it was ordered to be closed, along with two other churches. The closures happened under Ordinance 06-03, which states that permission must be obtained before using a building for non-Muslim worship.
 
Catechism Continues
Catechism is on Tuesdays, at 5:00 in the afternoon; anyone may attend, and members sometimes do, for a lively discussion and learning opportunity. IN addition to studying the catechism, we are reviewing the Old Testament.
 
On the Road?
I am supposed to be the keynote speaker for the St. Michael Conference in Detroit this month, but at present it seems unlikely that they will be able to hold the event, due, sadly, to severe restrictions the Governor of Michigan has imposed on churches. If the restrictions are lifted, I would be leaving on Sunday afternoon, September 27th, and returning on Wednesday afternoon, September 30th.
+ Pastor

Shut ins
Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell at home, Dick Melchin at Hammond-Henry Extended Care in Geneseo, Bea Harris, from time to time, at home. Dale Baker, at home.

Instead of Oktoberfest?
We could talk about having a “miner” Oktoberfest if there is interest. It would be essentially like another church picnic, which we could do in the church gym. No speakers, no activities other than a gathering. Any who wants to pursue this possibility, let’s talk it up.
 
Connect at Home
Our website, www.stpaulskewanee.org, has easy-to-find sermon synopses, with links to recordings that you can access and listen to on demand. These are also sent to Facebook to make it easy to access the website from there. Have a listen, and spread the word. Our Facebook page, St. Paul’s and Friends, also regularly posts live streamed (audio and visual) services you may access at any time.

Gottesdienst Makes Its Mark
Gottesdienst,  the Lutheran Liturgical journal of record, is owned by this congregation. We have ten editors and four additional bloggers.  The web traffic is impressive, as there are usually blog posts several times a week, and a regular podcast as well.  This is all in addition to our quarterly periodical of the same name, which has been publishing since 1992. We have also produced an instructional video and several books, many of them authored by your pastor. 
 
Years ago our journal was considered to be more or less on the fringe of what the Missouri Synod was known for.  No longer. While there are still a great many churches who are not quite in sync with the liturgical worship we promote, there are now very many who are avidly in agreement, many of whom follow our advice. The journal has made great strides in promoting and defending the historic Lutheran liturgy.
 
And it’s a feather in the cap of this St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kewanee, Illinois!
 
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443