Luther on Customs (CTM 1934 English translation) – Part 3-Liturgy/Vestments

"Missourian" Paul E. Kretzmann
quotes Luther on Liturgy/Vestments

     This continues from Part 2 and Part 1 in a series concerning Liturgy and Vestments in the Lutheran Church. — After Lochner and Walther, we now turn our attention to Luther in these matters.  The LCMS attempts to quote Luther in ways to justify their Romanizing stance, but in 1934, Prof. Paul E. Kretzmann published an extensive array of Luther quotes that deal directly with these matters and clarify Luther's position against those who try to Romanize him and the Formula of Concord.  The publication was in Concordia Theological Monthly, three years after Pieper's passing.  This publication was from the "Missourians" that LC-MS President Matthew Harrison explicitly chides in his recent writings (p. xxxii-xxxiii). — This essay was done in the German language, unassessable for most American Lutherans today.  So I took extensive time in getting this translated and adding many hyperlinks so that Luther can be given serious study on this. Let Luther explain what the Lutheran Confessions say about these matters.

Some excerpts: 

p. 45: "We must surrender everything that the eyes behold and that the senses suggest… until we first grasp and thoroughly ponder the words of Christ… He is more concerned about the Word than about the sign."

46: "There is nothing more holy on earth than God’s Word, for even the sacrament itself is constituted and sanctified and consecrated through God’s Word.… The Word sanctifies everything, and is above the sacrament."

47: “We have passed over the matter of vestments. But we think about these as we do about other forms. We permit them to be used in freedom, as long as people refrain from ostentation and pomp."

48: "Also all childish ceremonies, as incense, dealing in chancel caps, stationes [of the Cross?], salt and water consecration shall be abolished."

49: "For love and peace are far more important than all ceremonies."

50: "It is consequently fairer that one should agree with the churches that do not practice the elevation than, on the contrary, to agree with those that do practice it [i.e. Papists].”

The following is from CTM, vol. 5 (1934), p. 45-52, translation by BackToLuther. All underlining follows the emphasis in the original German article. Where available, quotes were taken from the American Edition (AE) with minor changes; almost half of the quotes had to be newly translated: 

(PDF download here; German text here)

I believe that Prof. Kretzmann included these quotes from Luther in the flagship publication Concordia Theological Monthly to defend against what he saw happening in the Missouri Synod even in 1934. There was interest among some pastors in the changing Missouri Synod to rely on Liturgy and Vestments, at the expense of Doctrine, for the promotion of their unionisic goals.  They were viewing the Romanizing opponent Iowa Synod more favorably. Is it any wonder that Prof. Paul E. Kretzmann had to leave the LCMS 16 years later? — It would seem almost impossible to reconcile the aims of "Gottesdienst", the band of LCMS pastors (Fathers?), with… Luther.  In the concluding Part 4, we examine in more detail the group calling itself "Gottesdienst".