summer travel
St Bart’s, Yarmouth, Maine is a small church filled to the gills, led by a former Lutheran pastor and so uses more hymns à la Lutheran worship. Bishop Tom Breidenthal’s funeral service was bigger and more formal. The amazing flower arrangements reminded me of Duane’s gorgeous Pentecost flowers here at Calvary.
Next week I’ll worship in the teeny tiny (smaller than our Discipleship Center) chapel of the Community of Saint Francis in San Francisco. Worship will be quiet, intimate, mostly spoken and it will include morning and evening prayer as well as the Eucharist.
What a treat it is to worship in this broad spectrum of styles! Each of them, like each of the services here at Calvary offers something different: new ways to know or experience the Holy One. In Maine, I knew no one, and yet felt welcomed and included as part of the Body of Christ. In Oregon I connected with old friends and with Tom’s family. Here and in San Francisco I like being in my own home, my own kitchen, where I have gifts the community is ready to receive and appreciate right here, right now.
As we travel, we can worship God in new ways, hear new hymns, learn from different preaching, see what it is like to be a visitor, or a stranger. We can also connect with friends and worship we knew before. Perhaps you will see or hear something you particularly like: a new hymn, an insightful sermon, a way of praying that is new (or remembered) that you can share with us and we plan for fall.
The bulletins from St Bart’s and Trinity Cathedral in Portland will on the bulletin board in Hannaford Hall where you can peruse them. We invite you to bring your bulletins home. Highlight the things that made your heart sing, Share your experiences with us. Post them on the bulletin board. We look forward to seeing where you’ve been and learning new ways to worship.
Blessings,
Nedi
