Dear siblings in Christ,

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

For some time now I have been asked about the possibility of having a place for votive candles in our worship space.  For some previously Roman Catholic members, this has been something they have missed; the opportunity to light a candle for a prayer intention or to remember someone who has died.  To be quite honest, I haven't researched when this practice started.  Is it a relatively recent tradition or one that predates the Reformation that the protestant church abandoned?  I don't know.  But in my research of the practice now, there is nothing I have found that is in conflict with any Lutheran theology of which I'm aware.  

To that end, we have installed a new votive prayer table in front of the altar in our worship space.  We have taken the crosses we recently painted as part of our Easter celebration and created a display above the table.  Before services on Sundays or Wednesdays, feel free to light a candle (or more) to lift up a private prayer intention or to remember a loved one, and it will stay lit until the last person leaves the building (candles will not stay lit unsupervised).  If you painted a cross and took it home, but would like to add it to our display, simply bring it back and we'll add it to our collection.

If you have any questions about this new addition to our worship space, don't hesitate to ask me.  

In Christ,
Pastor Holliday