by Pastor Sara Spohr On Nov. 1 we'll celebrate the beautiful tradition of All Saints Sunday. In churches I’ve been a part of in the past, we have read the names of beloved saints, lit candles, rung chimes, and told the beautiful stories of those who have shared the faith. Every year on All Saints Sunday I remember my two grandmas. I remember my Grandma Spohr’s joy, unconditional love, and silly songs. I remember my Grandma Boyum’s faith, wisdom, and spectacular Scrabble skills. I remember them when I sing "For All the Saints," particularly the third verse: Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine, We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia! Alleluia! This year, like none other, I pause on those words “we feebly struggle.” This year will be different. We cannot gather for traditional worship, but we will pause to remember the beloved saints in our lives and in the life of Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church. Join us on Wednesday Oct. 28 for an All Saints Faith Walk. Come to the church parking lot any time between 5:45 and 7:15 p.m. You’ll be able to walk from your car, through luminaries along the sidewalk, through our sanctuary space, and out the sacristy door back to your car. The whole walk will take about 10 minutes. Here are a few ways that you can participate:
I hope to see you next Wednesday. During these uncertain times, we need sacred moments like this to connect us to God and one another. We need to immerse ourselves in moments of faith, love, and hope. Mark your calendar now for two more LNL Faith Walks: • Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday Nov. 25 • Christmas Eve Eve, Wednesday Dec.23 by Ginny Rudloff Ginny is a retired Prevention Coordinator for Cherish All Children and member of Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church. "Love born of faith in Jesus Christ calls us all to attend to, discuss, resist, and reject the system of sexual exploitation." (ELCA Message on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, pg. 1) What was your childhood like? Mine was pretty happy. I grew up on a farm with four siblings and lots of cousins to fill my days. It was a time of exploration, joy, and growth. There were no major bumps in the road; just the occasional spats with my siblings, heated arguments with my parents about short skirts and independence, and lots of love. Life is not like that for every child. Many live in fear and insecurity, conditions that make them vulnerable to sex traffickers. The Polaris Project, which runs the National Trafficking Hotline tells us, "Traffickers recognize and take advantage of people who are vulnerable in certain ways. There are several factors that may make a child vulnerable to sex trafficking including having an unstable living situation, having a history of domestic or sexual abuse, being frequent runaways, being involved in the juvenile justice or foster care systems, experiencing poverty or financial need, and/or dealing with addiction.” Traffickers look for these vulnerabilities and groom individual victims for sexual exploitation. Cherish All Children acts with congregations to educate, equip, and engage them to prevent child sexual exploitation and trafficking. At Lake Nokomis Lutheran, members have used the “Prayers for Cherishing Children” to pray daily for the safety and well-being of youth. One member told me that she carried a list of the children and youth in our congregation in her workbag. While she waited for the light rail each morning, she prayed for a few children each day as she moved through the list. Our congregation ha also prayed for children on their baptismal anniversaries each week in the Prayers of the People, reminding them that we love them, cry with them in their sadness, and rejoice in their delights. We have also hosted community discussions on ending the demand for trafficking, and have fostered conversations in our Faith and Life Conversations, our youth groups, and other small gatherings. Cherish All Children has provided resources to equip us for protecting our youth and guiding them to recognize some of the tactics traffickers use to groom and exploit children. When a coalition of organizations working to prevent trafficking advocated for the passage of Safe Harbor legislation, Cherish All Children urged congregations to join community and faith groups to support this sea-changing legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support. It has had a profound effect on trafficked youth who saw no hope in their future. Please join the Faith and Life Conversation on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 9:15 a.m., with Joy McElroy of Cherish All Children. We can all learn how to help our youth stay safe online while engaging in conversations with adults and peers about risk and prevention. I am personally thankful to Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church for making a difference by supporting and participating in this tiny little organization with a huge vision. We are active advocates for prevention! by Pastor Sara Spohr My cousin has a 20-foot-long dining room table. That table is amazing. At Christmas we snowshoed all around her farm and then went inside to eat the three full pots of soup she had prepared. We filled that table up. In February I attended a pastor’s conference in Iringa, Tanzania. At the end of the conference we sat around a big table together – Africans and Minnesotans. We celebrated. We ate. We sang. We danced the chicken dance. In March my niece turned 11. She made her own cake. We filled up the dining room table at my brother’s house with so much love for her and for each other because we knew that gatherings like this were about to be put on hold for a time. I want to sit at a big table full of people again. I want to celebrate with food and laughter and storytelling. I want to gather for worship, and weddings, and even funerals. I also want people to be safe and healthy. I want my family, friends and neighbors to survive 2020. I only want to gather if all can come to the table. This is the tension. I have a deep desire for two things that can’t happen at the same time. We’re feeling that tension in all sorts of ways this year. This is what our worship on Sunday will be about: the tension of the Christian faith. Tune in on Sunday and you’ll hear and sing a favorite song, “Come To The Table.” I’ll be taking you on a little field trip to my kitchen. And you’ll hear the promise that whatever the tension, the stress, the worry, the disappointment – the God who loves you has a place for you at the banquet table. |