Mindy goes to a Chrism Mass

Chrism Mass, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Fresno, California
When I first saw that Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was hosting a Chrism Mass, my first question was probably the same as yours: didn’t we just write about that church?

My second question was the one that motivated me to visit the church (again) for a worship service on a Thursday morning: what in the world is a Chrism Mass?

We’d been to a Jazz Mass, but I suspected the mood at this service would be different. After all, the word “chrism” is easier to define than “jazz” -- it means holy oil, a mixture (usually) of balsam and olive oil, intended for anointing the sick, people being baptized, or those being confirmed in their church membership. Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches celebrate a special service, traditionally on the Thursday before Easter, to bless the oil to be used in the coming year. The worship service has also come to be a time when priests and pastors (and deacons and other church authorities) renew their ordination vows, consecrating their lives again to the calling they’ve received.

Dean was sleeping (he had worked the night before), so I went to church alone. When I arrived, the parking lot was full of cars*, and I could hear the organ playing hymns inside the sanctuary. I didn’t want to intrude on a sacred, very personal time in pastors' lives, and I was relieved to think that there was a good chance I could find a seat in a back row without being noticed. After all, I’m not a pastor, and I’m not a Lutheran (until we started this project, I don’t think I’d ever been in a Lutheran church, which is just embarrassing).

Then I opened the door.

The organist was playing. A woman in a clerical collar greeted me, and another in a robe shook my hand with a smile. A man was sitting near the aisle towards the front of the sanctuary. Sneaking in was not an option with only four other people in the room, and Katy Grinberg, in the white robe, invited me to move to a seat further forward. She said that the group would be small, and there was plenty of room for me.

Two men in white robes and stoles came in, and a man sat down across the aisle from me. The service began.
We each had a booklet with the order of worship; it was easy to follow the prayers, readings, and songs. We began with a confession of sin followed by what the church I grew up in called the “assurance of pardon.”

When it was time for the sermon, Katy talked about the passage in Luke 4 where Jesus, shortly after His temptation in the wilderness, went back to his home synagogue. When He was asked to read Scripture, He chose the passage in the prophecies of Isaiah that begins, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.”

Katy wondered, “Is this a moment Jesus looked back to as His mission statement? I don’t know, but I have those kinds of moments...and there are times I go back to that confirm this is what I was called to.” Though what she had to say was directed to pastors, I was comforted and encouraged when she said, “We trust the God who calls us to action in this world to be at work in this world...That is the challenging and lovely and joyous part.”

After Katy's sermon, the bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Reverend Mark W. Holmerud, led the eight of us through the renewal of ordination vows and consecration promises, the blessing of the three bottles of oil (for healing, for those confirming their baptismal commitment after studying what that commitment means, and for baptism), and communion. I was grateful to be able to ask Sylvia, the woman in the clerical collar, if it was appropriate for me to take communion. She said it would be okay.

The program said, “After communion, all are invited to receive an individual prayer of blessing.” I watched while each of the pastors in attendance knelt at the rail in front of the sanctuary while Rev. Holmerud blessed each one with a prayer. After everyone had received communion and prayer, Katy put her hands on either of Rev. Holmerud’s shoulders to pray for him. Most of the others in the congregation also came forward to pray for him.

I was moved to see “the challenging and lovely and joyous” part of ministry being lived out in front of me -- even in a church we’d already visited once before.













*There's a preschool at the church. That's why there were so many cars in the parking lot.

We go to Church without Ashes

St Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, Clovis, California
There are some interesting quirks in the calendar this year. Easter falls on April Fool’s Day, which always seems appropriate; the Resurrection is the greatest practical joke played on Death and the Devil. Last week there was another of those quirks -- Valentines Day and Ash Wednesday shared a date. Mindy and I didn’t celebrate with a dinner date (I’ve known enough people in the service industry to know that Valentine’s is one of the worst possible nights to go out. Prices are hiked, and the strained waitstaff can’t give romantic guests the attention they expect).

Instead, we looked for an Ash Wednesday service to attend that evening. I was a little concerned that somebody would draw a heart on my forehead instead of a cross as a very early April Fool’s prank, but as things turned out, I didn’t need to worry. The church we attended didn’t do ashes.

Ashes -- and Ash Wednesday worship -- have traditionally been a Catholic element of Lent, but over the past few years, more Protestant churches seem to have begun the practice. St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church is not one of them. The service we attended was the first of their Wednesday night Lenten worship services. They referred to ash but didn’t use it.

That was just as well, because Mindy wasn’t sure she wanted to receive the ash, and I knew I had to go to work later that night. But again, it wasn’t an option. As it turned out, Communion wasn’t an option for us either.

When we entered the sanctuary as the service was beginning, an usher told us it would be best, as visitors, if we didn’t take Communion. The program explained more. “To our Guests: Scripture teaches that those commune must be properly instructed and share a complete unity of faith before receiving the Lord’s Supper together. In the best interest of your spiritual care, we ask you to refrain from communing until we have an opportunity to study the teachings of the Bible together. Please speak to Pastor Schewe after church if you are interested in learning more about the Biblical beliefs we hold to here at St. Peter.”

It is an understandable concern. The Apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 11: 29 & 30: “For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” (Paul was not writing the about the kind of “asleep” that happens during a boring sermon.)

Those verses from First Corinthians are the reason churches have different policies concerning Communion (aka Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper). In the Roman Catholic Church, only those baptized in the church may receive the bread and the cup, so when we’re in a Catholic church, we honor that. Many Protestant churches offer the elements to all who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but when a church mentions other conditions for partaking, we try to honor those. (On the other hand, we’ve also visited churches that offer communion with no restrictions whatsoever. One church danced while celebrating the around the table.)

At St. Peter, old hymns were sung in the service, songs that I couldn’t recall singing before (“Jesus, My Great High Priest,” “Savior, When in Dust to You”). The congregation read responsively, and Jesus’ Passion Story (from various Scripture passages) was read from the pulpit. We learned the pastor was out of town caring for his ailing mother*, so a member of the congregation read the sermon.

After the sermon, people went forward for Communion, with a choice between drinking from a shared cup or from individual cups. I assume the one cup is offered in acknowledgment of the One Cup Christ offered, what He called “the cup of the new covenant in My blood,” symbolizing the way all His disciples would be one. I assume some people have concerns about the unhygienic nature of drinking from the one cup, so they opt to drink from small, individual plastic cups.

It’s odd though. Because of the second option, the “common cup” isn’t truly common to all.

As the service ended, the bulletin instructed us to “please remain seated for the extinguishing of the lights and singing by the soloist.” So we did. The lights dimmed, the candles were extinguished, and the lights went up again.

Afterward, at the door, many people introduced themselves, asking about us and doing their best to make sure we felt welcome. We appreciated that.

Lent has begun, and we look forward to the services to come over the next six weeks. We look forward to the communion we expect to have with people, and maybe even to having something to eat and drink -- but the ashes will have to wait until next year.

*We were sorry to learn that Pastor Schewe's mother passed away over the weekend. We join the St Peter congregation in prayers for the family.

We go to church for the write reasons

Fresno Christian Writers Seminar, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Fresno, California
Let’s face it, even the best writers need help to write more good.

On occasion, a church can be the place to find that help, so on Saturday, we attended a writers’ seminar at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fresno. Though it wasn’t an official program of the church, a church member arranged for using the space, and Ted Niami, Good Shepherd’s pastor, welcomed everyone to the seminar and prayed for blessings on the gathering.

The event was the second (annual?) Fresno Christian Writers Seminar, a project originating initially with one person, Dr. Allan Hedberg, a local clinical psychologist and author. He has, not surprisingly, written about psychological issues like depression and relationship dynamics, and he’s also written biographical works about Jonathan Edwards and Martin Luther. His books have been published by traditional publishers, but he has also self-published. Because of his experiences, he wanted to help writers who have a variety of goals, though the seminar is aimed primarily toward beginning writers.

After last year’s inaugural seminar, I suggested Tim Stafford as the keynote speaker for this year. Tim’s writing experience is broad; he’s worked as a writer and as an editor in both fiction and nonfiction. He’s also a good friend.

I’d read Tim’s work for years before I met him. When I was a teenager I subscribed to Campus Life magazine; every month the first article I turned to was the “Love, Sex, and the Whole Person” column Tim wrote. After working for that magazine, he worked for years in Kenya where he taught locals about magazine writing and publishing. Since then, he’s worked for Christianity Today while also writing over thirty books (his most recent, Those Who Hope, is a novel set in a rescue mission in our hometown of Santa Rosa).

When we talked before the seminar, Tim noted how much the publishing business has changed since he began writing. He mentioned that he appreciates that he’s been able to make a living by writing, but said that in the present environment, writing as a livelihood is more challenging. He added that people have been able to write for a career for only a short period of human history, noting that some monks got bread and wine for their work.

In his talk to the writers, Tim argued that writing is part of a writer's nature; when he was growing up, he knew he had to write. Like no other medium, writing has the power to communicate both personally and reasonably, and he pointed to the Scriptures as the chief example of how God values writing. He talked about the variety of genres to be found in the Bible, from history to memoir to poetry to apocalyptic (rather like contemporary dystopian fiction). “You want to read great writing? Read Jonah.”

“The Bible is preoccupied with Truth,” he pointed out, and he said that Christian writers should be as well. He talked about something he’d noticed while preparing to teach an adult Sunday School class on the life of David. He said that though the Bible presents David as a hero, “a man after God’s own heart, it doesn’t hide that he did very horrible things as well. David was an adulterer and a killer -- and at times very petty. Christian writers need to be willing to show the church and Christians doing bad things because, in fact, they do. Christians shouldn’t be writing propaganda, but rather truth.

After Tim’s presentations, other speakers talked about other elements of writing and publishing. Linda Weller, an editor and proofreader who we remembered from last year’s seminar, spoke about her work. Writers should be reminded that someone else can make their work better, since there’s some egotism in thinking you have something to say for the benefit of the world -- or even just a reader or two. [editor: Thanks, glad you noticed!]

During breaks, we headed into another room. Several authors had books for sale, and while sometimes it seems like writers are just selling to each other, it’s helpful and even encouraging to see other people’s work. (I don’t think Jesus would have overturned those book tables. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.) Snacks were also available, which kept people circulating and chatting.

Scripture has a lot to say about the gifts and talents that God gives His Church. Writing is one of those gifts, and it’s good for churches to provide a time and a place for people to grow in their abilities. Mindy learned barista skills at church. How many millions have learned to sing at church? And what about all the churches that have, well, schools? I was glad to see the Church doing something write here (because I, to, have a lot too learn).

We go to Church before the Big Game

Mountain View Community Church, Fresno, California
“I’m Tony, one of the pastors here at Mountain View Community Church, and welcome to Jersey Sunday!”

We’d already spotted quite a variety of jerseys: Niners, Raiders, Colts, Packers, Cowboys… But we didn’t see any Eagles or Patriots jerseys, probably because it was a Christian church. (I kid, I kid. Nowhere does Scripture explicitly say you can’t be a fan of Philly or New England. Well, Psalm 1:1 says not to walk with the wicked, but…)

The varied jerseys were not the usual Sunday attire at Mountain View, but the flags from many nations around the interior of the sanctuary and lining the driveway at the church entrance are there every week, which I believe signals that missions is a priority in the church. Just as Revelation 7:9 describes every nation and tongue represented in heaven, perhaps so is every flag (and jersey).

I think the worship service we attended was a more sparsely attended than usual, which is the case for most churches on Super Bowl Sunday. (I learned this early in my life of ministry when I was an intern at a large church with a large staff. When I was finally offered the opportunity to preach at a Sunday evening service, I was excited and happily accepted. Then someone else on the staff whispered to me, “You know that’s Super Bowl Sunday.” There were definitely fewer people than average at that service -- only about 600 -- but it’s still the biggest crowd in my preaching experience.)

Still, I think was smart to use the football theme while they could. For instance, the sermon began with a clip from an episode of last week’s Jeopardy. The contestants had left the “Talkin’ Football” category for last. The three players were unable to answer a single question. None of them were willing to even hazard a guess, to Alex Trebek’s amusement. Pastor Fred Leonard noted the frustration of watching people who were unable to answer questions when we knew the answers, which led into a discussion of how much more important it is to know God’s love, focusing on Romans 8.

The Missions Moment before the sermon was also introduced with a video clip. When the missions pastor, Mary-Tyler Wahl, mentioned the film Pay It Forward, I was concerned; a Kevin Spacey film clip might be a bit awkward considering the actor’s recent mentions in the news. But the clip was instead a Cheerios commercial on the theme of giving. After the video clip, the congregation was encouraged to contribute to the Pound of Love program, a monthly food and clothes give away. Mary-tyler did say that Pound of Love was different from the idea of paying it forward: the gifts are given with no strings attached, with only the goal of demonstrating Christ’s love.

One of the challenges of writing about churches every week is that good churches tend to do many of the same things, but this church had many little things that they just did very well. I liked that they took the offering during the opening of the sermon. The worship team led the congregation in singing rather than performing before them, and I appreciated that the lyrics on the screen were in Spanish as well as English.

I very much appreciated the way the church handles visitors. Part of the area where people gather before and after worship services is a Guest Hub which newcomers are encouraged to visit, and different visitor’s gifts are offered for the three first visits (a candy filled mug for the first visit, a t-shirt for the second, and a book for the third). Donuts are available in the Hub every week, too.

Long tables in with information about (and sign-up sheets for) small groups were in the gathering area and at one of the main entrances. I noticed that there were sign-ups for Spanish language ministries as well, and the staff of the Spanish language congregation (which meets on Sunday afternoons) was featured with other staff portraits in the Guest Hub.

It so happened that on the day we visited there wasn’t much of a mountain view because of Fresno smog and fog. The other half of the name, representing God’s community in that place, is obviously a constant.