The cover photo and photo on page three are from my recent visit, on what happened to be my twenty-third wedding anniversary, to Fredsville Lutheran Church in Iowa where one set of my great-grandparents were married almost 144 years ago. Speaking of remembering people from past generations, All Saints’ Day will soon be upon us. Many are adjusting to life without loved ones more recently lost. Lyrics of “Leaves of Autumn,” a song by Jennifer Cutting, give encouragement to accept change. (Physical CD available on Jennifer Cutting's Ocean Orchestra website.) Continuing with an All Saints theme, “West Denmark Cemetery: A Reprise and Rectification” by Paul Petersen elaborates on his article from earlier this year, giving attention to a few more people buried there, one who is not yet six feet under, and one whose information needed correcting . Picking up on the WWII veterans pictured with his article, I honed in on Ruben Strandskov, who was a conscientious objector before he became a noncombatant medic. “Considerations of Conscious” gives some general information about the Civilian Public Service during World War II and some information about the camp in which Ruben served. In “Common Ground,” Karen Pedersen Travis not only pays tribute to her father, Dr. Paul Pedersen, but also his life’s work of bringing people together across cultures and beyond partisan divisions. Ed Clausen speaks of his family’s bridging its Grundtvigian Lutheranism to another denomination in “Propinquity.” With most Protestant denominations observing Reformation Sunday at the end of October, it is timely to have Clint Schnekloth present a contemporary version in “Theological Theses (42).” Ched Myers and Elaine Enns offer “Hersistence,” reflections on the recent gospel reading for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost in the Revised Common Lectionary that focuses on the agency of women. They see this story of persistence pertaining both to our prayers and our politics. In ”Celebrating Grundtvig, 1872-2022,” we hear from the Grundtvig Newsletter, edited by Edward Broadbridge, about programs in Denmark this past September that commemorated the 150th anniversary of Grundtvig’s death. And, as always, those who have renewed their subscriptions or donated to keep this publication going are recognized and thanked. Throughout the year, many people give in memory of persons who enriched their lives. Such gifts are always welcome but would be especially apropos for All Saints’ Day. Correction The lyrics written by Henrik Strandskov to commemorate last year’s the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Danebod Folk Meeting opened the July.August 2022 issue. The title of his song, “Endless Prairie, Endless Sky,” derives from the lyrics in the bridge, the part of a song that stands out: No more endless prairie, But endless prairie sky; Let our dreams for tomorrow Soar on high, soar on high. These lyrics were unfortunately omitted in the publication. Our website has been updated with the amended lyrics, which are in the August 2022 archive along with a guitar instrumental from YouTube to serve as accompaniment if you want to sing this poignant song.
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As the cover indicates, our dear Danish correspondent Hanna Broadbridge has died, so this issue is dedicated to her memory. Her husband emailed the bulletin of her memorial service, which included the song, “Tænk, at livet koster livet,” and its English translation, “Life is what we pay for living.” The text is a poem by Jørgen Gustava Brandt. The Danish Songbook uses music composed by Ole Schmidt, but there is also another popular melody by Bent Fabricius Bjerre. Both versions have been shared as YouTube videos on the Church and Life website as one of the published articles for this month. The poem’s sentiment echoes in the two articles that pertain to the Danebod Fall Folk Meeting. Mary Ann Doyle shares her appreciation for the meeting in “Tending to Life” as she anticipates returning after her first experience in 2019. Karen Wells reflects on a couple of presentations from this year’s meeting in “Stimulating Growth.” The final offering we have from Hanna Broadbridge. “What is the Point of Food Banks?” is very appropriate as it reflects the open embrace that she had for everyone, especially people on the margins of society. Hanna spent decades in lay leadership positions in the church, but, as we hear from Pastor Andrés Albertsen in “What Is It to Be Christian?,” Hanna’s or anyone’s Christianity is in, as Kierkegaard would say, the life that is lived, not the structure of an institution. Just as Kierkegaard was a critic of the church, Viggo Pete Hansen offers his own self-described curmudgeonly critique in “Scientific, Political, and Religious Evolutions.” He ends with a bit of hope, which leads into the next piece, “Hans Island,” by Rolf Buschardt Christensen, about the peaceful resolution to a territorial dispute. Finally, we recognize those of the Church and Life community whom we hold in our hearts as they have recently departed this life, namely Ellen Utoft Bollesen Juhl and Hanna Broadbridge. |
Editor InformationBridget Lois Jensen Archives
March 2023
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