Earlier this summer, Man of the House was approved as a Rostered Licensed Lay Pastor by the American Association of Lutheran Churches. That means he will (hopefully!) be placed to serve in a church under the supervision of another pastor until he finishes his seminary training, which should take several years. At that point he'll be fully ordained. Last week he filled in for a pastor on vacation. It was his first time to wear the "costume" and perform the divine service (what Lutherans call "worship"). Here's a picture of him in "full uniform":
Did you know there is symbolism in what a pastor wears? The clerical shirt is black to signify the sin of the wearer, but the alb (the long white robe) is white to show that the person's sins have been covered by the righteousness of Christ. The cincture (rope belt) is green to match the color of the current liturgical season, which right now is Pentecost. When Man of the House is fully ordained, he will change his alb for a surplice, which is a different kind of white robe. His pectoral cross is pewter with "May the Lord Bless You and Keep You" inscribed on it.
On another topic~~I finished my quilt and will show it to you very soon!
Edited to make the changes mentioned in the first comment (which I already knew, but my fingers typed the wrong thing anyway! ;-) ).
Not to be contradictory to my dear wife, but the "R" stands for "rostered." Also, the stole is not a different kind of white robe but is the drapery thing (like a stole a lady would wear around her shoulders dangling down in front) and is worn over an alb or a surplice. A stole has the correct color for the liturgical season and also has various decorations of Christian symbolism worked into it. The surplice shows more of the black garments underneath. Some people prefer the surplice and some prefer the alb. In the Lutheran tradition, as in some others, it is white symbolizing the purity of Christ being put on over the blackness of sin. This is distinct from the Calvinist tradition, where a black robe more like an academic robe is worn, symbolizing that the pastor is a man of learning.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good day, proclaiming absolution for penitent sinners, preaching God's word of Law and Gospel, and enjoying a few sausage biscuits and a long drive in the country.
Yay for Dad! Congratulations (again)! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's very exciting. Congratulations.
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