At this final Soup Supper, I entered Hospitality Hall optimistic for another stirring evening. And it was. My wife chose a yummy mild vegetable soup, I chose a spicy Italian. The rhythm of the evening was established.

The "mild vegetable" Prayer Service (A Look Back At Lent 2007) was an artistic, masterful, delicious summary of the past 5 Sundays at SJA - Dangerous Stories. Debbie Wyman(right) and Mark Scannell led us on a tasting of reflective readings and challenging questions. After each question we heard the poetic proclamation:

For the Word of God in Scripture
For the Word of God among us
For the Word of God within us
The "spicy Italian" Adult Lenten Program, featured Jim D., Steve F. and Anna V. (The Law Firm of DeBruycker-Friedrichs and Vagle per Mark Scannell's introduction) reflecting on the mass liturgy at SJA. Fr. Jim presented two readings, which represent what the mass liturgy means to him - a celebration that features the notion of sacrifice. He noted that Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King both recognized that what they were doing would likely lead to their deaths - a big part of their sacrifice.

Anna described her notion of liturgy - a celebration of the "community coming together" to be nurtured and refreshed. The weekly getting together and sharing a meal - the Eucharist - are unique and a major strength in our tradition.

The attendees explored the meanings of "redemption" and "sacrifice" in their lives, both in small groups and within the entire group. And so the final course of the Wednesday Lenten Soup Supper-Prayer Service-Adult Lenten Program was served. We were served many tasty morsels to chew on - great preparation for Holy Week at SJA. See you all next year!


and
Jerry Hartlaub commutes from New Brighton with his wife, Trish, to be refreshed and challenged at the "SJA spiritual oasis". He's a Sunday mass slide jockey and "worker bee" at many SJA events. For fun he has written a bunch of poetry, printed his first book, and invented lots of stuff in a 30-year bioengineering career. These days he teaches cardiac physiology (but he's mostly retired), serves on non-profit boards, does Junior Achievement gigs and plays softball. But most rewarding is providing child-care for two of the world's smartest, cutest grandchildren.


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