St. James Lutheran

September 21, 2008 11:00 am
St. James Lutheran, 871 Cavalier Dr. Winnipeg
Reverend Rod Buck

This one was literally a pick out of a hat. I wanted to go to a church in St. James, and this one looked neat. I'd never been to a Lutheran church before and wasn't quite sure what to expect.

The building is situated nicely in a picturesque residential area, with a nice big parking lot. It's fairly small inside, capacity at around 300 people. I'd estimate there was just under half that in attendance. The sanctuary had candles already burning, the names of the apostles hanging from the rafters and standard-issue wooden pews. There was a pair of greeters at the door who introduced themselves, which was nice. A small (primarily elderly) choir was singing in the rear loft prior to the service, accompanied by a proficient organist.

The service followed a setting in the hymnal, with lots of songs and call/response readings. Reverend Rod Buck was a large, jolly-looking man with a most excellent mustache and a big, friendly smile. His voice projected great, however there were lots (about 6) of really, really noisy kids who seemed intent on drowning him and the scripture readers out with crinkling, squealing and screaming. If there was a single thing I had to complain about, it was the kids. Sure, kids are great in a church service. But when it gets to the point where I can't hear the Reverend who is speaking into a MICROPHONE, it's a sign that things are a bit out of hand.

Reverend Buck delivered one of the best sermons I've ever heard. He's an animated, engaging and passionate speaker. The sermon was about the concept of fairness in the Bible, particularly as taught by Jesus in Matthew 20:1-16. He spoke about how God isn't necessarily "fair," but is rather just and loving and above all, gracious. Many people in our society feel that God "owes them," but in fact the opposite is true, says Rev. Buck. Everyone is equal in God's eyes, whether they've been going to church for decades or turn to God minutes before death. As Rev. Buck put it, "there's room in heaven for everyone. Everyone!" It was the first sermon in a while where I actually found myself hanging off of the speaker's words.

There was communion during the service, and a note in the bulletin requesting that those who aren't Lutheran or aren't sure if they agree with the beliefs of the church should not come forwards for communion. Not a situation I'm familiar with (the United Church allows anybody to take communion), but each to their own. I took no offense, especially since it seemed like a very solemn ritual in this Lutheran church.

After the service there was a glut getting out of the church, because it seemed like it was expected that you greet Rev. Buck and share a few words. I thought this was great and chatted with the Rev. (he asked me to come back anytime, I thanked him for the great service), but it made mulling about and chatting in the lobby rather difficult because that meant waiting for everybody to get out of the sanctuary.

All in all I had an extremely positive experience at St. James Lutheran Church, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back and worship there again. Whether you're Lutheran or not, if you're looking for a great sermon-speaker head on over and check Rev. Buck out.

Till next time,
-Brock
http://members.shaw.ca/sjlc/