Last weekend at our Northeastern Ohio Synod Assembly, our Bishop, The Rev. Dr. Laura Barbins was re-elected to the leadership position working with the 130-some of us ELCA congregations around this corner of the state. But the moment also brought me back to six years earlier, when she was first lifted up by all the voting representatives of us Lutheran churches in the area, and the entire process transpired over Zoom because, well six years ago, the world was in the midst of…a rather interesting pandemic time.
Recently, I saw an image of Cornwall, England, one of the picturesque coastlines of the country, located on the southwest end of the island, overlooking the Atlantic. One of the beautiful church buildings in the region is St. Just in Roseland, with a history connecting back to a 6th century Celtic chapel, but the current structure was dedicated in 1261. On the church’s website, you can even read about “a local legend…of Joseph of Arimathea bringing his boy nephew, Jesus, to Cornwall, and that he landed at St Just in Roseland.”
A few days ago, I read this article about what is considered to be the northernmost church in the world: a Lutheran one, oddly enough, on the Svalbard archipelago of the Arctic Circle (I’m sure I’m the only one who couldn’t remember from geography class what an archipelago is, but just in case: “an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)). One of those places that not only includes extreme temperatures and light, or lack thereof, but also extreme ways of human survival. Along those lines, one of its main economic sources of stability was a mining company over the past century, which has recently closed.
It seems to be fairly common knowledge, even for the novices when it comes to technology, that any videos or images that include a cat or a dog, perhaps a live zoo camera feed of the latest baby rhinoceros or elephant or whatever else: they all seem to heart-warmingly reel viewers in, and for longer periods of time than other items that pop up on their screen. Of course, for us at Divinity, we can add ducks to that list, for sure. As our courtyard has become a cherished nesting ground in recent years, they have certainly reeled in the hearts of many in our Divinity.
Today so happens to be the birthday of the legendary Stevie Wonder. Not only legendary because of 25 Grammy Awards and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, among numerous other accolades; but a legendary smile that seems to always light up an entire stage and stadium and even beyond. Part of his amazing story is the very beginning: born several weeks premature, leading to medical treatment complications resulting in blindness for the rest of his life. And yet, seemingly in spite of all of that, still a smile that could reel in an audience of millions.
