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Last Sunday a large number of people came to Holy Cross in Collinsville for a concert by Concordia Seminary's special choir, Laudamus. Yesterday a big crowd filled the seminary chapel to listen to the Concordia University Nebraska's A Cappella Choir. Beautiful music both Sundays.
Holy Cross
Concordia Nebraska
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This past Sunday our family had a milestone in church. The two oldest grandsons acolyted together for the first time. This was Connor's debut and he was all smiles. There is something so wonderful about this.
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Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we were Lutheran, but in our Roseland neighborhood we had many friends who were Catholic and there were several huge Catholic churches in that area. So we heard a lot about saints from the neighorhood kids. My dad was adamant that we do not pray to saints, but we pray directly to God the heavenly Father through his Son Jesus Christ. In any event, hearing that today is St. Joseph's Day I decided to see what this is all about.
This day always falls two days after St. Patrick's Day and the color is not green, but red. It is a feast day in commemoration of Joseph, husband of Mary, who tradition has it was prayed to during a horrible famine in Sicily during the middle ages and he answered their prayers and the famine ended. "With the ending of the dreadful famine, a special feast of thanksgiving was held in commemoration of the Saint. This celebration became tradition. Wealth families prepared huge buffets. They then invited the less fortunate people of the village, especially the homeless and sick."
Much symbolism is in the food prepared and the feasts goes on all day and all night. People can come and go. Dan Bovino, a former Roseland native who grew up there sort during my time, posted a photo today of a fairly typical St. Joseph's Day feast. It must still be tradition in many Catholic churches and homes, although we don't hear as much about it.
I find this rather fascinating and if you'd like to read more about today's St. Joseph Day, here is a link with much more information.
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Dale preached at The Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens this morning, the church our kids attend. As it happened, grandson Christian acolyted and Lizzie was a reader.
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A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture I love of Christian sitting with his St. Louis pastor just talking and discussing things. Now a picture I also love of Drew getting hugged by his Maryland pastor after Christmas Eve worship. Two wonderful pastors and the kids are so blessed to have them in their lives.
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This is an interesting Twitter thread in which readers were asked to put up a photo of unusual church architecture and explain what would make you go there. The pictures are interesting. But most of the responses weren't funny as they should have been. Some actually make no sense. However, this entry did make me laugh.
"This is the church you go to if you were a cool Lutheran in the seventies and never got over it."
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The Lord's Prayer is prayed at every worship service or mass. We communally pray often just by rote, it is so familiar. But recently I've been stopped by the Fifth Petition and have spent a lot of time pondering this. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Or, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
When I really think about this I realize this is a very difficult thing to do and the seriousness of what I'm praying either with the rest of the congregation or privately hits me hard.
"Inasmuch as we sin greatly against God every day and yet He forgives it all through grace, we must always forgive our neighbor who does us harm, violence, and injustice [and] bears malice toward us.... If you do not forgive, do not think that God forgives you" (Large Catechism III:94-95)."
"Matt. 6:14-15 If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
How hard it is to forgive and mean it. How awful it is to realize that by not forgiving, we aren't forgiven.
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Our church put on a Reformation Walk yesterday afternoon, Reformation Sunday, and it was so well done. Lots of people began the walk with a light lunch in the church basement and then were put in numbered groups to go from one area to another. Each tent had a spokesman talking about one aspect of the reformation or another as well as tents with music playing Luther hymns and food from old Germany. That food was pretzels. Plus a Kruta bakery cake. All in all a unique day.
The church basement was filled for the lunch, and it was the warmest spot.
Martin and Katie Luther showed up.
It began at the welcome gate
Our 3 seminary field workers each had a booth. One was Luther, another Tetzel and the third Prince Frederick the Wise of Saxony.
Pretzel making
There were games
And displays of, sort of, medieval printing and music.
3 of our grandsons came
All in all a very well done, interesting and fun way to ring in the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
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This picture of Pastor Wright helping a little girl tie her shoe pretty much defines our church and pastor these days.
Holy Cross in Collinsville is lending a helping hand to so many people and organizations and our pastor leads by example.
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Dale preached in Frankenmuth, Michigan this weekend and the belief is, that church has the tallest pulpit in the LCMS. True or not, it is nosebleed high. In the photo you can barely see Dale. This is, however, a beautiful church.
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