Prayers: 30 Hour Famine

As I wrote about in an earlier post, our parish is participating in the 30 Hour Famine this weekend. We have a fantastic group signed up to participate--over twice as big as last year's group! This is partially due to last year's participants (who made it clear how much fun they had) and partially due to youth who have invited their friends (proving that yes, Lutherans can invite someone to church).

We also have an excellent team of adult volunteers, some to stay overnight and many more who are coming to help us out on Saturday and on Sunday morning. We have had plenty of support from all four congregations in our parish, and we especially appreciate all those who are praying for us, and who will continue to pray for us through this weekend! Your prayers are what make the difference between a good event and a fantastic faith-building experience.

So, as you enjoy your breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, spare a thought and a prayer for those of us who are fasting, as we will also be giving thanks for you!

~Pastor Sarah

Things they don't teach you in seminary...

#489: When you are imposing ashes in a carpeted church in a dry winter in Minnesota, there will be static electricity. A lot of it. I lost track of the number of times I shocked someone last night.

There were a few mishaps (aren't there always), but we had a lovely Ash Wednesday service last night nonetheless. It just goes to show that really, the pastor standing up in the front is just the tip of the iceberg--any number of other people from the congregation do all sorts of work in the background to make it happen, from setting up for communion to turning the microphones on to reminding the pastor when she forgets the offering (oops). Even though I am often the one standing in front, worship is not something I can do alone--it takes a whole community.

All in all, not a bad way to start Lent, as we explore together what it means for us to be the baptized family of God.

~Pastor Sarah

The ashes are ready (almost)

I managed to track down some palm ash and I've even found instructions for using it (after all my searching, it turns out that the ELCA worship FAQs had about the best explanation--who knew?). I have my little pottery container that was given to me at the end of my internship (I was told at the time that it was meant for ashes, so I am going to use it for ashes). I have a washcloth which will be hidden behind the pulpit so I can wipe my fingers off afterward (I am sure I will not be able to keep the ashes restricted to my thumb). I even practiced last night, mixing a small amount of olive oil with a small amount of ashes and wearing it for three hours to make sure there were no adverse effects. All that remains is to pour the ashes into the bowl, add a little bit of olive oil, stir it up a bit, and wash my hands (I am sure I will need to wash my hands).

If you aren't familiar with it, what happens is that worshippers are invited to come forward, kneel or stand, and have the sign of the cross marked on their foreheads with ashes. It's a wonderfully dramatic ritual gesture, involving more of the senses in worship, especially touch. The shape of the cross recalls the cross marked on our foreheads when we are baptized. Ashes, like water, have more than one use--they can be a sign of repentance and of death, but they can also be a sign of cleansing.

"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Not exactly the most uplifting thing to hear, is it? A little depressing, you would think. When you wear the ashes on your forehead, you are saying, "yes, I will die". You are admitting to being mortal, and fallen.

But because the ashes form the shape of the cross, you are also claiming that sin and death do not have the last word. Even death is defeated! So we are even bold enough to look death right in the face, and wear it on our brows, as if to say, "Yes, we will die. So what?" Or, as the apostle Paul once put it:

Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
(Romans 6:4)

~Pastor Sarah

Prayers: Seminaries

One of the things I have learned from moving around to different parts of the country is that most Lutherans are only aware of the seminary that is closest to them (if any). Did you know that there are actually eight ELCA seminaries? How many can you list? One or two? As many as four? All eight?

Another thing I have learned--from working closely with students from several different seminaries--is that they all are training good people to be faithful stewards of the gospel. I know this to be true for the ones I have worked with, so on faith (and knowing that this is really in God's hands) I take it to be true of them all. Sometimes there are differences in approach, and each seminary has its strengths and weaknesses. But really, we can be proud to support and pray for all of them, as well as for their students, and all of those who are discerning a call to ministry in our church.

That said, Seminary Days at Southern Seminary are March 22-24, and it's only fair to point out that it will actually be spring in South Carolina at that time, something no other ELCA seminary can claim. There will even be flowers, and it is absolutely not going to snow.

~Pastor Sarah

Today is Martin Luther day!

No, not Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, although it's an easy mistake. After all, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. had a lot in common--both were Christian pastors who sought to reform their societies. (And, of course, the more recent "Martin Luther" was named after "our" Martin Luther.)

Today, however, really is the day for the commemoration of Martin Luther, because this day marks the anniversary of his death. This is an excellent opportunity to brush up on your Lutheran history, as remembered from Sunday School or Confirmation. Since one of Luther's chief concerns was the study of the Word, this is also a great day for Bible reading, as we give thanks for the gift of the Scriptures translated into our own language.

~Pastor Sarah

Lent is coming...

Ash Wednesday is fast approaching, and I am thinking about the imposition of ashes. Apparently this hasn't been done at Fron the last few years, although there is a history before that. This means that, among other things...I don't know where to get the ashes. Often they come from last year's palm branches, but I'm pretty sure we don't have a collection of those back in the sacristy. What to do? I'm working on it.

A request to readers who are from the area (or who aren't!): What experiences do you have with Ash Wednesday services? What practices mean the most to you? Is the imposition of ashes a-important to you, b-completely weird and foreign, or c-indifferent?

~Pastor Sarah

Prayers: Assignment process

Right now, senior seminarians and other recently-approved candidates for ministry are waiting to find out where they will be serving. If they have spouses and/or kids, they are waiting, too. This week, they will be assigned to one of 9 geographical regions in the ELCA, which is the first big step. (After a region assignment, which can be pretty broad, you get a synod assignment, and only after that do you start thinking on the level of individual congregations and parishes.)

I went through this experience last year--for me it was pretty easy, because I was open to going anywhere, but I also felt strongly for my peers who were in different situations, all trying to be faithful to God's call. (An anonymous student from my seminary was quoted in the local paper as saying "I need a map" upon opening her assignment envelope. Yes, that was me. Yes, I knew where Minnesota was. But it didn't say "Minnesota". It said "Region 3". Would you know which synods are in Region 3?)

At Southern seminary, what happens is that the seniors all get together in the chapel to receive their envelopes. Some of them will be opened right there, while others will wait until they can be with family. It's an emotional day, full of mixed feelings--rejoicing with those who rejoice, mourning with those who mourn, and puzzling with those who are puzzled. Most students will be happy with their assignments, but there will be a few unwelcome surprises.

So, this week, I'll be taking extra time to pray for students who are waiting to be assigned and for their families and for the bishops and other folks in charge of making the assignments. The Holy Spirit really is working in this process. Sometimes this is obvious, and sometimes it is very mysterious--but it is always true.

~Pastor Sarah