Walking With El Salvador

So, you remember that time when you were traveling from clinic to clinic with a small delegation to express your gratitude for the support which the medical professionals provided during the big health fairs that the Lutheran Church sponsored in different communities and it took a little longer than you expected and suddenly it was 2 PM and you really needed lunch and you had no idea where to go and you didn't really see any place that was open? This is a moment when you realize how important it is to have a driver who knows about secret hang-outs were kind people cook good food. We were near Nejapa, the site of our next meeting.  Our driver took a turn off of the main road onto a small road and then onto another small road.  We parked at the top of the hill.  In this dusty, semi-industrial, just-off-the-truck-route neighborhood, we were surprised by a nice little view framed by cute little flowers.  We were greeted at the door by a nice older guy, and were led...

Happy Easter!  As promised, the rainbow photos from El Rosario Church, San Salvador. Jesus is Alive! The final station of the cross. Walk from the high ceilings of the sanctuary to this side chapel with the stations of the cross The sanctuary is an ark, a place of refuge.   Colored glass creates amazing rainbows as the angle of the sun changes throughout the day. The eye of God

Cathedral in San Vicente During this Holy Week, I have been thinking a lot about peaceful, sanctuary moments.  After I posted some photos from this past year,  I was reminded by a friend of a day visit the two of us made to San Vicente.  It was one of the first times we ventured out on our own without a Salvadoran friend to keep us out of trouble, and we had a fabulous time exploring the town and the churches.  I pulled up my photos from our time in the sanctuaries of San Vicente, and my friend was right to remind me of the beautiful images. Cathedral of San Vicente Abad Nuestra Señora del Pilar One of the oldest churches in Central America  Señora del Pilar - built in 1762 This new sanctuary is built next to the old one, which has sustained damage over the last 250 years from several strong earthquakes Original sanctua

A beautiful aspect of the Roman Catholic faith tradition is the practice of keeping church doors open so the faithful can find a quiet sanctuary in which to pray throughout the day.  As Lutheran pilgrims in El Salvador, we often find ourselves seeking moments of respite and reflection in the middle of the day.  Whether in the heart of San Salvador or in a small rural pueblo , open sanctuary doors invite people to come inside for moments of prayer, of coolness and quiet, of rest and reflection, and of writing or drawing or capturing the moments with a few photographs. A few of Linda's Sanctuary Moments from 2015-16... El Paisnal San Salvador San Salvador Ataco Nejapa Nejapa San Salvador San Salvador San Salvador San Salvador San Salvador You also may wish to view recent photos of the Stations of the Cross in El Rosario .

Sometimes I get asked to preach.  Although I am a natural teacher, I mostly feel like I am not a natural preacher, so I usually write out my sermons word for word.  The good thing about having a written copy is that I can share it with with people who ask me for it.  After Sunday's sermon, I received several requests for copies...so...I guess I will go public with this one.  The assigned text was Mark 11:20-25 and the theme was "Signs of Hope and Healing." Mark 11:20-25 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) from Bible Gateway The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree 20 In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, i...

On Friday night, a young man and a teenage boy were killed.  No, they were assassinated.  They were targeted and shot in their heads, in a home.  The young man struggled his whole life to live with a chronic disease and to work when he could to help support his mom.  The boy was a good student.  Why them? On Saturday afternoon families and friends gathered for a vigil. Teenage girls and boys were inconsolable over the loss of their friends and in the realization that they might be the next targets.  This did not make sense.  Children cried because grown-ups cried.  The crowd would sit with the bodies until it was time to go to the cemetery.  Twenty-four hours.  The loved ones must be with their boys until they are sleeping in the earth. On Sunday morning a small group gathered for worship in the Lutheran Church.  The 5-month calm had been broken.  A community which seemed to be rising up into a peace and sense of hopefulnes...

For many Christians, the tradition of meditating upon the stations of the cross is a meaningful spiritual practice during Lent, particularly during Holy Week.   The stations of the cross represent physical locations and events which took place in Jerusalem.  Tradition holds that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, walked the Via Dolorosa (Via Crucis or Way of the Cross).   At the time of Emperor Constantine, the stations along the Way of the Cross were publicly marked, and in the centuries which have followed, pilgrims have sought to walk in the footsteps of Jesus not only in Jerusalem, but in sanctuaries and chapels throughout the Christian world. During the first week of Lent we had the opportunity to visit El Rosario Church (Church of the Rosary) in San Salvador.  The stone and iron sculptures which depict the different stations capture the moments of violence and submission within the Way of the Cross.  These constructs of spiritual art were created by Ruben Martin...