Wednesday, October 14, 2015

If you fall I will catch you

After many exciting traveling experiences under my belt, I arrived in Germany with perhaps a little less zeal than if this were my first or only destination. My cup of soul-enriching experiences was full and my mental stamina was moving toward low. I thought I had accomplished pretty much all my "water and wilderness" sabbatical goals.

Spent time in water, kayaking in Alaska? Check.
Renewed ordination vows? Check.
Spent a week in intentional prayer, writing an icon? Check.
Attended different kinds of churches? Check.
Read books? Check.  
Spent time in wilderness, camping in WA and VT? Check.
Spent quality time with friends and mentors? Check.
Studied at Iona? Check.

As I said, my cup was full. And in a sense, my expectations were low only in that I could not imagine what more I could fit into the blessing cup or my suitcase for that matter. 
The reason I included Germany on the itinerary was to visit important Reformation sites with the hope that I may return with my church in 2017 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. That is still my hope.  I knew it would be awesome; I just thought I had maxed out my "wow factor" quota. 

But no matter what experience preceded this trip, it is an empowering experience to walk the streets of Eisleben, Wittenberg, Leipzig, Erfurt, and Wartburg in the steps of Martin Luther the Reformer, especially for a Lutheran! 

The Lutheran faith and interpretation of the Gospel, particularly the understanding that our relationship to God is primarily about God's grace in Jesus, is formative to my identity as a Christian and person. 

It is both meaningful and renewing to be where the enormous shift in understanding happened - moving from works to grace.  It adds to the joy that this tour is led by servant-leaders who have both a great sense of humor and great musical talent. If you've been part of a Lutheran youth group in the last 40 years, you've probably heard of them. My tour guides are George Baum and Michael Bridges of the rock band Lost and Found along with other excellent Lutheran musicians: Tangled Blue (Joel and Aimee Pakan) and Rachel Kurtz.

My visit to the small town of Eisleben was a return trip for me, having visited with seminary roommate Jess in January 2004. 

It is the birth and death place of Luther which means it is where he preached his last sermons and was baptized. Especially because God's promises in baptism are pivotal to Luther's whole theological understanding, this is a stop not to be missed on a Reformation tour.

In the last 11 years, St. Peter and Paul Church has undergone major renovation; the 800 year old building was in disrepair and the government set aside large funds to repair and improve Reformation sites in preparation for 2017. I would not have recognized the church from inside based on my last visit. 

The new design is simple and gorgeous. The simplicity stands out in contrast to the ornate, gothic architecture I have seen in most churches I have visited on this tour. The most notable feature of St. Peter and Paul - not surprisingly given the Reformer and his followers - is the baptismal font. It takes the form of an enormous hole with an 8-foot diameter and is filled with water that is 5-feet deep. The font can accommodate full immersion baptism and even has heating capacity.

As soon as I laid eyes on it, I remembered the thing I had not yet done. And immediately I wanted to approach it and remember my baptism. I was supposed to do this with my mom in Scotland. And we sort of did ... We talked about our baptismal stories while we waded in the chilly waters of the North Sea. It was lovely.

But ritual also matters. It was quite moving and meaningful when Rev. Scott Moore - former pastor of St. Peter and Paul - invited all 93 of us tour participants to come forward during evening prayer and remember our baptism. Some folks prostrated near the hole in the ground and reached in to splash. Others queued up near the small, standing font which was actually the one in which Luther was baptized.

I chose the hole in the ground. And in it, like the others around the circle, I splashed. And rejoiced. I washed my tears. And I sang along with Tangled Blue: 

When you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting, time after time.

Apparently there was room in my blessing cup for another drop. It may be the most important one of all because this one is a keeper. Wherever there is a drop of water, there is a reminder of God's promise to be with me and with us all through water and the Word.

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time






2 comments:

  1. Recently my sister's church had a baptism by immersion. Their interim pastor set up a very intricate "pool" in the shape of a cross. It was so large they needed to set it up in the Narthex instead of the Sanctuary. It was filled with water and he baptized an adult member. I have a picture of it which I will save to show you when you return. I had never heard of this type of baptism in a Lutheran church and your post reminded me of this recent event.

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  2. That is neat, Elaine! I have not witnessed a full immersion baptism in a Lutheran church either, though I am certainly willing to perform one. With my church's current font, it would required the candidate to be a tiny baby; for a larger person, we would need to go outdoors. Blessings!

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