Nice

Yesterday we attended Church in Wartburg, IL, and were blessed to receive the gifts from the mouth and hands of (former vicar) Pastor Rethwisch. We also go to see his Elijah Joseph baptized into Christ (he was also anointed - a beautiful testimony to the purpose of Baptism being the Holy Spirit's taking up residence within). What struck me as quite comforting was simply going to another Church and finding the same hymnal, same service. Those who are LCMS old timers remember when you could travel just about anywhere and find it so. We're not nearly back to that (given the number of parishes that simply have abandoned the liturgy), but it seems we are a long way now from a three hymnal Synod. At every parish we visited this year when away from St. Paul's on vacation, the familiar LSB has welcomed us from the pew rack, and we happily picked it up and sang the liturgy and hymns.