My Childhood Church's Christmass Decorations

Since I had some "extra" time yesterday morning while I was in Saint Joe, I drove over to my childhood church [Trinity Lutheran] where I had participated in many School Christmass Eve services as a child. Wondered how the church would look 56 years after I graduated from grade school.

The chancel of the church is even more beautiful than it was when I was a child. The Christmass trees are now artificial (and didn't seem as tall as they were when I was a child). Small white lights have replaced those big old 9 1/2 colored bulbs that were popular in the 40s thru the 60s. Chrismons have replaced the ornaments of old.

All in all, I was very pleased with what a saw, and the scene brought back lots of fond memories for me. I can still "smell the smell" of Christmass Eves of the past, hear the sounds, and taste the goodness of the "bags" of goodies we received from the Men's Club after the service.

What great memories!

A very Merry Christmass!

In Memoriam--David George Truemper

Today--October 30--I remember a good friend--David Truemper--whose untimely death occurred five years ago.

David and I met as freshmen in high school at Concordia College-Milwaukee in September 1953. For 51 years,our lives would intertwine and intersect. We considered each other's parents our own. For 30+ years, we had a"standing date" for the Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University, which, for 20 of those years, Dave served as Director.

Dave was a theologian. He was a Doctor of the Church. Though his own church body rarely recognized the great gift God had given them in David, theologians world-wide recognized Dave's scholarship, particularly his insights into the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Today I give thanks to God for God's gift of David to the Church and for David's relentless pursuit of "telling the story" of the Gospel.

But, even more than that, I thank God for God's gift of David to me--as a dear friend, a colleague, a confidant.

"Rest eternal continue to grant to David, O Lord,

and let light perpetual shine upon him."

Anticipation

This has been a week of anticipation for me. Months of planning for the 50th reunion of my junior college class is about to come to fruition this Saturday and Sunday as we gather in Oconomowoc WI.

Concordia Milwaukee's Class of 1959 numbered 62. Ten members of the Class of 1959 have died. We were not able to locate two others. Of the remaining 50, 28 will gather to remember and reminisce and give thanks for all these years of friendship that began on the campus of Concordia High School and College in Milwaukee.

Saturday, June 27, will also mark the 44th anniversary of my ordination to the Office of the Public Ministry of the Church.

This will be a great weekend of remembering and gratitude.

Semana Santa [Holy Week] in Antigua Guatemala

This was the first of almost daily processions that Margaret and I saw as we observed Holy Week (Semana Santa) in Antigua Guatemala.

Each of the many Roman Catholic churches in Antigua has a "float" (anda is the Spanish word for it) that can be almost two car lengths long, can weigh up to 3 tons, and is carried in procession by anywhere from 80 to 100 men. Those who carry the anda change every block.

Each anda has the figure of the suffering Christ on it. Each procession will have its own "band" that will follow the anda and will play funeral dirge music. There's lots of incense (the boys and young men try to outdo each other in how much smoke they can create!).

The anda with the suffering Christ on it will be followed by another (smaller) anda that will have the figure of the weeping Mary and will be carried by young women.

The processions are marks of devotion on the part of those who participate, but they are also a marks of "penitence."

The procession from La Merced church on Good Friday leaves the church at 4 am and does not return until 2 pm--10 hours later.


The procession in this video came past the home where we were staying about 3:00 in the afternoon of Palm Sunday. It was one of 4 or 5 that came past our home that week--one of them as late as 1:30 on Easter morning!