A KALEIDOSCOPIC EXPERIENCE
A sharing from our delegation to St. Petersburg, Russia June 1998
A
KALEIDOSCOPIC EXPERIENCE
A sharing from our delegation to St. Petersburg, Russia June 1998
Jannie Adams
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n one of the first bus tours of St. Petersburg, Nadezhda had Wassily slow down as her voice rang out, "There is your church! That’s St. Peter & Paul Lutheran Church! Tears of joy welled up in my eye’s this is why we had come! |
There she stood, behind a beer garden: the twin towered white building in which we would worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ! Sunday couldn’t come fast enough.
Come it did… we would finally meet our faith partners in shared Worship. Little had dreamed that it would last three hours. In truth, those hours passed all too quickly. Two Psalters were available - one written in Russian, the other in German.
I latched onto one of the latter, and participated, in the liturgy with heart and voice. Pastor, Kitzka delivered the sermon in German, and it was then translated into Russian (by paragraph) by a young woman. Hymns were sung in both languages plus English. The full, rich worship service included both Sacraments. Our icon and banner were presented and the official sister congregation, agreement was signed.
A most touching Baptismal rite, in which Pastor Howell participated, began the "swing upward." The passing of the peace extended into a full fifteen minutes. It really moved me: two women approached me and we embraced. 'Our e yes met and brimmed with tears as one of them said, "You see, we can understand each other, if we are willing. to try, but we don't even need words." Her mouth dropped open when I replied in German: "Yes, indeed! Christian love is a universal language! " Ironically, I ended up standing between my sisters in the faith as we gathered around the altar for Holy Communion. What a powerful, awesome sharing of the Body and Blood of Christ! We joined hands for the blessing – each of the two squeezing hands so tightly that I thought the circulation would never return. I left the altar with tears of joy and thanksgiving.
What a memorable day. It was easily "the highlight" of the entire trip for me. We are truly one in the Spirit, children of the heavenly Father.
BLESSED BE THE TIE THAT BINDS
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