by Karen G. Bockelman

Several years ago my family and I spent a month in England. On our first day in London, we hit the tourist trail — the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, a boat ride on the Thames, and finally Westminster Abbey. A sign at the Abbey door let us know that we were just in time for Evensong. "Mom," groaned my 12–year old daughter, "you never said anything about going to church.

She shouldn’t have been surprised. I’ve rarely met a worship service that didn’t have something I liked. My office bookshelves and file drawers are full of worship books, music, and other resources representing a wide variety of traditions. I’ve even been known to get up in the middle of the night to watch the liturgies of royal weddings and papal funerals on television.

My love for worship is not just the professional interest of a pastor, but the passion of a lifelong Lutheran. The Augsburg Confession describes the church as "the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel" (Article VII).

For Lutherans, worship is at the heart of our life as the people of God.

God’s gifts of word and sacrament connect us to the whole church, uniting the people of God in one place and time with the people of God in every place and every time. We use patterns, words, actions, and songs handed down through the ages. At the same time, we are mindful that we worship in particular contexts in an ever-changing world.

In every age, people of faith look for ways of worshiping that honor the treasures of the past, speak to the present context, and reach out beyond the church in mission.

CONVERSATION AND RENEWAL
Lutherans have engaged in worship conversation and renewal for as long as there have been Lutherans. Martin Luther restored the participation of the whole congregation with powerful hymn singing. My grandparents’ congregation had mission in mind when they switched from German to English in worship. The introduction of drums and guitars came from a desire to speak the musical language of youth.

About once in every generation, Lutherans in North America and the Caribbean region have prepared new primary worship resources. These renewal efforts have taken us from a vast variety of immigrant traditions toward ever greater unity in liturgy and commonality in song.

I remember — just barely, but I do remember — the black book. My teenage, college, and most of my seminary years were shaped by the red Service Book and Hymnal. My 28–year–old green Lutheran Book of Worship has a broken spine, handwritten notes, and waterspots all over the baptismal pages. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, these cherished books bear all the signs of loving use.

The past three decades have seen many changes in the church and in the world — a growing awareness of cultural diversity and of the interrelatedness of the world, increased sensitivity to the power of language, changing forms of musical expression. Advances in communication and technology have led to the increasing use of electronic and digital resources. The time has come for a new generation of worship resources.

THE NEW BOOK
October 2006 marks the publication of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), a new primary worship book. Preview kits have been sent out. Samplers of liturgies and songs have been used in various settings throughout the church. Teams of pastors, musicians, and lay leaders have been trained to introduce the new book in their synods. Some congregations have already placed their orders.

There are those who find the idea of a new worship book overwhelming. Do we really need a book? (I think we do.) Will it fit in our pew racks? (It will.) Does this mean a third or fourth book to navigate on Sunday morning? (It doesn’t.) Will my favorite hymns, prayers, liturgies will be lost? (They won’t.) Can I learn something new? (You can.) Does this mean it will be even harder to recognize the core of Lutheran worship? (It doesn’t have to.)

The congregation of which I am a member makes use of digital resources in printing our bulletins, but we also use books. We have already ordered our copies of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. We believe a book is still the best way for all of us to have access to a single, complete treasury of prayers, services, and song. Books, which are not disposed of after one use but are used over and over again, reflect good stewardship. At the same time, the availability of ELW materials electronically and on the Internet will help us make the best use of our resources.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship will be truly rich in content:

• Nearly 700 hymns and worship songs

• Ten Holy Communion settings and a Service of the Word

• Holy Baptism and related liturgies

• Services for daily prayer; liturgies for Lent and the Three Days; healing, funeral, and   marriage services

• A rich collection of prayers

• All 150 psalms

• Luther’s Small Catechism

• Daily lectionary

THE FAMILIAR AND THE NEW
On the first Sunday of Advent, members of my congregation will find one red book in the pew racks — no more juggling between green and blue and the multicolored Renewing Worship songbook. It will be a beautiful book with original art elegant design, and a layout that’s easy for long-time members and newcomers to follow. And thanks to new developments in paper technology, it will be the same size as Lutheran Book of Worship.

There will be a lot that’s familiar — communion settings from Lutheran Book of Worship, This Far by Faith, and Libro de Liturgia y Cántico, as well as hymns and songs from those books, With One Voice, Worship and Praise, and other treasured collections.

There will also be new material — newly composed communion settings, hymns, and songs; new texts with familiar tunes and new tunes with familiar texts. As a sign of our connection to the church throughout the world, there will be a number of hymns with one or more stanzas in their original language — Spanish, Swahili, Korean, but also German ("Silent Night") and Swedish ("Children of the Heavenly Father"). And there will be a whole family of resources developed to complement ELW. As with anything new, worship leaders will want to plan carefully and teach well.

I’ve heard the lament, "You used to be able to go to any Lutheran church and know just what worship will be like." I’m not sure that was ever quite as true as folks seem to remember, but the flexibility of ELW may lead some to worry there’s no common Lutheran center. I believe congregations will find that this resource offers worship that is centered on word and sacrament, God’s gifts of grace. Congregations will recognize the shape of worship in gathering, word, meal, and sending. We will know it is Jesus Christ who holds us together and calls us to proclaim the good news to a world in need.

I’m excited about this new book. It is the result of a truly collaborative development process involving thousands of people and congregations from every corner of our church. Its richness means there will be a lot to experience and explore — some may find it to be too much, too fast, and others too little, too slow. What I like best, others may not — and vice versa.

For a while, at least, I won’t be able to do things from memory. I’ll need to learn some new words and new music, new page and hymn numbers. I’ll learn again to be attentive. I’ll have the opportunity to renew my understanding of worship — why worship matters and how worship draws us all into God’s mission.

I invite you to join me in this adventure. Ask if your congregation is considering Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Check out ELW on the Web site, www.renewingworship.org. Plan to attend one of the introductory events in your synod — a schedule is available at www.renewingworship.org/participate/events.

I believe you’ll find a book offering worship that is biblical, stands in continuity with the early church, faithful to our Reformation heritage, takes seriously present needs and contexts, and gives us a glimpse of the future. I believe you’ll find Jesus Christ proclaimed.

Pastor Karen G. Bockelman lives in Duluth, Minn., where she serves as assistant to the bishop in the Northeastern Minnesota Synod. She chaired the ELCA’s task force on sacramental practices, participated in the development of the Renewing Worship provisional materials, and was a leader in introducing Evangelical Lutheran Worship.