The Love Boat

or, The Lutheran Blowed-Out Department.

This is the end of this discussion, although several interesting questions remain. As John Beeler points out:

Hooray for the LCMS: originally German (not originally "the conservative church," just "the immigrant German church"), founded to preserve confessional Lutheranism vs. an indifferentist merger in Germany, now American Lutheranism's conservative magnet and with a Lutho-Catholic (they don't call themselves that) minority actually well grounded in Lutheran theology. American Lutheranism's always had a tension between the distinctive semi-Catholicism of the original Lutheranism (using the crucifix, for example: the LCMS explicitly defends it) and blending in with American Protestantism. I think the worship war in the LCMS is between high and low, the Lutho-Catholics vs. those who want to copy American evangelicalism (Lutheran liturgy vs. praise band, etc.).

They don't say "high" or "catholic"; they seem to prefer liturgical.

Apparently they aren't afraid of vestments, genuflections, elevations, or, even, Franciscan-style devotions such as Stations of the Cross. Or offertory prayers:

Lord God, as we prepare to receive the holy Sacrament, we pray You, bless and sanctify, with the power of Your Holy Spirit, this bread and wine, which you have given us, that through our Lord’s Words they may become His body and blood, the food and drink of eternal life.

Grant that we may receive worthily this sacramental mystery, the New Testament of our Divine Redeemer, for He is the Lamb of God, who gave Himself once and for all, as a holy, immaculate and perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin and for the life and salvation of the whole world.

Through Him we beseech You, Father, to look upon us with favor and to receive our thanksgiving for so great a Gift, as You once accepted the offerings of Your servants Abel and Noah, the sacrifice of Abraham, and the bread and wine offered by Your priest Melchizedek. In union with them, we pray that Your holy angel would carry our prayer to Your altar in heaven and unite us in the unending liturgy of Your servants of every time and place; through Christ, our Lord, from whom all good things come.

Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is Yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever. Amen.