The Divine Service Needs No Innovation

Macintosh 128K

I’m just not that excited about the new Mac Operating System Lion. 

Don’t get me wrong I love Apple products, but I can’t stand it that every couple years I’ve got to shell out more money for an operating system that’s newer, better, and more advanced.  Sure I could refuse.  I could hold on to my current system, but then my computer will eventually look like the archaic Macintosh 128K; outdated and obsolete.

But what if technology didn’t need improvement?  What if it reached its pinnacle, and was no longer able to make advancements but only unnecessary innovations?  To be honest, my consumer driven mind cannot fathom such a reality.  And maybe that's why we have trouble separating human innovation from the Church.  Maybe that's why we struggle to grasp the fact that the Divine Service doesn't need improvement.

In the Divine Service God serves us.  He delivers to us salvation, life everlasting, the forgiveness of sins through the Word, spoken by the Pastor, combined with water, bread, and wine… and it cannot be improved upon.

Yes we add in sound systems to help people hear, we add pew cushions to help them sit, we even change our hymnals every couple decades.  But the forgiveness offered there does not change, it does not improve.  There is no Beta version of the Divine Service, because it’s always perfect.

Even if the music is sung poorly, the sound system fails, the Pastor loses his voice, the children scream through the service, the power goes out, and the building starts to crumble, still, it is a perfect service, because in the Divine Service God delivers his perfect gifts to you every time.  Christ gives to you forgiveness and life and salvation that is perfectly delivered to our imperfection.

Luther speaks regarding changing the Sabbath, “Because Sunday has been appointed for this purpose from ancient times, it should not be changed, so that things may be done in an orderly fashion and no one create disorder by unnecessary innovation.” LC I:85

Regarding changes in ceremonies our Confessions state, “All frivolity and offense should be avoided.” FC Ep X:5

It doesn't mean that the Church is like the Macintosh 128K, outdated and obsolete, quite the contrary.  It means that in an ever changing world of the latest and greatest, you have the comfort of knowing that the forgiveness delivered in Word and Sacrament requires no innovation, no advancement, no improvement.  It's perfect worship every time because it's God's service to you.