September 16, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Living Water

Joelene and I spent some time listening to Braiding Sweetgrass, a book by Robin Wall Kimmerer. If you haven't read (or listened to) this book, you probably should. It's not a novel, but a slow moving reflection by the author on creation, ecological consciousness, and a reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.

One of the problems (for me) of listening to a book is that I can't mark page numbers of things that catch my attention; and, unless I make a note of something right then, it's left to memory. With that in mind, there was a sentence she wrote while talking about water that went something like this: “We are all water, and water flows away from us.”

I got to thinking about that and the implications of that statement.

Living water is water that is moving. It flows from one point to another. It can be the soft gurgle of a slow moving stream or it can be the roar of a thundering waterfall. It can be as small as a local creek or as vast as the ocean current. It is that living water, water that moves away from its source, that touches and nourishes an untold number of lives. Just think about the Mississippi River and how it impacts the lives of plants, animals, and humans, as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

At a time when water in our area is in short supply, we are very aware of the need for living water.

On another level, we are also very aware of the world's need for the living water of Christ.

Jesus told the woman at the well, “The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (John 4:14b). The living water of Christ is meant to gush up within us. The living water of Christ is meant to flow out and away from us as it nourishes the world.

A funny thing about water – if it doesn't flow away and out, it simply gathers, stagnates, and becomes undrinkable. This is what happens with the Dead Sea, water flows in but not out. We are the same way. If all we do is collect without passing on, without sharing, we will also stagnate and die.

In the poem “Lester” by Shel Silverstein (found in the book, Where the Sidewalk Ends), Lester was granted a wish. With that wish he slyly wished for more wishes until one day, having grown old, he died. “In a world of apples and kisses and shoes, He wasted his wishes on wishing.”

Let us not live like Lester, but let us live with our wishes and the living water of Christ flowing out from us to nourish the world.

Blessings,

September 9, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: East Wall

Our final window in this twelve-week series is the small, round window on the east wall above the narthex doors. This window depicts Christ the King in all his glory. While it is tradition that churches lay on an east/west axis with the entry at the west end and the altar at the east end, our parish reverses that orientation (entry at the east end and altar at the west end). This traditional layout comes from the rising sun, the light of Christ, and the dawning of the new day of Resurrection. I would like to believe that someone thought a Christus Rex window on the east wall would compensate for the reversal by having the morning light come through this window to give a holy and royal light.

Christ the King is seated on a large throne and garbed in a white robe with a flowing, red cope. The white robe symbolizes purity, faithfulness, and sinlessness, all images and traits of Christ. He wears a gold crown on his head and a halo can also be seen. There are two symbols of power in each hand.

In his right hand he holds what looks like the holy hand grenade of Antioch. Knowing that can't be the case, it's actually a globus cruciger (literally, cross-bearing orb). Images of Roman rulers would use an orb to signify their dominion over the world. Then, in the 5^th Century, Christian art began using the orb with a cross on it to signify the victory of Christianity over all the world. In this window, then, it symbolizes Christ's dominion over the world.

The left hand of Christ holds a royal scepter, another symbol of authority. The royal scepter symbolizes a person's right to rule, command, and hold sovereign power.

The background of the window is blue with several smaller designs. My guess is that this represents the sky and stars, adding to the story that Christ is not only King of the earth, but of all the universe as well.

For all of this imagery of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, ruling with an iron scepter and having dominion over all the earth, it's important to remember that Christ came not as a conquering king but as a helpless child. He came as a lamb that was led to the slaughter. Though he is God, he did not regard that equality with God as something to be exploited, but humbled himself in order to be born as a human. He became obedient to death, and it was through his humble obedience that he achieved greatness. And this is why every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We must remember that the story of our faith is not that Christ will come to rule not through force, but that he will rule and be victorious through the power of love. The story of our faith rests not on a king who rules through domination and force, but of a King who rules through the power of sacrificial love. The image of Christ the King isn't an image in which to terrorize others, but an image that gives him primacy of place in our own lives.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

September 2, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Sanctuary

The south wall of the sanctuary (to the left of the altar as seen from the nave) depicts an image of two men, with the primary focus on Saint Luke.

Saint Luke, adorned with a red halo, appears to be kneeling at a type of desk. He is wearing a blue robe, and there is a suggestion of a brown academic hood. There are two books on the desk, an open book resting on a closed book. Saint Luke seems to be studying the open book and, in his left hand, is holding a third, larger book (probably a bible) adorned with the IHS** Christogram.

Whether kneeling or sitting at a desk, the visible leg of that desk has the image of a winged lion. This is an interesting choice on the part of the artist, because the winged lion is the symbol of Saint Mark, while the symbol for Saint Luke is a winged ox.

The man standing behind Saint Luke is holding a scroll in his right hand, wears a brown cap, purple robe, and a green-ish outer- or over-coat, but has no halo. Scholars have long thought that Luke relied on Mark's gospel when composing his own, and it might be that this is Mark influencing Luke. While that could be explained by the winged lion and scroll, the fact that he doesn't have a halo makes that improbable. So who this person is will probably always be a mystery.

The left margin of the window contains a caduceus (pronounced kuh-doo-see-us) – technically a winged staff with two entwined snakes. But this staff doesn't have wings and seems to have a flame at the top, maybe due to a lack of space. The caduceus is a symbol of Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology; which makes sense because, as author of a gospel, Luke was a messenger of God. This symbol is often misused/mistaken for the rod of Asclepius or the healing staff of Moses, which is a single snake wrapped around a rod or staff. Both have been used as a symbol of healing, so the former is seen here with Saint Luke because he was known as “the beloved physician.” The window was also given in memorium of the Rev. Henry Ustick Onderdonk, our own beloved physician.

The right margin contains an artist's palette and brushes. Why this, you might ask. Because Saint Luke is also the patron saint of artists, and tradition holds that he was the first iconographer in Christianity.

This window tells the story of a man who studied healing, art, and the word of God. It tells the story of a man who used his skills to help spread the good news of the kingdom. And it reminds us that, while faith may be personal, it is meant to be shared.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

**The first three letters of Jesus in Greek: I (Iota), H (Eta) S (Sigma)

August 26, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Nave – Front

The south wall of the nave (on the left as you enter the church) has three windows. Like last week's window, the front window is unusual in that it doesn't depict a biblical image or story. Instead it has a bible verse and dedication.

The bible verse is Proverbs 31:28 – Her Children Arise Up And Call Her Blessed. The window itself is in memory of W. G. Robinson, Born May 31, 1859, Died March 31, 1889.

According to 100 Years of Worship: 1884 – 1984, this window was given by Mr. & Mrs. W. J. Clarke in memory of her brother William “Billy” Robinson who drowned in a boat accident on Lake Desmet.

The window's image is of several ears of corn on stalks and has the autumn coloring of greens, yellows, and browns of the corn harvest. I don't know why this image was chosen because corn isn't really prevalent in Christian art or symbolism, and Billy was both born and died in the spring. Corn can be a symbol of growth, fertility, abundance, and prosperity, but none of those seem to fit the reason for this window.

You may not have noticed or paid attention to this window since it receives no outside light and is therefore dark most of the time. This is because that particular area behind the window became the parish office when Onderdonk Hall was built.

But for all of the unknowns of this window, it still tells a story. It tells a story of a life lived and ended too soon. It tells the story of a mother loved by her children. It tells the story of a sister who wanted to keep the memory of her brother alive. And it reminds us that, even though not as bright or colorful as the other windows, it is still part of the story of our parish.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

August 19, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Nave – Middle

The south wall of the nave (on the left as you enter the church) has three windows. The middle window is unusual in that it doesn't depict a biblical image or story. Instead it has a dedication and donor information which reads: Dedicated to Rev. and Mrs. George McKay by the Skoonataps.

I had to do some digging, but here's what I uncovered:

On page 33 of 100 Years of Worship: 1884-1984 (the centennial history of our parish), there is a sketch of this window. Although the window isn't titled, the book refers to it as the “Red Cross Window.” The priest to whom this window was dedicated, Fr. George McKay, had been a chaplain in the Canadian Mounted Police and supposedly served as the model for the hero of Ralph Connor's novel, The Sky Pilot, although that may not be true as there are other claims to who the character was modeled after.

Fr. McKay and his wife (who unfortunately is only ever referred to as “Mrs. McKay”) came to Saint Luke's in 1918 and served until 1926 – although his picture in Onderdonk Hall says 1918 – 1929.

Fr. McKay was the easy part, but who were the Skoonataps? As it turns out, they're not a who but a what. During his time as priest, Fr. McKay “organized a fine group of young matrons of the Church known as 'The Schoonataps' . . . The meaning known only to the members.” This social group of women were active in the life of the church and extremely fond of Fr. and Mrs. McKay, who was also an excellent musician and she helped with the choir and other church music. The group was so fond of both of them, in fact, that they gave this window in their honor.

The image itself is of an unknown item and derives the Red Cross name from the small, red, St Andrew's cross in its center. The item, at first glance, seems to be an old-fashioned key, but upon closer inspection is not. A purple brocade surrounds the image on all sides.

The story of this window is like the stories of countless Christians through the centuries. It remembers a man who faithfully served the Church. It remembers a woman whose only name is attached to her husband, but who also faithfully served the Church. And it remembers a group of anonymous Christians who served the Church in their own way. The story of this window is that knowing the specific names of people and what they did isn't important; what's important is that those people served faithfully. What's important is that our story is a story of faithfulness.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

August 12, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Nave – Rear

The south wall of the nave (on the left as you enter the church) has three windows, and the rearmost window on the south side is titled “Christ the Consoler.”

In this window a seated Jesus is dressed more as a Roman than as Judean. He's wearing (what I'm guessing) an orange and red pallium over a type of white tunic called a chiton (and, yes, I went down a rabbit hold figuring this all out), and is adorned with his typical halo.

Kneeling in front of him appears to be a young woman who is wearing a green-ish colored dress, and she is being embraced by Jesus.

The left margin of the window contains a fleur-de-lis, literally flower lily in French. Among other things, it symbolizes royalty and religious purity. The right margin of the window contains an image of an anchor. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews used an anchor as a metaphor for the hope and stability given to Christians in the storms of life (Heb. 6:19).

The idea of Christ as a comforter or consoler comes, not from Jesus, but probably first from 1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Paul also sees Jesus as a comforter when he writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 about Christ consoling us so that we may console others who are suffering. And Psalm 55:22 advises us to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you.”

On August 2 we heard the gospel story of the feeding of the 5000. At the end of that story we are told that the disciples collected and filled 12-baskets full of the broken pieces of bread that were left over. I'm reminded that, at its best, the Church is a place where broken people are gathered up and cared for. We are the Body of Christ on earth right now. Our story should be that we are the place where burdens are cast and people are cared for and sustained.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

August 5, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: Rear Nave – SE Corner

As you stand at the front of the church and look back to the east entrance, there are two windows on either side of the double doors. Today we look at the one on the right, titled “Christ Among the Doctors.”**

This window depicts delinquent Jesus in the temple sitting among the teachers and asking questions. I say “delinquent” because he and his parents had gone up to Jerusalem for the festival and, rather than heading home with everyone, he stayed behind (Luke 2:41-51).

In the window a 12-year old Jesus is with two older men, one of them obviously Jewish by his clothing, and the other one not so obvious. It could be that the artist wanted to depict a Pharisee and a Sadducee, since those were the two groups that Jesus most often encountered. He is standing, a prominent halo about his head, and his right hand raised in the traditional priestly blessing style.

The man on the left has a white beard, indicating he is older (and maybe wiser?), and wears a purple and plum robe with a head covering (see Ex. 28:4-5 for the priestly dress code). He is also seated at what might be a prayer desk with a book (the Torah?) in front of him. He's not looking at Jesus and appears to be a little annoyed.

The man on the right is younger (brown hair and beard), and dressed only in blue robes. This man is looking up at the young Jesus and appears to be not annoyed, but pondering what Jesus has to say.

In the window's left margin there is a book with stylized Hebrew writing and a quill and ink bottle. This could be symbolic of Jesus, the Word, being present in scripture, but that's just conjecture. And the right margin contains another image of that broach thing from last week's window.

The story behind this window, and this incident in Luke, should remind us that we are never too old to learn something new – especially when it comes to our faith; because it is in learning that we grow and it is in being willing to be open to new interpretations that can give scriptures new life within us.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

**A “Doctor” doesn't mean what we normally think of when we hear that term. In the Christian tradition, the title “Doctor” was bestowed upon certain theologians of outstanding merit and acknowledged saintliness. The original Doctors of the Church were Pope Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome, but that list later grew over time. By titling this window “Christ Among the Doctors,” the artist is recognizing that the Judaism also had theologians of outstanding merit.