Waking up to God’s presence


GETTY IMAGES/MICHAEL WILLIAMSON


The church’s God-frame problem By Christian Scharen


Scharen is assistant professor of worship and theology, and direc- tor of contextual learning at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.


A 38 The Lutheran • www.thelutheran.org


sk a few friends what they think of when you say “God” and “church.” Likely, whether they go to church regularly or never darken the door, they’ll envision well-dressed people in worship. Yet I believe when we hear “God” and “church” we ought to think of a midwife or doctor delivering a baby, a teacher work- ing with children, an office worker at a computer, or a farmer tending fields or animals. We know God is the maker and sustainer of all life, not just the maker of an hour on Sunday or the sustainer of a building where we meet for worship. We know we are called to follow Christ with our whole lives, not only when we are doing “religious” things like praying, sing- ing hymns or participating in communion. Too often, however, what happens is similar to the


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