LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 190

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190 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

WHEREAS, Deut. 11:13-21 reminds us of the blessings that
come to God’s people for their faithfulness in acknowledging
Him as Lord; and that even the best of what man can produce
can come to nought through frost, hail, thunderstorms, insects
and blight (Ps. 127:1); and

WHEREAS, Our congregations follow the liturgical church
year and the Fifth Sunday after Easter is called Rogate; and

WHEREAS, All nations are dependent on the basic industry
of agriculture and the seasonable weather of God’s rain and
sunshine to produce sufficient foods and fiber: therefore be it

Resolved, That the Central Illinois District of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod memorialize the Synod at its next
convention to set aside the Fifth Sunday after Easter ILCW—
Sixth Sunday of Easter) as an exclusive time for the proper
observance of Rogate and the blessings that are ours as a
nation from our natural resources of seed and soil; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Synod provide suitable materials for
rural, suburban, and urban congregations to also emphasize
the relationship we need in providing for each other; and be it
further

Resolved, That in keeping with the spirit of Rogate there be
no special offering or other special appeals to conflict with the
proper spirit of this observance; and be it finally

Resolved, That this be an ongoing observance for our
Synod, Districts, and congregations.

Central Illinois District
Arthur T. Kuehnert, President
J. Robert Cunningham, Secretary

3-102

To Reaffirm Status of The Lutheran
Hymnal and Standard Series
of Lessons (Lectionary)

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Hymnal was authorized for the
synods of the Synodical Conference along with The Lutheran
Liturgy, The Lutheran Agenda, and The Lutheran Lectionary;
and

WHEREAS, These service books have been publicly recog-
nized among us as “normative” and “authoritative,” serving
us well for almost 40 years and meeting the standard set by
Synod’s Constitution (VI, 4), which calls for “‘doctrinally pure”
hymnals, agendas, etc.; and

WHEREAS, The 1979 convention of the Synod authorized a
proposed book called Lutheran Worship (not yet complete as of
that convention) to be ‘‘an official hymnal of the LCMS”; and

WHEREAS, This convention of 1979 assumed (among other
things) that Lutheran Worship would include “‘the three-year
lectionary from LBW plus the revised Old Standard series”;
and

WHEREAS, Contrary to the assumption of the 1979 conven-
tion, the one-year lectionary included in Lutheran Worship is
not “the revised Old Standard series,” but ratheritis a revision
of a one-year series drawn up for the LBW (yet never
incorporated into that book); and

WHEREAS, A sizable number of congregations and pastors
wish to continue to use the “Old Standard series” (historic
pericopes) or at least to return to them from time to time after
using other lectionaries; and

WHEREAS, There is confusion in the minds of many concern-
ing the future status of The Lutheran Hymnal and the
standard lectionary; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention assembled clearly
declare that Lutheran Worship does not replace The Lutheran
Hymnal, but that both books be recognized as “official
hymnals of the LCMS,” normative for our worship of God; and
be it further;

Resolved, That the three-year lectionary and the newly
revised one-year lectionary of Lutheran Worship are not
intended to replace the Standard series (historic pericopes) of
The Lutheran Hymnal, but that all reasonable pericopal

systems be given the same Status in the tradition of our past
flexibility.

St. John’s Lutheran Church

Luxemburg, Wis.

Harold Rechilberg, President

Thomas D. Werner, Secretary

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Luxemburg, Wis.

Maynard Ihlenfeld, Secretary
Gerhard Kratz, Chairman

3-103

To Withdraw the Worship Supplement
from Use

WHEREAS, Serious theological questions concerning the use
of the Eucharistic Prayer (that is, a prayer of thanksgiving
which contains the words of institution and is used in place of
the proclamation of the words of institution alone) have been
raised both within and outside of the LCMS (cf. Arnold F.
Krugler, “The Words of Institution: Proclamation or Prayer?”
Concordia Journal, March 1976, 53—60; Oliver K. Olson,
“Contemporary Trends in Liturgy Viewed from the Perspective
of Classical Lutheran Theology,” Lutheran Quarterly, 1974,
110—57; and Gottfried G. Krodel, The Great Thanksgiving of
the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship [Valparaiso
University Press, 1976]); and

WHEREAS, The queStions raised involve such central issues
as the meaning of sacrifice and Sacrament, thanksgiving and
prayer, and the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper as a means of
grace, and also the doctrines of justification and sanctification;
and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Rela-
tions in its 1977 report to the Synod regarding the inter-
Lutheran Lutheran Book of Worship stated:

Serious questions have been raised by theologians within and

without the LCMS about portions of the Service of Holy Communion.

A review of the proposed hymnal by an LCA seminary professor

scores what he terms the “radical reorientation of the Lutheran view

of the Sacrament embodied in the ILCW proposals.” Fear has been
specifically expressed that some of these proposals tend to emphasize
the sacrificial at the expense of the sacramental, that is, that they
tend to highlight our act of thanksgiving more than the promise and
presence of Christ. These concerns have been occasioned by the
optional use of the so-called Eucharistic Prayer, by the offertory in
which the bread and wine are carried to the altar, and by the
provision for the actual breaking of the bread. These questions must
be taken seriously and carefully evaluated. God’s action in bestow-

ing His grace must always be primary in the Sacrament (CW, 1977,

p. 40);
and;

WHEREAS, The new Lutheran hymnal will not contain the
Eucharistic Prayer; and

WHEREAS, The Eucharistic Prayer is included in the Worship
Supplement, which the Synod has never officially approved or
adopted; and

WHEREAS, The Eucharistic Prayer continues to be advocated
by some within our Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Worship Supplement be withdrawn from
usage in the LCMS; and be it further

Resolved, That all congregations of the Synod be asked not
to use the Eucharistic Prayer; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Commission on Worship be asked to
study the history of the Eucharistic Prayer, its theological
problems, and its rather recent introduction into Lutheran
circles and report to a future convention of the LCMS.

Peace Lutheran Church
Garland, Tex.

Harry E. Weyehoff, President
Kenneth Schon, Secretary
Curtis A. Peterson, Pastor

3-104
To Coordinate Sunday Pericopes
WHEREAS, One of the objects of The Lutheran Church—