Church in the Windshield

First Lutheran Church of Dorrance

March 17, 2019

Drive West from Salina on Interstate seventy (I70) to exit 200 and turn left and drive a short distance and you will come to the City of Dorrance, Kansas.  Dorrance is a really neat little mid-western rural-town.  People are friendly there and their church is very important to them. Years ago, when the Methodist church closed, many of the Methodist congregation started attending the Lutheran Church.

The congregation of about thirty people regularly attends the church. On this particularly Sunday there were thirty three. The sign out front bids everyone welcome and truly this church welcomes one and all. We arrived early as we try always to do. First came one and then another and another until everyone arrived. We were especially intrigued by the large silver bell placed on a pedestal beside the sign. This heavy bell is a reminder of years gone by when it was in the bell tower of the old Lutheran church. The old Lutheran Church was torn down and a new one built and dedicated in 1973. We guessed that the bell could still ring though now it’s remained silent for more than four decades.  Finally, the prescribed time came for worship and we went inside where were greeted by the friendliest people. Pastor Rodger who is a PMA (Parish Ministry Associate) extended a cordial

warm and friendly welcome also. This is a second career for pastor and she currently holds another job as well.  My hats off to pastors; they work hard, go to school, take care of their families and churches, all at the same time.

As we travel we always look for something unique about each church. First Lutheran in Dorrance shares something unique not only to themselves but to many rural Kansas churches . . . your name. In First Lutheran, you are more than a number . . . you are a person . . . you have a name and they call you by your name. You become a part of the church family.

In Matthew 16:15-16 Jesus asked Peter . . . “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Names are so important.

There are so many things that affect the way we worship . . .  a welcoming sanctuary . . . bright light emitted from stained glass windows . . . the altar prepared for Holy Communion. Our minds wonder as we “soak up” images that direct our focus to God. Suddenly, our minds are jerked back to the reality of this day by music . . . beautiful music . . .  chimes in fact. The chimes are heard both inside and outside of the church, as they ring out the glory of God. WOW! Sheron and I were both very impressed and moved by the music.

The service progressed in typical Lutheran form with scriptural readings, responses and creeds. Pastor Rodger delivered a great message and then prepared the congregation for Holy Communion.

Holy Communion was a beautiful thing and certainly well done as row upon row made their way to

the front of the church. Upon receiving the Holy Eucharist we felt the presence of God and gave thanks. The service ended with a communion blessing, post communion canticle, prayer and a benediction. Truly, God was in this worship service.

Until next time, keep God first, and lift up the name of Jesus. Names are important especially the name of Jesus.

Ron & Sheron, the drivers behind the windshield

Epilogue: If you are traveling in this area and would like to worship in a place that would like to know your name, then visit First Lutheran in Dorrance.  The church is easily visible from the highway (200 Road) on the east side of Dorrance. The worship service starts at 9:30 a.m.

 

 

 

Church in the Windshield

March 10, 2019

“Fragments”

Prologue: Sheron and I have decided that we would make some changes to the “Church in the Windshield” blog. First of all, we will continue to write about the churches that we visit.  We will also be adding the things that we see and experience as we travel for we find God in so many different ways. Along with the experiences we will try with Gods help to share items of thought provoking practical theology, words of encouragement and at times maybe a bit of wisdom and good humor. Certainly over the years we have had some really funny things happen, some good things and some sad things as well. Most of all, we want to share our faith and love for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. So to begin with, we would like to start at the beginning; that is always a good place to start.

It’s been at least three weeks now since we updated our blog and that in itself has caused us to consider that there will be times when we cannot travel; sometimes because of the weather and sometimes because of our age (I can’t believe that I just said that).  Two Sundays in a row, we had snow storms and each one of those storms delivered almost six inches of snow. The first time now in several years we got out the snow blower, which started right off, believe it or not.  It ran for a while and then quit! I scratched my head wondering what was wrong . . . ran fine after I fueled the gas tank.

Take a look at the picture on the left and see what our weather station said about the temperature and the wind. You saw correctly, the temperature was four degrees, the wind chill a minus twelve and the winds out of the north at eleven miles an hour.  Sheron and I both agreed that it was too cold for man or beast to be out doors.  We were concerned about animals, pets and street people being out in the cold . . . how do they manage to stay warm? Cattle, for instance will huddle together in a wind break or a building each receiving warmth from the other. But what about the street people who may have only a box for shelter?

We looked out the window at the back of our house and this is what we saw in our back yard.  A new fallen snow blanketed our back

yard and covered our well-groomed fall lawn with a cushioned mat of cold white fluff. The bird bath (in the for-front of the picture) stood eerily abandoned as birds chose to wait for spring to do their cleaning. Ground feeders (birds) were trying to find a place to eat. Ah, what can we say . . . Sheron and I agreed that it was a stay at home day and have a cottage worship service? At least it was warm . . . and the service was short . . . so was the collection, come to think of it.

The second Sunday was more of the same with another almost six inches of snow. See the chronicle pictures below:

Here is another picture from our back window. As we can see, the tree is bare; the snow is deep and it is very cold. A closer look at the picture reveals shadows on the snow and on the building. God is sending the sun to begin the process of clearing the snow, warming the air, and giving us hope that one day spring will be here (right now, we hope that it will be soon). But there is something in the picture that we don’t readily see. It’s the buds . . . buds on the tree. That’s right, the tree is starting to bud and we wonder how that can be?  Won’t the buds freeze; perhaps there will not be any leaves on the tree this year?

A view from the front porch of our house makes it very clear that the snow is here to stay for a while even though the snow grader has already been down the street.  We do appreciate our city people and KDOT (Kansas Department of Transportation) for their prompt and efficient care of the roads. It certainly does make the streets and highways safer after a storm. Let’s have a shout out for our road and street workers!

Finally, there are the geese, beautiful Canadian honkers that seem to instinctively know when it is time to fly south for the winter and north for the summer. During the last two weeks, we have seen and heard large skeins of geese headed north for the summer. Perhaps the geese know something that we don’t . . . but how and why? The geese fly high and fast to keep themselves safe from trophy hunters booming blasts. A few nights ago, we heard the geese flying in the night and wondered how they were able to navigate the darkness. They certainly have no headlights, no taillights, nor any navigational lights. The geese have no compass or GPS’s (Global Positioning System) yet instinctively they travel day or night and usually in the correct direction. We think this skein of geese is flying north towards Canada. Geese have at least ten different calls to communicate. Listen to a skein of geese and it seems like they are all talking at once (they keep track of each other this way).  Easter is coming and when we experience the empty tomb perhaps we will be so excited that we will all be talking at once.

So who died on the cross and left an empty tomb? Who taught the geese to navigate at night? Who made the snow that sparkles in the light? Who gave His life to save us from a horrible plight? If you guessed Jesus, then you guessed right.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2^nd Corinthians 9:15) The unspeakable gift is Jesus Christ of course.

Until next time, enjoy Gods handiwork, fly high and stay safe!

Ron & Sheron, drivers behind the windshield