March 9, 2014
First Sunday in Lent
Omitting the Alleluia
This past week I’ve been reading a short book titled “Centripetal
Worship,” edited by Timothy Wengert. The
primary thrust of the book is that worship should draw us toward the center,
which is Christ, rather than lead us away, toward ourselves. This is a rather nuanced concept that
requires more discovery than can be discussed here, today. However, as I think about one of our Lenten
liturgical practices, one particular line from the book stands out as a guide:
“In the face of all our attempts to discover the rules for
correct worship, we can only confess with Luther that Christian worship, true
worship, is not about us and our rules but about God in Christ, who is the end
of the law. As Dirk Lange has observed,
Luther thinks there is but one ‘law’ for the church’s mass, Jesus Christ
himself!”[1]
Often, we in the church get bound up by the rules, often
indicated in our worship books as red rubrics,
and become overly concerned about what is the right way to do something. I am guilty of such consternation, although
as I’ve studied the history and theology of liturgy more deeply, I’ve realized
that our practices have come about in the context of many different human situations
that have evolved over time. We might
say that liturgy was made for human worship, not human worship made for
liturgy!
One practice that we encounter in the season of Lent is the omission
of the Alleluia as we welcome the Gospel.
This practice has taken on the quality of a “rule” that some enforce
with a stern shushing of the unmentionable word as if the wrath of God will
break out. But really, it is a practice,
found in the Western church (in contrast to the Eastern Orthodox practice of
always singing the Alleluia) that directs us toward the center during the time
of Lent. In the penitential and contemplative
time of Lent, we keep the word Alleluia (Let us praise the Lord!) in reserve,
in our hearts, as we contemplate the approach of the cross and Jesus’
passion. Omitting the Alleluia can help
us keep in mind Christ our savior as we continue to hear the good news of the
Gospel.
As a final segment, I will share the commentary distributed
by the ELCA regarding the omission of the Alleluia several years ago (you will
note references to LBW and WOV, two previously used hymnals in our congregation.)
“Because of the
penitential character of the season of Lent, singing or saying the word
"alleluia" has historically been suspended during Lent's forty days.
This period of individual and congregational reflection on the quality of our
baptismal faith and life suggests that the joyful nature of alleluia is more
appropriately reserved for our Easter celebrations when it is given full and
jubilant voice. An alternate gospel acclamation for Lent that omits the
alleluia is provided for all settings of Holy Communion in both Lutheran
Book of Worship and With One Voice.
“The omission of alleluia during
Lent goes back at least to the fifth century in the western church. The custom
of actually bidding it farewell, however, developed in the Middle Ages. The
hymn "Alleluia, song of gladness" (With One Voice #654)
contains a translation of an 11th century Latin text that compares an
alleluia-less Lent to the exile of the Israelites in Babylon. The text then
anticipates the joy of Easter when glad alleluias will return in all their
heavenly splendor.
“Along with a sung farewell to
alleluia, some congregations have embraced the practice of physically
"burying" the alleluia. This may take the form of actually placing a
visual representation of alleluia in a hole in the ground, or of hiding it away
after carrying it in procession around the church or worship space. This ritual
practice is especially delightful and meaningful for children.”
[1]Timothy
Wengert, Centripetal Worship: The
Evangelical Heart of Lutheran Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress,
2007), 16.
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