Reformation Day

Reformation Day

Happy Reformation Day! It is a real treat to spend this day in Saxony, the home of the Reformation. Here, it is actually a state-wide holiday, where everyone gets the day off of work. To celebrate, we had a special festival worship service this morning. Of course, we sang all of the great hymns of the Reformation.

It is interesting how important Reformation Day is, even though Germany is not particularly Lutheran anymore. For example, Pastor Torgerson was telling me a story recently. He is the pastor who is leading the new Lutheran visitor’s center that the LCMS is starting in Wittenberg. He was on the streets of Wittenberg, home of Luther himself, and he asked a couple passersby who Martin Luther was. One of them answered—in all seriousness—that Martin Luther and Moses played together at the foot of the cross. He wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or cry. It definitely shows the need for the Gospel, even here in Luther’s own backyard.

Festwochenende

This past weekend was a very special event in the life of our congregation. After six years of hard work, we have finally restored our church building to its former beauty. They replaced the coal-burning heating system, rebuilt the damaged roof, repaired tons of water damage, remodeled the sanctuary (as well as the sacristy, kitchen, all purpose room, and everything else), and restored the organ. In celebration, we had a weekend of special concerts, church tours, food, singing, and the like. It was my job to handle a lot of the publicity for the event. I stuffed hundreds and hundreds of pamphlets in people’s mailboxes. Also, I made a PowerPoint presentation of all the best pictures of the hard work that went into fixing up our church. Beyond that, I tried to be generally helpful, and I talked to lots of people who attended, both members and guests. Overall, I think that it was a success, though I would have liked to see more people from the community come and see our church. We are all very thankful for the blessings of this beautiful building and—even more—for a faithful congregation, enthusiastic for the Word of God.

First Sermon

The previous Sunday (21 Oct) was a major milestone in my vicarage. I preached my very first sermon in German. With lots of help from German reference books and with Pastor Rehr’s careful proofreading, I was able to compose a solid sermon. I practiced it many times, and I felt entirely ready. Then, I got a call very early on Sunday morning. Pastor Rehr was very sick, and he would not be able to come to worship. We threw something together quickly—one of the elders led the service, and I preached. In spite of this last second confusion, the delivery of the sermon went well. I received lots of kind feedback from the congregation. Several elderly ladies proudly declared that they could understand my sermon without the need to read along. So, I’m glad that my accent did not get in the way. It was a wonderful feeling to have taken on a hard challenge and to have been successful. If anyone is curious to read my sermon, please send me a message, and I will pass it on to you.

Krista’s Birthday

My sermon was also Krista’s birthday present. Okay, not really, but they did fall on the same day. Krista’s birthday was fun. We had a couple of friends from language school over after church for brunch. I also baked a chocolate cake from scratch, which turned out well. Krista was also excited by all of her presents, especially the packages that she got from the States. Then, we continued the festivities on Tuesday, when we went to the opera. We saw Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) at the Dresden Semper Oper, one of the most famous opera houses on earth. It was a great production, and Krista has wanted to hear this particular opera for a long time.

Other Stuff
I’ve been too busy to blog much lately, but here is a quick rundown of our other activities:

We borrowed a TV, and so now we get the interesting cultural experience of watching TV in another language. They watch a lot of American sitcoms (dubbed into German) and a lot of reality TV. I’m getting pretty good at figuring it all out.

Our internet connection has been terrible lately. I won’t go into all of our woes, but we’re pretty frustrated. We apologize if we are not able to call or e-mail very consistently.

I’ve spent a lot of time making house visits lately. Pastor Rehr appreciates having someone else around, so that we can divide up the visits and keep in closer touch with the members of the congregation. One interesting note is that Pastor sends me to the houses of the people who have birthdays. Also, it is interesting that Germans take their birthday desserts very seriously. You are expected to have at least 2 pieces of cake, and you may well offend someone if you don’t take 3. As always, the people here have been most kind to me.


You never know where your picture will end up. About a month ago, we went to Halle to see the SELK brass festival. I ran into a friend from seminary, Brandt Klawitter, who just started a vicarage of his own here in Germany. A couple weeks later, I was informed that my picture had been published in Christian News. It turns out that a picture that Brandt took was posted on his blog and then subsequently put in Christian News article. How about that?

You can read more about Brandt's adventures on his blog: http://klawittertravels.blogspot.com/

On My Own

On My Own
Much has happened since my last entry. I have finished language school, learned the ropes of being a vicar, and now have been left on my own to take care of the congregation. There is a two-week school holiday (fall break, I guess), and so the Rehr family is taking a vacation for about 10 days. In the meantime, I am holding down the fort. It actually isn’t too busy, since a lot of programs have been put on hold during the school break (e.g., youth group, confirmation). Mostly, I have been given a list of people to visit. I am also practicing a sermon, writing another one, and doing research. I was pretty scared at first to make home and hospital visits by myself in German, but so far it has actually been a joy. I am getting much more conversational in German, even though I still get stuck from time to time. It helps that the people are so kind and so willing to make the effort to communicate with me.

München
One enjoyable practice here in Germany is for congregations to take trips together. This weekend, sixteen members of the Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde loaded up in vans to drive to München (Munich for those with an aversion to umlauts and guttural consonants). We spent time at our sister congregation there, the Trinitatis Gemeinde. When we arrived, they gave us a delicious, traditional Bavarian meal of ham, sauerkraut (the first that I’ve eaten since we arrived in this country, believe it or not), bread, and pretzels. Then, the pastor took us all on a tour of the city, where we saw gorgeous churches, fun markets, and more lederhosen than you could believe. We arrived in Munich for the last weekend of Oktoberfest, and people were just coming out of the woodwork with lederhosen, dirndl, and T-shirts about getting drunk. I would like to clarify at this time that most Germans do not own any lederhosen, especially not in Dresden, where you would get laughed out of town for dressing in such a Bayrisch fashion. We did not actually go to giant tents where the main Oktoberfest celebration is held because, as the locals said, only drunks go there. However, I did enjoy a moderate amount of fine Münchner lager, so all is well.

In the evening, we went to host families, and Krista and I stayed with a retired pastor. He received his doctorate from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and so he spoke excellent English. We ate “sausages in nightgowns” for dinner, which is the (tastier) German version of “pigs in a blanket.” Then, we talked for a long time. Pastor Wegenroth has lived a fascinating life, and it was interesting to hear all about his experiences as a leader in our sister synod. In the morning we attended church at the Trinitatis Gemeinde, in which we celebrated the harvest festival of thanksgiving. Afterwards, there was a huge potluck, filled with Bavarian delicacies, such as Leberkäse (which is literally “liver cheese,” though it contains neither, being a loaf of pork and beef). Finally, it was time to return home, and we zipped down the autobahn at ridiculous speed.

Worship in the SELK
At the most recent home Bible study that I attended, our topic of choice was worship. I understood most of what Pastor Rehr said, owing to the fact that most worship terms are Latin. So, I was excited that I understood “Collect” and “Agnus Dei” and so forth. Afterwards, I asked Pastor Rehr about worship in the SELK. Do the other SELK churches worship in a similar way to what I have seen at the Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde? He said there was some variety—for example, some congregations sing a slightly different tune for the “Amen.” My jaw dropped. That was as big of a difference as he could think of within their synod. I told him how this is not so in the U.S.—how there are many different styles of worship and how this has caused some controversy.

I think that there is something to be admired in the uniformity of worship in the SELK. Their single order of service is a tangible vision of their unity. Also, I should note that this uniformity does not equal monotony, nor do they hold onto this common liturgy just because they have always done it that way. I have observed a real joy of worship. At least here in Dresden, these people seem to truly love the divine service. They especially sing and make music with a joy and a power that is truly encouraging. They follow an ancient and traditional form of worship, and yet it is fresh and engaging.

My Little Guitar
I am thrilled that I found a cheap guitar last week. Krista and I checked out the Elbe Flohmarkt, which is a big weekly flea market. While most of the stuff there is junk, I did find a decent little guitar for only 22 euros. It looks like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of guitars—small, beat up, and unimpressive. However, it has a very good sound and feel. I think I got a bargain. And—best of all—I finally have a way to contribute to the music of the congregation. It seems that every time that we gather together for anything, we sing songs. Sadly, I am a very weak singer, and I have been disappointed that my voice adds nothing to these song times. However, now I have a way to add to the music. I have brought my guitar to confirmation class and to youth group, and that has gone very well. I think that Pastor Rehr likes my guitar, and I will probably give it to him when I return to the U.S.

Youth Group
Now that my language course is completed, I have had the time to get more involved with the youth group at the Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde. So far I have mostly just been a quiet participant, but I think that I will be taking on more of a leadership role in months to come. The remarkable thing about the youth group here is how devotional they are, and also how strong their self-leadership is. First of all, these kids love to sing hymns and have devotions. I know very few youth groups in America in which a dozen teenagers are glad to come together on a Friday night for a couple hours of Bible study, prayer, and song (and eating, too—much like American teens, these kids can sure put away a lot of food). I think that it will be fun spend more time with them, and I hope to gain some insight into how this group works.

Americans in Germany
Even though I am an ocean away from home, I still find myself coming across a number of Americans over here. There is one exchange student from Michigan, who is living with a family in our congregation, and I had the chance to get to know her during our drive to München. Also, I met Pete Bayer, who is an American who married a German and settled down in Dresden. They had me over for dinner yesterday, and it was a wonderful time. I think that I have a lot in common with Pete, right down to our interest in board games and Star Wars. It seems to be not too unusual for Americans to marry Germans, as I met two families in München who did just that. So, I have had a couple more chances to speak English lately, which has been a pleasant change of pace. But don’t worry—I still get plenty of opportunities to learn German, especially since Pastor Rehr has decided to stop speaking English to me. He’s a tough taskmaster, but I can tell that he really cares for Krista and me.

German Reunification Day
October 3 was a special day—the celebration of the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990. While this is roughly equivalent to our Fourth of July, the celebration is much quieter and more sober. The Germans are a little paranoid of patriotism, ever since what happened in World War II. So, there were no fireworks, no parades, and no rousing choruses of “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit” (the German national anthem). Instead, most people seemed to spend a quiet day at home with their family. We got invited over by the Herbst family for a delicious lunch and a stroll in the Grosser Garten, which is the large park in downtown Dresden. It was a nice way to spend the day.