Despite the many serious impediments imposed by destructive warfare and total defeat, the Germans have published perhaps more liturgical literature during the past few postwar years than the people of any other nation. This is significant already because it indicates clearly that they do not regard liturgics as an area which is rather nonessential in character. The ravages and dispossessions of war and defeat drive man to the stark realities and basic needs of life and existence. In days of scarcity and want, man craves not dessert and luxury; on the contrary, he is then perfectly satisfied and altogether happy with substantial food and the simple, ordinary comforts of life. The Germans are convinced that liturgical worship practices belong to the vital necessities of the Christian life. At any rate, amid all their wants and discomforts of life they are not tempted to resort to revivalistic and theatrical worship practices in order to seek and receive the strength and sustenance they need from above

Buszin, Walter F.

English

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis: Scholarly Resources

Concordia Theological Monthly Volume 22 Article 77 12-1-1951 Liturgical Developments in Europe Walter F. Buszin Concordia Seminary, St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm  Part of the Liturgy and Worship Commons Recommended Citation Buszin, Walter F. (1951) "Liturgical Developments in Europe," Concordia Theological Monthly: Vol. 22, Article 77. Available at: https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol22/iss1/77 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Print Publications at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Concordia Theological Monthly by an authorized editor of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact seitzw@csl.edu. Liturgical Devdopments in Europe By W ALTBB. E. BUSZIN D BSPITB the many serious .b,,_pedirnents imposed by clesuuc-tive warfare and total defeat, the Germans have published perhaps more liturgical literature during the past few post-war years than the people of any other nation. This is aigni6cant aheady because it indicates clearly that they do not regard liturgics as an area which is rather nonessential in character. The ravag s and dispossessions of war and defeat drive man to the stark realities and basic needs of life and mtence. In days of scarcity and want, man aaves not dessert and luxury; on the contrary, he is then perfectly satisfied and altogether happy with substantial food and the simple, ordinary comforts of life. The Germans are convinced that liturgical worship practices belong to the vital necessities of the Oiristian life. .At any rate, amid all their wants and discomforts of life they are not tempted to resort to revivalistic and theauical worship practices in order to seek and receive the strength and sustenance they need from above. Germany's largest and most widely known liturgical group is the B1111ng11liseht1 Michacl-sbr11rkrsch11/I. This organization, however, is an offspring of the former Bt1mt111chtmrr group, which was or-ganized in 1923 and whose members were active in the youth movement (J11,gmdbtl'Wt1gung) which played such an important part in the religious renaissance of Germany about thirty years ago. The Bt1mt111chmt1r were sacra.mentalists; their zeal was in no small measure a reaction against the religious indifference of their day. They published much liturgical literature, and among their leaders we find men like Rudolf Spieker, Ludwig Heitmann, Wilhelm Staehlin. and Karl Bernhard Ritter. The Brmt111chmn, however, never sought to function as a well-organized body. When eventual developments brought to light that they would be able to function with better results if better organized, they, in 1931, changed their name and called the organization Dia B1111ngt1lisch• Muhalsbrtllur-sch11/1. While the name Bt1rnnchmw was derived &om the baroo.-ial estate Bnnt1Nchm near N~ndarnrn in Neumark. where from 949 1Buszin: Liturgical Developments in EuropePublished by Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary, 1951HO LlTU1GICAL DBVBLOPMBNTS IN IUIQIII 1923 to 1927 the group met annually for a week, me mme MidJMlsi,,,,u,.sch11/I was derived from the name of the ucllaaF who battles for God against the powers of darkness. The objeana of the Mich11•lsi,,,,u,.sch11/I are set forth in the woids: "Die Evangdische Micbaelsbrudencbaft ist erwachsm aus cler p, m,t!inamen crfalumen Not cler Kitche; sie ist begruenclet in dem Glauben an die der Kiiche Jesu Christi gegebene Verheilllmg; sie ist gewillt, ihre Glieder zu n:chtm Sueitem im Kampf cler Kircbe zu erziehen und zusammenzuschliessen." Cf. Bmst Jamea, Dia B11ng•liscb. Mkh.l.sblwJrrscb,,/1. Kusel, 1949, p. 7. Much excellent literature has been written by memben of the MidJMlsfflllUrsch11/I, chieBy in pamphlet form and publisbm by the Johannes Stauda-Verlag in Kassel. Sacramentalism still plaJI a most important part in the th.inking and activities of its memben; however, the sermon is not neglected. In the Foreword of his VOIIS W'11gnis tln Prmligl (Stuttgart, 1950), Wilhelm Staehlin exp.<CSRS the hope that the publication of this booklet of 63 pages will help to disprove the legendary claims of his adversaries, who insist that his liturgical interests have made him indifferent towards the de-livery of sermons in the liturgical service of worship. One finds among many members of the MkhalslmttlnsdM/1 a healthy respect for Christian doetrine, a live incerest in the am and in music, an insistence on working in the world and among people as a leaven, a live interest in Christian educatio , a profound and active concern for the welfare of the souls of men, an aware-ness of the very real and serious shortcomings of a State church, an interest in the development of German free churches, and a profound recognition of the ecumenical charaaer of the Omrcb. From September 4 to 8 the E1111ng•lisch• Mkh11•lsbrt1tkrsd,11f1 convened at the university in Marburg to observe its twentiedi anniversary, to worship, to grow and profit by the discussion of vital problems, and to enjoy Christian fellowship. No fewer than ·350 members attended the conference. Guests were present from Holland, Prance, England, Denmark, and the Unicm Stares. The c:omecration and devotion of the group were indeed remarbble. One mxm that no loitering. was done during the sessions; there WU no "cutting" of the numerous daily devotional exercises; one ob-served no dozing and inattentiveness during the reading of various 2Concordia Theological Monthly, Vol. 22 [1951], Art. 77https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol22/iss1/77JJTUaGICAL DBVBLOPMBNTS IN BUB.OPB H1 diaenatioos; there was DO propagandizing and electioneeriog be-tween sessions, no gossiping. 1ikewile DO general exodus befme th  conference had reached its close. Much time was devoted, not to the discussion of problems of a liturgical cbaraaer, but ntber to the problems of Cluistian stewardship (DWo,,;.); however, stew-ardship was discussed not in its relatiomhip to money mat ers a d fioancial problems, but nther from the standpoint of Oiristian service. It was empbasiud that Cluistiaos should honor and esteem for their work"s sake not only the memben of the Cluistian clergy, but likewise all others who devote their lives to Cluistian service, e.g .• teaehers, deaconesses,-church musicians. lay workers of various kinds, custodians and janitors, etc. Taking the term in its original and best sense, all such full-time servants of the Church constitute the ecclesiastical hierarchy of Cluisteodom. Weight was added to these thoughts by the fact that they were spoken by a Lutheran bishop, D. Dr. Wilhelm Staehlin of Oldenburg, the title of whose dissertation was "Hiar•chia," fltm tin Onln,mg "'1r A.min ,n,J, tl.m Dwnst in tin Kirche. Other papers read were based on the topics Christtu tmtl tlia Well, by Prof. D. Heinz-Dietrich Wend-land of Kiel; Die Utt1rgie al-s tlie Gestalt us Gebeu tler Kirche, by Kircbenrat Dr. Karl Bernhard Ritter of Marburg, and Der Mensch zwischm Him,nel 11n1/ , Brtle by Prof. D. Adolf Koeberle, professor of systematic theology at the University of Tuebingen. The spirit and practice of Cluistian fellowship were evident throughout the conference, though no paper related to this par-ticular topic was read. Visitors were not given the opportu~ty to fc:cl strange; while one did feel isolated by not partaking of the Lord's Supper with the Brt«lnsch•ft, it did not take long to dis-cover that none other than the eminent liturgical scholar Prof. D. Friedrich Heiler occupied the same pew in the balcony with the writer and likewise did not partake of the Saaament. Since the Eucharist, like the lord's Prayer, is intended only for those who are members of the household of the Cluistian faith, it is indeed not surprising to nOte that an organization like the Michalsbrtultn"-scha/1 seeks to foster the spirit and practice of Cluistian koinoonk All members of the Bf'tlmsch•/1 addressed one another with the German familiar forms of address, regardless of what their calling, profession, or station might be; one found among them not only 3Buszin: Liturgical Developments in EuropePublished by Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary, 1951LlTUB.GICAL DBVBI.OPMBN'l'S IN Blmm bishops and pastors, but likewise physicians, lawyen, judges, men of high political rank, artists, authon, and comrnoo 1aboms. 'l'be doctrine of the universal priesthood was referred to iepeacedly 11111 related to the fellowship of CJuistian people. The sermons and chapel addresses were Ouist-cmtered 11111 thus were quite dliferent from sermons one must still hear in J.u. theran churches of Germany. The liturgies used were e~ but by no means theauical or pompous. A confessional service conducted in the chapel of the University on the evening of Sep-tember 4 lasted an hour and a half and proved to be very _solano and impressive. The music was churchly and very well done; Gregorian chant and the Lutheran chorale were used almost ex-clusively, though a polyphonic setting of the Kyrie sung by a small choir proved to be refreshing, particularly from the musical point of view. All services of worship were very well integraCDI, and no one part suffered because of overemphasis of another. One does hear expressions from members of the Mich111lsbrt1wsch11/1 which many others who hold membership in the Lutheran Oiurch will not readily subscribe to, e.g.: that the Apostolic Succession is needed in the Lutheran Church of Germany and other countries, as they have it in Norway and Sweden; that Lutherans should build cloisters and monasteries in which men may work and produce for the Church without being disturbed by family ties and other hin-drances; that polyphonic music is baneful and foreign to the ideal service of worship; that theological diilerences are not to play t00 strong a role in determining whether one is to be admitted to the lord's Table; finally, that Luther possessed very little genuine liturgical acumen and hence helped to introduce the spirit of sec-tarianism into the Lutheran Church. Such claims are made, of course, also by many who are not members of the E1111ng1liscb• Mich111lsbrt1dn-schafl. Such claims explain why some do not wish to be identified with any kind of liturgical movement, since it is believed quite generally that liturgical groups and movements too often do not know where to draw the line and come to a halt. While one hears similar reactions also in Europe, one noces, how-ever, that the rich literature written by members of the Miehals-brtltkrschll/1 is used diligently and even with enthusiasm also by many who refuse to hold membership in this body. 4Concordia Theological Monthly, Vol. 22 [1951], Art. 77https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol22/iss1/77Ll'l'tJ1GICAL DBVBLOPMBNTS IN BU10PB A small, select group of those who had been pment at Marburg joameyed to Assenbcim after the Marbmg sessions ro discuss there, oo. September 8 and 9, certain problems of ecumenicity as well as of liturgical development in other lands. This O•l,,,,,,.,,;sd,• T ,,_ p,,g was arranged largely for those who had been honored gums at the T 11g,mgm in Marburg. While several guests, including the writer, were unable to attend, others, acconfing to the official record, submitted rather thought-provoking and intereSting reports. The Rev. B. von Schenk submitted a comprehensive report regard-ing the liturgical and educational practices of his parish, Our Savior's Ev. Lutheran Oiurch of New Yorlc. He likewise discussed present-day liturgical tendencies among Presbyterians and Meth-odists, as well as among certain Luthemn church bodies in America. Pastor Wiebe V s of Holland, secretary of the Cornroi11ion on Paith and Order (Ways of Worship) and a graduate of Oxford Univer-sity, where he had been a pupil of the liturgiologist William D. Maxwell, gave an historical account of liturgical developments in Holland. He showed how the ecumenical interests of Holland have helped to dampen and modify much of its Reformed antiliturgical spirit and activities and pointed particularly to the effective work done by his former mentor, Prof. Van der Leeuw. Today also the leading spirits of the Reformed Oiurch in Holland are grappling with the problems of liturgics, new literature is being written, and a Council for the Solution of Problems of Worship has been formed which has helped to prepare the On1UJ1,t, Dims1boel, wor tl, Netlerlandse Hn11ormdo Kori,. In this book not only various Calvinistic orders of service may be found, but likewise a Lutheran-Catholic mass which includes the A1111mn,sis and the Epikksis. A 64-page liturgical periodical is today published and read in Hol-land; its editor is the successor to Prof. Van der Leeuw, Prof. J. N. Bakhuizen van den Brink. Though warned that liturgical worship would drive people out of his church, Pastor Vos stated that his experience has been the contrary and that his church attendance bu grown steadily and considerably. An interesting report was submitted by the two guests present from Copenhagen, Denmark, namely, Pastors Borregaard and Lissner. While they were happy to state that in Denmark the old traditional vestments and paraments are still used, they regretted 5Buszin: Liturgical Developments in EuropePublished by Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary, 1951LITU1GICAL DBVBLOPMDn'S IN IUIQfl to 1aue that, unlike Norway and Sweden, Deornarli: hid JOit tbe Apostolic Sua:eaion already in 1537 and had never repined ir. Church •aeail•oce is very poor among the Daoa. Two acnmennl movrmeo.a have caken place in Dearnark within me lat rmtaq: The fint was the work of the Gnmtwigil,Mr, wbo are ., aaa-mencal that they reject at least part of the Bible IS a "pope•i tbe secood was instigated by an inner mission group wh ch ha saaag pietistic leanings, which, true to the policies and praaica of Pict-ism, conduca services of wonhip in private homes aod 1111811 as-sembly halls, but which sends its members to the cler87 and ID tbe church when they wish to receive Holy Communion. 1'be GnltM· flip,,ur arc unliturgical. Among the Danish Barthians, as well u aoioog other groups of Denmark, there exists a moog avenion ID Holy Communion, some going so far IS to say: "The way ID me Lord's Supper is the way to hell." Pastor Borregaard repomd abo concemiog the activities of the Danish liturgical P.ra=nity of St. Ansgar, which has a membership of fifteen theologians ml twenty laymen, and Pastor Lissner spoke of his Th,ologisd,u Orllloritnn, which has a membership of eighty clergymen and a few students of the two universities of Denmark. Before final adjournment took place, some thought wu pen to the suggestion that a Eucharistic Congress take place io Germany next year which is to be modeled after those conduca:d by me Roman Catholic Church in the United Staces of America. St. Louis, Mo. 6Concordia Theological Monthly, Vol. 22 [1951], Art. 77https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol22/iss1/77

Liturgical Developments in Europe

https://scholar.csl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3394&context=ctm

Liturgical Developments in Europe

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis: Scholarly Resources