November 29th, 2006 - The Not-Yet-Advent Service

Technically Advent starts Sunday but Wednesday services began tonight at Creator. The altar was bathed in a reddish light as we entered the sanctuary and the candle banner hung behind it focused us in on the Advent season. A service anticipating the season of Advent does seem appropriate.

For Advent we start with a shared potluck of soup and bread. During the Wednesday services we worship with "Holden Evening Prayer". This service by Marty Haugen is revered by many people I talk with about it. This is a worship service that has a beauty and mystery and consistently reveals new truths.

This evening Pastor Dayle and Janice harmonized in leading the service. The blending of their voices was superb. Tonight, there were strong associations and echoes of past harmonies in my ear; particularly of Pastor Dayle and then Vicar Amanda leading the service several years ago. This was when attending worship regularly was becoming a habit for me. The profound feeling this service evoked helped establish that habit.

Tonight Kelly and other strong singers in the congregation, together with Matt's piano performance particularly propelled a special experience with the music. There was a strength, purity and richness that opened up and it all sparkled for me when we sang together:

Joyous light of heavenly glory
Loving glow of God's own face
You who sing Creation's glory
Shine on every land and race

Now as evening falls upon us
We will raise our song to You
God of Daybreak, God of Shadows,
Come and light our hearts anew.

Deep truths can come in moments of devotional silence whether it is personal or public. During the silence in the Holden Evening Prayer before the reading there was a public moment like this. Many times there are understandable distractions; coughs, people moving in or out of the sanctuary, or even intrusive thoughts that come to mind without being summoned. This evening it was just the moment, the stop of daily concerns, the center often sought and but not often found.

Wait for the Lord and Come and Fill were sung while the congregation walked from our seats to light candles at the altar. The repetition and constantly changing harmony, people's silence and their joining in again made a particular impression this evening. There are times one can feel connected with history and other countries in a way that can barely be explained.

After service was choir practice. This was a rehearsal for the Christmas Program and the additional past choir members who attended this Wednesday made a big difference in the overall sound. Matt focused us on two of the three pieces that we worked on for the past couple of weeks and let us know we would be perform all but two songs from Let Heaven and Nature Sing Gloria.

I think there will be many hightlight performances in the program. Until then there will be waiting, helping and rehearsing.

November 26th, 2006 - Sunday Service

This is the last Sunday of the church year. Pastor Dayle announced that Pastor Mark, together with some of our youth, was at Lloyd Center Double Tree Inn for the Thanksgiving Oregon Lutheran Youth retreat.

This is Christ the King Sunday, instituted as a feast by Pope Pius XI in 1925. It raised controversy at the time because many felt that the idea of "King" was outmoded, and didn't any longer convey the meaning it had once contained. The Pope, however, thought it should convey King of all creation, rather than an oppressive King. The feast was moved to the Sunday that falls Nov 20-26th (last Sunday of the Church year) after Vatican II. It makes sense at that point in the Church year, as the idea of Christ the King is the fulfillment of the journey from anticipation through birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, Pentecost.

But, conveniently, the contemplation of Christ as the fulfillment of everything at the end of everything takes you right back to the already-but-not-yet aspect of the Kingdom of God. And that rather neatly leads you back into Advent the week after. So its location as the last Sunday of the church year works rather well from that point of view.

Pastor Dayle, in worship, handled Christ’s crown and cross as mystery. In the Children’s time she rearranged a cross (displayed behind the altar on sticky paper) into a crown, underscoring this transformation and relationship of cross and crown. As she put it in her sermon “The cross and the crown are parts of the same puzzle.”

The service did not emphasize Christ the King as conquering king or worldly achiever. We sang By Your Hand You Feed Your People during communion and Beautiful Savior as closing hymn. We began to ready ourselves for Advent and for the anticipation of Jesus as helpless infant.

There was an Intergenerational Advent Festival between services. There were a number of crafts including making Yule logs and candy locomotives. Thanks go out to Teresa, Jim and all who participated in the planning and preparation of this.

Matt went into the plans for the Christmas program. Sounds like the substance of the program we will do on December 20th is coming together.

Advent is coming, services start next Wednesday and the waiting will begin.

November 22nd, 2006 Thanksgiving Eve Service and Choir

Thanksgiving Eve is not a service I attended until I joined worship at Creator. Now memories of past Thanksgiving Eve services are there, the people attending today, the people I miss that worshipped in years past, together with the perspective and a continuity that quietly comes to the soul.

Pastor Dayle’s homily this evening was, in part, about Martin Rinkart; a Lu­ther­an min­is­ter; who lived in Eil­en­burg, Sax­o­ny, dur­ing the Thir­ty Years’ War. The Swed­ish ar­my sur­round­ed the ci­ty, and fa­mine and plague were ramp­ant. Peo­ple per­ished and Rink­art ultimately was the on­ly pastor left. He performed 50 fun­er­als a day including those of his parishioners and family.

Soon af­ter­ the Thir­ty Years’ War end­ed Rinkart wrote Now Thank We All Our God for a grand cel­e­bra­tion ser­vice. We sang the hymn later in our service and understanding what the author experienced before writing it gave new meaning and emotional depth to the piece.

College kids are home or are expected soon. Many were at the service. The parents were more animated in their conversations, which we had as we chose and ate from a wide assortment of pumpkin, apple and berry pies among others that were shared after the service.

Choir practice was all work on Christmas program music. I am thankful there are two bass singers. Greg is excellent at reading music and I am thankful as I sing with him when we are picking our way through new music.

Sopranos and altos surprised me by how quickly they pulled together a few tight harmonies on a piece with Latin text (at least for them; the composers probably thought Latin was above the men and gave us English text to sing). It sounded fairly polished towards the end of the rehearsal.

We worked on three pieces tonight and Matt was satisfied with our progress. We also now can listen to the work on CD which should help us to learn this as it is only a month away.

November 19th, 2006 - Installation Service of Pastor Mark Beatty

Many at Creator have looked forward to this installation for some time. It was a noteworthy and memorable service. A parallel that came to mind was Pastor Amanda's Ordination service which took place at Creator. There were similarities and definite differences.

The biggest difference is that Amanda's Ordination was filled with what was dear to her and certainly anticipated her call to Ascension Lutheran. This service was, at heart, a Creator service and became an enthusiastic community welcome to Pastor Mark. The youth participation with the song Go Light The World and Luke's piano solo of Mendelssohn's Three Fantasies Or Caprices, Op. 16: II. Scherzo: Presto gave the service an urgency and feel for mission. Both pieces were beautifully performed.

A tie that binds can be humor and there was a defining moment that knit Creator together in this service. Bishop Paul Swanson reminisced about the inception of Creator and planning where it should be. He told a story about how he took a sociologist out to I-205 and Sunnyside to get a perspective on whether this was a suitable area to build a church.

The sociologist replied "This is perfect. I guarantee that even if the pastor of a church at this location recited nursery rhymes for sermons a church in this place will grow". There was a ripple of appreciative laughter and then the congregation, who had heard Pastor Mark's sermon earlier which opened with Little Red Riding Hood, began laughing harder. Bishop Swanson was a bit puzzled by the laughter. "It is one on of those things you remember," he added. I can't help but agree.

It was powerful when all the pastors and Bishop Swanson blessed Pastor Mark. Pastor Mark's comments reflected how deeply he was moved by the installation service to that point. There was a special quality to the communion as well. Sometimes communion can feel ancient and new at the same time and this was one of those times for me.

People commented during the reception afterwards on the planning and work that went into it. There were tableclothes and candleholders on all the tables and, with simplicity, there was an elegant atmosphere created. The appetizers, desserts and the other food was excellent. Our slices of cake had crosses on them, a fitting reminder of what was at the heart of what was important in the service that we had just experienced.

November 19th, 2006 - Sunday Services

This was a Sunday of beginnings. There was the baptism of Colby; the reception of new members, Roberta, Justin, Kerry, Pastor Mark, Dena and Lauren; and Pastor Mark's installation. Pastor Mark also made an announcement that they are expecting their second child.

Linda opened up both early and late service with a Temple Talk. She talked about the differences she experienced worshipping at Creator and her previous worship experiences. She talked about how much more she did at Creator than attend Sunday services and go home and how much more Creator was there for her. This resonated with many of us. Just choosing this particular this Sunday there were many who planned, worked for and attended Pastor Mark's Installation Service. There was a meeting regarding the next phase of building and another Hunger Awareness committee meeting. Last Sunday was youth Sunday, the weekend before that the Sparkle team was volunteering for work. This was above and beyond the normal volunteer work that happens from week to week.

There was an energy in both services that was expressed in many places. The music reverberated through the sanctuary. Pastor Mark gave a strong sermon. He preached from the gospel of Mark 13:1-8 that opens with one of the disciples saying:

Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!

Jesus warns the disciples about being led astray by such things. Pastor Mark compared this to the nursery story Little Red Riding Hood and how evil represented by the wolf can impress us when disguised. Both the gospel and Little Red Riding Hood shared a message about being led astray.

Pastor Mark went on to identify two concerns today, humanism and technology, the main concern being that we woud think we were more important and better than those who came before us. I have a response for this likely to fill a blog entry by itself. I will write about this later.

He summed up the way the church is not led astray, which is keeping Jesus at the head. If it does not, if the pastor is the head the church becomes a cult of personality. If the council president becomes the head, the church becomes a not-for-profit business. If it is run by a clique it becomes a social club.

These were words to ponder and keeping Jesus the head can be a balancing act.

Colby was baptised at the 8:00 service. Just like a service a couple of weeks ago Colby reached for the water, fascinated by it and the font. It was very compelling to watch that reaching. The Profession of Faith was also particularly powerful with the whole congregation joining in the response.

As Pastor Dayle said, the reception of new members simply formalized something already happening. It underscored the strengthening of our church.

The highlight in music for me from both services was Soon and Very Soon, the sending song, during the performance at the second service. Janice, Craig and Kelly's vocals, David's piano playing and Matt's drumming built into a joyous, exuberant expression of faith.

November 12th, 2006 - Youth Sunday

This service was a gift. The passion, energy and talents of all the youth who took part was evident throughout the service. There were skits, a high and fragile rendition of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands that won everyone's heart together with a number of great pieces of music. The lessons were acted out and to excellent effect.

For the gospel (about pride and arrogance of the "long robed" religious leaders compared with the humility of the widow) the youth thought about who would be in long robes today thinking they were mighty. The youth chose to have a super theologian, a doctor in medical lab coat and a judge in a robe. They acted out the reasons each gave to sit "at the head of the table". They argued about who should be first until finally allowing the widow to take that place at the table based on her radical trust in God as reflected in her gift.

The youth led us in the prayer of the people. There was a wonderful violin, viola rendition of Beautiful Savior, which started in unison and then broke into an exquisite harmony. For communion Jacob soloed on the piano performing Hark the Glad Sound and the chorus came back in singing Go Light Your World featuring Luke with solo vocals at times and playing piano, an impressive performance by all.

They ended with a wonderful Every Move I Make. The dancing and singing was infectious and the whole congregation was keyed into their enthusiasm for the song.

I left thinking about the continuity of the church with each generation. The time, effort and the faith involved in putting all this together was infused in every part of the service and I and those around me seemed taken away with everything.

Great work and kudos to the youth.

November 11th, 2006 - Bids for Bethany

Pastor Dayle reported that over $10,000 was made at the auction. The golf scramble proceeds were also dedicated to Bethany... so with those two events $10,700 will be given to her to offset some of the costs of the Bone Marrow Transplant.

I had a commitment and was not able to attend but if you have stories please comment here or let me know and I will include them in the blog.

November 10th, 2006 Bethel Lutheran Church Musical Play

There were two tables of Creator members who attended the Bethel Players presentation of Who Nose?, this year’s production of an annual fund-raising event for Bethel Lutheran and their Youth Drop-In Center.

There was a dinner and a humor-filled musical performance. There is certain fabric of community life many Lutherans share growing up in many different parts of the country and the jokes relied on that fabric.

This was, in many ways, the humor found in the winking Luther within the Lutheran Handbook that has been part of our Adult Education hour for the past few weeks. There is a sense of fun together with the sense of importance in passing on knowledge of traditions of our parents and grandparents. My father would have loved the writing and some of the corny performances that were so endearing last night.

There was enough good-natured ribbing of Minnesota, Wisconsin and the midwest in general for Mary to suggest writing a little comeback called Revenge of the Midwest which could focus on life here on the West Coast. Actually we marveled at the time and energy devoted to the production and the talent of the cast members.

It was a completely enjoyable evening.

November 8th, 2006 Matt Weiers Trio @ The Old Church

The Matt Weiers Trio played The Old Church, downtown Portland in support of their new album Spectral. The Matt Weiers Trio is Matt, piano; Bill Athens, bass; and Drew Shoals, drums. This was their first live show.

This was a different sound than Mary and I were used to from Fiction Junkies. Bill Athens is a phenomal bass player and Drew, as usual, was spot on and inspired in his rhythm. Together the combined performances drove the music with an energy promised by the CD but completely delivered in this performance.

The audience was appreciative and very comfortable with the creative jazz they were experiencing. Even ambient sounds appeared to be incorporated into the songs. At one point two emegency vehicles passed the Old Church. Rather than being a distraction the musicians seemed to respond to their sirens and weave the sounds into the piece they were performing.

They left the audience applauding for more. Matt thanked them and left the stage with the comment, "That is all there is."

Definitely a special performance from a group with talent, ears, direction and energy.

November 5th, 2006 - All Saints Day

The gospel reading was Lazarus, the struggle of death and life. Pastor Mark and Pastor Dayle both preached.

Pastor Mark described the death of his father coming on the day of his daughter Lauren’s first birthday. Rather than despair or anger he found some peace knowing it was a release for his father, who had sick for some time. For Pastor Mark the day was now a celebration of two birthdays, one physical and one spiritual.

There was comfort in everything Pastor Mark said, together with a spiritually sustaining thought. He noted we have our communion rails back up. They are in the semi circle he is used to seeing in Lutheran churches. He let us know this was not by accident but by design. It is actually a circle for the communion of saints and that we do not see the complete circle in the physical world but through faith. This is another layer to we can take to the Lord’s Supper each week.

Pastor Dayle gave her sermon, particularly at the early service, choked with evident emotion. Due to the circumstances of her brother Doug’s death, she did not feel the release that Pastor Mark felt. She preached about anger, not with God but concerning her brother's death.

She also shared memories of his humor, and memories of his presence at Creator. Pastor Dayle's granddaughter, Makenna, was baptized last year on All Saints Sunday, and Doug was at Creator for that occasion. She pointed to an empty spot where he had sat.

Everyone was moved. She talked about how the Creator community had supported her and reminded us that Jesus gave the responsibility to unbind each other from cloth that has the stench of death about it. This was the other side of the comforting thought, the need we have to weep, mourn, lament and also personally care for one another when death touches the community.

Diane gave a “temple talk” at the beginning of each service. Her love for Creator was evident as she spoke about people no longer attending because they were not finding the spiritual sustenance they needed at Creator. She quoted Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you” and to subsitute church as her answer to this restlessness. She was convinced that this sustenance is not likely fall into people’s lap regardless of the church.

She also gave a children’s sermon that centered around passing traditions down, like caring for the hungry and needy. Afterwards I once again felt a renewed energy for the mission of the Hunger Awareness group and Creator to help.

Also, the work that the Sparkle team did on Saturday to clean up the church was evident and much appreciated by the congregation.

The sending song was When the Saints Go Marching In. Between David’s rolling piano playing, Kelly’s guitar work, Matt’s drumming and the enthusiastic and accomplished singing (thanks for your contribution Janice!) the excitement was palpable.

Looking forward to Youth Sunday next week where they lead the service.

November 4th, 2006 ELW Hymnal Workshop

We gathered at Milwaukie Lutheran Church. There were familiar faces of pastors and congregational members who regularly attend events like this in the Oregon Synod.

The ELCA is following the historical Lutheran pattern of introducing a new hymnal approximately every thirty years. The green hymnal (Lutheran Book of Worship) was introduced in 1978.

The process of planning for this new hymnal began over five years ago. During that time trial worship materials, entitled Renewing Worship were published in soft cover books for use in congregations. The intent was to have real congregations try the liturgies and possible new hymns to see which worked and which did not. Creator used the material so much of what we went over was familiar.

There are 10 settings and a variety of hymns that most of the 180 in attendance received enthusiastically. There were complaints but this is now only one resource most Lutheran churches attending have so it was mostly the additional hymns settings and additional sections (including Laments and all 150 Psalms) that captured attention and praise.

The workshop introduced and sampled the new settings. The strength of the voices as those gathered sight sang the material was amazing. We went through The Service of the Word and the Marty Haugen Setting Number Two stood out for me. The hymns were powerful, sometimes energetic and joyous, sometimes somber laments. The process seems to have worked for the ELW. I look forward to the time we incorporate more of the music into our worship.

Matt commented on Sunday that we had a great warm up for the Sunday service with this Saturday workshop. Pastor Dayle was impressed with many parts of the new hymnal as well and was figuring out how to make the best use of the pieces Matt, Nita, myself and she liked.

November 1st, 2006

I must admit I felt disappoint during the Hunger Awareness group meeting and during choir; mostly because of the attendance for each. It is odd what can throw us at certain times and this came like a wave.

For the Hunger Awareness group meeting I planned that we would settle who would give the December Adult Education presentations. With so few people, we couldn't assign responsibility. This made me worried and apprehensive because I knew the next meeting would be too late to make a decision.

The next day I emailed Diane to follow up on whether she would be giving the Children's talk on Sunday. It was another question that was not resolved at the meeting. She sent an email confirming she would and saying she was sorry she did not attend the meeting.

Diane's sweet email drained all the disappointment, worry and apprehension from me and taught me once again about a kind of faith that is so easy to lose when you get too focused on one outcome. You can be blinded to the work God is doing rather than what you think should be happening. I felt humbled by the experience.

Being humbled extended when Roger and David came through on Sunday. We talked about the planning that would need to go into the Adult Ed hours and that there would be some additional meetings to work up the presentations needed. We talked about changing the meeting nights back to Monday since there are people in the group who can't attend at 6:30 on Wednesdays.

The choir illustrates anxiety that comes from habit and thinking that what happened in the past must be sustained. Normally choir is deep in the rehearsal of the Christmas program by now. There haven't been as many members in attendance this year. On Wednesday all this troubled me more than I care to admit.

Today I realized, like so many things, I need to leave that kind of worry in God's hands.