January 27th, 2008 – RIC Sunday Morning Worship

Snow and those at the Lutherwood retreat kept numbers low at the 8:00 service and the worship was intimate. It made Pastor Dayle’s sermon particularly powerful as she preached to a group who know they are welcome at church.

Pastor Dayle gave a sermon about “being on the list” of the invited. This was a consequence of the gospel lesson which centered on the call of four of the apostles. Pastor Dayle spoke about how many women who followed Jesus were not “on the list” of apostles as followers of Jesus including Mary Magdalene, often called the “apostle to the apostles” and Mary, mother of Jesus.

Pastor Dayle elaborated on this by pointing out how when someone remarks that obviously "welcome is implied to all" it can be hard to believe if you know you are not on the list. She reminded us of those who need to be given an explicit welcome because they have not been welcomed in the past. Like Gretchen’s RIC presentation at the congregational meeting last week, Pastor Dayle imaginatively put you in the shoes of those “not on the list”. There was a slide show of Creator members’ photos as she talked about welcome. We definitely felt centered in celebrating RIC Sunday.

Some Creator members worshipped again for RIC Sunday this evening at Mission Of The Atonement, an ecumenical community of Roman Catholics and Lutherans. It was a worship hosted by Lutherans Concerned / North America and 86 people gathered with representatives from all RIC congregations in the synod.

Last year the sermon focused on the pain and hurt experienced because of exclusionary practices. The sermon tonight, given by Pastor Ronald Nitz, explored the temptation people have to draw us and them lines in direct contradiction to Jesus' message in the gospel. His sermon was often surprising. He preached that it might be interesting to have a sign above every church door reading Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here. He continued that far to many people hope that going to church or doing something will influence God to think better of them than of others.

The sermon was impressive; intellectually and spiritually engaging. Having Bishop Dave preside and more people in attendance this year than in previous years were hopeful pieces to the worship. I was drawn to the Confession / Prayer of the Day. As the confession was read the response given by us was "But you continually call to us". It was both a hopeful call to change and an acknowledgment that process can take far longer than we might expect and yet God engages our heart again and again.

Last year All Are Welcome was the music that connected to my heart. This year it was the closing hymn, We Are Called. The refrain: We are called to act with justice. We are called to love tenderly. We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God encapsulated the fellowship and understanding of those who were gathered in worship.

There was a reception afterwards. I met someone who worships at Mission Of The Atonement. She had lost her partner a while ago who had been a Catholic nun. She introduced herself because I looked like someone who, in her words, really hated her when she was worshipping in Salem.

Our talk was pleasant but I think she really wished I was the person she knew who had experienced a change of heart. In a way I wish I had been. It made me think back to how I learned in church when I was young and how I am seeing the church now.