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A Place of Refuge and Rest

 

Today’s blog post is from Laura Ferree, current seminarian and Leadership in Context student at Jacob’s Porch, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Laura shares her experience following the car and knife attack that took place on the OSU campus on Nov. 28, 2016.

 

On Monday November 28th I was driving to the Columbus airport to pick up a friend when a NPR news broadcaster stated, “There is an active shooter being reported on Ohio State University’s campus”. My heart sank. My mind instantly raced to all the students I have come to know during my time as the Leadership in Context student at Jacob’s Porch, Ohio State’s Lutheran Campus Ministry. Through social media, we quickly determined that all of our students were safe but some were in buildings very close to the violent incident. As I went through my morning at Trinity Lutheran Seminary I knew that I needed to be at the Porch that night. My mind was racing about what kind of space we needed to create at the Porch when Grant Eckhart, the pastor at Jacob’s Porch, called. He told me that he was out of town but we agreed the Porch needed to be open. My heart sank once again.  I am only a seminary student. How did I have the qualifications to do this? With Grant’s trust and guidance, I felt prepared to enter ministry that day with students at the Porch knowing that the Holy Spirit would intercede when our sighs were too deep for words.

As soon as possible I went to the Porch and was greeted by students, but also by news crews and cameras. As the media buzzed around there was a deep sense of palpable anguish. Amid the distress and uncertainties, we created a sacred space of prayer and lament as we reflected on the events of that morning. The Porch is a place of vulnerability where people can simply be, and on this day of tragedy many people needed to just be.

On this day we turned to something we often do: light candles and place them in a sandbox cross remembering that Christ is the light of the world. We sit on cushions around this cross and turn to prayer remembering the promise that is in the cross, the promise of eternal life and forgiveness of our sins. Coming back to the cross in this way centers us on the promise of an everlasting light that extinguishes darkness which can be easily forgotten in times of tragedy.

The Porch is a place of refuge and rest, for our Christian family but also for the Muslim and Somali community. Due to the identity of the attacker our Muslim and Somali siblings were experiencing a threat to their safety. We are called to come together in love not hate and therefore we strive to make the Porch a safe space for all regardless of religion or nationality. On that chaotic afternoon, we found rest in each other and cried out to God to be our refuge and strength.

 

LiturgyGram: Communion Distribution

 

A young man receives communion by common cup at Churchwide Assembly.

 

As Lutherans we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the meal we call Holy Communion. This holy mystery calls for reverence, care and pastoral wisdom in the practices surrounding its distribution. As set forth in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s set of priorities for the practices of word and sacrament, The Use of the Means of Grace,

Practices of distributing and receiving Holy Communion reflect the unity of the Body of Christ and the dignity and new life of the baptized (Principle 45).

How is wine distributed?

The question of wine distribution is less straightforward and more controversial than the same question for bread. We will highlight the three most prevalent practices: common cup, individual glasses and intinction.

(In this post, which is excerpted from the ELCA Worship FAQs, we will only look at the various ways wine is distributed during communion. For a discussion of bread as well, please refer to the complete FAQ, “How do we distribute Holy Communion?”)

Common cup

The oldest practice associated with partaking the wine is to drink from one cup. Like eating the bread from one loaf, the one cup symbolizes our unity in Christ.

Authors of The Sunday Assembly, a companion volume to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, note that this practice began to abate in the beginning of the twentieth century, most likely a result of concerns about hygiene.

However, evidence seems to show that when used properly, this method is actually the most sanitary method of distributing the wine, especially if wine glasses are pre- filled or intinction is practiced (see below). The latter practices involve much more use of the hands, which are “the most frequent source of passing pathogens, not our mouths” (The Sunday Assembly, p. 193).

How is wine distributed from a common drinking chalice?
From The Sunday Assembly: “The minister of the chalice will usually hold the middle or node of the chalice stem by one hand, presenting the cup near the person’s mouth and allowing the communicant to tip the chalice to his or her lips while holding on to the base. The communion minister uses the purificator, held in the other hand, to wipe the outside and inside of the lip of the chalice while, at the same time, rotating the cup to present it to the next communicant” (216).

Individual glasses

If congregations use individual glasses, it is advised to pour during distribution rather than pre-filling them. As stated in The Sunday Assembly: “This practice will maintain the symbol of the cup, make the altar less crowded, make caring for what is left over much easier and more reverent, and actually result in a healthier practice than is possible with pre-filled glasses” (193).

How is wine distributed from a pouring chalice?
From The Sunday Assembly: “In assemblies using small glasses, the minister with the cup must pour carefully into the small glass, afterward touching the spout of the chalice with the purificator to catch any stray drops.” (216)

Intinction

Intinction refers to the process of receiving the bread or host and dipping it into the wine. This method is typically commended for its convenience. While this process seems less complicated one most consider its limitations.

When we eat and drink a meal in everyday life, we eat and then drink. We rarely dip our bread in our wine. It is easier to understand communion as a meal when we are eating and drinking.

This method is likely to be more unsanitary because many hands can touch the cup. There is also the issue of pieces of bread floating in the wine, a problem if this chalice is also used as the drinking chalice. It may be preferable to use hosts/wafers for intinction or to have a separate chalice for intinction.

 

Again, Lutherans do not dictate a manner of eating or drinking, but it is important to carefully consider how and why we do what we do. (See The Sunday Assembly, 192- 194).

 

Of Light, Blessing and S’mores: Epiphany at Trinity

 

Today’s blog post is from Jill Henning, Pastor of Faith Development at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lilburn, Georgia.

 

The day of Epiphany has become a special celebration within my congregation, Trinity Lutheran Church in Lilburn, Georgia.  In an area where most of the Christmas decorations are put away before the New Year and the world has grown a little darker without Christmas lights, we gather under a lit star to carry that light out into the world.  Several years ago we were able to find a battery operated star that we place on a long pole, then one of our youth is chosen to bear that light into the world.  We gather around the baptismal font with the star and pray that God might bless our homes and that we might be the light shining in our world. We hear again the passage from Matthew of the Magi’s journey to find the Christ child and then sing as we process to the front door of the church.  This door is marked with chalk, “20+CBM+17,” the year with the initials of “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” – May Christ Bless the House.

From the front door everyone is given a branch of evergreen and we sing “We Three Kings” as we process to our labyrinth to celebrate.  While traditionally the three gifts brought to the Christ Child were gold, frankincense and myrrh, at Trinity we bring our evergreen to be burned in a fire pit and everyone enjoys our own three gifts of Epiphany: graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.  The night ends with the greens burned, the reading of John 1:1-4, 14, 16 and the making of s’mores.  In bleak, cold winter’s night light shines in the darkness and laughter fills the sky.  As pastor I get to enjoy my own tradition of seeing which of our youth can roast the perfect marshmallow, with me as the judge and official Epiphany taste tester.  For those unable to attend we also provide a home devotion so their homes can be blessed and marked for the New Year.

May your home be blessed this Epiphany and may your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

Advent & Christmas Greetings from the Worship Staff

 

“We are called to ponder mystery and await the coming Christ, to embody God’s compassion for each fragile human life. God is with us in our longing to bring healing to the earth, while we watch with joy and wonder for the promised Savior’s birth.” (Unexpected and Mysterious, ELW Hymn #258)

 

In this season of Advent waiting, we pray that God stirs up God’s power among us: embodying God’s compassion for each fragile human life, reminding the world of the longed for healing that only God can bring to earth, and we watch with joy and wonder as we draw closer to the promised Savior’s birth in the beauty of the nativity at Christmas.

 

We wish each of you a blessed season filled with hope, wonder, and joy! We pray God’s blessings of great joy and expectation in this New Year!

 

Blessed Advent—Merry Christmas—Happy New Year!

The ELCA Worship Staff

Kevin—-John—-BethAnn

 

And the Word became flesh: Engaging Worship and Culture

 

Today’s post is from Jennifer Baker-Trinity, Organist and Choir Director at Beaver Lutheran in Beaver Springs, PA.

 

In this time in the church year, Christians wonder at this mystery: Christ becoming fully human, taking earthly form in a world full of joy and pain, of suffering and healing. We yearn for Christ’s coming, but do we recognize it birthed now among us? Do we marvel at how Christ’s birth transforms us to be like that bright star, guiding the nations to God’s light and love revealed in Jesus?

While much of the northern climates will be experiencing a snowy winter described in many Northern European Christmas carols, a worship event held in warmer Santa Monica, California offers another context for us to ask the following question:

How do we engage worship and culture?

Said another way,

How does the mystery of Christ’s coming to us shape how we experience God in worship?

This February 19-21, come to St. Paul’s Lutheran in Santa Monica to gather with others around this and related questions. All in attendance will have the opportunity to hear presenters flesh out the Nairobi Statement on Worship and Culture, a helpful document that challenges us to see worship through four lenses: transcultural (common to all cultures), contextual (specific to a particular culture), counter-cultural (transforming the prevailing culture) and cross-cultural (shared between cultures) (For a fresh guide at how this statement calls us to worship renewal, see Can We Talk: Engaging Worship and Culture.)

Jesus’ birth calls forth praise from all the nations streaming to his light. Come to discover what in our worship transcends cultures and unites us as one people of God. At the same time, Jesus came and still comes to a particular people in a particular place. Come and reflect upon the aspects of worship that reflect your unique congregation and its particular gifts.

Christmas will come and go, but Christ continually comes among us. We hope you, too, will come to California for these days of renewal!

 

For more information see the Facebook event and watch for registration soon at http://www.elca.org/worship.

 

 

LiturgyGram: Why the Wreath?

adventwreathgram

 

Today’s post is an excerpt from the ELCA Worship FAQ “What is the Advent Wreath and How is it used in worship?” 

 

The Advent wreath has its roots in the pre-Christian practices of northern Europe. People sought the return of the sun in the dark time of the year (at the winter solstice) by lighting candles and fires. As early as the middle Ages, Christians used fire and light to represent Christ’s coming into the world. Using this same symbolism, the Advent wreath developed a few centuries ago in Germany as a sign of the waiting and hopeful expectation of the return in glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The wreath, a circle, came to represent the eternal victory over death through Jesus Christ. The evergreens were a sign of the faithfulness of God to God’s people, even in death, and the lighted candles were a reminder of the light of Christ brought into the world.

This symbolism can be just as strong for us today. As is the case with all symbols, they speak most loudly to remind us of God’s promises of life when they are drawn directly out of our daily experience and environment. One should consider using only natural materials from God’s creation when making an Advent wreath. Evergreens come in many varieties and may be treated with a flame retardant substance. Branches of holly, laurel, and other green shrubs, which retain their freshness longer than pine, may also be used. The circular shape, a symbol of eternal life, is most important. Using an alternative shape, such as a log, would diminish the meaning of the symbol, which is no longer a circle. There is no one prescribed color for the candles, although several traditions are current. Four natural colored candles are always appropriate and symbolize the Light for which we wait. Four blue candles matches the blue used for the season, a color representing hope. Some assemblies may have the older tradition of using purple candles, keeping purple as the color for both Advent and Lent. The practice of using a pink candle on the third Sunday in Advent is no longer consistent with the current lectionary. This tradition arose when Advent was regarded as a thoroughly penitential season much like Lent. The third Sunday of Advent was called “Gaudete Sunday”, from the Latin meaning “Rejoice!” It had its roots in the text from Philippians 4:4-6, “rejoice in the Lord always…” These readings are still heard in Year C on Advent III.

 

For more background and further resources see the complete FAQ answer.