WELCOME

Recently we had two visitors who had not been here for a year or so.  John used to be our student intern pastor, and Jeremy was our church musician.  They both commented on how much things had changed.  The last time they were here, we had a brown linoleum floor in the sanctuary, that was about fifty years old.  I call it Lutheran linoleum because when I first walked in here, I recognized it from my childhood Lutheran church in Seattle.  We also used to have many rows of pews.  They were both beautiful and comfortable, so it was hard for some of us to give them up.  But now we have a flexible space that can be used for many purposes, such as dance performances, or the labyrinth we will do later on this weekend. 

These outer changes that John and Jeremy observed are a visible reflection of internal changes our congregation has been undergoing for several years.  We are holding this conference because of those changes.  We recognize that for too long the church’s language has distorted Christ’s teachings by the exclusive use of male language and imagery.  This has led to a devaluing of women both within the institution of the church and in secular society, as well. 

We at Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran  have a different paradigm. We want to acknowledge the feminine persona of the Divine.  We utilize both female and male imagery for the Holy One.  Women and men are encouraged to share their talents and energy.  Christ-Sophia once asked us not to hide our light under a basket, but that is what mainstream Christianity often does when it tells women to accept a domination structure where God is presented as male, and the church as a male-run institution. 

Sometimes archeologists find great treasures whose original form is obliterated by centuries of encrustation.  When the outer debris is carefully removed an object of great beauty can be brought to light.  I hope that through our dialogues and sharing this weekend, we may discover or uncover a place in our hearts that is free to explore our spirituality in a way that is empowering.  I hope we, as women and men of faith, can scrape away some of the old obsolete ideas about the Divine and find something to treasure.