Faith Stories

I have recently returned from six days in Detroit.  My mother is ninety-five years old and recently has had a series of minor heart attacks.  They have determined that she has congestive heart failure.  Because of her age she is not a candidate for any sort of procedure to relieve the blockage.  Uncertainty clouds her future.  I decided I wanted to spend some time reminiscing with her.  Her mind is as sharp as ever, and oh the stories she can tell.  I was blessed in that our sons, Peter and Mark, were able to join me, as well as our oldest grandson, Andrew. 

Many of the stories involved church and growing up in a Lutheran worship community.  In her case she was baptized, confirmed and married in Iroquois Avenue Christ Lutheran Church on Detroit’s eastside.  At hundred and fifteen years, the church is still active and a presence in the community.  I was able to take Mark by the church, and while the building was closed, he was able to get a sense of her spiritual roots.  After they were married my parents joined St. James Lutheran Church in Grosse Pointe.  That is the church where I was baptized and confirmed.  Until I left for college George Kurz was the only pastor that I Knew.  One of the Vicars, Alan Harre, played a huge role in my decision to enter full-time church work. 

We all have stories to tell.  Unfortunately, in many cases people go to their graves with many of their stories untold.  For us as Christians it is vital that those stories, especially the faith narratives, be shared.  I recall many of the Old Testament stories.  In that context the oral narratives were all they had.  I suppose we could have recorded some of mom’s stories, but in some ways that runs counter to the process.  It is my responsibility to carry on her legacy and in the process share some of my own faith stories. 

Don’t wait to share your faith stories with the next generation.  Jesus is active in our lives and his desire is that we share our experiences with those who will follow.  Our transparency might encourage those who hear them to write their own faith story as well.  Pass the Torch.