Necessary Roughness

When I’m on the road, Lent is great, because sometimes I don’t get to go to church on Sunday and can go on Wednesday night. Upon scouring the web sites of four churches in the Sacramento area and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Woodland, St. Paul’s seemed to be the best place to go.

Before church there was a soup dinner, and someone had made a bean soup with HoneyBaked Ham pieces in it — quite good. I did the standard meet and greet, chatting about snow in California among other things. After dinner we checked out the lunar eclipse, the complete darkening happening right as worship began.

Worship consisted of Lutheran Worship p. 273, Responsive Prayer II, with Holy Communion following. There isn’t any opportunity for singing in the Responsive Prayer services, but we sang three hymns. They are considering a switch to the LSB, which I recommend. I asked if they needed a cantor any time between now and March 7, and I was offered the singing of the Introit, the “Kyrie”, and the Preface from LW DS II, Setting One, all on March 2. I don’t have class that Sunday.

During worship, Pastor Henry Scherer offered an unsolicited petition during the prayers for myself and my family, for blessings and safe travels. That was quite kind.

Pastor Scherer’s message focused on the Image of Christ, his humility, obedience, confidence, and forgiveness as shown in Phillippians 2:8 and Luke 23:34.

Pastor and I then had a nice chat afterwards about my experiences, his congregation, and his experiences in the Seminex controversy. Schrerer was in vicarage at the time. The chat concluded with his giving me a free pass to a gymnasium where he has a good relationship with the owner. I shall have to check it out.

I tried taking pictures of the sanctuary with my phone, but the pictures didn’t turn out. There is a modern altar with an interesting bronze Christ figure, and off to the side is a nearly 100-year-old German-style altar from the old church. I shall go again, taking the good camera with me.