A faith environment

I spent Saturday at our synodical women's organization's annual conference (WELCA).  It's something of a retreat with a business meeting mixed in.  Over 300 women (most as old or older than my mother) from the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA joined together to worship and focus on "Fishin' for People".  (How appropriate on this fishing weekend opener!)  I didn't know anybody that I sat with since I was a voting delegate, but I knew I was going no matter what.

Pastor April Ulring Larson, the mother of my friend Ben, was the keynote speaker that morning.  I wanted to hear what she had to say.  Not only is she Ben's mother, but she among the first wave of woman ordained in the ELCA and the first female Bishop in the ELCA.  She focused on the song of Mary.  Mary's magnificat and how it was the song of the women before her.  It tells our faith story.  She tied it beautifully into the story of her son and his death in the earthquake last year in Haiti.  I excused myself after the first few minutes and spent my time standing in the back of the sanctuary sobbing.   I miss Ben.  I've blogged about it before.  The tears this time were for his mother.  I don't know how she did it.  I can barely mention Ben without getting teary eyed.  The thought of losing one of my own boys can bring me to tears in an instant.  But there she was.  A woman of God, standing before us reminding us that God breaks through.  God always breaks through into this world of sin for us.

After her message she came to the back and was stopped by many women.  I waited patiently for my turn and she saw me first and excused herself to tend to the red eyed crying woman that she was sure she was suppose to know.  As pastors and the family of pastors we rarely hear others preach or speak.  I had never heard her speak and I told her so.  I also told her I knew where Ben got part of "it".  Between her and his father (also a pastor) I knew that he saw faith lived out daily in his life.  She told me he didn't get it from her, but that all she did was create the environment.  I can see that she created a faith environment that Ben thrived in.

She has put words to what I was struggling with this week.  Finally words to fill my blogging silence and maybe organize my crazy thoughts in my brain. I want to spend more time on the faith environment my kids live in....