May 1, 2005

Mindekirken, May 1, 2005
Pastor Jens Arne Dale

Psalm 44.1-9

Today we celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the dedication of Mindekirken.

Sunday May 4, 1930 was a rainy day in Minneapolis. But people came to Mindekirken in large numbers. No less than four services were celebrated on that day. At the 2:30 PM dedication service, the sanctuary was so packed that they had to use the Fellowship Hall in the basement as well. Amplifiers transferred the service to a full Fellowship Hall. It was a festive and joyful celebration in the beautiful church which looks the same today, except for the improved lighting in the presentation area.

Several great words were spoken, as well as words of best hope for the future. The President of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America, Dr. J A Aasgaard, gave his sermon on the words from Psalm 44 which we have read today. His manuscript is not available today, but from the newspaper reports we do know that he said that Mindekirken means there is something we would like to preserve for the generations to come. That is the memory of the more than 500,000 Norwegian men and women who have come to America the last 1000 years. Aasgaard emphasized that it’s not first and foremost their struggle and work we would like to remember, but the blessing of God that has been there. The Norwegian America has reason to be a celebrating people due to the deeds the Lord has done for them.

Mindekirken can hardly be said to be an old church. It was built 100 years after the first Norwegian immigrants came to America. 1930 was modern times compared with the conditions of the ones who wandered over the prairie with oxen and wagons. They often settled out of the sight of their neighbors. They built sod houses for themselves and their families. Then they started to farm the land which hadn’t been plowed for thousands of years. They fought the forces of nature, and had to trust themselves in every respect. When we read today for instance Rolvaag's books (Giants of the earth), one can only be impressed by what the settlers achieved. At the same time, we know their faith reflected the attitude of Psalm 44. God was behind them. Thanks to his blessing, they succeeded.

Minneapolis 1930 was a modern city facing tremendous development and growth in spite of the depression. Hardly any major city in the US has been more influenced by Norwegians. There was no lack of Norwegian churches. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Central Lutheran Church, Our Savior's, St. Paul's on Portland and Trinity, Riverside are all originally Norwegian churches. Mindekirken has in a special way been designated to keep the heritage of Norway, the faith and the culture which the immigrants brought from the old country. One of the main factors in this picture is the decision to worship in Norwegian. At that time there was social and political pressure to have everyone speak English. In that respect, Mindekirken was "the woman going against the current". Maybe you remember the Norwegian fairy tale about the woman who always wanted to do the opposite of what her husband said? The fact that we have 150 language students at Mindekirken doesn’t mean that we’re stubborn, but only that there’s a great interest in learning the language of more or less distant relatives in Norway. That the church also calls Norwegian pastors and uses the Norwegian liturgy and hymnal is important.

Mindekirken doesn’t only want to be tied to the memories of the Norway the immigrants once left. Some Norwegian Americans find it offensive that not everybody eats lutefisk and lefse in Norway, and that they’re not all clothed in lusekofte or have decorated their ceiling beams with rosemaling. We do have electricity over there. And Norwegians boast of enjoying the highest standard of living in the world. Mindekirken wants to maintain the ties to Norway and the Church of Norway. The cultural program at Mindekirken reflects that in a good way. A week and a half ago, the church was packed for Tuesday Open House when Norwegian war journalist Åsne Seierstad told about her war time experiences in Baghdad. The week before, Norwegian cartoonist Jason visited us. In the weeks to come, we’ll have a great opportunity to celebrate.

Syttende Mai is the most wonderful adventure of the spring. On June 7, we’ll mark the 100^th anniversary of the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway in 1905. In May and June we have nine major concerts at the church, and in addition to that, services and other events. We’ll meet often in the weeks to come.

Psalm 44 reflects on the Israeli hero stories. They had had to fight hard to establish themselves in the country God had given them. The text tells about war against enemies and great victories. Our days' judgement according to international law is never an issue in the Psalms. The promises of God and his faithfulness is the only theme and angle.

What great words these are on a day of celebration. We’re not supposed to boast of our own deeds, but humbly give God glory. The hand of the Lord has helped even us. It sounds so beautiful when it says that they thanked God … you helped them …by the light of your countenance: for you delighted in them. We’re here today because God loves us. God sees us and he wills us well. We’re abundantly blessed. All praise and glory to him.

Reflect on your own life. We might have our defeats and wounds. But in spite of it all, we’re not abandoned by God. As you sit in the pews today, you get to hear that you have a reconciled past. Forgiveness and peace, hope for the future and the love of Jesus are given to you for free. Today you’re invited to Holy Communion where we receive the grace of the Lord through wine and bread. Despite that we’ve sinned against God’s commandments, we’re enveloped by his grace. It’s all the work of God.

We’ve also been blessed when it comes to our earthly lives. We have received daily bread abundantly. Of course we should be self critical not to fall victims to the lure of wealth, as Jesus spoke about. Waste, greed and materialism are not from God. On the other hand, we should thank God for his good gifts, everything which makes life good. God’s blessing reaches us in so many different ways. I hope we’re able to recognize all good things in life as God’s gifts: food and clothes, home and work, family and friends, health, material goods…. God has given us generously of everything. And hopefully we’ll be able to be generous ourselves. It’s more blessed to give than to receive, the Bible says. On a day of celebration like today, it would be appropriate to be especially generous when the offering plates are sent around. Ultimately we belong to God with all we are and possess. Therefore it’s from his own we give back to him, as we state in the prayer after the offering. Psalm 44:8 says it like this: In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716