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King of Glory - 2008 Clergy Renewal Grant Recipient
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As a 2008 grant recipient, this sabbatical was made possible to King of Glory (and 21 other Indiana congregations) through a Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal program. Pastor Paul is Senior Pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church returned from his sabbatical, and after sharing some of his experiences in these blogs and congregational talks, he continued through a series of sermons.
The following, in part, was in the Lilly Endowment Press Release, dated July 9, 2008. (Click here for entire Press Release)
The Rev. Paul F. Swartz and his King of Glory Lutheran Church in Carmel offered a “prepositional proposition.” One of his seminary professors told Swartz that “the smallest words, prepositions, were the most important words in the Bible.” He has been intrigued ever since. Thus the theme of his renewal: the directional thrusts of ministry.
His congregants report that he is troubled by what we often see in congregations, the subtle self-centered emphasis that directs our focus inward and thwarts our outward ministry. He has diagnosed this malaise and sees a corrective in reversing the directional indicators of the four celebrated prepositions: up and down, in and out.
He maintains that it is always the “downward reach of God that creates the upward life of his people. And it is the outward thrust (mission) of the church that engenders the inward pull of Indiana Clergy Renewal Program individuals to Christ.” The members report: As we leave the shallow role of Sunday church attendees and move toward being committed Christ followers, there is a new sense of excitement in the congregation.
Next summer Swartz‘s time will be filled with visiting the Lutheran Chautauqua/Summer Assembly at Lakeside, Ohio, his childhood vacationland; meeting with his four siblings and their families for the first time in 10 years; engaging in a silent retreat at the Benedictine Inn and Retreat Center near Indianapolis; and serving as pastor-in-residence at Wittenberg University.
Then he and his wife will head for Berlin and the Lutheran Heritage Tour which will¨ “underscore the initiating downward reach of God‘s love and the upward lift of those who respond in faith.” They will travel to Eisleben, Wittenberg, Weidach, Wurttemberg, Frankfort and Prague.
Along the way, Swartz will meet with Luther stamp collectors and philatelic clubs. To his wife‘s amazement, he has amassed a large collection of Luther/Reformation stamps, postcards and other related material from which he is organizing the “Life of Martin Luther Illustrated Philatelically."
The Footsteps of St. Paul tour will take them across Greece and Turkey, a trip that should reinforce the outward thrust of being sent. He will return to enjoy “Re-Formation Sunday – Re-Engage! King of Glory Vision Night” with the congregation.
Swartz believes the renewal period will show him once again “how the downs of the Bible are followed by ups and how the outward thrusts of the church bring people into the heart of God.” He predicts that the program will give him a renewed sense of his Lutheran heritage and a chance to recapture that missionary zeal.
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Monday, 28 September 2009
We returned to the medival walled city with its palaces and "inns" built by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades. We decided not to interrupt or take part in a ceremonial "knights" service that was taking place, but did get a couple of pictures. The shops and architecture are interesting. We did not visit the beaches where our guide told us that "dental floss" is too much to wear!
We sailed to Patmos, "the Jerusalem of the Aegean" where we awoke on Sunday morning, and getting up at 5:00 we were off to visit and worship at the Cave of the Apocalypse, where John the Evangelist is said to have written the Book of Revelation. We got there for an Orthodox Service and have to admit my Greek didn't serve me too well, though parts of the liturgy were recognizable. I lit one of their candles in my remembrance of you. One of the significant points of interest is the legend that the revelation voice and sound came so loud, that it cracked the rock above one of the arch ways into three equal portions, with obviously implications especially for the Orthodox emphasis on the Trinity. We then toured the Monastery of St. John where there are presently about 30 students studying to become priests.
We continued our cruise to the Turkish port of Kusadasi where we took the excursion to the House of Mary, where the Virgin Mary is "said" to have spent her last days. While I have some difficultgy even with the Grotto of St. John---don't doubt that he was on Patmos---I felt this was more of a tourist pilgrimage center than one of historical importance. Nevertheless, I lit another candle asking God's blessings on all of you, and especially for Nancy and her family.
Then the real treat of the St. Paul journey was about to unfold. While I was impressed with Corinth, I am glad that we visited Corinth before Ephesus, or I would have been disappointed with Corinth. This was stunning and overwhelming at what has been uncovered, and what is still being unearthed. So much remains "in tact" of the buildings, the roads, the water system. I am not joking, but there was an ancient "men's" latrene building that would seat 75 men, sitting on marble slabs, with holes cut out and a water system running underneath to "flush" as the men, sitting around discussing the news of the day, philosophical, religious ideas, were doing their "business" as they responded to nature's call!
A natural amphitheater, seating 5000 is almost fully in tact. As we passed by there was a woman who went on stage, started singing in an operetic voice could be heard anywhere with clarity. Soon another woman from the side began to sing in response, and antiphonally, they continued providing us with a demonstration of the incredible accoustics.
We only had two hours here, and I would have wished for two days to explore it all, so remarkable is this site. Again, this city of 250,000 in Paul's day, was once the capital of the Roman provice of Asia
Sunday night we sailed "troubled" waters back to the Athen's port of Piraeus where we disembarked to journey by bus norgth to Thessalonika. We passed through several mountain ranges, viewing Mt. Olympus the tallest mountain in Greece (10,000 feet usually snow covered through July) and the home of the gods who live in the "clouds" which almost always cover the top. Between the mountain ranges lie very fertile ground which bear the crops of cotton, figs, grapes, olives, and kiwi.
Thessalonika is a large city composed of a million and a half inhabitants. After a full day on the bus, we were given an additon "bus" tour of some of the highlights we will explore tomorrow. I didn't realize how prominent this city was in the New Testament, serving as a provincial capital and considered a world cultural center, being mid way on the major trade route between Rome and Constantinople. Then we will take off for Philippi, named after the father of Alexander the Great, following the ancient route of Paul to Amphipolis (Acts 17:1-9)
We've had some interesting conversations with our fellow journey-mates...some from Florida, Canada, and Arizona....especially centering on what's important to them and where they center their focus. The range of biblical knowledge covers the full range, but all have experienced something more than just seeing a site, especially when explanations are shared. The guides have been good, and very patient. I am thankful our group is relatively small--29 of us--in comparison to some of the large "herds" we have seen at these places. We have encountered more Americans here than in Germany.
It is difficult to assimilate all that I have encountered and it will be a challenge to go back through the pictures trying to identify what we have seen.
May the Lord of the Church continue to bless and inspire you as He has done down through the ages with those who confess and believe in Him!
Paul
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