Saturday, July 17 - Lutheran Church of Hope

I buy 95% of my groceries at Adel’s only grocery store: Shugar’s. I shop there for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it’s geographically convenient and I like its size. Shugar’s has everything I need without the mind-numbing varieties. Honestly, I don’t want or need 100 different kinds of coffee or 1,000 different kinds of breakfast cereal. I also like shopping locally,the idea that I’m supporting a business in my community with employees that are also my neighbors. Shugar’s is my grocery store.

I do, however, buy 5% of my groceries somewhere else and usually at Dahl’s on Hickman in Clive. Sometimes I shop there because they have that rare or special thing that I want only once in a while, something I can’t find at Shugar’s: a certain kind of wine or cheese or fruit.

This is how I felt last Saturday when I attended Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. Grace Lutheran Church in Adel is my church. It’s geographically convenient and I like its size. It gets my “business” 95% of the time. But 5% of the time, I really enjoy Lutheran Church of Hope for its size and variety. And here’s a secret, Hope is my church too!

Hope is my church too, because they are gracious and welcoming. They are my church too, because both Hope and Grace are congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Hope is my church too, because both Grace and Hope are the Body of Christ in the world, both faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in words and deeds.

So for the record let me say a few things about Lutheran Church of Hope. I respect the people of Hope, both their leaders and their members, for their powerful ministry. I give God thanks for Lutheran Church of Hope. Additionally and on a more personal note, I have known and respected Hope’s senior pastor, Mike Householder, for many years.

So Joe and I attended a 5 pm worship service at Hope on Saturday, July 17^th. I’ve attended worship at Hope before but it’s been quite a few years and a lot has changed during that time. The biggest change is their new worship center, which seats 2,500 people! That was not a typo; it seats 2,500 people and on a hot July Saturday, it was mostly full. Incredible! Hope’s average weekly worship attendance is 7,000 people.

By comparison, Grace Lutheran Church’s sanctuary can accommodate 160 people and we have average weekly worship attendance of 150. Measured by attendance, Hope is 50 times bigger than Grace.

The worship experience was great and not quite my cup of tea. It opened with 3 or 4 praise songs. The leaders were gifted and the congregation seemed energized by the music. The music was well done, but I think I’d rather sing Amazing Grace or Bind Us Together, Lord or Borning Cry. This is not a criticism, just a preference.

After a few announcements, a lesson and the offering, Mike gave a very good 45 minute sermon. When I say it was “very good,” I mean that in my opinion it effectively communicated the gospel of Jesus Christ. It held my attention and engaged the congregation. Let me say that again, it held my attention for 45 minutes! That’s not ‘good,’ it’s miraculous! Not only that, but his message was remarkably simple. It wasn’t a lecture. He didn’t leave us with a 15 point program for reform. His simple message was ‘In Jesus Christ, God wills to replace our fear with Spirit empowered faith.’ At least that’s what I heard. Along the way he talked about the human condition (fear), the Bible (Daniel) and the good news of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t the best sermon I’ve ever heard, but it was very good; and did I mention that it was 45 minutes long!

So here’s what I’ve been thinking: how do you compare a 45 minute sermon with a 15 minute sermon? It’s like comparing the nightly newscast to a 2-hour documentary. It’s like comparing a 30-minute situation comedy to a feature length movie. It’s like comparing our weekly newspaper to the Sunday New York Times. Finally, while the longer and shorter may both serve the same purse and convey the same essential information, they are so different in form as to be almost different animals. (Mastiffs and Chihuahuas are both dogs. Don’t worry about the analogy, Mike and I both know who the ‘Big Dog’ is.)

Because the service we attended was built around a format that allows for a 45 minute sermon, other things were not present at this particular service: the brief order of confession and forgiveness, Holy Communion, the creed and the Lord’s Prayer. The people of Hope have decided that the trade off is worth it, at least for this particular service; and I respect them for that choice.

I respect that choice, but it’s not the choice that I would make for myself or my family on a regular basis. On a regular basis (maybe 95% of the time), I want and need to hear that my sins are forgiven. I want and need to pray the Lord’s Prayer with my community of faith. I want and need to confess my faith and receive the gift of Holy Communion.

This doesn’t mean I think Hope is wrong about their choice. It’s just not my choice. It’s not a criticism, just a preference.

So, I walked away from this worship experience thankful for and amazed by what God is doing in West Des Moines. I’m glad that Lutheran Church of Hope exists. And I was also reminded about some of the things that I’m thankful for about Grace Lutheran Church in Adel.

Peace,

Pastor