Good Friday

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Happy Third Day of Christmas!

St. John the Evangelist and Theologian, Russian Icon, 18th C

Today is the feast day of St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist.

John, the son of Zebedee, was a fisherman and one of the Twelve disciples of Jesus. John, his brother James, and Peter were the three who witnessed the light of the transfiguration. John and James once made known their desire to hold positions of power in the kingdom of God. Jesus' response showed them that service to others was teh sign of God's reign in the world.

Tradition has attributed authorship of the gospel and three epistles bearing his name to the apostle John. John is a saint for Christmas through his proclamation that the Word became flesh and lived among us, that the light of God shines in the darkness, and that we are called to love one another as Christ has loved us.

Information taken from Sundays and Seasons Year C 2013, published by Augsburg Fortress

Calling All Visual Artists

Word of Life Mural by Millard Sheets, 1907-1989.
From the Art in the Christian Tradition Collection at Vanderbilt.

Here at CtK we tend to do a pretty good job of celebrating the musical gifts of members of the congregation. Last Sunday we enjoyed an anthem by the adult choir, and a new mini wind ensemble played along with a couple of the hymns. This coming Sunday, the Sunday School choir will sing, and worship will be lead by a group with contemporary instrumentation.
That said, there are lots of folks with gifts in the VISUAL arts as well, and this summer, we'd like to celebrate and appreciate those gifts through a series of original bulletin covers. Anything that can be scanned, or have a a photo taken of it, will work. So, if you are a painter, sculptor, photographer, calligrapher, fiber artist, mixed media artist, drawer, scrapbooker, etc., and you are interested in participating in this series, please let Pastor Lindean know!
The goal is to have an original cover every Sunday June-August, inspired by the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for the day. It could be the Old Testament reading, the Psalm, Epistle or Gospel lesson that inspires you. We hope each artist will also write a brief statement about their work and the inspiration behind it. Questions? Talk to Pastor Lindean.
Not a visual artist? Encourage someone who is, enjoy the growing "gallery" in the narthex and social hall, and be sure to thank those who do participate in this series.

Summer Dreamin'

All this cold weather has me perusing the gardening books at the library and thinking about fun things to do this summer. How about you?

Here are some great ideas for summer 2010:

Go to camp! It's not just for children and youth anymore. Both Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp and Christikon have Family Camps and camp experiences specifically for adults. Check them out! There are so many great opportunities!

Camp not your thing? Prefer to spend some time working on or learning some new artistic skills? Check out the Grunewald Guild, a community of art and faith. The Guild, located in Plain, Washington (not far from Leavenworth, and only a few hours northeast of Seattle) is one of my favorite places on earth. I've only been there twice, but can't wait to go back! My first time there I spent a week learning calligraphy in the morning and "fabric embellishment" in the afternoon. The second summer there I spent the mornings in a creative writing class and the afternoons in "clay paper sculpture." Swing by my office sometime and I'll show you the results.

And a funny...

Easter is a time of joy and hope - and in some traditions it is also a time for great humor - playing on the theme that Jesus' death is the greatest joke pulled on the devil, ever. Death thought that death had won. And... not so much.

This story makes me glad - it's goofy and whimsical, and I for one think we could have a little more whimsy in church, most of the time. Enjoy!