Should a Pastor Wear a Powdered Donut?
Before I became a pastor in the LCMS (Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod), I did field service on computers and networks. Some of my customers had home-based businesses or asked me to work on their computers at their home, a service I was happy to provide.
One particular customer had a couple of cute little pug dogs. At every visit, these little companions would greet me enthusiastically. When I would go to sit down to perform maintenance on the computer, one (or sometimes both) of these pugs would hop into the seat in anticipation. It seems they had developed a practice of pleasing their human companions by sitting in their laps during “computer time.” Upon seeing my surprise, the customer chuckled and announced, “we wear our dogs often!” – a phrase that was truly apropos, since the dog hair attached to my clothing. I learned to carry a lint brush in my tool bag…
When I began wearing clerical shirts, I recalled the instance of “we wear our dogs often” and the caution it brings to someone who must go to several abodes… At one point, following church service, there was a fellowship gathering and, as usual, coffee and donuts. Hence the question for this blog post, “Should a pastor wear a powdered donut?” As delectable as those treats may be, the confectioners’ sugar just seems to attach to everything I touch (or wear) – even the little “mini donuts”!
While wearing a clerical shirt (usually black), when I see powdered donuts, alarm bells begin to ring in my head… as tempting as they may be, the unintended result is simply not “Good, Right, and Salutary.” So, the answer to the powdered donut question is easy – just say NO! and offer thanks.
The same holds true for the practice of “online Communion” in the LCMS. While it may seem, on the surface anyway, to be innocuous and a “solution” to the problem of COVID-19 restrictions, it is not a good practice. For the theological reasons, I will refer you to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) at the following web page: https://www.lcms.org/about/leadership/commission-on-theology-and-church-relations. There are a number of documents provided that address the issue, but suffice it to say, the answer is simply no, this is not an acceptable practice in the LCMS.
Communion via ZOOM or Facebook Live? Just like powdered donuts, your pastor is telling you, “Don’t do it!” because it is not “good, right, and salutary.”
But Communion IS available to you… DO contact the church office to set a time for your pastor to visit and offer you individual communion in the location of your choosing and at your convenience.
One particular customer had a couple of cute little pug dogs. At every visit, these little companions would greet me enthusiastically. When I would go to sit down to perform maintenance on the computer, one (or sometimes both) of these pugs would hop into the seat in anticipation. It seems they had developed a practice of pleasing their human companions by sitting in their laps during “computer time.” Upon seeing my surprise, the customer chuckled and announced, “we wear our dogs often!” – a phrase that was truly apropos, since the dog hair attached to my clothing. I learned to carry a lint brush in my tool bag…
When I began wearing clerical shirts, I recalled the instance of “we wear our dogs often” and the caution it brings to someone who must go to several abodes… At one point, following church service, there was a fellowship gathering and, as usual, coffee and donuts. Hence the question for this blog post, “Should a pastor wear a powdered donut?” As delectable as those treats may be, the confectioners’ sugar just seems to attach to everything I touch (or wear) – even the little “mini donuts”!
While wearing a clerical shirt (usually black), when I see powdered donuts, alarm bells begin to ring in my head… as tempting as they may be, the unintended result is simply not “Good, Right, and Salutary.” So, the answer to the powdered donut question is easy – just say NO! and offer thanks.
The same holds true for the practice of “online Communion” in the LCMS. While it may seem, on the surface anyway, to be innocuous and a “solution” to the problem of COVID-19 restrictions, it is not a good practice. For the theological reasons, I will refer you to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) at the following web page: https://www.lcms.org/about/leadership/commission-on-theology-and-church-relations. There are a number of documents provided that address the issue, but suffice it to say, the answer is simply no, this is not an acceptable practice in the LCMS.
Communion via ZOOM or Facebook Live? Just like powdered donuts, your pastor is telling you, “Don’t do it!” because it is not “good, right, and salutary.”
But Communion IS available to you… DO contact the church office to set a time for your pastor to visit and offer you individual communion in the location of your choosing and at your convenience.
RSS Feed