How Then Shall We Pray – LCMSYG 2022

There seems to be a little controversy in some circles about how one does things as a follower of Jesus. This idea is striking to me! I can’t believe that in the year 2022 we have to squabble about how we pray, the words we use, the posture we employ. I thought this was something Jesus took care of nearly 2000 years ago. But alas here we are finding every reason under the sun to belittle those who do things differently than we do them.

NO Jesus did not directly address how one is to pray or the style of worship we employ. That’s not what I’m saying. But Jesus did address making the methods more important than the Messiah. When we elevate the way we pray, for instance, over the One to whom we pray, we’ve gravely missed the point! When we care more about whether hands are folded or raised than we do about the words spoken or to whom they’re spoken, perhaps the problem is with our understanding of who Jesus was/is.

This week marks the end of a week of something our denomination calls the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Youth Gathering, or LCMSYG for short. The event brought nearly 20,000 young people from around the world to Houston in some of the hottest days of the summer to hear the Bible explained, to learn about the size of the body of Christ within our particular confession, and to serve the community with tangible acts of love (among many other things they did).

I’m stunned by the absolute lack of respect and love for Christ and one another that has been expressed by some who did NOT EVEN ATTEND the event. From the comfort of their offices, couches or other safety nets, they’ve lobbed bombs of the “should have, would have, could have” variety. I’ve seen statements taken out of context. People’s characters attacked. And intentions viewed as anything less than described in the 8th commandment. For those of you who have forgotten that one, in the explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism it says to put the best construction on everything.

I must say watching some of these threads has sickened me. Claiming that not folding hands is somehow the reason the church is struggling in the world today. Asserting that music not from the hymnal of synod is causing people to not understand who Jesus is clearly and is causing young people to leave the church. How can one pray without closing their eyes? What is that person doing on the stage? Why is the liturgy not part of that event?

Really? Are you joking?!

I will be the first to admit that I pray while driving, but I don’t close my eyes or fold my hands. Maybe I shouldn’t pray while driving you say. To that I remind you of Paul’s words to pray without ceasing. If we truly are to live a life of prayer, then we can’t seriously think we need to have folded hands all the time? Or was he just joking? Can you fold your hands and close your eyes in prayer? Of course you can! But do you have to? Negative ghost rider.

What about the whole idea that hands raised in worship or prayer is a sign of something less than Lutheran? Umm, says who? Says what section of the Bible or even where in our confessions does it say we have to fold hands or at minimum not raise them for it to be a true act of Lutheran Worship? Pretty sure there are Bible verses where people raised their hands for prayer and worship: Moses, Ezra, Job, David in the Psalms, Timothy to name a few that come to mind.

And one that people tend to find fault in me specifically is about how some of us dress. Do we have to wear a specific shirt or some other thing that sets us apart? Now this might be an unpopular opinion for some, but it is what it is. I know that it’s become tradition for some clergy to wear specific clothing that sets them apart and symbolizes who they are in relation to Christ and the people. I also know that there is a richness in that tradition that I definitely value. However, I also know that this tradition does not originate in the Bible. It actually came several hundred years after Jesus ascended. Don’t believe me do a little digging and you might be surprised where many of our “traditions” originated.

Here’s the thing. Do I agree with the way everyone does ministry within their local context? Nope sure don’t. But do I have the right to tell you that you have to do a specific thing to make sure that your worship is acceptable to God? Not a chance.

Jesus and Paul addressed this in their day with the idea of circumcision. There was this thought that without circumcision you just couldn’t really be a part of the people of God. Sounds a lot like saying without hands a certain way, specific shirts or other garments, without certain music or specific gestures you can’t be a real Lutheran. To these people, Jesus said that this was not the right answer. He told them that applying rules to man that are made by man as if they were from God was not even close to acceptable.

There seems to be an assumption that if a church uses songs not in the hymnal, then the people of that local congregation don’t really understand the truth and richness of worship. False. That’s a massive assumption that will not hold water at all. Perhaps the tradition of some goes a little deeper than days of Constantine when congregations were localized in buildings and pastors were brought in to lead those groups of people professionally. Perhaps some people’s traditions find their grounding not in the traditions of men but in the teachings of Jesus.

Please respect one another. Dividing a house over folded or raised hands and style of shirt or music is only going to do harm. If you don’t like it or don’t agree with it, then at minimum follow the methods clearly outlined in Jesus’ teachings and talk to the one with whom you’ve taken offense before blasting your opinion to the masses and belittling a person publicly.

Note: Yes I know this post is public. It’s intent is not to call into question one’s salvation, position before God, or the validity of their confession or worship. The point of this post is to just ask us all to pause and consider what’s more important our methods or the Messiah. And are the methods aiding in or preventing someone from seeing the Messiah? Honest, heartfelt, Kingdom focused conversations are often hard but essential. Let’s put our agenda aside and really evaluate what Jesus did and how he interacted with people who were totally not like him – and then He told us to come follow Me.