LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

LTR IX (Academic Year 1996-97) 84-91
REVIEW ARTICLE:
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary
(Mankato, MN: The Evangelical Lutheran Synod, 1996) 935 pp. 1
David P. Saar
In the Winter 1997 publication of the Lutheran Church–Missouri
Synod’s Commission on Worship, it was reported that the LC–MS is
beginning to consider work on another hymnal. At a time when many
congregations regularly use a liturgy photocopied in the service folder, so
that our members are unfamiliar with the hymnal, one might wonder at the
wisdom of producing a new hymnal at all. Furthermore, in cost-conscious
congregations, the expense of purchasing new hymnals could prove
prohibitive. For these reasons alone, it is with great courage that a tiny
synod in the United States, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, smaller than
our own Lutheran Church–Canada, should venture to publish the
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH). As one might expect, the Norwegian
heritage of the synod is strongly represented in the liturgy and selection of
hymns. Nevertheless, what is even more noteworthy is the outstanding
contribution this hymnal makes in the worship and devotional life of North
American Lutheranism.
The variety of settings of the Divine Service betrays the diverse origins
of the members of the ELS, including Norwegians and Germans. The first
setting appeals to the Norwegians, being in the tradition of Bugenhagen’s
church order. Its peculiarities include the absence of an invocation and a
rubric for individual absolution at the altar. The second setting is the
common service of The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH) familiar to the Germans of
Missouri and Wisconsin heritage. The advantage of this setting is that it is in
a lower key than TLH. While the language has been modernised, the musical
setting the congregation sings is preserved intact from TLH. Congregations
using TLH would find a shift to this setting of the Divine Service very easy
and painless. “Divine Service: Rite Three” is a new composition. The
Deutsche Messe or Chorale Service is included as “Divine Service: Rite
Four”. All of the settings of the Divine Service include the collects, the
Lord’s Prayer, and the Words of Institution pointed for the pastor to chant.
Traditional usages have been retained in the Divine Service, such as the
Communion Exhortation contained in each of the settings, and the ninefold
1 Available for US $15.00 from Bethany Bookstore, 700 Luther Drive, Mankato, MN
56001. Tel.: (507) 386-5345 or (800) 944-1722.