We had about 150 people here at Redeemer last week for a family retreat. They were mostly, though not exclusively, homeschoolers. They were mostly, though not exclusively, large families. Many of them have fringe ideas about nutrition, government, polyester, brown eggs, or the Lord of the Rings. They were exclusively, to a man, hardcore confessional Lutherans and passionate about everything. More than half of them were under 18, most under 16, only a handful were over 50. It was exhausting, but wonderful. I am almost recovered and beginning to climb out of my characteristic over-analysis of the details, able to start reflecting on the blessing we have received and the joy that was bestowed upon us.
Here are the first things that are bubbling up:
My children had godparents, now, sadly divorced, whose children were my own godchildren. Of their own design, years ago they started to call one another “god-cousins.” In that rare inspiration of language they hit the mark. They were more than friends and neighbors. Their parents were god-brothers and that made them god-cousins. The adults gathered here this past week weren’t just friends, they were brothers. And that made all the children cousins.
I love being the pastor of small children. Nothing could be easier or more rewarding. The children do not care at all about my orthodoxy, insight, eloquence, or chanting. The length of my sermons or my stand on close communion or who I will marry or what I think of the synodical president, don’t matter. I am not just a friend of the family: I am the pastor. I am their pastor, same as their mom’s, and they love me. And, as is always the case, having first been loved, I love them.
Okay, maybe that is not Gottesdienst material. I should say something profound about the Sacrament or send a torpedo over the prow of the Contemporary Worship crowd. But it is what is coming now and I think the cousins bit is quite good.
The next retreat, btw, will be Tuesday July 31-Thursday Aug 2, 2012. Rev. Dr. Larry Rast, president of CTS will present on Martin Franzmann. We will sing a lot of Franzmann hymns and perhaps learn a thing or two about poetry and theology (as though they were different topics).
We adopted the term god-cousins when first we heard it from you a few years back. It should be in OED.
ReplyDelete+HRC
Okay, maybe that is not Gottesdienst material. I should say something profound about the Sacrament or send a torpedo over the prow of the Contemporary Worship crowd. But it is what is coming now and I think the cousins bit is quite good.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't read it anyway, my eyes are still are teared up with the talk of children....sniff...
The sermons were long?! I didn't notice..... Fabulous conference. We'll be back next year.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the conference. What a joy to be a family of families. I think Pr. Peters said something recently about families dissolving into a new family. Perhaps you are right. Our families persist but the relation to other families change in Christ.
ReplyDeleteSpot on post, Father Petersen. I share your thoughts and sentiments exactly, but I suspect you could already guess that. I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to be there for the retreat with my own family -- but I was delighted that so many of my Emmaus family could attend and benefit from the gathering. Blessings to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteDear Fr. Stuckwisch,
ReplyDeleteWe missed you. There were, I think, more people present from Emmaus than anywhere else, including Redeemer. It was a joy to have them here, particularly since the children were able to receive Our Lord's Body and Blood here. I rather dislike passing by children who would benefit from this gift but whose congregations, or pastors, refuse to allow it.