Six Reasons Mary Is For Lutherans Too

Holy Trinity has a famous icon of Mary and the Child in the worship space. The intercessions each week conclude with thanksgiving for the saints—especially those to be observed in the coming week, yet Blessed Mary is named first. Here are six reasons devotion to Mary can enrich the spiritual and liturgical lives of Lutherans and other Protestants.

1. Mary has been honored by Christians through the ages. The vast majority of Christians through the centuries—Roman Catholics and Orthodox—have held a deep devotion to Mary. August 15 is observed as the Feast of the Dormition (“falling asleep”) by the Eastern Orthodox, the Feast of the Assumption by Roman Catholics, and Mary, Mother of Our Lord by Lutherans.

2. Mary is the Godbearer. Amid conflict and controversy in the fifth century, Mary was declared Theotokos, the Godbearer. This affirmation of Mary as the Mother of God was linked to the affirmation of Jesus as truly human and divine. Through baptism we are also called to be Godbearers. Through us, God brings to birth justice, peace, hope and new life.

3. Mary reveals the feminine side of faith. We may not honor Mary as divine, yet she provides some feminine balance to our scriptural and liturgical vocabulary that is saturated with male language for God. A number of religions have some kind of devotion to the Divine Mother, and there is a hunger, among some today, for a sense of the sacred feminine. For Christians, the church’s tradition regarding Mary seems the most natural place to begin.

4. In Mary is space for God. The famous Chora Church in Istanbul has awesome art from the lives of Mary and Jesus. Of several associations with the word “chora,” one is the Greek phrase which describes Mary as the “container of the uncontainable.” In the same way the people of Israel acknowledged the Tabernacle as the dwelling place of God, Christians marvel that the Word was made flesh in the womb of Mary. To make space for God in sacred places or within our very bodies, Mary is an icon of the incarnation.

5. Mary sings of radical justice. Mary’s Magnificat is sometimes described as revolutionary. She sings of God lifting up the lowly, the poor, the hungry, the forgotten, the marginalized. Mary sings a radical song of hope for those on the bottom of life’s heap.

6. Mary models openness to mystery. When the angel Gabriel announces that Mary will bear a child, she utters her most famous words—“let it be.” As Mary Responds with trust to this startling word, she is sometimes called the first Christian disciple. In the midst of things she cannot understand, Mary opens her life to divine mystery. Seeking God’s will does not mean there is a predetermined plan for each one of us. As our lives become more technological and programmed, Mary teaches us to let go of control and be open to whatever comes our way. 

July 14: Farewell and Godspeed to Bishop-Elect Kevin Strickland and Robby Saner

Pr. Kevin Strickland and his husband Robby have been members at Holy Trinity since Pr. Strickland was called as Assistant to the Presiding Bishop and Director of Worship for the ELCA churchwide organization in 2014. On June 2, 2019, Pr. Strickland was elected to serve a 6-year term as bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA. Sunday, July 14 will be Kevin and Robby’s final opportunity to worship in their home congregation before moving to Atlanta and we will bid them farewell and Godspeed during worship.

News from the Holy Trinity Anti-Racism Team

This past year has been an important one for our Holy Trinity Anti-Racism Team and our church. For one, we became members of the Emmaus Collective Pilot Group, joining churches “on the way to, or working on, dismantling white supremacy in their church culture. We are not saying they are done or totally safe, we are saying these are churches who are naming and claiming they that are doing the work.” https://emmauscollective.org/

Secondly, we have agreed to begin a two-year covenant with the Metropolitan Chicago Synod Anti-Racism team so that as we do this work we have support and accountability.  Stay tuned for a kick-off event in the fall to mark the beginning of this two-year process! 

In the meantime, we invite you to join the team in reading Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S. by ELCA Pastor and Executive Director of the Emmaus Collective, Lenny Duncan. You can pre-order the book here, or join the team on July 8 to meet Pastor Lenny in Chicago on his book tour! You can purchase tickets for that event here.

We then plan to read Dear Church in July and discuss it at our next Anti-Racism meeting on August 4th following the 9:30am service at HTLakeview. The team will be meeting upstairs in the St. Mark’s Room and newcomers are always welcome to join us!

If you can’t make it to these events but would like to get involved, please contact Pastor Ben.  In closing, below is a reflection from a team member who recently took part in an anti-racism workshop, along with an update and invitation from the Synod Team:

In her June 2nd sermon, Pastor Michelle spoke of Jesus’ ascension as being the beginning of a new journey.  To me, the 2 ½ day CROAR Understanding and Analyzing Systemic Racism workshop is like that.  As intensive as it is, it is only the beginning of the journey for anyone who has attended and now knows that one cannot go back to an origin of ignorance; ignorance in the systemic use of power to control resources that create and sustain an inequitable existence for people, based on their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental health or age. I couldn’t check off a box for this workshop and move on to something else. It is the benchmark, birth, beginning of a new journey, focusing on the work I need to do in my life to root out the systemic racism in my everyday life and the pebbles I will need to drop to invite others to join me to be fellow disrupters in systems around us throughout this country.

by Kris Hiepler-Hartwig

Another Pebble, the Metro Chicago Synod's Antiracism Team, is now in covenant with several churches to work on transforming their congregations. The Synod’s team is focusing on congregational work as well as providing access to various types of training. On July 20, a 1-day Anti-Bias/Anti-Racism workshop will be held at St Luke's Lutheran Church, Logan Square. This is being offered FOR FREE, other than a $10 cost for meals. For more information and to register, go to ABAR Workshop  This workshop is designed for educators; those who work in schools and Sunday School teachers are especially encouraged to attend.

by Barbara Wahler, Co-Leader, MCS Antiracism Team

What does this mean?

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Acts 2:1-4,6,12

Teaching the confirmation class for Holy Trinity this year was so much fun! Joel Cruz and I were the main fixtures in the St. Mark’s Room every Sunday at 10am with nine confirmands. Pastor Craig and Pastor Michelle joined us frequently for special sessions and to chime in on Ask a Pastor? questions (which ranged from queries about heaven/hell all the way to “flavors” of communion bread). Parents provided us with snacks (a necessity for this hungry group!) and faithfully supported our efforts. Our class really bonded, especially over our confirmation mascot (a stuffed, orange alpaca we named Dominic) and during our confirmation retreat at Lutherdale in February….where I learned that a toboggan is not a hat but a sled. We enjoyed collaborating together for our group participation in the Epiphany festival and our interpretative reading of the Noah story for the Easter vigil.

One of the questions that appears frequently in Luther’s Small Catechism, our main text for confirmation is, “What does this mean?” We asked this question as we studied the articles of the Apostles’ Creed and learned more in-depth about the sacraments of baptism and eucharist. We asked this question as we explored our faith convictions through themes of care for creation, boundaries and bodies, ethics, vocation, peace and politics. We asked this question to discern what does this mean, to live out our Christian faith in the world?

This same question, “What does this mean?” appears in our reading for Pentecost this week as the Holy Spirit descends on the new church. Amazed and perplexed, they ask one another, “What does this mean?” What do we do with this? How will our lives be changed by the power of God? What action must we take as a result?

Our confirmands have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in this community. For them, “What does this mean?” will be a lifelong question. It’s not a question that is answered easily or simply. It’s a question to be lived into and then asked again and then revisited throughout their lives. It’s not a question that they will answer alone. It’s a question they will continually explore together in their communities, with those who are brave enough to stand in the mystery with them.

Clothing Donations for Fox Valley Adult Transition Center

Please assist the Fox Valley Adult Transition Center for Women in Aurora by donating gently used women’s clothing and shoes (suitable for work, not formal dress), as well as accessories, for the boutique where residents can outfit themselves at no charge. Please put items in the HTLakeview narthex (entryway) in closed paper, cloth, or plastic bags clearly marked “Fox Valley.”

Support Pastor Betty Rendón's Family June 1/2

After spending nearly three weeks in ICE custody, Pastor Betty Rendón - along with her husband Carlos - were officially deported back to their native Colombia on Tuesday, May 28. This process is not only a grave injustice to Pastor Rendón and her husband, but it has also been devastating to her daughter Paula Hincapie-Rendón and her daughter, Layla.

Consequently, a community of Lutheran pastors and Christian activists from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago has organized a campaign to raise funds to help Pastor Rendón and her family through these difficult first weeks. Funds will go towards paying for legal and living expenses for the entire family, that can be moved quickly and directly into Paula's personal bank account here in Chicago. Our loose offerings this weekend will go to support Pastora Betty and her family.

Rejuvenate, Reconnect and Reorganize--Pastor Sevig’s Sabbatical

Twenty-five years ago, on June 5, 1994, I was ordained into the ministry of word and sacrament in the ELCA. A lot has changed in my life and in the ELCA in the past 25 years, and I’m so grateful that 17 of these years I’ve been a pastor at Holy Trinity.

At first I was named Pastoral Associate for HTLC while I worked full time in the ELCA Commission for Women. As Pastoral Associate I preached every six weeks, presided monthly and provided a pastoral presence on Sunday mornings. Beginning in 2005, shortly after my twins were born, Holy Trinity extended an official call as Associate Pastor; I worked one-third time at HTLC and one-half time as a hospice chaplain. Just three years ago, the pastoral expectations shifted again and I now work half-time; preaching monthly, presiding weekly, providing pastoral care, creating a youth group, coordinating hospitality with primary leadership responsibilities for family ministry, children’s education and social ministry.

Twice during my tenure at Holy Trinity Pastor Mueller has been blessed with sabbatical opportunities. Once I jokingly asked on Facebook, “When do half-time pastors get to have a sabbatical?” I never expected to actually get one, but thankfully, Pastor Mueller and the personnel committee proposed a six week sabbatical for me to take during the summer of 2019.

During the six weeks of sabbatical I will rest from the daily work I’m called to do at Holy Trinity. It’s the most important reason for a sabbatical, in my opinion, so that through rest and relaxation, I will be rejuvenated for continued ministry for many years to come.

My hope is to rejuvenate--breath new life into--spiritual practices that will restore my spirit and help me be more centered in my relationship with God. I get so busy most days, that I don’t take time to breathe, relax, meditate, dream. During these six weeks I’ll intentionally set aside time to rest--go to the beach, take walks in nature (without headphones) or read novels just for fun.

One of my favorite places to rest and rejuvenate is Holden Village in the Cascade Mountains. It’s a Lutheran retreat center tucked away in an old mining village. The last time I was at Holden I was pregnant with the twins, and I look forward to returning to this beloved place where I can hike in the mountains, learn from village guest teachers, worship daily, eat healthy vegetarian food and be creative on the weaving loom or pottery wheel.

Another focus of my sabbatical is to reconnect with family and friends. I plan to do getaways with each member of my family, one-on-one. Spending time alone with each family member is really important to me, especially now that my kids are teenagers. Because I work every weekend it’s impossible to go away for a short period of time. I look forward to reconnecting with them on a more personal level, when we can just play together and talk.

The third part of my sabbatical is to reorganize our living space. Actually, this was my first idea for sabbatical. I thought, “Oh good, I’ll finally have some time to clean the basement.” Thankfully I have good friends who reminded me that sabbatical is about rest, not more work. However, I’m still eager to do some decluttering and stuff management as a spiritual practice.

I’m grateful for this sabbatical opportunity to rejuvenate, reconnect and reorganize this summer. I’ll begin the sabbatical with two weeks vacation time at the Sevig family cabin on Green Lake in Minnesota, starting July 19th and return to Holy Trinity on September 11.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed financially to subsidize the cost of the sabbatical. There are no sabbatical grants available for part time ministers, so we were relying the generosity of the HTLC community. Thank you for making this sabbatical dream a reality!

Holy Envy: A reflection on my recent trip to Colorado

Back in March of this year, Barbara Brown Taylor released a book called Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others. I haven’t had a chance to read it just yet, but as I spent last week with students from the South Loop Campus Ministry, traveling through Colorado, I experienced my own case of holy envy. It happened to me at the Shambhala Mountain Center (SMC), a Buddhist retreat center, where the students and I spent two days immersed in nature, meditation, mindfulness, and yoga

The Tibetan form of Buddhism that we were being taught at the SMC so wholeheartedly embraced color and art, silence and ritual, and goodness and being in such a profound way, that I was struck with holy envy.  I was encountering God and goodness within myself and the world around me in ways I never have before.

Being in the midst of the Rocky Mountains also gave me a sense of geographic envy.  I’m a Midwesterner to the core, and everytime I caught a glimpse of the mountains, it took my breath away. I found myself longing for even a hint of elevation back home in Illinois.

Despite my holy and geographic envy, I did not return from Colorado a Buddhist convert or a mountain man. I am still secure in my Christian faith and at home closer to sea level in the Midwest, but I will testify that my experience traveling to a different place and familiarizing myself with the faith practices of others can and did invite me to find God anew.

Hopefully soon the hold I placed on Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy will be ready for pickup from the Harold Washington Branch of the Chicago Public Library right by HTLoop, but until then, I took a peek at the online preview of the book, and I found this quote which that captures the impact of my trip to Colorado:

“The God of your understanding is just that: the God of your understanding. What you need is the God just beyond your understanding.” -Rabbi Rami Shapiro

This was my experience in Colorado, and I hope it was for the students as well, but I wonder where you might also be being called to go outside of your traditional understanding of God, experience holy envy, and discover the God just beyond your understanding?

Peace,

Pr. Ben (click my name to send me a message)