Things Ancient and Modern

Finding Meaning in a Fast-Moving World: A 1961 Sermon for Today

We live in a culture obsessed with the next big thing—faster tech, sleeker conveniences, and constant novelty. But does newer always mean better?

In this post, we look back at a sermon delivered on October 1, 1961, titled "Things Ancient and Modern." Grounded in the mid-century surge of jet-age technology and Cold War anxieties, this message explores a timeless tension: our hunger for modern progress versus our deep need for ancient, unshakeable truths.

From advertising pressure and machine-age isolation to the healing fellowship of Holy Communion, discover why this 1960s message speaks directly to the noise and loneliness of our world today.

I Cor. 11:23-26

Trinity 18

Communion Sunday

October 1, 1961

"Things Ancient and Modern"

One thing that could be said about our age is that it is the age of the new, the unusual, the different. We are an age of progress, of experimentation. Modern advertising constantly barrages us with this hunger for the new. Here is a new can opener. You must get this new can opener because that bright and exciting new Hollywood ~star~~ Martha Jones has this new can opener. And the latest new Thunderbird automobile car has come out, and the advertiser will tell us you must get this new car because it has corkscrew tail fins and if you get this new car with corkscrew tail fins you will truly be a man of distinction. We are the age of the new, the age of progress, there have been more inventions and there has been more progress materially than in the whole previous existence of man. 60 years ago, people rode buggies, today an airplane can fly 3,000 miles an hour. Thirty years ago, we kept all cooking had to be done on wood stove, today we have electricity and push button ranges, sixty years ago all farming had to be done by horse, and it was almost all one man more than could do for one man. Today one man with a bright and shiny new diesel can farm 2 or 3 quarters. Yes, there are big changes, jets, atom bombs, new cars, thermostat furnaces, electric ranges, freezers so you don't have to can all your meat, T.V. dinners, aluminum foil, diesel tractors. We like the new, we like the inventions of modern science and industry, we like the new comforts and easier way of living that these things have brought.

But then there are some ancient things that we also respect are important to us. Sitting in front of a fireplace and listening to the crackle of wood has been done by man for many centuries, and even in our modern age we still like to hear the crackle of wood and see the flames dance from a fireplace. There are old songs that still bring fond memories to our heart, "Old Lang Syne", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and even such songs as Old Black Joe, and "Old Folks at Home" and ancient church songs as "Silent Night". We see this interest in the ancient in the modern interest in antiques, an old plate which you used to hide when company came is now an antique and everybody ohs and ahs over.

There are some things ancient and some modern, and here today we celebrate a feast as ancient as the Christian Church, the Lord's Supper, an ancient for 1900 years men and women of all nations and nationalities have heard the words: "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Back in the days of Rome Christians gathered ancient catacombs kneeling down and receiving Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, in the days the founding of Germany before there was even a nation newly Christianized tribes would kneel down and receive the cup of our Lord, around the year 1000 Christianity was brought to Norway and proud Vikings bowed down and received the Holy Communion.

We are a people of the new, the unusual, the jet, the electric can opener, but I believe we also treasure reading the history of the Civil War, singing old songs also reveals that we cannot be satisfied with the new. Robert Frost in his book "Something of Value" says the fact is we have roots, we have traditions and customs, and these things also add meaning and value to life. Ancient songs, old home cooked foods, family customs, documents like our Declaration of Independence — these things also are a vital part of our modern living. Today as we think of the ancient and the modern and these were things more important for us men than any other thing ancient or modern — and this is being right with God and having forgiveness for our sins. Today out of the past, today, Jesus Christ reaches back from his 1900 years and brings us invites us to a Communion Supper that he instituted 1900 years ago. There have been attempts in our modern day to do away with such words as sin and grace. Some psychologists say it is just an ancient word “really sin is just a mistake or improper adjustment. Log in the couch Let a doctor or a boy talk to you for a while and you will be all right. You will be properly adjusted." But it isn't so easy as all that and today after 2 world wars and words like Dachau, Buchenwald, Korea and brainwashing we are beginning to find there is something to this business of sin.

Sin is an old fashion word but it still describes the condition of men, but the blessed part of the Gospel is that Jesus gave his only Son for the sins of the world and today Jesus Christ comes to us in the bread and wine in a way that is past understanding and offers you forgiveness. Sin, it takes many forms, lying, theft, failing, and then the more subtle variety, feelings of contempt, pride, indifference like to God, idol worship when we put other things before God. And idol is anything that crowds God out of our lives and these things can be many — a quest after pleasure, such a strong preoccupation with our work that we forget to serve God each day, or a quest a striving for power and prestige, or a strong preoccupation with material things that God is squeezed out of our lives and we forget family devotion, prayer, Bible reading, witnessing. Sin it can take many forms, in a modern age too but regardless of sin today as we have celebrate an ancient custom, Holy Communion, we find that regardless of sin, regardless of our indifference, if we are truly sorry for our sins and desire to change our lives and follow God, there is forgiveness for us and God reconciliation between God and man.

We are an age of the new, the intertwined with the ancient unusual but let us remind ourselves neither the new nor the ingenious creation of man provide the real answers to our problems. You can have the newest car, the newest deep freeze, the new house, the new dress, the newest can opener, or to take the third you can have the oldest antiques, a collection of the oldest songs, or whatever you want, but if you don't have God — you still will not have the one thing needful, the one thing essential for the primary thing is that we are reconciled with God, that we have forgiveness of sins, that we be Christians. True happiness and true meaning in life is not answered in the terms of things and possessions but in terms of forgiveness and reconciliation. New inventions and gadgets are fine, but an African native living in a hut is far better off than the wealthiest who knows Jesus Christ is far better off than the wealthiest person without Jesus Christ.

When you build a house, you have to get a foundation in, and you have to build it right if you want a good and lasting house, so the Lord of God declares that foundation of our lives is having Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin. So today, Jesus Christ offers us this forgiveness. Certainly, received forgiveness in baptism, but just as we eat to have to eat regularly after we are born physically, so to we must have spiritual food and spiritual nourishment even after spiritual birth in baptism and today Christ offers us the living bread of life, the forgiveness of sins.

You see it's really not a question of the new or the old, but the real question and the is the question of sin and forgiveness that which Christ here offers us in His Sacrament this holy Sacrament of the Altar. This morning the first point that I wish to make is that it a Sacrament instituted to convey forgiveness of sins.

Secondly, the Sacrament of the Altar is a Communion meal, a fellowship meal. You see, we do not celebrate the Lord's Supper alone, it is an act of a congregation in a supper. In fact, a pastor is not even allowed to celebrate the Lord's Supper except he is authorized to do so by some local church or church institution. You do not come up to the altar alone; you come up with other Christians and here — in fellowship you receive the Body and Blood of Christ. The scene enacted here today when you come for Communion is the same as that when Christ and his disciples sat at the first Communion. They sat as comrades, as brothers, as friends, as a united group gathered together as followers of Christ and each was interested in the other.

One of the big themes of modern literature and thought is the theme of loneliness, the theme of separation. The world is split up into separated classes, white and dark, labor and capital, Democrat and Republican, East and West, North and South, but even more than these Protestant, Catholic and even more than these separations are the separations of people from one another. The idea is that life is a hard game, every man for himself, dog eat dog — so nobody trusts anybody else, watch out for your rights — be careful or that other fellow is going to jump you. This idea is further reflected in such books as "The Lonely Crowd" where the idea is that even in crowds, we may feel lonely and separated — not really trusting anyone and not knowing whether we can trust anyone. Even in business this is reflected with mass production lines, huge office forces, electrical and the like and the result is that men just get to be a number. The result is that a man is treated like a machine that can make more machines and he can be hired and fired at will — a man's usefulness in society gets to be counted only in terms of his job, his position — he is only a number.

The conclusion, of course, is that people begin to feel lonely, unwanted and unloved, mere cogs in a wheel, machines, and outside of the immediate family, a man has a hard time finding any real warmth or humanity in his other brothers. How can he — nobody trusts anybody, everybody is watching out for himself, and people begin to be valued only for what can be gotten out of them. We have seen.

Well as I say, this is one of the major themes in modern thought and literature —

And here — out of the centuries Christ approaches us in Holy Communion and reminds us that we are brothers and he calls us to come forward to his table as brothers. Into a world of distrust and re-echoing "a man as a number" Jesus invites us to come forward as comrades, as friends in and Christ and reminds us we are brothers in Christ to be united in love. Here in Communion Christ reminds us that we must remember that men are men, and not machines — that we should not think in terms of white or black, rich or poor, East or West, but that Christians, the world over, are to unite before the table of the Lord, remembering that it is a fellowship meal that breaks down classes and ostentation and unites people in love and concern. Into a bowed, downed, machine-minded, separated world comes Jesus Christ, the living Lord coming to us in His Sacrament, reminding us of our common unity and brotherhood. If only and if men and women throughout the world would truly unit there would not be the loneliness, separation or even the two hostile camps of East and West facing each other with the facing each other ~~un~-certain.

Today, Jesus Christ confronts us in a world fascinated by the new, by antique, the unusual, by progress and speed and also split apart by loneliness, fear and distrust, and today Jesus Christ offers forgiveness of sin and invites to fellowship and brotherhood.

Again, concerning how often we should receive the Lord's Supper, again I remind you it is to be taken frequently. Martin Luther in his Large Catechism p. 451 para. 42 to that those who claim to be Christian should prepare themselves to receive this Sacrament frequently. Again, Luther says, "Let it be understood that people who abstain and divest themselves from the Sacrament for a long period of time are not to be considered Christian." And finally, a quote from Luther: "If you feel heavy laden and feel your weakness, go joyfully to the Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort and strength."

Whatever your needs, if you believe Christ offers forgiveness and you are repentant, come and receive forgiveness and taste that God is good & the peace that passes all understanding, and into a world tormented unhappy by its and new and yet filled with distrust and loneliness, come and find the peace that passes all understanding, come and find forgiveness and a purpose for your life.

Thank you for taking the time today to read My Grandfathers Word 

The writing explores the dynamic between a fast-changing world and the permanent needs of the human soul through two primary themes:

The Obsession with the New vs. the Value of the Ancient: The sermon opens by describing a modern age dominated by progress, technological marvels (jets, electric appliances, modern conveniences), and relentless advertising that urges people to constantly chase the newest product. However, it notes that newness alone cannot satisfy humanity. People still crave ancient traditions, heritage, and timeless comforts—from sitting by a wood fire to singing traditional songs and cherishing historical heirlooms.

Sin, Modern Disillusionment, and Forgiveness: The author critiques modern attempts to dismiss the concept of "sin" as mere psychological maladjustment. Pointing to the harsh realities of recent history—including two world wars, concentration camps (Dachau, Buchenwald), and the Cold War—the sermon argues that human brokenness is real and cannot be fixed by gadgets, material wealth, or social status. True reconciliation and purpose come only through God's grace and the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ.

Isolation in a Machine-Minded World: Addressing the modern epidemic of loneliness, the text highlights how societal division (racial, political, economic, and global) and mass production treat individuals as cogs in a machine rather than human beings.

Holy Communion as the Solution: The sermon presents the Sacrament of the Altar (Holy Communion) as both ancient and urgently modern. It serves two vital functions: conveying the forgiveness of sins and acting as a communal "fellowship meal" that strips away social distinctions, uniting believers as equals and comrades in Christ.

Call to Action & Spiritual Renewal: Citing Martin Luther’s Large Catechism, the sermon concludes with an encouragement for Christians to partake in Holy Communion frequently. It offers an invitation to anyone feeling burdened, lonely, or alienated to move past material distractions and find lasting peace, forgiveness, and purpose in God.