My Life, my photography, my passions
During Lent and Advent Vespers on Wednesday nights, I am the piano accompanist. I love those nights, especially during Lent, sitting a few feet from Pastor, listening to the Passion expand each week until Easter.
I try to arrive at church early, about forty-five minutes so I can warm up and play some pre-service music. Lorie Line is my favorite and The Heritage Collection II and play it from cover to cover.
Sometimes faith is shades of gray. As some of you know who have been reading my blog my mother died in January of 2011. It has taken years to go through her things and absorb the life I never learned about. There are some things I still don’t understand, family history I don’t know. But through her death God opened a door.
Although she made sure my brother and I were baptized, attended Sunday school and church every week, it was only out of duty and respect to my God Mother Granny Turcotte. After we were confirmed, she never stepped foot in church again. The topic of religion and faith often brought a scornful look to her face and I never knew why because my faith has always brought me a great deal of comfort.
I grew up in a small country church, Grace Episcopal in Broad Brook Connecticut, and God brought me to the Lutheran church in college. My church home now is Missouri Synod Trinity Lutheran in Murdock Nebraska.
Not only did my Mother cut herself from God, but from family and friends. She didn’t think it was important to create relationships with relatives and her children. I rarely saw any of my aunts and uncles who lived in Oklahoma and California. The few cousins I knew as a child drifted as I got older.
There was one family member that consistently and faithfully maintained contact, a niece, my cousin Gail. I found saved cards, photos, and letters in my Mothers desk of an older cousin I never knew and never met. In February a forwarded letter from Gail arrived in my mailbox, so I reached out with the news of Mom’s passing, including my email address. An email arrived a week later.
Here is where God’s grace and divine intervention becomes apparent.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories
Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul:
Gail and I learned quite a bit from each other the next week. Her Mother (Mom’s sister) was also not religious. We lived very parallel lives and had similar experiences and troubling childhoods with both of us having a difficult relationship with our Mothers.
During the normal course of telling each other about our lives Gail stated that she is a faithful member of Missouri Synod Trinity Lutheran Church in Woodward Oklahoma. This news brought goosebumps, tears to my eyes, a lump in my throat, and a prayer of thanks to God. How can this be a coincidence? I believe it’s not.
What does it mean? I don’t know. But I do take comfort in this has to be a sign, a message, an indication of God’s hand in our lives. Acknowledgment that to everything there is a purpose. Wait and the message will be revealed. Listen and hear God’s word in the world around us, from the people around us.
Better yet, when you find yourself in church pray for your family, your friends, those who have lost faith, who are lost. The Lord Jesus Christ will find them and guide them home. Gail’s Mother, my aunt, and the last of the five brothers and sisters, died last week. I truly believe our prayers that were delivered up to God were received and now our Mothers are safely and lovingly in the arms of Jesus and are at peace.
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I didn’t know of the significance of red doors on churches until I read, Finally A Red Door, on another Project 365 blog. Although this door is of a Catholic church in Connecticut the symbolism of a red door in churches spans many denominations. It is definitely a more popular tradition in older churches.
According to Dr. Richard C Hoefler, dean of Christ Chapel at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, “Christians have entered into worship, into the presence of God, through the blood of Christ.” It is also said that a red door in the Lutheran Church harkens back to the time of Martin Luther, who posted his 95 Theses on the red doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany—the crimson color symbolizes the church as part of the Reformation. (Pastor Kuhlman, can you confirm?)
On the website St. David’s Episcopal Church in Laurinburg, NC it explains: “Red Front Doors. The red doors symbolize the blood of Christ, which is our entry into salvation. They also remind us of the blood of the martyrs, the seeds of the church.”
Historically a church has been a place of sanctuary, a place where a soldier could not pursue an enemy, much like when one takes refuge in Christ the enemy, the devil and evil, cannot pursue and destroy you. Thank you Bonnie for bringing this little known history to my attention.
By the way, this door is at St. Francis Assisi in South Windsor Connecticut.
I am now on a quest for other Red Doors around the country, here is one in Nebraska City at an Episcopal Church
If you are interested in learning more about symbolism in churches and the meaning of certain design elements in architecture of a various churches the books below are full of interesting information of Christian symbolism.
The Secret Language of Churches & Cathedrals: Decoding the Sacred Symbolism of Christianity’s Holy Buildings
How to Read a Church: A Guide to Symbols and Images in Churches and CathedralsSymbols of the Church
Just one of the many comforts I received at my Mothers bedside was from Mary, a Hartford Hospital chaplain. After initially talking with her in the mid afternoon, she returned later with a Prayer Shawl knitted by the ladies from her church especially for patients and families at the hospital. She wrapped it around my shoulders and it’s warmth and comfort was overwhelming as we said prayers and the final service for my Mother.
“May God’s love be upon this shawl
and with you as it warms, comforts and embodies you.
Through our needlework, may it be a reminder
our prayers and thought are with you.”
The Prayer Shawl Ministry
The First Congregational Church, Canton Center, CT
The Advent candles signify anticipation of the Glory of Christmas to come. For the past eleven years I have looked forward to playing the piano during the Advent vespers at church. It gives me a great deal of peace and reminds me of the true meaning of the season.
Not very happy with the quality, I don’t have an SLR and I don’t like the auto focus. I’m going to have to experiment with the focal settings.
