National Blog Posting Month
What does being Lutheran mean to you?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa Zentgraf on -
Being Lutheran means many things to me. It means that I think and put things in their proper context. It means I put God over all things. It means I go to a lot of pot-luck dinners. With jello molds.
I've discovered that even in the ELCA, which I am part of, there are many regional differences. I'm in central Texas, which has a huge German influence. But our churches are quite different than those in the Holy Land up in MN and WI. What's your experience?
-
Permalink Reply by Gunfighter on -
Hi Melissa!
You and I are going to be great frineds. I can tell by your "Holy Land" reference. I'm a Lutheran (ELCA), and I love it... but I am not what I call a "cultural Lutheran". I have no Minnesota/Indian/Wisonsin/Dakota roots. No one in my family is from Germany/Sweden/Norway/Denmark.
Here in northern Virginia, most of the people come from somewhere else, due to being so close to Washington, DC. The thing is, all local people who ARE originally from the "Holy Land" flocked to the Lutheran churches, and spend a great deal of their time trying to make the rest of us "do it right"
I don't know about your church, but I have spent time in central Texas in the summer. It gets REALLY hot and humid here in Virginia, too... but the people at my church, particularly the "Cultural Lutherans" will drink cup after cup of coffee, when the temperature, outside and in, is something like that of the surface of gthe sun!
What I love about the Lutheran church is that it is liturgical. It is liturgical and... quiet. Don't misunderstand, I love to sing, and some hymns really move me, but I enjoy a quiet worship service rather that the louder, glitzier, shout hallelujah type of service.
How's that for a start?
Oh, and thanks for joining!
GF
-
Permalink Reply by saramoe on -
Hi!
I'm an ELCA Lutheran from the "Holy Land" as you call it and I'm wondering if you can elaborate on what it is that these folks are doing to make you "do it right"? The descriptions from both you and Melissa sound a lot like the churches I've been to in the midwest so I'm wondering the differences.
Thanks!
saramoe
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa Zentgraf on
-
What I see coming from those churches, not all the time mind you, is an attitude that the older churches, be it from the HL or deep central Texas, do it right, and newer churches don't. Our demographic is interesting. Austin is a young city with a lot of movement but it also attracts retirees. So a good portion of the new members are older people moving here from really established churches. We see a lot of discussion around music settings, lay participation, and Sunday School. Our church also gets involved in a lot of active social ministry which makes some of these folk nervous. They usually get over it pretty quick though; It's not that their churches wouldn't have done it, they just never made it a priority. Another difference is in giving. Our church is still growing and building stuff. People from the HL get really nervous about the number of capital campaigns we have/will have. They aren't used to building the church themselves. Makes for interesting politics.
Taking a lot of dayquil this week, so I'm not sure this makes any sense....
-
Permalink Reply by Gunfighter on
-
Hi Saramoe!
How about this for being radical... during the passing of the peace, some of us new folks dare to leave the pew and even (GASP) cross the aisle.!
HAHAHA
-
Permalink Reply by Gunfighter on
-
Hi Saramoe!
A belated thought on your query about HL churches/doing it right. What happens at our church is that some of th HL folks, and to be fair, I mean the older members get near fits of apoplexy over things like using the blue hymnal. Many of them are still in a huff now that the blue and green hymnals have merged into the red worship book.
Our new pastor removed part of the altar rail, and we actually had people leave in a huff because that rail had "always been there".
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa Zentgraf on
-
Ok, we've actually got an issue with calling it the "red" book. Since that is what LCMS calls theirs, we are supposed to call ours the "crimson" book. Sheesh...I just call it the "new book" and leave it at that.
-
Permalink Reply by Gunfighter on
-
I was going to express shock at that, when I realized that I am not shocked at all.
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa Zentgraf on
-
I like the liturgical nature of the service as well. I was raised Catholic, so it was well within my comfort zone to do this type of service. Although I still have trouble with the "for thine is the kingdom...". :)
Our services are pretty musical, so I wouldn't say they are quiet. But they aren't the hellfire and brimstone, either. The coffee thing makes me laugh. In order to get the funds passed for a water line to the church (we were on well and septic), we actually used the "coffee will taste better" argument. Passed unanimously.
We are soooo different from a lot of the churches in the area. You've got a few mainline Protestant churches and the Catholic church on one hand. And the jumbotron megachurches and strip mall churches on the other. You know, churches with MARKETING DEPARTMENTS!! But this is a hotbed of Evangelical Christians/Bush lovers so it's very strange. Blog post on this topic coming in the next few days. I actually had someone from one of these places tell me I wasn't a Christian. Riiiiiight.
On another topic...I forgot to mention that I saw one of those Utilikilts the other day in a Hawaiian print. It was awesome.
-
Permalink Reply by Gunfighter on
-
Remember, Lutherans ARE Catholic... just not Roman Catholic!
Regarding the Jumbotron churches, and the people that would claim you/we aren't Christian.... well, just don't get me started.
Please Visit Our Sponsors
Donate
Use PayPal to donate $1 to help cover the costs of hosting NaBloPoMo.
Thank you!
Thank you!
© 2008 Created by Eden Marriott Kennedy
