385 Lutheran sacraments

"Lutherans recognize only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, because Luther could find no clear evidence that Christ instituted any other sacraments. Baptism commissions all believers to a common ministry, but for the sake of enduring witness and good order in the church, there is a divinely instituted, special, ordained ministry. Lutherans have not always agreed on the precise differences between the ministry of all the baptized (the "common priesthood of all believers") and the ministry of the ordained, but they have nevertheless rejected any notion of a divinely instituted structure of hierarchical priesthood. An ordained Lutheran pastor is a baptized Christian who is called to the public ministry of word and sacraments after proper training and examination, and the rite of ordination is the solemn commissioning to be faithful to this call." Lutheranism. ERIC GRITSCH. Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. Vol. 8. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. p5538-5540. 15 vols. On-line edition accessed Jan. 21, 2007.

Lutherans, at least none I know, don't rebaptize. If you can't remember your baptism, don't ask for a do-over from a Lutheran because you'll be told God remembers even if you don't. Also, of all the service opportunities I've had since joining UALC in 1974, serving communion is the high point. I can't tell you the beauty and privilege of handing the body of Christ to a dear sweet 85 year old who has struggled to get to the communion rail.

384 Featured church of the week

on U.S. Farm Report today is First Baptist Church of Wayne, NE, which organized in 1882, which means the congregation is celebrating its 125th birthday! I think the reporter said they built their present facility in 1909. Their website is simple and easy to read. It's easy to look at the list of chores and ministries of their members (did one woman really do coffee, communion and clean the downstairs all alone in December or was she just in charge?). Unlike the websites of much larger, wealthier churches. No names of course.

383 A joke in the Frozen Chosen discussion

I laughed out loud at this one. It was in the blog comments section.

"A young boy was shocked to find that his neighborhood playmates had never been baptized. Thinking quickly, he led them all to the nearest church.

A janitor, the only person there at the time, opened the door and let them in. Upon hearing what they wanted, he led them into the bathroom, where he proceeded to sprinkle each of them with water from a toilet.

Walking home, the boys began to wonder what demonination they had joined.

"Well we can't be baptists," one boy said, "because they dunk you all the way in."

"Well, we can't be Catholics," another boy said. "They pour water over your head and light candles."

After further discussion, another boy finally interrupted in disgust. "Come on, guys, didn't you smell that water? We're 'piscopalians!" "

382 The Frozen Chosen

is not a term with which I'm familiar, but apparently it is a derogatory term for Presbyterians, and a WaPo writer made a serious blunder, showing ignorance of church traditions and Calvinists, when referring to Episcopalians with that term. The hullabaloo was caused when there was a write up about the Falls Church Episcopal church in Fairfax County, VA leaving the denomination and that they might be speaking in tongues and having ecstatic worship experiences. [Shhhh, don't tell--fundies, you know.] Well, a woman who actually worships there wrote them up. Be sure to read the comments.

381 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, although two I made many years ago I have kept to this day. (To stop biting my fingernails and to always put my keys in the same place in my purse.)

However, on January 1 I was looking for an open coffee shop and went into the Starbucks which opened about 30 minutes earlier than the first store I tried. I was reading, minding my own business, when a gentleman on his way out the door said something to me about finding a coffee shop on a holiday. So we started talking--we knew some of the same people and had a similar health problem.

Eventually (because I made an opening) we got around to church and faith. He started talking about his "The One Year Bible" which he had with him and uses to lead a Bible study group. He said he'd tried reading the Bible through many times, but this method worked for him and kept him from tunnel vision.

When I got home I pulled our copy (NIV) off the shelf. I've made it to January 3, which may be longer than the last time I tried it. In the Matthew passage today (3:7-4:11) the devil is tempting Jesus after his 40 day fast. Each time, Jesus responds to temptation with, "it is written." Eventually the devil gives up and the angels came.

Sounds like a plan. But first you need to know what is written and where.

380 Volunteering at the Lutheran Food Pantry

Tuesday I had the opportunity to work at the Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio newly remodeled Choice Food Pantry. I was very impressed with the new layout and system which I believe provides the client with more responsibility, dignity, and less waste. The food is now all arranged on movable shelving units (can be stocked in the back and moved to the client area), color coded by USDA food pyramid graph. After the client is screened and approved by an experienced staff member, the volunteer picks up the card with the amounts allowed (a family of 10 with 6 children would have very different needs than a retired couple), and walks with the client through the aisles and they pick out what they know their families will eat. People with diabetes or cholesterol problems stop and read the labels. It takes a little longer than the old method where the volunteer selected the items, but in the long run there will be less waste. Tuesday had a special treat that I would have loved--30 piece slabs of wonderful, fresh corn bread from a local restaurant. Only one family unit turned it down. Each family can have as much bread (muffins, bagels, rolls, buns) as they can use up without it counting as a choice.

Because it is the Christmas season, each client also received age and sex appropriate gifts purchased, packaged and wrapped by the churches of central Ohio. Some families received table decorations and stockings with personal care items until we ran out. Adults received knit hats and gloves if they wanted them. Each child in the family received a very nice selection of new books, including a hard cover children's Bible.

Did you know that the "working poor" families and the welfare families in this country have about the same income, but the working families by percentage of income are the most generous of any group? Yes, they donate a higher percentage of their incomes than do the wealthiest income group; and welfare families with about the same income give almost nothing to others. There is dignity in work and self-sufficency. Occasionally, something happens to people of limited means--maybe grandchildren have to be taken in, or a heating bill is outrageous, the support check doesn't come, or there's an illness, so they need a little boost from the food pantry.

LSSCO distributed 2,416,715 lbs. or $2.8 million worth of food, and used 28,000 volunteer hours in 2006. This time of year 80-90 family units are being served at the location where I worked. The poor in the USA are not underfed or poorly clothed; many are overweight or obese, they dress well and have access to or own an automobile. For whatever personal circumstance, they are in a moment--or a month--of hardship. However, the Bible says in Matt. 25:35 that it is the ones feeding the hungry who are benefiting, because they are meeting Jesus, the Son of Man, who will be separating the sheep and goats. Keep that in mind the next time you are needed as a volunteer. There are no goats in heaven; only sheep.

Cross posted at Collecting My Thoughts

Food banks
hunger
Lutheran Social Services

379 Review of the Nativity Story movie

Pastor Mark Roberts has an excellent review of the movie (making headlines for being banished from Christmas displays by Chicago's Mayor) here at his blog.

". . . if you're looking for an excellent bit of creative filmmaking that affirms but goes beyond the biblical material, then you'll be quite pleased. Is this movie exactly what I would make if I had the chance? I doubt it. Is it better than what I would make? No doubt about it. Is it well worth seeing? You bet."

378 Why make the Gospel so difficult?

"Franklin Johnson was a professor at the University of Chicago. His book, The Quotations of the New Testament From The Old – Considered in the Light of General Literature, is a valuable resource in discerning the manner in which the New Testament writers employed texts from the Old Testament in the propagation and defense of the gospel.

While reading this volume recently, I ran across a rather unusual statement. Not unusual on its merit, but unusual from the vantage point of issuing from a distinguished professor in a prestigious institution such as the University of Chicago. More than a century ago, Professor Johnson wrote:

"The New Testament was not written for a limited number of learned men; but for the great world, and for the churches gathered out of it, and thus for people of ordinary intelligence" (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1895, p. 19).

I was struck by the dramatic contrast between this statement, and the rarified stratum in which many "scholars" currently operate, speaking in "unknown tongues" of technical jargon that virtually none, outside the cult of sacred intelligentsia, can decipher."

Full article here.

377 Dress up for Jesus

I've composed a hymn which can be sung to the same tune as Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus.

Dress up, dress up for Jesus, ye women of the cross
Pack up designer blue jeans, it will not be a loss.
From picnic unto ball game His army you can lead,
But please for Sunday meeting, let Christ be Lord indeed.

Dress up, dress up for Jesus, don't let me be alone;
Your flesh I'm tired of seeing, you cannot trust your own.
Put on a suit or dress, each piece put on with prayer;
When playground duty calls you, then let your jeans go there.

Dress up, dress up for Jesus, each fam'ly to its post
Go forth into the conflict, and shout with all the host
You will not look so casual, from head unto your toes
Let grace and taste and beauty, give strength to trend oppose.

Dress up, dress up for Jesus, the skirt need not be long,
But please a little coverage, will be this matron's song.
You think you look so humble, I see a sloppy mess,
You're with the King of Glory? Why should we have to guess?

hymns
Worship services
women's fashion
Columbus, OH

This is cross posted at my regular blog with the full explanation.

Upper Arlington Lutheran Church

is a suburban congregation with three campuses; the original site which is in Upper Arlington, 2300 Lytham Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43220; the building that opened in 2000 near the Mill Run shopping center, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026; and a very pretty older Lutheran church on Columbus' west side which we absorbed a few years ago so we could have an urban ministry, 12 South Terrace Avenue, Columbus, OH 43204. However, we have a phone listing problem. If you are looking for an ELCA congregation, I invite you. Call 614-451-3736, or visit our web site for a map.


I don't know why it takes me, who is not an employee, to figure this out. Just list the Lytham Road address with our ONE phone number, instead of listing no address at all. Giving the cutesy catch-titles or acronym with no address in the telephone white pages or yellow pages is not helpful, because who is going to be looking for those? So what if they show up at Lytham for one of the four Sunday morning services? Do we only get one chance? The Mill Run campus is visible for miles, both from the free way and the shopping center and the park. You'd have to be blind to miss it. Lytham is very difficult to find because it is tucked into a residential neighborhood.

Besides, it's the Lytham folks who are keeping the budget afloat. At least use our address.

Please, can't someone get this right?

ELCA
Columbus, OH
Lutheran
Upper Arlington Lutheran Church
UALC

Akron area Presbyterians revolt again "Mother Child and Womb" (Trinity)

The Akron Beacon reports that "The pastors of Stow Presbyterian and Hudson Presbyterian churches said the decision to break away from the denomination came after much prayer and deliberation.

"The denomination has been in turmoil for years," said the Rev. David Weyrick, pastor of Stow Presbyterian Church. "We're not going to spend any more time, energy, money and emotion on a dysfunctional organization. We're jumping off the Titanic and swimming on our own because it's going down." "

"The denomination's 2001 General Assemblyactually held a formal debate on whether Christ was Lord and the only way to salvation," Weyrick said. "There are those in the denomination who would deny the Lordship of Christ and view him merely as a moral teacher. We simply cannot agree to unscriptural interpretations."

The Rev. D. Wayne Bogue, pastor of the Hudson congregation, echoed Weyrick's sentiments.

Story Here.

HT Dunker Journal

374 Family Man Librarian

A father agonizes over evil in the aftermath of the murder of school girls:

"I haven’t felt this way — highly concerned and anxious about the state of affairs around me — since September 11, 2001. I know who is the author and promoter of evil: Satan. I know that his power is great and that his weapons include fear, doubt, and destruction. But I also know that his power is in no way comparable to God's; that his efforts are ultimately fruitless; that the only sure thing I have in this world is the promise that God will never leave me or forsake me. Jesus said to his followers: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)" Family Man Librarian

Cross posted at Collecting My Thoughts

Talent on loan from God

While I was on my walk today I was listening to Christian radio, 880 am Columbus. The commentator, Bob Burney, disagreed with a caller who said Mark Foley needed our prayers and counseling. The host said that without redemption, he was still lost in sin, and counseling would just encourage him to reach deep down for his own goodness or god spirit or likeness (I'm paraphrasing). Then he said something that surprised me. Burney said that after Rush Limbaugh returned from time in drug rehab for his prescription drug problem, he noticed a distinct change. Rush's signature statement, "talent on loan from God" which used to be a shtick to irritate his enemies and gives his friends a chuckle is now dead serious, said the host. Burney believes that counseling had changed Rush--and not in a good way.

I've always laughed at that phrase, because the joke is (to me) all our talents are on loan from God, not just his. I wonder who the host thinks gave him his talents? And does he think they belong to him or are on loan for the glory of the kingdom?

372 Back in the fall routine

Well, not quite. Last Monday I forgot to go in and shelve books at the church library, but at least I remembered the mail run on Thursday. Today my husband and I were communion servers. It is the week-end of the Jubilee Celebration (50th anniversary of the founding of the congregation). Nice commemorative stories in the church newsletter by some of the founders who met in the basement of the first pastor's house before we ever had a rented location or building.

I'm still not over my anger at our former senior pastor (see previous entry). I'm still grieving for his wife and family, I think. I'm wondering if the huge debt (building program) he led us into was a result of God's direction, or his own desire to have a legacy. Or maybe guilt. A number of the women I've talked to have commented that they always felt he was smug and arrogant, and talked like he was right up there with God. One said he all but patted her on the head and treated her like a child when she came to him with an idea. Yes, that's how he treated women--well, most women.

371 If it hadn't been in the paper

I wouldn't mention it. A lot more people read the Columbus Dispatch than my blog! The former pastor of our church committed adultery. That's bad. Really bad. Particularly since he was quite a finger wagger from the pulpit, and helped the church establish a position paper on sexuality. He formerly was with Missouri Synod, and I always had the feeling he didn't think our synod (ELCA) was quite "Lutheran" enough. And he was a charismatic. You know, the joyful ones who get a special word from the Lord on how to be a dynamic Christian the rest of us aren't privy to. The affair happened during the early years of his "reign" and he was with us quite a while. In 2001 we probably had kids going off to college whom he baptized as infants. Unlike Jimmy Swaggart, the televangelist who got caught, he didn't go public and tearfully confess so we could have booted him--after we forgave him, of course.

Anyway, my computer spell-check tries to change his name to weasel. And I'm not going to correct it.

Cross posted at my other blog.

370 Does this ever happen to you?

I didn't go to church this morning--still sort of sniffly from my cold. Our flowers were up there for our anniversary and later my husband went and got them. "What was the sermon about?" I asked when he came in the door. He stopped, paused and said, "I don't remember." Now that was about 10 minutes after the service, because we don't live far from the church. Then he remembered: it was about a new program. Figures.

369 The Spiritual Dimension of Excercise

There isn't one. Let's not confuse our bodily functions here. The buzz and mild euphoria when chemical compounds flood the bloodstream and perk up your brain during vigorous exercise is physical, not spiritual. Same with swinging, swaying, clapping, shouting and stomping with the music team backed up by electric guitars and drums waving their arms in front of the congregation. That outpouring of the spirit you feel is probably your own endorphins gushing with each repetitive chorus. It's about as spiritual as the guys who say they can worship on the golf course while getting their exercise.

368 The first shall be last?

I'm still hoping this article about First Class Kids at Abilene Baptist is a joke, because it sounds really awful. For a $15 fee, you can drop your little one off in first class where she'll get special treats and treatment while you attend church.

"Some families complain that separate nurseries create a two-tier church. But many like splurging once or twice a month on the first class service. Others even buy the First Class Kids annual pass.

"Once my grandkids experienced first class, they cried when their mother tried to put them into economy," says a grandmother who bought annual passes for her four grandchildren.

[Pastor Ron] Jacobs says offerings are up considerably since families have gotten hooked on concierge-style Sunday school. The premium service fee counts as offering and is tax deductible."

Story at Lark News.

367 Ka Boom, Bang Thud Crash

When I stepped outside the coffee shop this morning at Lakeside, I heard a very loud "worship" band practicing at the Pavilion. Inwardly I groaned for the folks trying to sleep-in at the hotel, and for those of us planning to attend a peaceful morning worship service with communion at 8:30 by the lake. I walked back to the cottage and told my husband I just refused to go and have my ears assaulted and my heart rate changed by the thud-thud-crash of a loud contemporary worship band. It is always a contemporary service, but usually just with happy Gwen playing simple little songs at the electric synthesizer. No drums. No electric guitars or ampilification.

Part of my distaste was recovering from last night's concert by CeCe Winans. She is a fabulous singer, a terrific preacher, and a great performer, but the lights were blinding and the amplification painful. Just as distracting were her backup singers, all overweight and looking like they were dressed to chop cotton on a cool day--faded boot cut jeans two sizes too small and black jeans jackets over t-shirts. What ever happened to glamor--usually African American women can sweep us out the door with their fashion flare! This is a summer vacation spot and the audience in capri pants and shorts was dressed better than the performers!

When she performed for the President it was much quieter and more glamorous.

CeCe Winans
contemporary worship

Cross posted at Collecting my thoughts.

362 First Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana

Columbus, IN is the fifth most important site in the United States for architecture, and it all started with this congregation hiring Eliel Saarinen to design the first truly modern church building in the U.S.



Those of us on an architectural tour were very disappointed to see banners hanging in the sanctuary, and the altar removed to make room for a drum set and speakers. Stickers were on the windows. Why do worship committees and musicians think interior visual spaces don't matter?

First Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Indiana
Church architecture