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Living Water
By Amanda Markel I spent most of the Divine Service the Second Sunday after Pentecost sweating bullets, on the edge of the pew with worry. What was the cause of my distress? Well, you see, my three-year-old is as repeater. Anything she hears that she understands, is interested in, or finds funny, she repeats. Loudly. It’s something we’re working on, especially in church, but in the meantime, the Old Testament reading was about the fall into sin. And if you’re familiar with that reading from Genesis 3, you know that the word naked comes up more than once. My preschooler, like many children her age, thinks the word “naked,” as…
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Longing to Belong: A Sheep’s Tale
By Debra-Lynn Swearingen We were lost sheep for a season. There is nothing like church shopping to make you certain you are shepherd-less. Especially if you are susceptible to being a part of the growing sad, mad, church alumni. In some churches we were greeted heartily, some put us through a grueling Q&A session, and some we passed through without notice. We knew little of what we were looking for, and more of what we weren’t willing to endure. We were unsure of how right doctrine and social-fit unite, but we wanted both. We were longing to belong. We just didn’t know what that meant. This was not a new quest…
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The Elephant in the Pews
By Amanda Markel There’s an elephant in the living room in some of our churches and it’s time to stop ignoring it. That elephant is the former church workers in our midst. The “elephant in the corner” metaphor doesn’t apply to every former church worker. There is a group of retirees, especially pastors, that receive a place of honor in our congregations, such as the pastors emeriti. They who have served many successful, although often hard, years and are now retired, but willing to help out from time to time, are not the people I’m talking about. The former church workers that I’m talking about are often younger, although not…
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Where do tears go in the Divine Service? Emotions in the Lutheran Church
I’ve never been a mountaintop Christian. In fact, my tent has seemingly been pitched in the valley. But that didn’t keep me from climbing. I surrounded myself with positive people, hung pithy sayings above my sink and by my door, and renounced all negative energy. I even said prayers that bound Satan and established a hedge of protection around those I loved. I chose to praise on the mountain more, and cry in the valley less. I was determined to be too blessed to be depressed. However, incantations and mantras are short lived in the face of real life trials. Dysfunction, disease, and death have a way of making headway…
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The Humorous Tales of Our Children in Church
Our kids are all in church frequently — which is great. It has also provided us all some funny tales of their best (or worst — you decide) moments in church. Come, sigh and laugh with us, and maybe find comfort that you’re not — at all — alone. He was about three, and we were in church. I had been teaching him the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, and he jumped right in reciting them in church. I beamed, looked around to make sure everyone saw it, because, well, my kid rocks, and I’m an awesome mom. A few minutes later, I’m not paying attention, but am focused on the sermon, but he’s standing between…
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Craving Popularity in the Church
By Holly Scheer The church seems like the last place that popularity should matter. After all, aren’t we all sinners, desperate for grace? Aren’t we all on equal footing as we wait for God’s very good gifts? Unfortunately, it often seems or feels like there’s a hierarchy in both the church and the synod. It doesn’t take long for it to become clear that, just like in any group, there are the people who seem to be sought out, admired, looked up to — and those who aren’t. It can feel like we see the same names writing books and devotionals, the same faces leading the fellowship meal committees and hosting…
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Easter Vigil
By Amanda Markel You may have noticed that some churches have a service on Holy Saturday evening. For some people, this may or may not come as a surprise. It is not uncommon for churches to have a Saturday evening service weekly, which usually serves as an opportunity for members who cannot make it to the regular Sunday morning service to still receive Christ’s gifts, and be in fellowship with the congregation. But whether or not your church regularly worships on Saturday evening, the Holy Saturday service, the Great Vigil of Easter, is different. First, what it’s not. It’s not supposed to be a regular Saturday worship service. It shouldn’t…
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What the Grieving Heart Needs
by Vanessa Rasanen Life is not easy. The vast majority of us here have it pretty good, and most of our “trials” could likely be chalked up to your average #firstworldproblems, a basic annoyance or irritation, frustration or hurdle. Most of us don’t know and cannot fathom a life spent in constant fear, facing real persecution, or feeling true hunger. Yet, we are not immune to pain and tribulation, and we get no pass from sin, death, suffering and loss. Satan attacks all, from the poorest beggar to the wealthiest of kings. He shows no discrimination or favoritism based on where we live or who we were born to. Our civil, financial…
