wfn.org | Worship: Towards the signing celebration

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Services taking place in Augsburg

GENEVA, 23 October 1999 (lwi)   Every feast has two parts: the
preparation and the actual feast itself. The feast becomes special and
rich in meaning and content when we prepare ourselves for it with care
and in peace. The preparations for this historic signing celebration
have been both practical and spiritual by nature. It is possible to
maintain that the private and communal preparations for this feast are
as important as the very feast itself. They lead us to understand and
experience something about the nature of God who justifies us in Jesus
Christ.

The evening prayer on Saturday has traditionally prepared Christians to
the Sunday service. In Augsburg we will follow this old custom. The
signing celebration begins with ecumenical vespers on the 30th of
October in the Church of Sts. Ulrich and Afra. This evening prayer gives
the members of congregation a chance to pray for the signing and prepare
themselves spiritually to receive the bountiful gifts of God.

The vespers will be a meditative and prayerful service with special
reference to Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and to the eternal
Sabbath. The church in which the evening prayer will take place is the
sepulchral church of the patrons of the diocese of Augsburg: St. Ulrich
(d. 973), St. Afra (d. 304), and St. Simpert (d. 807). This Basilica has
a special place in the church history of the City of Augsburg since it
marks the oldest presence of a Christian community there. Through the
course of time, the church above the grave of Martyr Afra was repeatedly
destroyed and yet, it was always rebuilt. Today's Gothic style basilica
is from the 15th century.

On Sunday, 31 October, the signing celebration continues with the
liturgy of repentance which will be held in the Roman Catholic
Cathedral. This Cathedral offers a festive medieval setting with plenty
of light for the celebration. In this short service we confess together
that we have not always chosen the way of unity within our churches and
in our lives. We ask for forgiveness so that we may celebrate with pure
hearts and give praise together.

The congregation walks as a procession from the Cathedral to the
Lutheran Church of St. Anna's where the actual signing will take place.
During the long procession the congregation joins in prayers and songs.
The procession will be carried out according to local Lutheran and Roman
Catholic traditions.

Besides justification, the celebration will focus on thanksgiving and
Baptism, the very sacrament of justification, with special reference to
the present and the future viewpoints. The liturgical form used is
ecumenical, and can therefore be recognized and identified by both
Lutherans and Roman Catholics as being their own. The main elements of
this form are: the Word of God, remembrance of Holy Baptism, the Creed,
the Lord's Prayer, and the sign of peace.

The Church of St. Anna is a decorated, light and relatively small spaced
structure. With other churches mentioned above it provides a festive
setting for the celebration. Its history began in the fourteenth
century, and during the last more than six hundred years this church has
also born witness to other great church historical events. The church
has a specific atmosphere created by the graveness and austerity of
Gothic style and the lightness and display of colors of the Renaissance,
and the Baroque eras.

There are altars both on the east and west side of the church. For the
worship service we are going to use the third, non-fixed altar, which is
a table situated in the middle of the church. The actual signing,
however, will take place at the separate table close to this altar.
During the celebration the members of the congregation will face each
other. The atmosphere will be communal when the people gather around the
altar. This feast promises to become a prayerful celebration, filled
with supplication, thanksgiving, praise, repentance, and adoration.

The Joint Declaration on the doctrine of justification is a significant
sign of Christian unity. The worship services prepared for the signing
are already in themselves an expression of Christian unity. The
gathering together and the joint liturgical leadership bear witness to
the living apostolic faith, and as such they reveal the Church of Christ
to the world.

The prayers for the signing celebration are cordially invited and
encouraged:

Gracious God,
we rejoice over the signing celebration
that you have bestowed upon us.
We pray for all those who have made this feast possible,
and for all those who serve in the signing celebration.
Let this celebration enrich your holy Church
and bring hope to humanity.
Let the whole world know
that you are God
and that we are your people
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

This article was contributed by Rev. Dr. Paivi Jussila, who is the Study
Secretary for Worship and Congregational Life in the LWF Department for
Theology and Studies. She is the Federation's co-ordinator for the
worship services taking place in Augsburg.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven
years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council
which meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

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