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I’m Failing to Parent in the Pew
By Vanessa Rasanen That Sunday was pretty much like any other, except my husband actually had the day off work and was able to join us for church. I don’t know if having him there with us caused me to drop my guard or what, but shortly after the Lord’s Supper had concluded and our pastors were returning the chalice and such to the altar, I looked up to see our almost three year old little girl smiling at me from the other side of the chancel railing. Somehow she had slipped away from me and her Godmother while my husband was out in the narthex disciplining the five year…
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Closed Communion and Visitors
By Holly Scheer Summer is a pretty common time to travel. The kids are out of school, and we’re ready to go new places and see new things. Fun times for everyone! Unless travel takes us out of our home congregations over Sundays, and there isn’t a church in fellowship with where we are traveling. Then the fun can be tinged with some apprehension and nervousness. It’s the same feeling we have when family or friends come visit and they’re not members. Will telling them they can’t commune offend them? Will this cause a rift? Is it better to just not attend church at all? No! Attend church! Attend church…
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Stuff Some Rolls in your Purse (on bringing the liturgy home)
By Emily Cook It’s time for the Divine Service! Our Sunday Feast! Here, the gifts of God are poured out in so much abundance that one can hardly take it all in! It’s going to be a party! Oh wait, I have children. Never mind. It’s going to be a battle. If you have children, you know they aren’t exactly interested in taking it all in. They’re not there for the “food,” so to speak. They are their to wave to their friends, to drop the offering with a loud clatter on the floor, to lick the hymnals, and to color on their dress pants. So what’s a mother to…
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Why to Attend Advent Midweek Services
By Amanda Markel Today marks the first Wednesday in Advent, and that means most Lutheran churches will have a midweek service tonight. These services often take the form of Vespers or Evening Prayer, which are services especially appropriate to this time of year. Both services use the Magnificat, Mary’s beautiful song, which she sang after being visited by the angel, as the main Canticle. What better time of year to sing along with Mary the words: “For the Mighty One has done great things to me, and holy is His name; and His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.” In addition to the Magnificat, the…
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Travel and Church
By Holly Scheer Whatever the reason for the travel– for work, to see family, vacation, ect, travel that stretches past Sunday brings with with it the need to consider what to do about church. My family was on vacation this last Sunday– a vacation that included my parents. This meant that Sunday morning when we visited a church there were two pastors sitting in the pew, and that they spent time researching where we should visit. How many families spend time online researching hotels but don’t think to apply some of the same time and effort to looking for a church to attend? If looking for another church to visit…
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Missing Your Church Home
By Holly Scheer I share something in common with many of you– the church I attend now is not the church I grew up in. Our society is increasingly mobile. We move for jobs, for college, when we get married. Sometimes we move so far away that going “home” is hard. And for those of us reared in the church this means that not only are we apart from childhood friends and family we are apart from the church of our youth. New churches come with new experiences. New meals at potlucks, new holiday traditions. New hymns the congregation prefers. I grew up with the liturgy. I can close my…
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Dos and Don’ts of Navigating College as a Lutheran
By Bethany Kilcrease So, perhaps you’re a high school senior just packing bags and preparing to head off to college. Or, perhaps you’re a parent about to send off your child. Or, maybe you’re neither and just have some time to kill and happened to stumbled across this awesome website. In any case, I am about to offer you the first item on my off-the-top-of-my-head list of how to survive those tumultuous college years while remaining in the faith. I should note that all the following dos and don’ts are mine alone and don’t necessarily reflect the views of every contributor on this site. I should also note that I…
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Making the Connection Between Church and Home
By Amanda Markel In my experience, many Christians struggle with leaving church behind after they leave the Divine Service on Sunday morning, and don’t really think about it again until they go back the following week. So how do Christians, especially Christian parents, intentionally make church part of their home life all through the week, so that their children don’t don’t see church as a “Sundays-only” thing? First of all, you have to be intentional. You can’t just hope that church will come up during the week, that some random event will bring it to mind. You certainly don’t expect your children to learn to read or memorize math facts…
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The Delicate Art of the Perfect Church Outfit
By Holly Scheer Picking an outfit that is just right for church can be complicated. Or not. Here at the Sisters of Katie Luther, we’ve got your back and our authors have worked long and hard (and made mistakes so you don’t have to) to help you pick out something just right. * In no particular order, here are our best tips to reduce stress when planning out what to wear. Same way I pick work clothes–it’s clean and isn’t jeans or shorts I make sure my shoes allow me to sprint after my toddler when he runs off (again) How hard will it be to receive the…
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Comfort for Those Tending to the Lord’s Littlest Sheep, Part 3
By Keri Wolfmueller Tricks of the Trade and Quiet Activities for Young Children Thanks for joining the conversation about having children in church! Please see Part 1 and Part 2. I’m just as normal as you. However, I’m going to boldly assert a “Top Ten” list of helpful things to know and practice when you have little ones with you in church. This is not the Ten Commandments. This list holds no value regarding your salvation. You therefore are free. Every parent is unique and sets their own standards of what is acceptable for their child. Every child is unique. Some respond to discipline. Some respond to rewards. Some naturally aim…
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