Lutheran Woman Today

by Kate Elliott

You are reading this issue in summer. But I am writing in mid-March and there’s scarcely a green bud to be seen. I am trying to imagine a warm sunny day as you read the magazine outdoors or in front of an open window with a gentle breeze. I long for that season, but my reality today is cold rain and slush and blustery winds.

Last month, our Bible study session considered Mary in the early season of her life—as a young woman being greeted by an angel. In this issue, the two sessions reflect on Mary in different seasons of her life—as a mother and an older woman, a leader in the church.

In our lives, too, we experience different seasons. We have days of expectation and great energy and new life bursting out. We have days of fullness and contentment with friends and family. We have days of challenge and worry and grief. How do we live these seasons in the light of faith?

One way is through the support and friendship of other women of faith. Some may be women who are in the same season as we find ourselves—and some may be women who are in a very different season. We can learn from both.

In “Bold Connections,” we read how author Rebecca Kasten is touched by a close friendship with a woman more than 45 years her senior. “Eleanor cannot possibly know how much her friendship has meant to me. . . . she has become an extra grandparent to my children. . . . I listen to her experience, her views, and advice— her perspective is invaluable to me.”

Sometimes we share a season with women in a place and a way of life very far from our own. In “God’s Work, Our Hands,” Sue Edison-Swift tells of her trip to Malawi, Africa, to visit programs funded by ELCA World Hunger Appeal. She describes the washing of hands before a special lunch: “I jot ‘God’s work, our hands’ in my notebook, knowing that my understanding of ‘our’ had just expanded to include a world full of neighbors.”

Author Linda Johnson Seyenkulo writes about our encounters with the holy in the everyday light of faith. In “Open Yourself to the Holy,” she reminds us to “start each day expecting to hear from God, expecting to have a holy encounter. Know deep in yourself that the holy is everywhere, even just around the corner.”

Finally, I encourage you to read the introduction to our upcoming ninesession Bible study “To God’s Beloved: Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” by Sarah Henrich. She writes of how the Bible teaches her in her own seasons of life: “The Bible became to me a book not only of adventure, challenge, and engagement, but also a book of promise in the face of the real dangers, turmoil, and suffering that is part of every human life, one way or another.”

We look forward to beginning Sarah’s study in the next issue of LWT. In the meantime, enjoy this season, with all its blessings.

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write to her at LWT@elca.org.

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By Kate Sprutta Elliott

Welcome to our summer Bible study, “Mary: A Woman for All Seasons” by Christa von Zychlin. In this session, we reflect on Mary’s life as a very young woman. Christa writes, “Hope was bare and frozen for God’s people who lived on a hilly strip of land called Judea. . . . And yet, just like the buds in earliest spring, God’s life forces were stirring. God’s power was about to be made known in a teenager’s courage to take on an audacious assignment.”

Are you willing to take on “an audacious assignment” yourself? In “Do Not Be Afraid—I Dare You,” Tana Kjos writes that “living a bold life on purpose, a life like Mary’s, begins with knowing that God is calling you to participate in something bigger than yourself.” Tana goes on to challenge readers to “participate in God’s mission to bless the world.” Are you willing to work boldly with God to bless the world?

We can begin blessing the world in the places nearest to us. As we reflect on Mary as a young woman, let’s think about ways we can have a positive influence on the young people in our lives—in our families, our congregations, our communities.

In “Singing with Mary,” Jennifer Baker Trinity considers how we can be mentors to one another—older to younger, younger to older—and how music itself can mentor us in our faith. She writes, “Think of a song you learned as a child that you still know by heart. . . . When you hear that melody, you are transported to another place. The music itself becomes a mentor that accompanies you along your life’s journey.”

In many congregations, young people seem to drift away as they grow up. In “Will They Be Back?” Rod Boriack writes, “It’s tempting to think that if we could just get them back through the front door and sitting in a pew again, all will be well. . . . But it’s not that simple.” Rod’s suggestion: Take the time to reach out and talk to the young people you know and to really listen to their stories.

For many young people, the milestone in their life of faith is confirmation, when they publicly affirm their baptism in the presence of the community. Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen reminds us that “we are named by Holy Baptism as ‘children of God.’ We share the joy and responsibility of shaping one another in the Christian faith.”

Finally, in this issue, we honor a writer whose faith has been an example and encouragement to many of us—Marj Leegard. Anne Edison-Albright interviewed Marj, who turns 89 in August, at her home in Detroit Lakes, Minn. We hear in Marj’s own words about her life’s journey and the joy of writing. She has been a mentor to many and a gift to the church. While she is retiring from her regular column, we hope that she will still write for us from time to time. Thanks be to God for Marj’s witness!

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You can contact her at LWT@elca.org.

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by Kate Sprutta Elliott

The heroes I know aren’t superheroes. Not one of them can leap a tall building. Not one has x-ray vision (some of them barely have any vision without their bifocals). No superpowers, no capes, no fancy high-tech spy gadgets.

No, the heroes I know are the ones who show up. They are the ones who help at the soup kitchen or lead the Bible study or make the quilts or visit the veterans’ hospital—even though they themselves may be struggling with chronic illness or money worries or family problems. Some of them are barely getting by, but still manage to bring something to the potluck or make a donation to World Hunger. When they say they’ll pray for you, you know they will. These are women and men you can count on. It’s likely that you know some heroes like these. They see service and loving loyalty—hesed—as an expression of their faith.

This month’s Bible study is the final session of “The Hidden Hand of God.” The writers point out that Esther is an unexpected hero: “It is an orphaned young woman, rather than a prophet, priest, or warrior king like David, who delivers her people. Esther is an example of hesed toward the community even at great personal risk.”

In this issue, you’ll read about several unexpected heroes. In “A Wink and a Prayer,” Peggy Tampson tells of her mother’s powerful witness as she was dying: “Every doctor received a warm hand squeeze from the only hand that worked, a hearty thanks, and a wink (because words couldn’t be counted on to come out right). Roommates told us how Mom’s encouragement at night kept them hopeful. She introduced them all to her best friend, Jesus.” It’s a tribute that’s especially appropriate as we celebrate Mother’s Day.

In “Showing the Love of Christ” LaRayne Topp introduces us to St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska, and to Mavis Heidemann. In 1971, mothers of mentally challenged adults asked Fremont’s churches for Christian education for their grown children, and St. Timothy answered the call. “Mavis Heidemann was one of the first teachers. Mavis continues to fill that role today—at the age of 87.” It would be easy to see Mavis as the unexpected hero here, but it’s not that simple. The students are heroes too.

Also in this issue you’ll find a profile of a Women of the ELCA leader in Eveleth, Minnesota—Marian Chase. Author Mary La Plante describes how the circles in Marian’s congregation live out the Women of the ELCA purpose statement “by participating in Bible study, forming a close faith community, and engaging in action to help the poor, hungry, and disenfranchised.”
Finally, in “What Kind of Christian,” Patricia Lull reflects on how she chooses to live as a woman of faith. She challenges readers to use her article “to start a conversation with the people you care about the most. What do you want your children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, neighbors, and co-workers to know about the shape of your life as a Christian?” This is a good reflection question as we prepare for the life-changing windy blessings of Pentecost.

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You can reach her at lwt@elca.org.

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by Kate Sprutta Elliott

Disobedience makes me uneasy. I like to know and follow the rules. I figure that people smarter than I am made them, and they had their reasons. Even when there is no one around, I stop for the stop sign and use my blinker to signal the turn.

The rules make me feel safe. But not everyone experiences them that way. Before the civil rights movement in this country, the rules dictated where African American people were allowed to sit or eat or go to school or live. Those unjust rules deserved to be resisted. Rosa Parks took a risk to disobey those rules and we remember her today as a hero.

This month’s Bible study session focuses on Esther’s decision to help her people. The writers tell us, “Mordecai persuades Esther. She will disobey the king’s rule and risk her life. Shedding her former passivity, she now takes charge . . . She will act with hesed toward her people. Like the men in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3, she understands that she is risking her life.”

In “For Such a Time as This,” Mary Nelson tells of her mother’s arrest at age 78 for civil disobedience. When she was asked why she did it, she said it was for the world’s children. Nelson writes, “Like Queen Esther and my mother, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that call for faithful disobedience.”

But how do you know when to act and what to do? It takes discernment. Ginger Anderson-Larson is a spiritual director at an ELCA seminary. In “God’s Clues,” she writes about her experiences with students who seek discernment: “In open conversation with others and in quiet listening to God, the Holy Spirit will let us know God’s plan for us.”

When we’re trying to figure out what to do, we wish we could know how it will turn out. In “From Scripts to Faith,” Martha Stortz reminds us that life seldom turns out the way it does in the fairy tales and we can’t be sure of the ending. Yet there is hope: “No matter how far we’ve wandered or been wrenched away from where we thought we were going, God is there, the grace we can count on.”

It takes courage to change the script, even when the circumstances seem to require it. In “Applecart Lessons,” Phyllis Kersten shares what happened in her congregation when the torch was passed to the younger generation—and it wasn’t all sweetness and light. What would it take for the women to break out of the trap of nostalgia? Kersten writes, “What it took for the Women of Grace was for the older leadership to receive the gifts and ideas offered by the younger members for what they truly were: gifts from God, even though these ideas might threaten to turn some of their established world upside down.”

This month we see the world turned upside down in dying and rising of Jesus Christ. May you be blessed by the surprising new light of Easter.

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write her at LWT@elca.org.

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by Kate Sprutta Elliott

When I think of hidden power, I think of spandex underwear. You know, the kind that helps a gal look good in a form-fitting dress or a clingy knit pantsuit. One of my friends tried on one of these spandex shapers when she was shopping for a mother-of-the-bride dress a few years back. In the store’s fitting room she was able to squirm into it without much drama. But then she couldn’t get out of it! When she wriggled it up to take it off over her head, she got stuck with her hands waving in the air. She had to call out to a salesclerk for help. She decided against buying it. Hidden power or no, she couldn’t imagine spending the long day of the wedding wrestling a malicious undergarment.

For many of us, our image of hidden power is not quite so graphic—although it may be as uncomfortable as that spandex strangler. We don’t like to think of ourselves as having power—most of us were raised to be modest, humble, unassuming. We’re not sure we should want power, and we don’t always recognize it when we have it.

This month’s Bible study session introduces the book of Esther and explores the nature of power and how it can be used foolishly or wisely. The writers discuss Esther’s power and how she “uses her intelligence, wisdom, and gifts to advance herself. . . . this puts her in a position to save her people.”

In “Emboldened and Empowered,” Susan Engh exhorts us to recognize our power and use it to make a difference. “We have a choice: We can wring our hands, hoping and praying that someone else with enough power will come along and solve the problems that we see around us. Or we can claim and build enough power to address our communities’ problems, meet noble goals, and live out our faith values in the world.”

A notable example of women who have exercised their power in service to God are those who have worked in global mission. In “Unsung Heroines,” Anne Basye tells the stories of women who gave their lives to serving in the mission field and whose contributions go largely unrecognized. Though their power may be hidden from the wider church, these faithful women truly have lived out the ELCA theme “God’s work, our hands.”

Using power wisely requires that we respect others and ourselves. In “R-E-SP-E-C-T,” Serena Sellers reminds us that “Healthy respect for others can give us mentors, friends, and long-lasting love. Healthy self-respect allows us to recognize both our gifts and our limits and live a more balanced life.”

Finally, Beverly Piro writes in “Making a Way to the Font” that “The ancient church baptized adults before sunrise on Easter Day, linking the ritual dying and rising of the newly baptized Christian with the resurrection of Christ from death to life.” She describes how her congregation prepares those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil.

So, too, let us prepare our hearts for Easter and the joy-filled power of new life in Christ.

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write to her at LWT@elca.org.

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by Terri Lackey

I’ve led a remarkably easy life. My parents are still alive with a 60th anniversary fast approaching. Both sets of grandparents died at ripe old ages. My brothers and sisters are healthy, and I am happily married. I can recall only two personal tragedies: the day my sister murdered my pet mouse (well, it was mouseslaughter, really; she didn’t mean to), and the time I ran over my own dog, an 11-year-old Airedale who had been resting in the shade of my truck.

God has not pointed me toward a fire pit or a lions’ den and asked me to jump in. There was that scare I had with cancer a couple of years ago, and who knows, I might still succumb (most certainly I will die of something). But I don’t feel I’ve been tested, asked to prove my faith in the way that was required of Daniel or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the January/Feburary issue’s two Bible study sessions. Maybe the test is our response to suffering. Do we beg God to deliver us or do we ask God to accompany us?

“As Lutherans, we treasure the assurance that God’s gracious hesed toward us is revealed in God’s presence with us through all the joys and trials of life,” the Bible study authors write in session five. “This is part of what Luther called the theology of the cross.”

Does the theology of the cross work both ways? Robert O. Wyatt in “In the Fire with Us” recounts his difficulty with experiencing Good Friday. “Yes, I tried to feel what I imagined I was supposed to feel: excruciating pain in empathy with Jesus’ pain . . . [and] thankfulness that the Lord’s death has set me free. But it just didn’t work. Year after year, I would sit through Good Friday services unmoved.” But that changed when Wyatt experienced his own trial by fire and felt God in the flames with him.

God accompanies us and we accompany others. Marjorie Pagel writes about a bold woman—Venice Williams—who saw a need for girls to have a safe space to talk about their own fiery issues. The Milwaukee-area program, CHOICES, involves older women accompanying young girls on their journey to womanhood. Girls in the program are invited to a weekly gathering that includes a sit-down dinner and conversation on topics important to them.

One of the topics the girls might discuss is gossip. In “The Gospel on Gossip,” Cynthia Washington tells us that gossip is a way to let others know how you feel about something without confrontation. But it is also an attempt to establish pecking order or advance our own agendas. “We are all flawed, doing our best to get through the day under invisible burdens. Offering compassion for and tolerance of others’ faults is what Jesus would do,” Washington writes.

And so Jesus is our example. Even he asked God, “Remove this cup from me.” But he did not end his prayer there. “Yet not what I want, but what you want.” May we have the courage to pray the same, resting in the assurance that God will stick by us in every trial.

Terri Lackey is managing editor of Lutheran Woman Today.

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by Kate Sprutta Elliott

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? When I was in college, I had a roommate, Donna, who looked a lot like me. Or she would say I looked a lot like her. We were the same height, had the same hair style and color, and we both wore glasses. Often people (especially professors) would mistake one of us for the other. We used this to our advantage once in phys ed, when I wasn’t feeling well and she went to class in my stead. It worked—the professor didn’t realize it wasn’t me. Though when I went to class the next week, he commented that I had improved considerably since the previous class (Donna was even less athletic than me).

In this session of the Bible study, we meet Daniel and the three young men who serve in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar. As Jews living in a foreign country, they face the questions of how to practice their faith and maintain their identity as the people of God. The writers ask, “People wondered how much to adapt or adjust to another nation’s values and customs. Was there a danger of being absorbed into the larger culture and losing their identity?”

We struggle with the same questions in our own time. Maggie Rourk reminds us in “St. Nobody” that although the world will assign us an identity, “. . . we can place on ourselves the identity label that our Savior has ready made for us: Child of God. And on that label is also imprinted Saint and I am, and I am also becoming.”

At this time of year, we may find the expectations of our culture and the promises of our faith at odds—we need to remember our true identity as people grounded in Jesus Christ. As Catherine Malotky writes in “The Perfect Holiday,” we have two holidays happening at once—the commercial and the religious. She asks, “How do we care for ourselves and those we love in the midst of the cultural celebration and still be open in faith to the deep truth of this season—that God comes to you and to me freely, as a gift of deepest love . . . ?”

Two other articles in this issue help us think about how to meet the challenge of honoring Christ’s birth while recognizing the reality of the consumer culture around us. Susan Greeley writes about the journey through the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. She encourages us to “look at the whole church year, and celebrate these first three seasons as if they were three verses of the same song. It’s a beautiful tune sung in many different ways around the world.”

Sue Edison-Swift offers a reflection on gift giving: “After 30-some years of Christmas gift-giving, I guess I have figured out a few things. Since I’m an impulse buyer, I give up malls and mega-stores for Advent. . . . I’ve stopped worrying about parity or even consistency. Some years there are folks in our lives who just need a little Christmas more than others.”

As you and your family journey through these holy seasons, we wish you blessings and peace and joy.

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write to her at LWT@elca.org.

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By Audrey Riley

Not long ago, I visited my doctor’s office for a checkup. It was perfectly routine–park the car, check in at the front desk, chat with the nurse, shake hands with the doctor, notice that he still keeps his stethoscope in the freezer, chat with him for a minute, shake hands again, check out at the front desk, and out to the car. I was on the road again in twenty minutes. Perfectly routine.

But I noticed something: I must have said “thanks” 10 times in those 20 minutes. Thanks to the kid who held the door for me. Thanks to the little girl who eagerly pushed the button for floor three. Thanks to the receptionist. Thanks to the nurse, at least twice. Thanks to the doctor, at least three times. Thanks to the appointments clerk. Thanks to the parking lot attendant.

What called forth all these thanks? Well, partly, I admit, was the habit my mother instilled in me (thanks, Mom); but a large part was sincere gratitude. Words can’t express how grateful I am to my doctor and the whole crew who work with him. Where would I be without them? Merely saying “thank you” isn’t nearly enough.

So how do we express gratitude when words aren’t enough? I personally thank my doctor by following his orders. A longstanding tradition among Lutheran women is the Thankoffering. A pal tells about a friend who drove all night through a horrible snowstorm, and when she finally got home, she put a five-dollar bill into her Thankoffering box. When her mother heard about it, she went to her Thankoffering box and put in a twenty!

What are you grateful for? How do you express it? Do you put a little something in your Women of the ELCA Thankoffering box? Thanks!

The Thankofferings you and your unit send to Women of the ELCA are an important source of financial support the churchwide women’s organization has. Everything the churchwide organization does is dependent on your generosity.

What do your Thankofferings do? They make possible the many resources and programs that you, your congregational unit, and your synodical women’s organization find so valuable. They’re used to train your synodical treasurers and other officers. They’re used to support the activities of the churchwide officers and executive board. Your Thankofferings make it possible for us to bring the most inspiring and exciting speakers, preachers, and musicians to Women of the ELCA events, including the Triennial Gatherings. Your Thankofferings also make it possible for us to make our annual gift to the ELCA, which supports hunger ministries and much more.

In this issue, you’ll find a devotion and resources that might be helpful as you think about your Thankoffering or plan a service for your women’s group. (You can find Thankoffering resources on our Web.)

Your Thankofferings make it possible for the churchwide organization to serve you. We’re grateful. Thanks.

Audrey Novak Riley, associate editor of Lutheran Woman Today, is grateful for dedicated readers, among many other things. Thanks!

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by Kate Sprutta Elliott

Have you ever witnessed loving loyalty that goes beyond, that is extravagant?

Several years ago, when my father was very ill and I was traveling a lot between my apartment and my parents’ home, my friend Stuart would feed my cat. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I know it was a hassle for him to get to my place every day, especially since he took the train. For me, his kindness meant one less thing to worry about during a time of great stress. After my dad died, I stayed with Mom for another week to help with things like delivering death certificates to the bank and writing thank-you notes. Stuart faithfully fed my cat that week, but he went a step beyond. When I finally got back to my apartment, exhausted, I found fresh groceries—Stuart had shopped for me so that I wouldn’t have to go back out on my first day home. That felt like hesed to me, extravagant loyalty at that difficult time.

In this session of the Bible study, the writers reflect on Ruth’s loving loyalty and Boaz’ recognition of it (see theme verse, Ruth 2:13). The writers assure us, “By reflecting on women who have modeled hesed in the past, we gain resources to inspire and equip us to take risks in exercising the loving loyalty to which we are called.”

Most of us have been on the giving, as well as the receiving, side of loving loyalty at some time in our lives. Through a series of letters, the writer of “Hesed and the Freedom Fund” tells how a dinner party and the generosity of her friends changed her life: “This was one of the most important evenings of my life. Thank you for being there for me . . . thank you for teaching me how to seek and accept help graciously.”

Part of the Freedom Fund’s hesed in that story was its financial assistance to the writer. Catherine Malotky writes about financial health, security, and generosity in “Living from Trust.” She asks us, “What is it about our need for security that can so quickly slip into hoarding and then into greed?” The antidote is to learn to live out of the security given us in our baptism and to trust God’s care for us—and that allows us to be generous with others.

Another type of generosity is less tangible, but not less significant. Most of us know what it’s like to be ignored or passed over—especially as we get older. In “The Gift of Recognition,” Lynn Ramshaw suggests that we share a universal need to be recognized for who we really are. When we realize that we are recognized by God, we are free to give others the recognition and regard that they also seek. She writes, “Being recognized as truly created in the image of God, and then recognizing all others in the same way, is an invitation of our journey.”

May you rest in the loyalty, security, and recognition of your friends, family, and God this month, and then spread those gifts to others.

Kate Sprutta Elliott is editor of Lutheran Woman Today. You may write to her at LWT@elca.org.

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