“Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world.”
(Sent! by God's grace for the sake of the world, July 2006, "Global Missions Event." 5).
Who Cares About the 16th Century?
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The door on the right is the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany. The 95 Theses were nailed here which spelled out church abuses during the Renaissance. Is any of this relevant for the church today? This is the beginning of a short series on some of the main reforms and why we should care.
Clergy marriage
Prior to the Reformation and even in today’s Roman Catholic Church, clergy were/are not allowed to marry. The choice was clear; you could either get married or serve God in the church as a priest. This excluded a number of people with genuine calls of God, yet who did not have the gift of celibacy. It was a requirement the church had put upon candidates for the priesthood that scripture did not. Even before Luther’s time, there were those who were against this prerequisite.
Those who were already priests, but lacked the gift of celibacy, because they could not marry, often had mistresses and children by them. Though this ran counter to their vows, it was overlooked. With the reforms of the 16th century, one did not have to choose between a spouse and service to God. For many today, it is why they have left the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a distinct advantage the Protestants have with this freedom. This is one I am personally grateful for!
flickr foto
Indeed, Law and Gospel. And when I was a little Catholic girl, I wanted to be a nun. And Ray wanted to join a monastic order in RI, but they said no because of his sight. We are grateful and thankful and now both Lutheran.
Sally at revgalsblogpals posted the following for the Friday Five: I have recently been reading a book entitled Jesus wept , it is all about vulnerability in leadership. The authors speak of how Jesus shared his earthly frustrations and vulnerabilities with a select group of people. To some he was the charismatic leader and teacher, to others words of wisdom were opened and explained and some frustrations shared, to his "inner circle of friends: Peter, James and John, he was most fully himself, and in all of these things he was open to God. So I bring you this weeks Friday 5: 1. Is vulnerability something that comes easily to you, or are you a private person? It comes to me very easily, at times too much so. I feel that I have nothing to hide. Of course, I'm in seminary with a wonderful community of faith. In the parish I suspect I will need to be more guarded in what I share and with whom. 2.How important is it to keep up a professional persona in work/ ministry? I despise p...
This is the message I shared with God's people at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, 5/13. We celebrated Jesus' Ascension. The text was Luke 24:44-53 . Memories are powerful things. Because of this, I grow sentimental when Ascension Day, which was Thursday comes around. It is one of those feast days that can be moved to the Sunday after. When my family lived in Bethlehem, we worshipped at Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Old City of Jerusalem. On Ascension Day afternoon, when the kids were out of school, the various congregations of Redeemer (Arab, Danish, German and English) would meet on the Mount of Olives, behind Augusta Victoria Hospital for a picnic and a multi-lingual service. The hymns we sang all had very familiar tunes, so each of us sang in our own language. It was like an aural symphony. Throughout this post, you'll see pictures of the grounds of Augusta Victoria Hospital. To the left is a picture of the area all the kids liked to play on. By the way, ...
Teaching Parish is an opportunity to get our feet wet when it comes to public ministry. This is accomplished by "observing and listening to the congregation...by teaching and preaching...[and] by worshipping and praying with the congregation..." ( Teaching Parish Reference Book 2008-2009, p. 14). The first Sunday I attended Rural Lutheran incognito, so to speak. The pastor didn't introduce me or tell anyone I was coming. He wanted me to get a feel for the congregation the way a first time visitor would. and asked me to sit in a particular part of the congregation. Though there were only 30 + people attending, no one talked to me until the peace. Mouths moved, but no one sang around me. My overall response was one of sadness for the people. This past Sunday I could sit wherever I wanted and I was being introduced. The experience was completely the opposite. Was it because of where I was seated? Was it because more of the committed people were there? Was it because they wer...
The door on the right is the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany. The 95 Theses were nailed here which spelled out church abuses during the Renaissance. Is any of this relevant for the church today? This is the beginning of a short series on some of the main reforms and why we should care.
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