Confession Through Song

Historically,  the Lutheran Church has celebrated the Reformation on October 31, when we commemorate Luther posting his 95 Theses.  Increasing, more people are recognizing the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession as an important event in the Reformation.  This year my home church recognized this day and below is a bulletin insert I wrote for the occasion.

From the June 24th bulletin:

What We Believe:

The Augsburg Confession and Hymnody

Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession that took place on June 25, 1530.  The basic doctrines defended by the signers of the Augsburg Confession are still held by the Lutheran Church today and are reflected in our hymnody.  As you sing hymn 602 (from the Lutheran Service Book), The Gifts Christ Freely Gives, during service this morning, think about the doctrines we boldly proclaim with the signers of the Augsburg Confession.  Here are some of the doctrines found in this hymn and the articles of the Augsburg Confession where these same doctrines are addressed.

• We confess the triune God in stanzas two and five (Article I).
• We believe that it is through the “water and His Word” (stanza two) in Baptism that we are saved (Article IX).
• We believe in the true presence of Christ’s body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine (stanza five; Article X).
• We believe that in the absolution, the “forgiveness that we need is granted to us there” (stanza three; Article XXV).

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

-Kristen

A summary of the articles of the Augsburg Confession

consulted in the writing of this article may be found at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augsburg_Confession