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Saint Lawrence

by Vicar Lisa

On Aug. 10, the Church will be celebrating Saint Lawrence. The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that day’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.

He was a Roman deacon under Pope Saint Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.

Legendary details of Lawrence’s death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.

A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum.

When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he sent for Lawrence and said, “I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”

Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”

The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”

Saint Lawrence is a Patron Saint of cooks, deacons and the poor.

Just how much of this fantastical story is true and how much is legend is hard to know. What is important is realizing that we “are the treasure of the Church”. Saint Lawrence brought together those who were typically avoided and or looked down upon. People who, perhaps of no fault of their own, were blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed. And he presented them as the treasure of the Church.

We try so hard to be perfect before God. But we can never be perfect enough. On any given day, we are the ones who are blind, lame, maimed, and so on. And yet, even on those days, maybe especially so on those days, we are the treasures of the Church. Thank you, St. Lawrence, for pointing that out.

Announcements

  • Last Sunday’s Discussion: Attached to this email is the presentation Peter Severson spoke from last Sunday. Sorry for the technical issues. Note that the book he referred us to is: God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines. Here is a link to the ELCA social statement that he spoke about: Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.
  • Special Congregational Meeting: After consultation with the Rocky Mountain Synod, it was brought to the attention of the church council that the special congregational meeting scheduled for Sunday Aug. 4, does not allow for a vote, just discussion, as the initial notice was written.
  • Therefore, following the process outlined in Zion’s constitution and in Robert's Rules of Order, the church council on July 30, 2024, voted to move the special congregational meeting to Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. The updated meeting announcement includes the opportunity to vote about the continuation of the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) discernment process.
  • If you are a voting member who cannot attend the meeting in person, we will have a Zoom option. To attend via Zoom, use this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81694574416?pwd=dbnDJk1uRveCBwTIDWbEaMyb3VIzQq.1 -- Meeting ID: 816 9457 4416 -- Passcode: 323101
  • Bible Study: Our Wednesday weekday study is on summer hiatus. Check the bulletins, e-formations, and newsletters for updates.
  • Garage Sale: Every summer Zion’s conducts a garage sale designed to raise funds for special ministries or needs of the church. This year, the garage sale is planned for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, in the Fellowship Hall. If you can help with the garage sale on Aug. 3, please let Julie Wersal know. Help is needed with set up, the sale itself, and clean up afterward.
  • God's Work Our Hands: Save the date for GWOH Sunday (Sept. 8), we will have our traditional worship and picnic at Round-up Park (near the fairgrounds). The church council is looking for suggestions for this years’ service project. If you have a suggestion, please let a council member know.
  • Flowers: There are days available to sponsor flowers. Select the date in the flower book in the sanctuary, write your name and the commemoration. A minimum donation of $35 is encouraged.
  • Prayer List Updates: We are updating the prayer lists for the summer. If you have changes for the current list or requests for additions, please let Vicar Lisa, Julie Wersal, or Jo Moss know.

E-formation – 11th Sunday after Pentecost, Aug. 4

This coming Sunday, the gospel reading likens Christ to the manna that God miraculously sent to the nomadic Israelites. Come to worship to eat this bread, welcome Christ into your heart. Jesus promises that filled with him, we will never again hunger.

John 6:24-35

John’s discourse does not suggest that the historicity of the manna story is the main point. Rather, it is Christ we are believing in, in whom we place our life’s trust. Both the manna and the barley bread of the feeding story become metaphors for Christ and the life he gives.

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

Before the several tribes colonized Canaan and became united as Israelites, the ancestors of the Jews were nomads, living what might have been a hand-to-mouth existence in the wilderness. Things of nature—the cloud, the manna, the quails—are seen as gifts from God. Christians have continued to see all our food as a gift from God.

Ephesians 4:1-16

This reading, like others from Ephesians, is laden with phrases important for Christian catechesis. The author writes of Christ descending, an apt metaphor on the day we think of manna. Eating sustains the body, and our eating of regular food and “the bread of angels” nourishes the body of Christ.

Zion's Lutheran Church

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785