32 :: Grace Lutheran Church

Today I worshiped at Grace Lutheran Church in South Charlotte. With preparations for Christmas underway, it was a great place to get deeper into the Christmas spirit in this most unusual year. This was by far the smallest church I have been to both in terms of building and congregation size. There were seventeen of us in the congregation today. As a consequence, it was a very intimate event. 

Here's the church and its lobby and the church bulletin:

I sat in the small sanctuary and settled in easily. It had a nice feel, and it was clear that the community was tightly knit. There was a music video [below] and multiple songs and responsive readings, as well as some scripture reading. There was also a children's sermon with two little girls (adorable, seen below). I noticed that a traditional Lutheran service, which this definitely was, had feel of a Catholic Mass in many ways.

Then the sermon occurred. It was about Søren Kierkegaard! I was very excited. Kierkegaard,  a Danish existentialist and theologian, is one of my favorites. I read "Fear and Trembling" back when I was steeped in CS Lewis... let's say around 2005. The teleological suspension of the ethical - at church - this morning?! Too good to be true.

Alas, Pastor James Douglas dove into another writing of Kierkegaard - entitled From the Edge of a Grave. In it, Kierkegaard wrote about the anxiety that can be at the root of existence. He wrote about the importance of a Christian's attention being focused on what can be controlled and what cannot.

The sermon was entitled Peace Amid Uncertainty. 

It provided great food for thought. Like any sermon, what one hears and incorporates is very much grounded in our own experiences and understanding of life.

Here's what I got out of this sermon...

There are basically two types of uncertainty in life. The first are those things that you don't control. The second are those uncertainties that arise from choices we make.

In the first category would be things like corporeal health, political vacillations and social unrest. This is a world increasingly defined by uncertainty, even on the global level. We entered this year like every other, filled with the hope for the best of times and the worst of times. Yet we have found ourselves increasingly at the whim of a pandemic that is a threat to our way of living together. It impacts our prospects of being able to travel. It will even have a direct influence on our ability to attend public events. And none of us saw it coming.

Uncertainty.

Life has uncertainties that arise from that which we don't have any direct control over.

In the second category are uncertainties that arise from things we do or that are done to us. Personal volition and the volition of others can provide ample uncertainties in life. We can make choices that impact the direction of our lives. People can do things that impact us directly. In such circumstances, marriages can end. Lives can be upended. People can experience trauma. As I've heard other people's stories during my life, I have come to the conclusion that many lives have been filled with much more tumult than has mine. Am I grateful to find this out? Honestly, I am. But no life is free of uncertainty and the anxiety that can come from it.

As is the case with both sin and grace, it may be accurate to say that uncertainty is the great equalizer. None of us can escape it fully.

In light of these truths, what are we to do? You can anticipate the message before I write it.

We are to lean into the Manger. We are to lean into the Cross. We are to lean into the Empty Grave.

Have faith.

After the sermon, the congregation took communion, in two phases. It was mentioned that communion was limited to Lutherans, specifically members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Synod. I respected their wishes and sat it out, of course.

After communion, two women opened the kitchen for coffee or tea and snacks. The congregation enjoyed some fellowship as they prepared for the Bible Study to follow. There was a 10:30 streaming service scheduled for later in the morning. The uncertainty of 2020, right?

As I departed, I felt fortified during this Advent season to face the uncertainties of life. They are a guarantee. One that I can meet with faith.

I continue to be amazed by the variety of ways that people are seeking His face. What an amazing journey this is proving to be!

Sincere thanks to this small-but-mighty congregation of Grace Lutheran Church.