Old habits die hard. After a year of writing this blog, it seems almost automatic to sit down and write it on Sunday afternoons. Last week we were entertaining friends in the mountains and I did not go to church. That just didn't feel right, After 2 Sundays in my home congregation, today I decided to go to Holy Trinity Lutheran. I have not been there since their 100th Anniversary celebration when our national bishop gave the sermon and since my friend, Rev. Nancy Kraft left for Maryland. The new pastor has had time to settle in, so I thought it would be a nice Sunday to visit. Also it was close by and I wanted to see the Pride Parade at 1 o'clock.
WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO
Holy Trinity is at 1900 The Plaza in the Plaza/Midwood neighborhood. Parking was not a problem and dress is church casual. Worship is at 11 am. It is "Reconciled in Christ" community which means it has gone through a process within the ELCA to actively welcome the LGBT community in their congregation. (While the LGBT community is welcome in many congregations, only 7 congregations in the NC Synod have intentionally gone through the process.)
REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP
MOOD
Several people welcomed us as we entered the sanctuary and the pastor made a point to stop by our pew and welcome us. Later it was good to see old friends, Roy and Diana Johnson, a colleague of David's from the Odell days, and Mark Hoffa with whom we've served on various Lutheran committees.
MUSIC
The music was a nice blend of traditional and somewhat contemporary music. They use one of the modern settings of the Lutheran liturgy and we sang a mixture of traditional (Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise) and contemporary (My Life Flows) hymns, all from the "red book". The music leader adeptly used both the organ and piano. It was a tad slow for David's taste and while I'm not sure if any organist is ever fast enough for him, I agreed this time. A young man nervously, but beautifully sang a solo (Aaron Copland's At the River) for the offertory. A mic would have helped his offering.
MESSAGE
Pastor Emily's message was centered around the reading from Isaiah 51 and the Gospel, Matthew 16 where Jesus asks "Who do people say that I am?" and names Peter as the rock on which the new church will be built. During the children's sermon, she emphasized rocks and had the children analyze the verse in Isaiah "Look to the rock from which you were hewn and the quarry from which you were dug." It took a little meandering (children are great for that!) but I think she got her point across that the children come from Christian parents and their foundations are in Christ's love.
During the regular sermon, she began with her own question about identity and related it to all of the silly quizzes we take on the internet (What breed of dog would you be?). In asking the question "Who do people say that I am" Jesus was not wondering about his identity but helping the disciples clarify and acknowledge theirs. We are who we are, because Jesus is who He is. By recognizing the Messiah we become children of God though His love (and grace). This must be how we present ourselves to the world, a good message for Pride Sunday and the LGBT Pride Parade in which many of the congregation participated after the service.
OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS
- It was nice to be in a congregation (besides Advent) that holds hands during the Lord's Prayer. I truly like this tradition and missed it in other congregations.
- This congregation volunteers at Merry Oaks School and has several groups assembling things for the children: a fiber arts group making hats and scarves and others planting plants on the school grounds and making hygiene kits.
- As stated above, this congregation has a history of being open to the LBGT community and have marched in the Pride Parade since it began I think. It was so nice to see SO MANY churches marching today!! What a loving enactment of the today's Gospel The paper said that the Pride Parade has now surpassed the Thanksgiving Parade in the number of entrants! What a great celebration of diversity and acceptance. I think this makes us the "world class city" many hope that we will become!!
- I remember worshiping at Holy Trinity one Christmas when my children were very small. Emily wiggled through the crowd and got away from us. We found her at the front door, beside the pastor, shaking hands with each congregant (and the pastor, keeping her from going onto The Plaza!). He said, "she will either be a politician or a pastor"... Neither has come true, but she is still my outgoing child and I think about this each time I see HTLC's front door, right on the street.
A Cartoon about Peter... before he became "Peter, The Rock"...
