Ode to Wednesday Nights Soup Supper/Prayer Service Wednesday, April 9th, 2003

The final soup supper of the 2003 Lenten season was held this past week. And consistent with the other soup suppers, it was a grand affair - lots of warm smiles and laughter and plenty of good soup. In fact the soup and company was so good it makes me feel like singing - and so I will. Here is my “Ode to Wednesday Nights” (to the tune of “My Favorite Things”).

Chicken with noodles

And carrots with barley

Spicy brown pumpkin

And songs by Deb Harley

Garden fresh veggies

Remind me of spring

Wednesday night soup

Is my favorite thing

Jeff in an apron

And Mark by the fire

Stirring and laughing

It sounds like a choir

Bottles of red wine

That hide in the wing

Wednesday night soup

Is my favorite thing

When a war starts

And our stocks fall

When the voice mail’s bad

I simply remember

The soup at St. Joans

And then I don’t feel

So sad

Apples with curry

And seafood in chowder

Where is the gumbo?

You have to shout louder

Salmon with real cream

It’s fit for a king!

Wednesday night soup

Is my favorite thing

When a war starts

And our stocks fall

When the voice mail’s bad

I simply remember

The soup at St. Joans

And then I don’t feel

So sad!!!

Joe Chouinard and Bob Hanson began the service with a musical interlude. After several wonderful pieces and an introduction by Pat Stevens, we heard a dramatic reading of the Lazarus Gospel, given by Chris, Pat, Bob, Joe and Julie Madden. The reading highlighted how it is the women disciples that emerge as the true disciples. As the participants reflected on the reading, Bob Hanson performed a beautiful solo “The Breastplate.”

Women and discipleship was further explored in two readings. The first by Joan Chittister “Why I Stay,” discussed why she remains in discipleship despite the sometimes inhospitable church. No doubt this reading touched a chord with attendees after the Mel White situation of last week. This reading was followed by “Oysters,” which also raises the question of why women stay in the church. This story uses the analogy of a grain of sand caught in an oyster. Through time and with the right conditions, the sand will become a pearl. The story reminds us that discipleship in the church may not be easy despite the beautiful outcome. Instead it really can be thought of as a “ministry of irritation.”

Leaving the service, we were all invited to take a pearl from a dish, symbolizing our own call to practice the ministry of irritation.

The final adult Lenten session, led by Peter Eichten, was as a spicy and complex as the Apple-Cranberry Pork Fiesta soup I had earlier in the evening. In it we explored “Discipleship in a Priestless Church” - what discipleship means at St. Joan of Arc and what it will look like in the future.

We were given two questions to discuss:

1. How does our discipleship, based on an engaged spirituality, view the future of collaborative ministry at St. Joan of Arc?
2. Here at St. Joan’s, how do we view the situation of a priestless church? What do we need ordained persons for?

• Regarding sacramental grace: life is already graced. The important moments of life are already graced whether clergy are present or not.
• That we need to recognize the sacred in our midst rather than waiting for something given down from “on high.”
• When we transcend “ego” we can start living with compassion in a collaborative way. We can get there through prayer.
• How many small Christian communities at SJA are working to transcend the “ego” and are leading the way in collaborative ministry.

and

Jeanne Morales has been active at St. Joans for the past year. She loves working in her garden, attending the St. Joan of Arc Bible Study and sneaking off for camping trips when she has time. Jeanne can be reached at moralesj@Macalester.edu.