As I have done before, I will blog on the 5 questions posted on a great blog- RevGalBlogPals. I don't work on Fridays, so here is the Friday Five on Monday :)
Friday Five: The Water and the Word
In last Sunday's gospel Nicodemus asks Jesus, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Poor old Nicodemus! He was so confused about the whole "water and Spirit" business of baptism.
For today's five, tell us about your baptismal experiences.
When and where were you baptized? Do you remember it? Know any interesting tidbits?
I was baptized on October 19, 1980 at Grace Lutheran Church in Muscatine, Iowa. I definitely don't remember it. I wish I did.
What's the most unexpected thing you've ever witnessed at a baptism?
Hmm...I'm sure the answer to this question will get more interesting as my years of ministry accumulate, but so far I'd say I was pretty surprised when the last baby I baptized started to fall asleep as I poured the water on his head!
Does your congregation have any special traditions surrounding baptisms?
Yes, they make a banner for the baby with his/her name on it and sing a special song.
Are you a godparent or baptismal sponsor? Have a story to tell?
I am a proud godparent of two beautiful Christian girls. My cousin Sarah, who is a SENIOR in high school and an amazing young woman, and my niece Mirella, a sassy 5 year-old. I love them both so much and am honored to be an example and teacher of faith to them.
Do you have a favorite baptismal song or hymn?
There's a really pretty song we sing at Grace at the contemporary service, but I don't know the name of it. It will get your tears going if you're not careful!
Baptism is such an important part of my life. I think about it almost daily. It gives me hope. At seminary, we had a very awesome baptismal font. It flowed down like a waterfall into a pool you could walk though. Some of my favorite worship experiences were when the whole community would take off their shoes and walk through the font. It was very moving. I love the flowing baptismal font at Grace, which we took time to listen to on Sunday morning. This Lent, may we all take time to listed to those waters and to what God is saying to us through them.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Car Talk
I used to brag about my car. Not because it's fancy- it's a '96 Honda after all! Because it was reliable. It ran smoothly for 4 years of seminary, hardly having any problems besides routine maintenance, despite having well over 100,000 miles on it. This was great. I felt safe in my car. Two of my other friends at seminary had almost exactly the same car. We all loved our Hondas. We named them "Earl", "Wanda", and "Marianne." If you get this, I hope you find it funny :) Think: Dixie Chics.
My parents, being wonderful and generous people, helped me through seminary by paying for Marianne's maintenance. So I knew, even if something went wrong, Marianne and I were taken care of. It's like having the security of 100% n0-deductible health insurance...but for a car :)
Well once I graduated and got a job, that insurance was terminated. But why would I be worried? Marianne was old, but healthy. She was strong and dependable.
Was...Was.
Since moving to Grafton, Marianne just hasn't been the same. Maybe she misses the city. The move has been hard on her. Because she keeps getting sick...passing out on I-94, making her mark on Grafton by leaking oil all over, her distributor stopped distributing, her exhaust system got exhausted, and now even in this bitter cold weather she gets too hot because her radiator isn't so radiant anymore.
I was in deep in thought this weekend. What to do? Get a new car? Pay for the increasing repairs and hope they stop soon? I started to go a little crazy thinking about what to do, looking for a possible new (used) car online, hoping I'd find some way to pay for it. If there was a sign above my head it would have read "WOE is me!"
Then I remembered prayer. So I prayed- "God, what do I do?" And, as often happens with prayer, God didn't answer my question, but opened my eyes. I looked up. I saw my beautiful home. I saw clothes hanging in my closet. I felt the warmth of the air from my furnace. And most importantly, I realized that my body (while suffering from a bad cold) was actually incredibly healthy. I remembered that I had steady employment. I had faith.
You know, there always seems to be something wrong. But there is always at least one thing that is right. Remember that phrase "When God closes a door, he opens a window"? There is always something new coming. Lots of doors may close, lots of things may break down (including our own bodies), but somewhere in our darkness comes the light of Christ. In the bitter cold of winter, there is a beautiful sunrise and sunlight shining on the snow. Marianne may be in bad shape, but she could be much worse. Her days may be numbered, but so are mine! Nothing lasts forever except God's love.
My parents, being wonderful and generous people, helped me through seminary by paying for Marianne's maintenance. So I knew, even if something went wrong, Marianne and I were taken care of. It's like having the security of 100% n0-deductible health insurance...but for a car :)
Well once I graduated and got a job, that insurance was terminated. But why would I be worried? Marianne was old, but healthy. She was strong and dependable.
Was...Was.
Since moving to Grafton, Marianne just hasn't been the same. Maybe she misses the city. The move has been hard on her. Because she keeps getting sick...passing out on I-94, making her mark on Grafton by leaking oil all over, her distributor stopped distributing, her exhaust system got exhausted, and now even in this bitter cold weather she gets too hot because her radiator isn't so radiant anymore.
I was in deep in thought this weekend. What to do? Get a new car? Pay for the increasing repairs and hope they stop soon? I started to go a little crazy thinking about what to do, looking for a possible new (used) car online, hoping I'd find some way to pay for it. If there was a sign above my head it would have read "WOE is me!"
Then I remembered prayer. So I prayed- "God, what do I do?" And, as often happens with prayer, God didn't answer my question, but opened my eyes. I looked up. I saw my beautiful home. I saw clothes hanging in my closet. I felt the warmth of the air from my furnace. And most importantly, I realized that my body (while suffering from a bad cold) was actually incredibly healthy. I remembered that I had steady employment. I had faith.
You know, there always seems to be something wrong. But there is always at least one thing that is right. Remember that phrase "When God closes a door, he opens a window"? There is always something new coming. Lots of doors may close, lots of things may break down (including our own bodies), but somewhere in our darkness comes the light of Christ. In the bitter cold of winter, there is a beautiful sunrise and sunlight shining on the snow. Marianne may be in bad shape, but she could be much worse. Her days may be numbered, but so are mine! Nothing lasts forever except God's love.
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