We just got home from Great Falls where we attended the installation of the new Lutheran bishop.? So… here’s the redux:<\/p>\n
The Good The Bad The Ecumenical<\/strong> The one sadness I have is that I don’t know that many people in Jon’s parish would have appreciated the diversity of people and faiths present.? Some asked incredulously why we were holding the installation in a Catholic church and others would have claimed worship was “too formal” or “too Catholic”. ? I’m really hoping that it’s something that can change with Bishop Jessica though I hate to say that I’m not holding my breath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We just got home from Great Falls where we attended the installation of the new Lutheran bishop.? So… here’s the redux: The Good [-] the music — HEAVENLY and with appropriate brass on “Thine Is The Glory.” [-] at LEAST … Continue reading
\n<\/strong>[-] the music — HEAVENLY and with appropriate brass on “Thine Is The Glory.”
\n[-] at LEAST 150 clergy in the procession.
\n[-] getting to schmooze with those who I wanted to see afterwards.
\n[-] seeing President Ramseth again and explaining that I’m using my Trinity<\/a> education to teach Greek and Bible to inmates at the local prison.
\n[-] the good natured teasing from the pastors who were at FLBC with me during my adventures in yellowjacket stings
\n[-] the lovely lunch afterwards with Jon (we skipped the reception)
\n[-]$tarbucks after lunch<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>[-] inclusivized hymns *dopeslaps those who changed words on “Let All Things Now Living”*
\n[-] inclusivized liturgy.
\n[-] the canned parts of the Presiding Bishop’s sermon as well as the parts which sounded like they were plagarized from an LDS fireside chat on evangelism.
\n[-] the fact that with 300ish people, it was bloody hot in the sanctuary.
\n[-] molasses bread for communion (I will *NEVER* get used to it)<\/p>\n
\n[-] the Episcopal bishop coming in full ecclesiastical regalia. (I thought he was Catholic as I’d never seen a Piskie bishop in full regalia.? It finally hit me after I saw him take communion.)
\n[-] the service being held at the largest CATHOLIC church in Great Falls because no Lutheran churches were big enough.
\n[-] the vicar general\/pastoral administrator of the Diocese of Great Falls\/Billings offering greetings and reading the Gospel
\n[-] the number of clergy from other backgrounds who were there and in the procession.
\n[-] two members of the Jewish community taking part in the service (one offering greetings and one reading the first lesson).
\n[-] the Assinibone leader who gave a blessing in his native language before the service began as well as a tribal song before the blessing at the end.? (Montana has a huge Native American population and it was fitting that there be some aspect of that present at the service.? It was tastefully incorporated.)<\/p>\n