272 Never ask a question during the children's sermon

This morning Pastor Jeff called the children forward to the front of the sanctuary and sitting beneath the cross and in front of the altar, he opened a brown paper bag. "I have similar items in this bag, and I want you to tell me what they all do." One by one he pulled out a bottle of glue, a rope, a roll of scotch tape, a big roll of duct tape, and some velcro with great drama for each item. He commented that duct tape seemed to be holding the world together these days and "what would we do without duct tape," and went on to explain the velcro. "What do these things all have in common?" he asked. One older child said, "They hold things together." "That's right," Jeff said. "And what holds us together in God's love?" One little guy so excited, shouted "DUCT TAPE!"

Pentecost Concert

Our choir presented a wonderful "Choral Evensong on Pentecost" yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m. It was a time to show off our "new choir" (specifically for the Lytham Rd. campus) and our newly refurbished pipe organ. Interspersed with brief messages from the pastor and scripture reading, we had choral numbers, brass ensemble pieces, two hymns with the congregation, and several organ solos.

Pastor Paul made the most stunning remark I've ever heard at a church concert. He told us we had work to do--that listening was the work of the audience. I wish that message could have come before the wonderful organ/brass Prelude (Praise the Lord, Sigfrid Karg-Elert). A woman behind me was reading the program aloud and commenting to her guest--who probably could have read it herself, and the woman beside me was chatting with her companions. The louder the brass, the louder they talked. As a former trombone player, I wanted to hear the Prelude!

Paul also gave us a bit of history about the organ that I didn't know. The church is 49 years old. A member gave a $50,000 gift in 1970 to purchase the organ, and Paul estimated the same instrument would be $500,000 today. But in 1983 the size of the sanctuary was doubled (holds about 750), and there was not enough space to enlarge the pipes to really fill the church with the sound needed for some pieces. In January the pipes of the organ were dismantled and taken out for repairs and cleaning (we used the piano), and when it was reinstalled, there were some ranges included that are digital since there is no room for additional pipes. A few years ago another member in her will left $250,000 to the church just for the music program, and $80,000 of that when to repair and refurbish the organ. (I didn't have a pencil with me to take notes, so I might have a few details incorrect.)

And another thing I loved. The women of the choir wore white shirts and black skirts or slacks and the men wore dark suits with white shirts and ties. There were times in the past when I'd have to shut my eyes to the cacophony of colors and clothing styles during concerts. Our new director must be from the old school who thinks sight and sound need to be in relationship, not fighting each other.

270 What Mel did for Jim

Jerry and I met in the late 1980s at our first Medical Library Association meeting. Boston maybe? We became almost instant friends. Two things, besides our profession, bonded us. We both had bad backs and were standing up against the wall to listen to presentations and we both attended Al-Anon. We continued to meet annually--Seattle, San Antonio, Detroit, Philadelphia and probably a few other cities. We also met each others husbands.

We'd sort of lost track these last few years--she took some exotic positions out of the country, but e-mail recently reconnected us. She happened to mention that her husband had become a Christian and stopped drinking. "Tell me more," I responded in the reply message. Here's what she told me, and it is absolutely awesome. Enjoy--I have her permission to share.

"A year ago February, we were in Florida with my brother, Tom, and his wife Jeannie. They invited us to go see the Passion of the Christ. Jim said, "Why not?". He came out of the movie just sobbing--received Christ at the point of Jesus leaving the Tomb. It was an awesome occasion. I was what you would call a back slider. Had been a Christian for years--just wasn't walking the talk. We came home from Florida and joined a wonderful church--Clarkston Community. Pastor, congregation, music everything is just awesome. Can't wait to go every Sunday. Jim has become involved with Habitat for Humanity--he's a house leader for the June Build. He worked as one last year, as well. I've been trying to organize the church library--no space!!! Jim quit drinking that night of the Passion. Just amazing what a happier person he is now. Life is good!!"

269 Roast Preacher for Dinner

You've probably heard that old saw--"after church they had roast preacher for dinner." Saturday night we had dinner at friends--I think there were 11 of us, and the topic turned to preaching. We were all Lutherans, some Missouri Synod, some ELCA. Our church is fortunate to have four really outstanding pastors, all with different gifts. Jeff, the youngest is an orator--his preaching skills are amazing and energizing. Paul, the senior pastor, is gentle, soft spoken and an encourager. His father and grandfather were Lutheran Pastors. Dave is our theologian and teacher--I love his classes and have blogged about them. He is a former missionary and an excellent musician. But I love John's faithfulness to preaching the gospel--his attention to the "left side of the THEREFORE." Like me, he was a church member all of his life, but the light turned on for him in his 30s when he was a schoolteacher in the Columbus Public Schools and he left a successful career to go to seminary. So he knows from experience there are a lot of member-seekers sitting in the pew every Sunday who need to hear the Gospel in fresh, but persistent ways.

The left side of therefore. By that I mean if you ever see the word THEREFORE, or NOW in Paul's letters, pay attention. He's just finished up laying out for you why you should believe. The cross and the resurrection. Then he moves on to what you should do about it. So many sermons focus on the right side of the THEREFORE, and the sermon becomes just so much law. "Therefore, do this, and that, and don't forget about thus."

Sunday morning John was the pastor at the service I attended (we have 10 services). I had been finishing up some art show details, and slipped into the last pew by my husband who was an usher that service. The sermon was just starting. John announced the good news that Jesus had died for our sins, that his resurrection was our hope. The topic of the current sermon series is "gifts of the spirit," and the day's theme was kindness. He went on to tell a personal story (forgot to mention that John is the best story teller, having been an elementary school teacher). After selling their home to church members about 8 years ago, they moved to a condo. The new residents didn't wait for the neighbors to call on them, and instead, on Christmas Eve took cookies to the neighbors. They met a family who had just experienced a death and were grieving. They invited them to church and offered to pick them up. That couple have since become members and love the church. John said somewhat sheepishly that he had lived there for years and although he had spoken to them about yard and flowers, had never invited them to church or offered a simple kindness like a plate of cookies.

Coming away from a sermon with one major point to ponder is good; but coming away with that point plus the Gospel is even better. Thanks, Pastor John.

268 The Festival of Blue Hair and Walkers

Alto Artist blogs about being a Jewish singer in "On Chanting." Once you start reading her story it is difficult to stop. To begin at the beginning, I think you need to go to the February archives. Here's a sample:

"When I had a moment of awareness, years later--a sudden and jarring formulation, for which I was not prepared, of the idea that I did believe in God--I thought I had gone crazy. It made no sense. Rational people didn't waste brain power on this. It was months before I even mentioned it to anyone. In the interim, I started going to services. It was an unusual synagogue, full of singing and dancing--based upon my prior experiences, I barely recognized it as Jewish. And there was often a woman standing at the bima, which was utterly alien. I told myself that it was fun, and a great place to meet guys, but the real reason I returned each week, even going so far as to wake up early on Saturday morning, was to convince myself that I wasn't nuts. Here were hundreds of smart Jewish people who prayed; they couldn't all be living in a fantasy world (especially since a large percentage were mental health professionals, this being the Upper West Side), could they?"

And another:

"Chanting Torah had always seemed like one of those interesting and ridiculously difficult things other people did, like roping calves or writing symphonies, solidly ouside the realm of experience I happened to occupy in this lifetime. On the other hand, thirteen-year-old boys and girls did it all the time, so I knew it was easier than brain surgery. And it involved singing, an opportunity I could never turn down. Intrigued by the challenge, I agreed to give it a try."

Hat tip to Glory Be for introducing this wonderful writer.

267 Visual Arts Ministry has three shows in May

The Visual Arts Ministry of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (UALC) is planning three shows for May-June, 2005. At The Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026, from May 7 -June 11, 2005 we will again offer the Spring Show for the Upper Arlington Art League. Popular Lewis Center artist Charles Rowland will judge the show. At The Church on Lytham Road, 2300 Lytham Road, Upper Arlington, 43220 from May 6 through June 10, we are offering "The Elaines." Watercolorists Elaine Strutner of Upper Arlington and Elaine Sherer of Dublin, both of whom began seriously painting after retirement, are the featured artists. The members of the UALC Visual Arts Ministry are having their own show at the Upper Arlington Public Library, 2800 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington, 43221 during the month of May.

The web page for the Visual Arts Ministry is a bit out of date, because I'm in charge. We use a turn-key system that I think is a bit cranky and I haven't been able to get in to revise our section for maybe a year or more.

266 Hildegard von Bingen

Today my Inner Catholic cum Latin Wannabe decided to check out some Cds of lovely, spiritual music from the library. I chose two discs of Hildegard Von Bingen, a 12th century musical genius, a German Abbess. She was quite sickly as a child, but seemed to have a rich interior life which was the basis of her music and writings. Right now I’m listening to Vision; The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen, by Richard Souther. This is a jazz interpretation, and I suppose I could say I’m not beside myself with joy over it. So now I’ve switched to Diadema. One account of her life and work says Hildegard was most recently hijacked by the New Age Movement. I’d been listening to some old timey hymns in the car, like Trust and Obey, and What a Friend we have in Jesus. I’m probably not ready for Hildegard, but it is interesting that regardless the age, illness and difficulty seem to have inspired many hymn writers.

Our Lady of Liturgical Abuses

Vox Lauri is a Roman Catholic librarian with a lot of health problems and a quirky sense of humor. After attending Mass at OLLA she stops at a Walgreens to buy hair dye where she encounters "burly man" who sat next to her in church. She tells quite a wild story.

"Around the store all the employees were talking about the fight: burly man tried to stop a shoplifter. I immediately thought that wasn't too bright, as in burly man could have gotten killed to save Walgreen’s the loss of a talking fish plaque or Chia Pet. The police arrived and took a statement, promised to look for the thief; their promise almost like someone asking how you are or wishing you a nice day, trite and expected."

264 A Mother's Peace

We don’t usually stay for Sunday School after worship. However, today our pastor encouraged the congregation at the 8:30 service to stay and hear Rachel Muha talk about God’s peace, and the murder of her 18 year old son, during the Sunday School hour. We are doing a series on the gifts of the Spirit, and today’s topic was Peace, using the passage, Phillipians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We were so blessed by Mrs. Muha’s loving, quiet ways. A tiny woman with a lovely smile who appears to be in her mid-40s, she talked about her two sons, Chris and Brian, their growing up years in a Columbus suburb, their school and activities, and their love for family, church and community. Both went to Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH and that’s where Brian and his roommate were kidnapped and then murdered in Pennsylvania in May 1999. She talked about prayer and the peace God gave her as each horrible detail began to unfold. As the students packed the college chapel to pray for the missing students, Mrs. Muha addressed them and said, “Whoever is responsible for what has happened to Brian and Aaron, and whatever you have done to them, I forgive you.”

She talked about why she had to forgive the three young men, Terrell, Nathan and Brandon, who murdered Brian Muha and Aaron Land. Hers is not a warm, fuzzy, whimpy forgiveness--she says her heart has been shattered and will always be in a million pieces. But she won’t let the devil make her hate. She concluded with the story of the Prodigal Son, and says she prays daily for those young men and hopes that prison will be their path to heaven. She calls them her brothers. They have not yet repented six years later, so she urged us to pray for them also.

There are numerous accounts of this crime and the trial on the internet, but I thought this one, less than a year after Brian’s death, accurately reflected what she told our group.

After the trial, Tony Norman wrote:

“At the heart of the courtroom's luminous drama was Rachel Muha, the mother of Brian. Her gracious speech will reverberate for years in that sad and divided community.

"If you hadn't done this, I would have my Brian and you would have your freedom," she said calmly. "But losing your freedom is not as bad as losing your soul." She then asked Herring to redeem the rest of his years on Earth before blessing him and assuring him she'd pray for him.

Herring had no idea a year ago that he'd ever be confronted by such a woman. Had he known such love in his life, he would've wrestled his partner to the ground. Taking a bullet would've been better than living under the weight of a heartbroken mother's prayers.

Rachel Muha's redemption song has stunned and inspired many people. What the petite woman did in the presence of the tall man who helped kill her son required a bravery beyond what it takes to squeeze the trigger of a gun. What good is hatred? Rachel Muha understands that, sometimes, the language of redemption is the only thing in the whole world that makes any sense.”

A loophole in Ohio's law has caused our Supreme Court to throw out the murder convictions in this brutal case, according to this article and this one, and that loophole has now been closed, but too late for the victim's families.

263 Les Miserables

Cindy Swanson writes about Les Miserables, and her anticipation of using the tickets for the Chicago production given as a birthday gift.

"I absolutely LOVE the music in Les Miserables. I also appreciate the Christian world-view that permeates the play. Grace/mercy versus legalism/justice--it's a pretty classic theme. I love the character of Jean Valjean--he epitomizes a redeemed soul. I think Valjean's lyrics in "What Have I Done?" are a picture of salvation:

"I am reaching, but I fall
And the night is closing in
And I stare into the void
To the whirlpool of my sin
I'll escape now from the world
From the world of Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Another story must begin!"

Sounds spectacular, Cindy. Hope it met all your expectations. Cindy is a radio announcer and voice-over artist by occupation. She loves to read and write, and can't live a day without music, according to her bio.

262 The Pope is Catholic

Isn't that a surprise! Philip Lawler in today's Wall Street Journal says that the portrait being painted of Benedict XVI by the MSM responding to the secular liberals "is completely at odds with the actual personality of Benedict XVI. In fact, he is a genial, diffident man. Those who meet him for the first time are invariably struck by the humility that camouflages his powerful intellect." He comments that belief in absolute truth gives offense to those who cling to the self-contradictory principle that there are no absolutes. Their real complaint is that the Pope is Catholic. Lawler is editor of Catholic World Report.

As a Protestant (Lutheran) watching all this unfold during the last few weeks with the death of the Pope and selection of the new Pope, I've discovered my inner Catholic. And my high school Latin. I actually want someone in charge! I'd like someone to say, this is right and that is wrong despite what your government or school system or entertainers say. In Protestantism we are constantly thrown from one side of the boat to the other, and we wander from church door to church door looking for truth. We don't take in converts, we get disgruntled transfers seeking different music and jazzy programming. All Protestant denominations have had numerous splits and schisms. Then they regroup and start all over again. I think when the Catholic church caves, we're all in trouble.

I've heard a few Catholic commentators suggest to those Catholics who don't like what the church is doing, to "walk." Well, stay out of our neighborhood--we've got enough problems of our own figuring it out.

261 Good for traveling

On our recent trip to Illinois I brought along Hank Hanegraaff's 4 disc set of Bible questions, The Bible Answer Book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I checked it out of our church library, and at $20 I think it is an excellent buy and would recommend it. One gets tired of talk radio, inane advertisements and loud music on these long trips, so it was very pleasant to listen to his clear and thoughtful explanations of common questions people have about the Bible.

I'm more a book/print person myself, but if the speaker is slow enough and varies his voice, I can get a lot out of it. I recently tried Anne Graham Lotz's "Why; trusting God when you don't understand" which is read, unabridged by the author on 3 discs. However, she reads too fast and there was not enough variation in tone and value to make it an easy listen, so I stopped half way into the first disc.

260 Spitting in the wind

And I'll say it again, anyway. In my reading of Christian authors, the biggest challenge is often finding a clear presentation of the Gospel, and that includes Max Lucado and Rick Warren, two extremely popular Christian writers. Wonderful writers both, but because they know the Gospel so well, they fail to build a foundation for their readers. All Christian writers and publishers can assume that at some point a seeker or an unbeliever will pick up their material, so they shouldn't start with sanctification assuming the reader knows about sin and salvation.

A Prayer for the Unemployed

A young man at another site is going on an interview and has asked the other bloggers for prayer. He didn't leave his e-mail address, and I thought this reply might be unappreciated if posted at that site, so I'll put it here and make a referral. This prayer is taken from "My Prayer Book" published by Concordia in 1957. I've modernized the language a bit.

"Dear Father in Heaven, Giver of all good things, I thank you that you have created me and preserved me to this day. You know my needs and my fears because of my present unemployment. I ask you to comfort and strengthen me, and help me to maintain my hope and courage.

It is clear from your Word that work is normal and good for man, yet I have not found the work which I need and seek. This situation is hard to understand. Help me, Lord, to surrender wholly to you and to look to you for the employment which I need.

I pray Lord, correct what is wrong with me or with the employment situation in general, and give me the opportunity to earn my own bread. Open a door to employment which I do not now see. Keep me from discouragement and bitterness, and help me to put my trust in you.

Help me to say with a believing heart: "The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."

In that knowledge and in that faith make me trusting and patient. In the meantime care for me and mine according to your promise. I trust you will do so for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Savior, in whom you have promised to give us all things. Amen."

I used to think it odd that people relied on printed prayers, but I see more and more are being published. I often refer to this little pocket size book and have found it very flexible and scriptural. It even has prayers for various professions (although not librarians). The petitioner expresses his needs and fears and discouragement then asks for a fresh look at the situation, for trust and patience. Unemployment is very wearing on the soul and spirit.

258 Watching the Papal Conclave

CBS News broke into the Dr. Phil Show to allow us to see this historic moment. However, the news speakers just blathered on and on--I couldn't even hear the music. So I turned on Fox News, and got a simple 30 minutes of just the event of the cardinals taking the secrecy oath. I briefly checked CNN and they were chattering too. Eventually, Fox added the voice of a Roman Catholic priest, knowledgeable about the Sistine Chapel, the faith and event who explained the theological and political significance. Then they too succumbed to the "can't have a dead space" disease.

Photo here

You too?

"The music employed by the Church, and used in the bumpers for the coverage [of the Pope's death], which is much different from the Sunday Catholic worship norm. The reason? We are talking about death and resurrection right now. Whatever the virtues of most modern popular Catholic worship music, it is not generally about those subjects."

Seen at Dyspeptic Mutterings

256 Spring Break

Check out one of my paintings and a poem about April at my other blog, Collecting my Thoughts.

Ideas have consequences

One of the things that has disturbed me about the Terri news coverage is that the outrage about the starvation and thirst (even the callous Europeans are horrified), might actually work in favor of the pro-death crowd. Denyse O'Leary writes: "Starting slowly in the early 20th century, but now picking up speed, naturalism has begun to make deep inroads into our culture, including the school systems. And we are seeing the results.

At one time, only unborn children slated for abortion were treated with complete indifference to their possible suffering. Now it could be you. And if you complain that Terri is being treated cruelly, you will be told that a lethal injection would be more humane. In other words, going the whole way of treating all humans as animals would be more humane.

So, even if you are not religious or not socially concerned, but merely selfish, wake up and care."

The whole essay is well worth reading.

254 Lip Service after Easter Services?

On Good Friday, Zach Wendling wrote about why he treasures the services held on that day--services that end in total darkness leaving one with a sense of horror at what has transpired on our behalf, Jesus death on the cross for our sins.

“Before Jesus could overcome sin and death by his glorious resurrection on Sunday, he had to endure that sin and death today. What we will celebrate in two (three?) days is predicated by what happened today, and so it behooves us to mark this day as different. To ignore Good Friday and skip straight to Easter may even have theologically troubling implications. Pride makes us want to ignore our sin and skip straight to the Gospel message of salvation and joy, and appropriately, Easter is a celebration of that salvation. Good Friday, on the other hand, is a stark reminder of why we need Christ, why he died, and how he died.” Zach Wendling In the Agora

In a nutshell, Wendling described why so many sermons with “bumper sticker gospel” fall flat, both for the saints and the ain‘ts. To me they are stuck either on Palm Sunday with happy, relationship themes, or they underscore the law in Paul’s writings with admonitions to go out and do more witnessing, more serving, more stewardship, more good examples, etc. They not only skip over the Resurrection, our hope, the rest of the church year, but ignore what happened on Good Friday.

“Pride makes us want to ignore our sin and skip straight to the Gospel message of salvation and joy.”

Here’s an example of the Gospel of Jesus Christ reworked to be inoffensive. Our church magazine for March has a reprinted interview with Quaker Richard J. Foster, the founder of Renovaré. My first complaint is that his article on prayer is reprinted from The Plain Truth, the organ of a sect that I’m not ready yet to embrace given its founding by Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God (which has split into many factions since Armstrong‘s death).

I know Foster is considered a wonderful writer, but in this interview the Gospel is just gibberish, an unbeliever would never figure it out and a believer would just be lulled to sleep with all that sweetness and joy. There is no Good Friday. No Easter. Only figuring out through trial and error how to get close to God in prayer--which sounds an awful lot like works to me. It’s not that tough in a two page article to insert a few words about sin and the cross so we have a foundation from which to start. Here’s the cheerleading, bumper sticker gospel to which I object:

“God will not come into certain corners of our lives until we open those corners to him.”

“It is the life relationship, the interaction with God, that changes us.”

“Prayer is one of the means God uses for purifying our motives [to pray?].”

[Through prayer, good, bad, whatever ?] the problems of sin begin to be dealt with in time.”

“A loving relationship with God . . .is a great adventure.”

The name of Jesus does not appear anywhere in the article. Even the Muslim clerk at Meijer’s says, “God bless you” after our chats.

The article did drive me to his website, which is better than this interview--actually mentions Jesus--but still bogs down in relationship chatter. Sort of the ecumenical version of, “do you have a personal relationship with Jesus” to the power of 10.

253 Not only Christians fight for Terri

"Eleanor Smith of Decatur, Georgia, sat on Tuesday in a motorized wheelchair in front of the hospice, baking in the sun, with a sign on her lap reading, "This agnostic liberal says 'Feed Terri."'

Seems she'll take the Christians over the ACLU when it comes to life.

Story here.