The Bible's Baptismal Liturgy

It can be found in Leviticus, chapter 8, where the rites appropriate to enrollment in the royal priesthood of the redeemed are set forth, partly in literal form and partly in types:

Introit
And Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing that the LORD has commanded to be done."

The Act of Baptism
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

The Dressing in Baptismal Robes
And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band. And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Chrismation (also called Confirmation in the Latin tradition)
Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him. And Moses brought Aaron's sons and clothed them with coats and tied sashes around their waists and bound caps on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Sermon, that is, Explanation of the Need for Atonement and our identification by faith with the one being sacrificed for our sin, and the Prayer of the Church
Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. And he killed it, and Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it and purified the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it to make atonement for it. And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses. Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. And he killed it, and Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar. He cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burned the head and the pieces and the fat. He washed the entrails and the legs with water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering for the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Then he presented Aaron's sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.

The Offertory
Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat and the right thigh, and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one unleavened loaf and one loaf of bread with oil and one wafer and placed them on the pieces of fat and on the right thigh. And he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before the LORD. Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses' portion of the ram of ordination, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Holy Communion (bread, blood, sacrificial meat)
Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and his sons' garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons' garments with him. And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it.'

Provision for Reverent Handling of the Unconsumed Elements
And what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn up with fire.

Dismissal
And you shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you. As has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. At the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the LORD has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded." And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD commanded by Moses.

Two Really Good Posts About Growing Up Lutheran

I don't really have much to add to them, but these two posts, which I suppose most people in the "Confessional Lutheran blogosphere" all read long ago, tell important, melancholy, but happy-ending stories about growing up Lutheran. Both also are have great reflections on their experience too. Highly recommended.

Rebellious Pastor's wife's essay

Sean's essay

Let me just also say how bad and guilty I feel every time I go up to the altar rail with my children and my daughter (7th grade) is refused communion. That's right, refused communion. Why? Is she a heretic, a disbeliever in the Real Presence? No, she's 13 year old. If there are any pastors reading this, consider this, from George Herbert:

The time of every ones first receiving is not so much by yeers, as by understanding: particularly, the rule may be this: When any one can distinguish the Sacramentall from common bread, knowing the Institution, and the difference, hee ought to receive, of what age soever. Children and youths are usually deferred too long, under pretence of devotion to the Sacrament, but it is for want of Instruction; their understandings being ripe enough for ill things, and why not then for better? But Parents, and Masters should make hast in this, as to a great purchase for their children, and servants; which while they deferr, both sides suffer; the one in wanting many excitings of grace; the other, in being worse served and obeyed.

Well, being a Christian means forgiveness. So maybe it's good the church gives her something to forgive in later years.

Memory Tricks in the Catechism

In memorizing the Small Catechism (go here [-- PDF alert]; old translation here) with my kids on Sunday, we came across the explanation of the fourth petition:

Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean?

God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all the wicked; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

One very practical feature of Luther's catechism is its ease of memorization. And as a sign of how Luther loved children it has all sorts of little hand-holds for flustered memories to grab hold of. In the Ten Commandments, for example, every explanation begins "We should fear and love God that . . . that . . . that . . ." As I tell my kids, Luther's giving you that crucial extra second to try to remember what comes after the "that" -- use it! And, no matter how painfully the recitation of the Creed's explanations went, every child on Confirmation Day can have perfect three-point landings three times in a row by concluding with a big smile, "This is most certainly true!"

Which brings us back to the list above. Lists are hard, but Luther has made this list easy and a support for life-long meditation. First of all the first ten items are all in the form of pairs: food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, land and animals, money and goods that go neatly from the most "primitive" and intimate needs to the most external and dependent on civilization. This is also easy to remember because the kids already went through much of it in the first article of the Creed (on God the Father and creation).

Then we have four classes or orders of social life, taken from Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Peter: husband/wife, children, workers (servants in the old translation), and rulers (magistrates in the old translation). Note here, the rulers as people are distinguished from government in the abstract which comes later along with weather. The implications are quite interesting: in the three household orders, devotion/piety alone are thanked, as if to say, to be a good husband, wife, son, daughter, master or servant it is simply sufficient to be pious, devout, and fear of God -- no other virtue is demanded. But to be a good magistrate -- well, let it never be said that Luther regards a magistrate being Christian or not as a matter of indifference. If we pray to God to be made thankful for a truly devout Christian magistrate, then when we have it that is necessarily a good thing. Later on, children may learn about "wise Turks" but here, at the foundation, they learn that they, and we, should hope for and be thankful when high officials and rulers are devout Christians.

But note, while piety alone is needed to be a good parent, child, or servant, for a ruler, something else is needed: faithfulness, which is exactly the character we are to prize in a neighbor ("faithful neighbors"). Here "faithfulness" is the characteristic virtue of non-familial relations, of the civic sphere. The ruler is in part like a father, but in part like a neighbor, a nice solution to the conundrums that wracked England's political life in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

So having dealt with the four types of structured human relations (husband-wife, parent-child, employer-worker, magistrate-citizen), we then deal with two states: good government and good weather. This is an easy pair to remember because each one has the word "good," and both are things that fall down on us from above, which we can prepare for one way or another, taking advantage when good and taking shelter when bad, but which ultimately we cannot control: good government is like good weather. It is also notable that faithful and devout rulers and good government are not necessarily the same -- Luther has no vain repetition here. Circumstances may make government bad when the ruler is faithful and devout, or vice versa. Both are good, and the combination of both is a great gift of God.

Next comes the four qualities in life we should be thankful for, each of which is in part something internal and in part something external: peace, health, self-control, a good reputation (honor in the old translations). This is arranged in ascending order of how much control we have over it in our living: some over peace, more over health, and most over self-control and honor. Or we can see it as the two states that feel comfortable and sometimes degenerate into sloth -- peace and health -- are placed first, while the two that are somewhat "highly strung" and may cause tension -- self-control and honor/reputation -- are placed after.

Finally we conclude with the general, unstructured human relations, good friends and faithful neighbors. Observe the difference of "good" and "faithful" here. As noted already, "faithful" -- meaning doing one's duty in an impartial fashion -- is the virtue of the civic realm, between people bound by obligations, not by particular friendship. "Goodness" however is something we receive from others that pleases us personally (and what is good government or good weather to a farmer may unavoidably not be such to a banker). We all should be thankful for friends who love us for being ourselves and also for neighbors who will do their duty us no matter who we are.

Question: if you could teach your children all this, why would you not want to?

Why Girl Acolytes Have Never Bothered Me (or any other Lutherans, either?)

It's always a bit interesting to read articles like this, or blog entries like this or this, precisely because it seems so remote from my experience. Apparently, the role of the acolyte in the Catholic Church was traditionally conceived of as apprenticeship for the priesthood. So to anxious conservative Catholics, "altar girls" (apparently "girl altar boys" is the required RadTrad term) is jus one more violation of the traditional understanding of the priesthood.

Let me suggest a different way of looking at it. In our church, acolyte service has nothing to do with apprenticeship to the pastorate. Instead it is part of confirmation. All children being confirmed, boys and girls alike, in the two years of confirmation classes also serve as acolytes (and crucifers and other tasks in the liturgy). In so doing they are indeed apprenticed to the priesthood: that of all believers. They learn about the church year, the liturgy, the reverential treatment of the Sacrament, and decorum in the church (ideally, that is -- and they all try hard, despite the occasional attack of the sleepers).

Upon being confirmed, their acolyte service is concluded. Those who wish to become pastors, show it by doing mission trips, not by being acolytes.

So, for me at least "girl altar boys" is a non-issue.

Are there any Augsburg Evangelicals for whom it is a big issue?

A Big Day

Yesterday my son, Jeffrey C. Atwood, was confirmed in the Evangelical Lutheran Church and tasted for the first time the medicine of deathlessness. In preparation for this blessed day, he and the others being confirmed with him presented essays on themes in Christian life appointed them by their pastor, Lawrence Mitchell. Here is Jeff’s essay*:

Essay on the theme "What does Baptism mean for my life as God’s child?" by Jeffrey Atwood

Baptism is very important to me as a child of God. Baptism is one of the two sacraments of the church. Sacraments are sacred acts instituted by God to his followers. Baptism was instituted by Jesus in the Gospels and connects the visible actions of the washing with water with the Word of God. Like other sacraments, Baptism works forgiveness of sins. This is its most important power. Baptism is the washing of a person with life-giving water. Baptism grants us all of the benefits which Jesus won for us on the cross.

Baptism grants several things when I receive it. First of all, Baptism marks me as a Christian. From now on, I will be distinguished by others as a Christian because of my baptsim. Baptism’s other powers are less visible. In Baptism, we share in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We die and are raised to new life with Him. It also is the means of the distribution of Jesus’ grace. This grants the forgiveness of sins. Another result of this grace is that I receive eternal life from Jesus. This is because I am no longer held death’s servitude because of sins. It also releases me from the power of sin and the devil. As a result of baptism, the devil does not have a hold on me. We are also reborn as God’s children. We are assured new, imperishable bodies.

Baptism also affects my daily life. Each day, Baptism calls me to repent. It tells me to drown the old Adam in us daily. The old Adam is our former state brought on by the fall of Adam into sin. It calls a new righteous man to emerge in its place. This man is a new and righteous creation, with none of the characteristics of the old Adam. It is perfect and righteous and good. Baptism also daily forgives our sins. It doesn’t just forgive the sins from the time we were baptized, but every sin thereafter is forgiven. Every day, we can wake up knowing that our sins have been forgiven through Baptism. Baptism also enters us into daily communion with God.

We know Baptism works because it is mentioned in the Bible several times. Jesus himself was baptized by John at the river. Baptism was instituted by God. Jesus himself comands his disciples to baptize all nations. When he gave this command, that included infants. That is why today we baptize infants and not just adults. Baptism works its powers when the water is brought together with the Word. By itself, the water is simply ordinary water. However, with the Word it becomes life-giving water. It is important to remember that Baptism is not a work, but a free gift of God. I only have to accept it. I have done nothing to merit the gifts given by Baptism. It is not by my own faith or strength which I accept it. It is through the Holy Spirit working in me.

In short, Baptism is nothing less than the Holy Spirit working in our lives. It immediately grants forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Daily, it grants me forgiveness of my sins each day. It also tells me to drown the old Adam through daily repentance. It also indicates that a new, righteous man should emerge in its place. It also enters us into daily communion with God. We know baptism works because Jesus himself was baptized, and he commanded his disciples to do the same with all peoples. Finally, we know that it is not through our own works or merit that Baptism accomplishes what it does, but through the gift of God.

Christian readers, please pray for Jeffrey and for his fellow confirmands - - Richelle Goldblatt, Katherine Waggoner, Mason Sale, and Heidi Wilkinson - - that they may remain firm in the confession they made as members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and that they may be kept by the Holy Spirit in their baptismal grace unto life everlasting.

*You might wonder how much I helped him with this. Well, I helped him work out an outline from his notes, but in the weeks before confirmation I had to go on a number of trips. When I came back he had already written it and sent it to Pastor Mitchell for revisions. Pastor Mitchell only changed a word or two. So the confirmation dinner this Saturday was the first I heard it. (I have resisted the temptation to touch up the language in this version!)

Originally posted at Here We Stand