19th Day of Advent - Our Savior Lutheran Church - Issaquah, WA - December 19th 2010

       What is Lutheranism? Lutheranism was the first Protestant faith to rise out of the reformation. It was founded by the Priest Martin Luther when he was unable to bring about reform in the Catholic Church. The core differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism is the non-belief in the Pope, the belief in justification through faith alone and the Bible is the only reliable and final source on issues of morality and God's Law since every word is believed to have been inspired by God. Lutheran's also have female pastors which I really like about the faith.

     The day I attended Our Savior Lutheran Church was the 19th day of Advent. When I first came I talked briefly with the pastor and educational director...I'd attended this Church once before with Youth Exploring Spirituality (YES) but that had been years ago. I had no clear memories. The day I arrived the youth were putting on the nativity but it was done differently this year where each of the grades was asked a question in regards to what Christmas meant. One of the inspirations for this was what Jesus said in Matthew 18:2-4,

    "I tell you the truth. You must change be like children. If you don't do this. You will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child."

     Family and friends were the greatest theme outside of the birth of Jesus for what Christmas means. This theme fit with the first quote of the service. John 4:8 "Anyone who does not love, does not know God, because God is love." The community the kids expressed was of love and was what Christmas means. Christmas is about sharing love with family, friends and partner. In Christianity this is shown in God becoming Man because he loved humanity so much, and this informs the theology of love in Christianity...which I believe is the essence of all faiths.

    The readings and structure of service reminded me a little of Catholic Mass, as well as the vestments of the Pastors. There was Communion at the end of the service, there were prayers for the Church (all those who were suffering) and the World. It was a really beautiful all inclusive prayer with peace and healing as it's aim. There was also the Lord's Prayer and a similar prayer of the people lifting their hearts up to the Lord before offering it to one another.

     After the service I would talk to the Pastor for a while about service in the community, and how Our Savior Lutheran Church actually made it pretty easy (as far as the causes you could give to immediately) and I told him about my goal of creating understanding and peace between religions. We exchanged information and I'm excited to talk with him again, hopefully later this break.

12th Day of Advent - University of Washington Prince of Peace Catholic Newman Center - Seattle, WA - December 12th 2010

        Do you want to know one of the most peaceful experiences in religion? Try a candlelight Mass. There are few better places for thinking about the big questions and feel peace from a physical location. The Mass I would be attending with my girlfriend was the last Mass of the day. Outside it was completely dark and the darkness complimented the candles that were around the alter and the walls.

    First, what is Advent? Advent is the countdown to Christmas day and the birth of the mythical birthday Jesus Christ. Advent literally means arrival or coming. The coming of God to the Earth. Effectively it's the lead-up to the Nativity, when Christians believe God humbled himself into the form of baby in order to understand and be a part of his creation in order to save it. The countdown is a time to reflect on that birth on the idea of God becoming a child and baby and being completely dependent on his children to care for and raise him to adulthood.

    The readings were Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10, and Matthew 11:2-11. The first reading is Isaiah describing that the Lord will heal the sick, cause the lame to leap like a stag, the mute to sing and the deaf will hear. It is one of the times Isiah is speaking of hope to Israel about God and that God loves them and those who the lord has ransomed will enter Zion. This passage is seen in Christianity as a preview to Jesus which Matthew plays upon in the next reading.

    In Matthew the reader is with John the Baptist and he tells his apostles from Prison to ask if Jesus is the Messiah. To which Jesus replies that he has performed the miracles that Isiah described (without mentioning Isiah) and says that his coming was foretold and that he is more then a Prophet.

    The readings compliment Advent extremely well. Isiah is used in Christianity to tell of the coming of God to Israel and then Matthew is used to say that he has come.

    As I meditated the psalms that spoke of the weak being protected and God watching over the people I couldn't help but be at peace. My heart beat became the rhythm I would focus on and in that focus and moments of silence during the Mass I saw the heartbeat as a metaphor for the "First Cause" the sound of the Universe coming into existence and the sound of so many forms of life.

    This would be one of the more powerful sermons I've attended and most of that power came from the imagery of candles and the sound of quite song and silence.



    

The Third Day of Hanukkah. December 3rd 2010 - Evegreen Hillel

        What do all religions have that unites them? The common thread I have noticed through all is a sense of community and honoring of something greater then the self. What the higher ideal is goes by many names, but in accordance with that higher ideal is that there must be a community of support. As the Outsider I am witness to the beautiful communities I have taken part in.

      What is Hanukkah? There are many legends behind the meaning of Hanukkah but the most famous one is the Maccabees. Maccabees leads a rebellion against the Roman oppression and manages to the Roman's out for a while. The Jewish Temple is then restored, but because of the war, there is not that much oil. The people light the candle anyway and then leave to get more oil. The people getting more oil come back in eight days and during that time the candles still burned. This is why there are 8 candles and then 1 candle representing the light that did not die that is used to light the other 8 candles.

        Standing there with the people of all ages and different backgrounds in one of the classrooms on Evergreen Campus was powerful. I made a new friend and caught up with old friends. The food was delicious, the company was good and there was happiness in the eyes of everyone there.work I still had to do. 

       For me Hanukkah is about hope. The light could have died, and it did not. Though Roman oppression was not truly defeated by Maccabees he inspired the hope that someday, like the escape from Exodus, the people would be free from oppression once more. There is always hope that the light will shine another day.