St. Martin's Lutheran Church

St. Martin's Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States and is in full communion with the Episcopal Church. The ELCA is also a member of the Lutheran World Federation. Just a short browse through St. Martin's website and you can see they have quite a bit of activities going on there, from small group meetings to conversational spanish classes to sewing circles to yoga. They are also involved in outreach ministries throughout the city of Austin, but also as far away as Honduras.

Upon entering the church, I was immediately drawn to the physical beauty of the place. The floors are stone, there are beautful stained glass windows with various symbols and scenes and at the front is a beautiful, carved structure behind the altar. I didn't take pictures, but you can follow this link and see pictures taken from last Christmas to give you an idea of how beautiful it is.

The service opened with a prelude played by horns. One of the things I like about the Lutheran liturgy is where they place the prayer of confession and forgiveness. It's at the very beginning of the liturgy. For me, it's like coming into the presence of God in a penitent manner and immediately seeking His forgiveness in order to remain there and worship Him. For me, I'm guessing that's how actually meeting Him face-to-face would be. First, realizing how unworthy and sinful I am, then rejoicing in the moment as He accepts me regardless.

The liturgy is what most would call "high church" - fairly formal, but not stiff or cold in any way. Most of the songs are sung by the congregation, for example, so there's active participation in song as well as the responsive readings. A special treat this Sunday was the baptism of a very cute baby. Not only was it a touching moment, but it was worth the entire experience to watch the father's face. That man was one proud papa! After the communion hymn was sung, there was a choral chant which was absolutely beautiful. The choir is in a loft behind the congregation, so their voices floated above us, giving them an angelic quality.

The sermon was about love and friendship. The preacher talked about how most people who find church do so through friends and he talked about the qualities of friendship that are important, reflecting on the reading from I Corinthians 13 regarding love. It was a heartfelt message, with a great story about two six-year-old boys he witnessed having a disagreement about one of them breaking the other's toy. This church has a beautiful liturgy, with music, prayers and readings that definitely move the soul. The people were friendly and the place is brimming with activities and ministries for people to get involved and remained involved.

Okay, two things I just have to make a point to mention that were in this service. The first is there was a recognition of a lady who has worked in their children's program for over 50 years! Wow!! She has been a faithful member, never refusing to pitch in, always there to help others and has been a real inspiration to their church. As everyone stood and applauded her, it hit me that probably many of the people standing there recognizing her were probably taught or ministered to by her as they grew up there. It was very touching.

The other thing I have to point it may sound a little weird because it focuses on just one person, but I feel compelled to do so. The presiding minister over the service was, I believe, a lady by the name of June Wilkins. If I got the name wrong, someone can correct me when they read this. June is one of those people that lights up an entire room when they smile. Everytime she prayed, gave a blessing, or spoke, you could just feel the Spirit of Christ in her. Her voice is filled with love and joy. I don't just mean happy, but true joy. Although I know many, many people who are loving Christians, just spending some time worshipping with her was a wonderful experience. As she was headed to the back (at the end of the service), she looked at me and smiled and I could just feel the love of Christ radiate from her. These people are blessed to have her there as one of their ministers.

All in all, St. Martin's Lutheran Church is a joyous and beautiful experience, both spiritually and aesthetically.

One last reason to visit here...the Blessing of the Animals. Apparently, this is something they do every October. I will definitely be taking my animals to this! They could use it!

Some Rules I Made for Myself

I'll be posting soon about my visit this week to St. Martin's Lutheran Church. However, I wanted to share a little bit about some rules I've been trying to live by on my journey.

The first is that I don't take notes. The reason I've done this is because I'm afraid if I start taking notes, I'll take on the role of observer rather than participant in the service. I'm not there to evaluate, judge or report on the church. I'm there to experience their worship with them and see both how they view God as well as how God manifests Himself in their service. I also try to wait at least a little bit to write about the service. This gives me a chance to think about what I really took away from it. Some weeks I may talk about the sermon or homily because they had the biggest impact or most meaning to me. Some weeks I may come away talking about the people or how the worship service felt because that had the biggest impact or most meaning to me. Someone could write about the same service from their perspective and you might find yourself wondering if we were both in the same place! That's probably a good thing. It probably reflects how each of us experience God and worship differently, even when doing it collectively.

The second rule is I don't take a camera inside. In fact, I have only taken pictures during the week when the church isn't meeting. I think it would be disrespectful to walk into a church service, snapping photos, so I won't be doing that. I wanted to go get my camera out of the car after the service today and run back inside, but I decided to resist the urge. I also haven't taken pictures of the building while people are still exiting. I did post pictures of St. James Episcopal Church, but I actually did that from the middle of the street on a Saturday afternoon. I might run around Austin one day and try to get a bunch of pictures to post of churches I've visited. I just don't want people to feel like I'm standing out there, gawking at them, while taking pictures of them or their building.

I'll be writing later and sharing today's service with you.

Shoreline Christian Center

One of the biggest challenges in doing a project like I'm doing is not being judgmental. It's easy to talk about an experience when you feel the Spirit of God alive in the service. It's easy to describe a service in which you were personally moved, whether spiritually or emotionally. It's not easy to talk about a service in which you came away feeling the way I did today. As I stated before, some entries on this blog will end up being more about me than about the churches I visit. However, I will do my best to both describe my experience (for that's the only perspective I am fully qualified to speak from) and to describe the worship service at Shoreline Christian Center objectively.

I'll begin with the service. Shoreline Christian Center is one of several megachurches in Austin, claiming a membership of over 8000. I intended to take pictures of the outside of the building, but forgot to do it. However, you can take a virtual tour of the entire property online. When you enter the building, it can be pretty overwhelming, although there are multiple greeters at every door, blessing you, thanking you for visiting and offering assistance. They have their own Starbucks and also serve breakfast tacos there. The name of the Starbucks is...get this...Holy Grounds Coffee Shop. Yes, it's kind of hokey. Name aside, it's really a Starbucks, including using Starbucks cups and the regular items you see on their menu. There is also a full Christian bookstore, similar to what you would see in the mall - bibles, books, shirts, jewelry, CDs, etc. The walls are literally covered with advertisements for upcoming events, activities and information regarding the church. The place is vibrant, hectic and active.

The worship center is large. It has stadium seating as well as seating on the floor in a horseshoe shape around a stage where there is a full band and choir. Spotlights shoot out over the crowd and on the stage, multiple video screens are showing various band members and praise leaders as well as pictures and colors that match the mood of the music. It's all quite spectacular. This church leaves nothing to chance. For example, the entire service is carefully and deliberately choreographed to facilitate and drive the mood of the service. There is a time in which people can come forward for prayer. "Prayer partners" meet them (either at the front or in front of the high-rise seats) and ushers stand behind them with kleenex, ready to give them out to people moved to tears. The music during this time is quiet and the lights are low. Then, the spotlights come back up, shooting across the stage, then the audience and the music rises up to once again energize the service. We had commercials during a break in the service in which various activities and opportunities around Shoreline were shared. The pastor made a plea for money, talking about tithing and giving in general, especially to help with the ministry and building of their new building. He talked about how if you tithe, God will bless you, but seemed to imply these blessings would be earthly as well as heavenly (I think at one point he even said you would be rewarded with business contacts, but don't quote me on that - I could have it wrong).

The service had a theme related to joy. The music spoke of joy, the pastor's wife got up and gave a brief sermonette about joy and they even had a singer come up and sing Joy to the World (the Three Dog Night version, not the Christmas hymn). The sermon was the beginning of a series on joy. The pastor talked about how we should pursue joy and that it glorifies God when His people are joyful. He gave several examples from his own life and often drew from experiences with his father, wife and children. The impression I got from him is that Christians should demonstrate this joy all the time and, if not, God's very glory is at stake. There was an altar call at the end and people were invited to "invite Christ into their hearts" or re-dedicate their lives to Christ.

What was my personal experience? Well....not so good. First, I'm not a big fan of marketing God. However, I realize He's being marketed in our consumer-driven society all the time. Something about walking into a church and seeing a bookstore selling all kinds of "God paraphernalia" troubles my soul. Now, I'll be the first to admit that maybe I have the wrong idea about this. I'm sure there are perfectly good reasons to charge people for sermons and WWJD jewelry in a place set aside for the worship of God. I've seen bookstores in other churches and not been offended. However, when I walk in and feel like I've stepped into a marketplace rather than a place of worship, passages like John 2:13-16 come to my mind.

Second, the service itself felt more like a big "let's get happy" conference than church. Well, maybe it was more like a concert with a motivational speaker closing it. People are walking around, carrying their Starbucks cups, waving their arms about to the music, while the guy in charge of the music carries on like he's in concert. He often played up to the camera and dramatically flitted about, performing for the audience. The pastor actually has introductory music as he approaches the stage and people cheer for him. The service felt more like emotional manipulation than worship to me. Oh, we would occasionally "Give God a hand,", etc. but there was much more cheering for the performers than the One who created them. I do not think there was one moment in the service in which people aren't milling about, walking in and out of the service, and drinking coffee.

Personally, I felt someone was trying to manipulate me emotionally and because I wasn't buying, I didn't really get anything out of the service. Don't get me wrong. The service was quite impressive. It was extremely professional, well-choreographed and kept you entertained the entire time. I think that was the problem. It was entertaining more than anything. One person gave me a term that I think best describes it: worshiptainment.

What should you, the reader, do with this? Well, first, remember this is merely my experience and my opinion. I am only one person and this only reflects my experience at this church. In fact, there are thousands of people at Shoreline that will tell you I'm full of it, judgmental, etc. and that God does indeed move in the spirit and life of that church. I don't doubt it. The Spirit does move where and when He chooses. My opinion doesn't change that. Second, I am not a theologian, scholar, professional or expert on how church should be conducted. That is between God and His people. I am merely a person who wants to understand and see how God moves among His people. Unfortunately, I appear to have a blind spot when it came to this weekend at Shoreline. I don't get it.

Lastly, if you enjoy a church that is exciting, entertaining, has an excellent speaker for a pastor and gives you a mini contemporary Christian concert each Sunday, this may be the place for you. Like I said, the service was impressive. It is amazing, in a sense. I just hope and pray my impressions are wrong and that the people of Shoreline are right where God wants them. It does reinforce, for me, the belief that we all worship in different ways and take things away from services differently. That's one of the great things about this journey in Austin. I may have gotten nothing from this experience, but quite a number of people dedicated themselves to Christ today at Shoreline. Maybe there's something there for them that just isn't meant for me.

The Weirdest Church Ever

If you don't watch the American version of The Office, you might want to stop reading this entry now. If you do, you probably want to stop reading anyway. After posting MLK Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, I had a dream. However, my dream was that I was visiting a little country church (as part of this journey) and Michael Scott was the pastor. When I first came up, he was hiding around the corner of the church, with a fire extinguisher, telling me to watch because he was pulling a prank on the congregation. I went in and Dwight Schrute was greeting people and showing them his tattoos (I think the tattoos came from me watching One Punk Under God on Sundance - a series about Jay Bakker's ministry). Apparently, Dwight was the music minister or youth minister - I'm not quite sure which. Not much else happened in the dream, but I would have to say it was pretty funny. If I ever have a real experience like that one, you'll be the first to know!

I've added a new section to the links over on the right of the blog. It is a list of churches I plan on visiting while on this journey. Thanks for the suggestions I received from a couple of you.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have a dream. Take 17 minutes of your day today to stop and listen one more time to this amazing speech given by Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptist minister, civil rights leader, political activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner. Take 17 minutes to remind yourself that freedom hasn't come easy for everyone.

Although this speech is filled with great quotes, I think my favorite is this one: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

This is not only a call for freedom, but a call for responsibility. It is a call for all of us to possess character and for that character to be how we are judged. Take 17 minutes today to listen to the call to work together, pray together, and struggle together to see this nation become and remain a great nation.

Flooding Yesterday, Freezing Rain Today

I'll be staying in out of the weather this weekend. It's cold, wet and may get icy. I'll be watching football from my warm house.

Mosaic

This week I visited Mosaic. They are currently meeting at the First Baptist Church in Austin on Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. However, they have acquired some property and are planning on moving into it in the near future. After looking their website over, I was completely in the dark on what to expect when I arrived. I do have to admit that I have a skeptical streak in me when it comes to churches that are out of the ordinary. I realize "out of ordinary" is completely subjective, but regardless, I just couldn't get a good feel of what they would be all about. They clearly are into the Austin culture. Usually when I hear someone say that, they just mean they are proud to be weird. To add confusion to this, they use the term "liturgy" on their site so I was even more curious as this implied more than just a gathering of people, sitting around in a circle, talking about changing the world. That was my mental image on the way up there. In fact, I figured they would do more talking about what they ought to be doing rather than actually doing anything. Like I said, I can be quite skeptical and, for whatever reason, I was just feeling like this was going to be one of those goofy experiences where Christianity was stretched a bit too far for me to appreciate anything other than the fact we have a wide range of weirdos in the world. Fortunately, I was wrong. So, if nothing else, I have learned not to make assumptions about others' worship before actually going and experiencing it with them. I have also learned that some of these entries on my blog will end up being more about me than the church I visit. That's probably a good thing. It means God is actually speaking to me and teaching me through this experience!

So, what about Mosaic? When I arrived at the church, I noticed quite a few people standing around, chit-chatting, etc. while others were sitting in the area they have occupied, listening to music. There were some couches and chairs in a half circle and people were scattered about, greeting one another and finding their seats. Also, to the side was an art station. I kid you not. Various pictures were also on the walls that appeared to be originals done by members there. A table was up front, with wine and bread.

The members were fairly young, ranging (my guess) from late teens to mid-30s, with some young couples with babies and a couple of people my age (older than 40). The music was very different than music you typically hear in a worship service - it was more abstract and poetic - kind of a Dave Matthews Band style. The first song or two was done by the musicians up front with minimal congregational participation, but it wasn't like a concert. People weren't clapping at the end of the song or anything. They were quiet, either listening, meditating or praying. With the rest of the songs, people sang along quietly. The music was pretty engaging. With the exception of one song, I am guessing they were originals and were very heartfelt and poetic. At one point, one of the worship leaders got up and told people they could feel free to go to an art station, write, sing, etc. - however they choose to worship. There was a responsive reading portion and a small discussion on Epiphany and it's importance to the church calendar. (Yes, this was a liturgical service; it was very local, very personal and very Austin. I loved it!).

The sermon was delivered by a young man who was also very sincere and engaging in his demeanor. He obviously knew his audience and kept people listening, not with great eloquence, but with a simple, personable style. The main thrust of the sermon was about how people come close to a full commitment to Christ as Lord, but don't always make the full journey. The speaker used his own personal experience as a marathon runner and also used several biblical examples. It was a challenge to the people to make that trip to Christ to the fullest.

Communion was served following the sermon. It was interesting because the person who gave the usual "This is my body, this is my blood" pronouncement invited us to the Lord's Table in a way that bordered on an old-fashioned altar call. This actually, for whatever reason, was probably the most moving moment for me. His invitation was not just to experience the Blood and Body of Christ, but to come into a relationship to Christ in doing so. It was also at this point I realized the opening song, the sermon and this invitation were all very closely related. They closed with a poem by T.S. Eliot.

I didn't mention my biggest surprise - there were somewhere between 50 and 70 people present. I'm not a good estimator, but I think that estimate is fair. I don't know why, but the website led me to believe they were smaller. Probably just something I made up. They talked about some goals they have in doing things for one another, such as shared childcare, etc. before closing. All were then invited to join one another at Freebirds after the service for a meal. Unfortunately, I was not able to go. However, it was clear this church is largely based on their relationships and working to support and love one another and this meal at Freebirds is probably just as important to some of them as the liturgy. You get the feel this is more than a gathering of Christians. It's a gathering of friends. In fact, it reminded me of when I was in college (I went to a Christian college). We'd often sit around for hours into the night, talking about God and what He's done in our lives, talking about our goals and things we want to accomplish. It had that kind of feeling to it. A feeling of intimacy and friendship.

The service was intimate. It was quiet. It was worshipful. It was poetic. I was reminded of Brian McLaren's observation in which he mentions the movie Contact and how Jody Foster's character is describing what she sees. She states, "No words to describe it. Poetry! They should've sent a poet." I almost felt like I wasn't the right person to try to describe the service because they should've sent a poet. Truly, this experience was music and poetry to the soul.

The Pursuit of Happyness

If you are looking for inspiration in the theaters, The Pursuit of Happyness is a good movie to see. Will Smith, a great actor in any role, plays Christopher Gardner, a man who is raising a son while battling homelessness and despair, pursuing his dream of being something great (in this case, a successful stockbroker). The movie focuses on the relationship he has with his son and how important it was to take care of him. At one point in the movie, they are staying at a shelter being ran by a Methodist Church. The scene with him and his son during a worship service there is priceless. I can't really describe it in a way that does it justice, but you'll know what I mean when you see it.

So, what does this have to do with my theme, The Gospel According to Austin? Well, I did manage to make this one work! Christopher Gardner will keynote the 14th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan. 20 at the Riverbend Centre in Austin. Riverbend Centre is also the location of Riverbend Church, a place I had been attending for the last few months before embarking on this recent journey. I'll probably get around to attending Riverbend one Sunday for the purpose of blogging it on here, but I want to wait a bit because I want to try to have a fresh perspective on the service. Anyway, if you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it. If you live in the Austin area, you may want to try to get to it and then go see Mr. Gardner speak at Riverbend.

Happy New Year!

I want to wish you readers a Happy New Year! I had planned on beginning this journey in 2007, but got ahead of myself when I visited St. James Episcopal Church the day before the year started. No regrets, however, as it was a wonderful experience. Now that I've gotten ahead of myself, let me back up and tell you where I'm going.

Although you can probably find my name on a church roll or two and probably find me on a mailing list for others, the truth is I am without a church I call "home" at this time. This is not to say I'm wandering outside of Christianity, in a dark forest of doubt and despair, questioning my faith and seeking answers to life's really difficult questions. It's more like I have re-entered the hallway C.S. Lewis speaks of in Mere Christianity. Of course, in speaking of this hallway, he says, "It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in."

This portion of my journey will involve trying out various doors and seeing how God is expressed in those various rooms and to see how others express themselves towards God. It is not my goal to spend the rest of my life in the hall. In fact, I was warned by one internet friend to be careful about taking a consumerism approach to Church. It is not my goal to do so and I will remind myself of this warning as I continue on in this journey.

On a larger scale, Austin is a unique type of city. "Keep Austin Weird" is the motto. When you start with that, you know it has to be interesting! My journey will be to look at various churches/parishes in Austin. I will worship with them. I will share my experiences here. If you find it to be helpful in your own journey, then me taking the time to write it has been worth something. If not, then at least writing my own thoughts helps me to keep track of where I've been.

So, although the journey has begun, it's not too late for you to jump on and travel a bit of the way with me as I discover The Gospel According to Austin.

A couple of side notes:

(1) There is no particular format to how I've chosen to describe my experiences. I will write based on what made a particular impression on me at the time I attended the worship service. The impressions are only as accurate as my personal experience and perspective are. You could attend with me and possibly come away with an entirely different experience. That's how God works.

(2) I am a Christian. I have no intention of taking this journey beyond Christianity unless I somehow feel led by God to do so. I know Austin is filled with other cultures, other religions, and other ways of expressing love for God. I leave it to someone else to discuss those experiences. I plan to keep my journey within the limits of Christianity. This is not because I do not believe there is value in other cultures or religions. It's just not the path I'm on.

Finally, thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you find it enjoyable, enlightening and even entertaining. If you live in the Austin area and would like me to visit a particular church/parish and write on it, feel free to post a comment and tell me. Maybe I can make it part of my journey.