We go to church because we're thankful

Hope Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington (West Seattle)

I do like the calendar this year.

The four Sundays before Christmas are the Sundays of Advent, preparing to celebrate Emmanuel -- God entering the world in the form of a baby boy. Often, the first Sunday of Advent will be the Sunday of the long Thanksgiving weekend, so there’s no breathing space between these two holidays (really, Holy Days). But this is one of those years when the Sundays of Advent start a whole week after Thanksgiving weekend. Even better, they all fall in December (so every Advent calendar requires less explanation).

Pastor Peter Mueller made a point on Sunday morning at Hope Lutheran -- this was an opportunity to take a deeper dive into Thanksgiving.

Not that Christmas went unmentioned in the early worship service. A couple of different opportunities for decorating the church were announced. There was another announcement about the church’s Giving Tree in the lobby. People were encouraged to take a tag with a child or senior citizen’s gift wishes (next Sunday was the last chance to get a name). There was yet another Christmas announcement (though it wasn’t the final announcement) about a TV program, The Great Christmas Light Fight, on ABC Monday night. It’s a reality show featuring families who elaborately decorate their homes for Christmas. The episode was filmed last year at the home of a family from the church (and other folks from the church were filmed as well).

But the big announcement wasn’t about Yuletide. Julie Hill had been scheduled to speak that morning about an all-volunteer, nonprofit ministry, but she was sick and couldn’t come. So Erin, a woman from the church, came forward with a brief announcement about The Living Water Project, which seeks to demonstrate God’s love by funding clean water projects. The most exciting part of Erin’s announcement was that a group from the church was planning to work in Central America or Africa, helping a church provide clean water for their community. I love when churches do this kind of thing.

The Scripture for the day was a very Thanksgivingy passage, Luke 17: 11 - 19. It’s the story of the ten lepers who went to see Jesus. Jesus healed them all, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to thank Him. With the title “Being Mindful of Our Blessings,” Pastor Mueller focused on our need for gratitude. “It is easy for us to forget the fine art of giving thanks to God.”

He proposed that one of the obstacles to gratefulness is our rushed lifestyle. He quoted Dallas Willard’s injunction, “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” This is perhaps even more important at this time of year when holiday obligations can make us more hurried than ever. If we slow down, we can be more mindful of our blessings.

Pastor Mueller suggested four steps to pursue a life of gratitude:

Slow down

Live mindfully

Pursue perspective

Thank God!

He suggested thanking God to a ridiculous extent. He suggested thanking God for the fact that you don’t just have mustard in your fridge, you have three kinds of mustard. Thank God for that, and for all the people that make mustard possible. (I do have an affinity for mustard.)

In the pastor’s prayer, he thanked God for the truly important things. “Thank you, God, for the opportunities to share your love in this community and around the world.” I’m thankful for this time (before Christmas), for Hope Lutheran, and for God’s work in this congregation.

We go to a hallowed place

The Hallows Church (West Seattle), Seattle, Washington
A little over five years ago, Mindy and I were visiting our daughter, Paige, who had a summer internship in Seattle. We’d just started visiting churches, (we hadn’t started writing about them yet), and we visited a church here -- Mars Hill. At that time, Mars Hill was a thriving, multi-campus ministry, and we were very impressed. The congregation we visited met in an old church building, and the service was filled with young people. The worship team was wonderful, doing old hymns in new arrangements (loudly), and the speaker happened to be one of my beloved professors from seminary. We all loved our visit that morning.

Not long after that visit, the church fell apart (it wasn’t our fault) There was scandal, not about money or sex, but rather bullying and intimidation. Even though we'd just visited once, we were sad about the whole thing.

I was thinking about this former church because it was mentioned a couple of times in our visit to the West Seattle expression of The Hallows Church; obliquely in the sermon and directly in a conversation after the service.

Mindy had noticed the church soon after our move to West Seattle in July. “The Hallows” is an interesting name, explained by a banner outside featuring the Lord’s Prayer (“Hallowed be Thy name”). We arrived a few minutes before the 10:45 Sunday morning worship service and were greeted warmly by several women just inside the door.

Mindy headed for the coffee in the back of the sanctuary where a man named John introduced himself. We asked when he had begun attending the church, and he told us he came in the summer when his previous church, Living Hope, closed down. We said we’d met other people from Living Hope when we visited All Souls Church, and he said most people from that PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) had gone to either of these two churches.

James, the sole song leader, opened the service, “If you could stand up, we’ll pray, and be off on our merry way.” With his guitar he led a blend of hymns and choruses.

“My name is Andrew, and I serve as one of the pastors here,” Pastor Andrew said as he introduced the announcements. Guests were encouraged to fill out the connection cards and put them in a box in the back of the church (along with tithes and offerings). He also spotlighted areas of need, such as people for the prayer team. He also announced that all three “Expressions” of The Hallows would be meeting on November 28th for congregational prayer. (Besides the congregation in West Seattle, there are also North and Fremont Expressions of The Hallows.) He then dismissed the “little disciples” to Sunday School. He took time to pray for the church (“let us grow into a humble people”).

Before the sermon, there was a quiet time where people could read Scripture and quotes from Christian leaders (such as Martin Luther) projected on the wall at the front. The main text of the morning came from Judges (the church is working through the book), chapter 14:1 through 15:20. This passage is the beginning of the story of Samson.

Andrew said that we might expect Samson to be an admirable character. After all, he was a special gift to barren parents, set apart as a Nazirite from birth (as John the Baptist also was). God promised to use him greatly. And he’s featured in the Bible and all. Andrew pointed out there is a disconnect between those expectations and his actual character. In the stories we looked at, Samson is impulsive, more sensual than spiritual. He is irreverent; eating honey from a lion’s corpse (yeah, weird, read the story) which is a clear violation of the Old Testament dietary laws and his Nazirite vows. He is manipulative and… well… just a jerk.

And yet God, through His grace, used Samson to accomplish His purposes.

Part of the sermon’s point was that giftedness is not a sign of godliness. “In Seattle, we’ve had people that were gifted but not godly, and because of that, people in this area are still hurting.” It’s not much of a stretch to see this as a critique of the leadership of Mars Hill.

After the sermon, Andrew invited us all to the Communion table, “We’ll be worshiping through communion. The table is open. Go at your own pace.” A man at the back of the sanctuary held gluten-free crackers, and a woman held a cup of juice to dip the crackers in.

After the service, we had the chance to chat with a couple of people. Ronda, who’d greeted us at the door, used to attend Mars Hill, and that church had shepherded her through a difficult time. When that church folded, she told us, “I was broken.”

She visited church after church but didn’t find anything like what she had before. She visited The Hallows, and at that time there were only about a dozen people attending. She was frustrated and talked to one of her old pastors at Mars Hill who told her, “You’re going for the wrong reasons. Where can you serve and where you can grow in the grace of Christ?” With that, she knew where she should be.

She went back to The Hallows (which has grown a lot since that time, though the West Seattle expression isn’t a large church). She said, “Andrew is an amazing pastor.” We asked about the strengths of the church, and she talked about it being Bible centered, humble, and involved in the local community.

We also talked to Andrew, who started the groundwork for the church in 2014. They began to meet in 2015. He talked about the church’s focus on Scripture and service, and that Gospel clarity includes telling people the Gospel is not just for the future but for right now. Humility came up again, which obviously is a high value in the teachings of Jesus. “Multiplication is in the DNA of the church,” Andrew added as he described The Hallows’ reasons for existing in (so far) three neighborhood expressions.

He talked about the “missional communities” which might be called “small groups” in other churches. These ministries have three parts: love of God expressed through Bible study, love of church expressed through fellowship, and love for neighbors expressed through service. Each group varies its activities throughout the month to demonstrate these three values.

But we had been occupying Andrew’s time (almost everyone was already out the door, though people had lingered to chat after the worship service ended) so we finally let him go.

Though one of the purposes of this blog is to celebrate the work God does through His church, we must be honest in acknowledging that people are also hurt by the church. The Hallows, among many other good things, is caring for some people who have known that pain. They are doing the good work of hallowing God’s name and bring His Kingdom to earth.

We go to church on an island

Orcas Island Community Church, Eastsound, Washington

When Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He told the story of the Good Samaritan. Churches need to ask that question in an another way. Perhaps I should churches should ask the question in an additional way. They need to ask it in a practical way. Though a church should care for everyone, even the whole world, a church needs to focus resources on a specific community.

For example, a church located here in Seattle probably shouldn’t send out 700,000 flyers to the whole city when they put on a Vacation Bible School. They need to figure out who their neighbors are, who they can reach with their available resources.

The answers to such questions might be a little easier to figure out in small, isolated towns that are like islands. And, of course, there are literal islands. Like Orcas Island.

Last weekend we went to visit Mindy’s brother Hank and sister-in-law Hilary on Orcas Island. We walked onto the ferry, leaving our van behind, because Hilary had offered us a ride -- and let us use her car on Sunday morning to go to Orcas Island Community Church.

Edie greeted us as we came in the door for the 10:00 am service. It was hard to find a seat. We’ve been to plenty of churches that have open seats minutes before the service, but fill up after the service begins. There were prompt congregants here. We found seats toward the back and side, and we had time to notice that the walls were decorated with patchwork quilts (I assume made by folks in the church). Church bells rang, and the service began.

It was time to worship (and we did sing “Come, Now is the Time to Worship”). Pastor Brian sent children off to Christmas program rehearsal. (Later other kids were sent off to Sunday School, so I guess not all kids are going to be shepherds, sheep, and/or Magi.) People were encouraged to bring in their Operation Christmas Child boxes the next Sunday. There was an announcement for the upcoming Thanksgiving service, with all the island’s churches gathering together at Orcas Island Community Church. The church is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner as well.

There was an announcement for an event that would take place during the service. “Some people will be leaving for a special service somewhere else on the island.” The American Legion Post was holding a Veteran’s Day commemoration at 11:11. Pastor Brian noted that this day was the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I, and he said we “look forward to the day when all wars will cease.” On the screen there were photographs of that first international armistice.

To honor the veterans, Pastor Brian asked them to stand as their conflict was mentioned. For World War II, two men stood. Then the Korean War, engagements during the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and finally wars in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. Photographs of Veterans Day celebrations, beginning with the first as World War I ended, played on the screens at the front, and Pastor Brian said, “We honor those who have followed the call to serve something beyond themselves, in this age of narcissism.”

After a time of quiet reflection and prayer, people were invited to raise a hand and share a prayer request or update. One woman shared, “I have a new grand niece and by the end of the service I’ll have pictures. Not that I’ll be looking at my phone during the service!”

Pastor Brian acknowledged the local cross country team that went to state finals (“Jaydon, one of the fastest runners in the state”) and the soccer team that advanced to semifinals (“Good job, Levi!”)

A woman named Sue said, “I can’t even count the miracles that allowed me to be here today,” leading to cheers and applause from the congregation. Pastor Brian led in prayer, taking time to pray for those threatened by the fires in California and those who have already lost much.

Dick Staub, the church’s preaching pastor, gave the sermon. He preaches every fourth Sunday, and he explained that he was sitting down to speak because “Rabbis sat down to teach. You may think I’m sitting because of neurological problems, it’s because I have something really important to say.”

His message that day was titled, “Deliver Us From the Evil One,” with Matthew 6: 5 - 15 as the text. “This morning we’ll be talking about the Evil One, or as Nigel calls him, Mr. Nasty.” (He mentioned Nigel many times through the service. Nigel is a real person, part of a group of faithful creatives called The Kindlings.) Pastor Staub said he first preached about Satan in a sermon titled “The Devil Made Me Do It” back in 1972 at New England’s first drive-in church. He said the devil always attacks when you preach about him; for instance, Pastor Staub brought the wrong version of the sermon that morning.

During the sermon he talked about the mission of Orcas Island Community Church. “We have a mission statement that everyone on the Island will learn of God’s love through word or deed in a language they’ll understand.”

As I mentioned before, a church on an island is more easily able to define their scope of ministry. And this church looks for a variety of ways to reach out on the community. The day before, after the island’s Hops Fest, a couple of people from the church offered rides home in the church van.

From what we could see, the church seems to be doing a good job of loving their neighbors on Orcas Island. Even visiting neighbors from the mainland -- like us.

We go to church for the saints

Epiphany Parish of Seattle, Washington
The night was dark and windy. I’d found a Episcopal worship service (via the event calendar on Facebook, which not nearly enough churches use to announce their activities). It was the perfect night for the “commemoration of all faithful departed" at Epiphany Parish.

During October and November Dean and I particularly remember our mothers, who "departed"(faithfully). My mom died in 2016 while we were in North Dakota. We headed back to Indiana for her memorial service almost exactly two years ago. I've been missing her the past few weeks (more than I did last year, certainly more than immediately after her death), so this commemoration was particularly poignant for me. Dean's mom passed away in November of 2014, just before we began writing about visiting churches.

When I was little, I remember my mom making a distinction between Halloween (All Hallow's Eve, she explained) and All Saints' Day on November 1. She wanted me to understand that both holidays honored those who'd gone before. This worship service seemed like something my mom would have appreciated.

We drove through the dark to another part of Seattle. Google maps led us well, but we really didn't know where we were until we arrived. We found parking in front on the street and found our way to the front of the church along a sidewalk. It wasn't raining, but everything was a little wet. Every doorway and every lighted window seemed inviting. We took some pictures; a couple walked by and greeted us. They headed into the chapel of the church building.

Through the window, we could see the choir moving around in preparation. Once inside, some children and adults were getting ready for the service. We found seats to one side, near a kneeling bench in front of a little altar. The room was quiet. The choir entered and took their place quietly. The program read, "We invite you to help create the experience of silence before our service."

I can't describe the choir's singing. They sang mostly in Latin, from a piece written in 1605. The harmonies were amazing. There was no sermon, but there were scripture readings, prayers, and a reading from an oration of Gregory of Nanzianzus.  At times, bells were rung, a man swung a censer, people bowed. The pastor chanted, and the congregation sang hymns, concluding with "Let saints on earth in concert sing."

After the dismissal, the program said, "we invite you to remain for silent prayer or depart quietly." We gathered our things, a little awkwardly. Most people seemed to be sitting quietly. At the door, a woman from the choir smiled.

"It's safe to leave now," she whispered. So we went into the dark refreshed.