A cultural shift

That's what the old prayer books and hymnals of our church reveal we have had. Now, thanks to the work of Matthew Carver, we have what Walther and crew thought of as "THE Prayer Book," Lutheran Prayer Companion. The intro rightly points out it was designed for home (personal) use and is rightly considered an addenda to Walther's Hymnal (which we also have in English now thanks to Matthew Carver).

Just a few things to note in this older level of Missouri's piety that would make those accustomed to the shape of her piety in the mid 20th century squirm a bit. There is a prayer on p. 257 for a committal service. Towards the end of the prayer we find these words: "To the deceased, therefore, grant a gentle rest in the bosom of the earth and a joyous resurrection with all the elect on the day of Your beloved Son's appearing." Prayer 257, p. 140  

Of a piece with this prayer 481, a prayer to be used immediately following a death. It includes these words "To Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory and Prince of Life, be praise and thanksgiving, for so graciously delivering this blessed man today and receiving his soul into His holy hands. May He reunite his soul and body in heavenly glory on the Last Day, and grant us together with him a blessed voyage at the time appointed to God..." (pp. 342,3)

Note how this accords also with the prayer from the time of Lutheran Orthodoxy from Starck upon the same occasion: "Refresh the soul that has now departed with heavenly consolation and joy, and fulfill for it all the gracious promises which in Your holy Word You have made to those who believe in You. Grant to the body a soft and quiet rest in the earth till the Last Day, when You will reunite body and soul and lead them into glory, so that the entire person who served You here may be filled with heavenly joy there." (P. 345, Starck's Revised). 

But it is not only in prayers such as these that the different spirit stands out. Consider also the way the Apocryphal books are used throughout the volume. In the section "Comforting verses to read to the sick and the dying" we find as the last of the Old Testament passages Wisdom 3:1 "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment touches them." (See p. 299) Similarly, at the very start of the prayer book Luther's instructions for proper prayer are given there we find as his fifth and final point the principle that one must not assign God a goal, prescribe a time or place, or specify the manner or means of the prayer being answered. He adds "The holy woman, Judith, did the same thing. When she heard that the citizens of Bethuliah would hand over the city in five days unless God delivered them during that time, she rebuked them and said, 'Who are you, that you put God to the test? These are not the means to obtain grace but to stir up more disfavor. Would you prescribe for God a time to have mercy on you, and specify a day according to your whim?'" Judith 8:11ff. Throughout the book, the prayers are replete with the language of Scripture and whoever is familiar with the apocryphal writings will note some turns of phrase lifted directly from there.

And the Eucharistic piety the book evidences is also a thing of beauty to behold! In the Saturday prayer that expands upon "but deliver us from evil" in the Our Father, the prayer asks the Holy Spirit that our last food may be the Holy Supper; the last image in our mind Christ crucified; the last words on our lips "Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit." There are a plethora of prayers of preparation for the Eucharist and nearly as many to offer in thanksgiving after receiving the holy gifts. In all of them the joy of the sacrament is fully expressed and yet the gravity of an unworthy use of the Sacrament is not short-changed at all. 

In sum, the book inculcates a piety that has all the breadth of the Book of Concord's theology. Once again, I highly recommend the volume. It's become well, this Lutheran's daily "Prayer Companion."