Labyrinth at St. Thomas

We’re bringing an indoor labyrinth to Heritage Hall for a few days during Lent. Labyrinths have been part of Christian tradition for a thousand years. It’s not a maze, so there’s nothing to figure out. Anyone can walk a labyrinth – old walkers and young walkers, sorrowing walkers and joyful walkers, fast walkers, slow walkers, and wheelchairs. Come and take a walk!

Sunday, Feb. 17 - Adult Forum offered by Sharon Wailes, who’ll tell us about the ancient origins of labyrinths and how walking a labyrinth can be part of our spiritual growth.

Wednesday, February 27 through Sunday, March 3 – Walk a labyrinth at Saint Thomas. Before and after worship on Wednesday and Sunday, one of us will be there to greet you and hold your walk in silent prayer. You can also drop in any time the church is open to walk the labyrinth.

It may not be immediately obvious how walking around in a set pattern connects up to living the life of faith. An article in The Lutheran explains, Christians adopted the labyrinth in the 12th century when the Crusades made pilgrimages to Jerusalem difficult. Labyrinths were placed in cathedral floors throughout Europe so the faithful could pray and spiritually attend to their journey as if they were on a physical pilgrimage to the holy city... Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no tricky dead-ends. It has one path — a pattern of U-turns — that leads to the center and then out again. The twisting path becomes a metaphor for the faith journey, a mirror for what is happening in one's life... For Christians, the path also is a reminder of Christ's journey to the cross. [The Lutheran, January 1999]
An interesting observation - Neolithic labyrinths are found throughout Scandinavia and the Baltic coast. Apparently Lutherans have been walking labyrinths since before there were Lutherans!

Thanks to Pamela from the Iona Spiritual Growth Group for writing this article for the newsletter.

Malaria Nets

The Mission Committee is supporting our Sunday School's efffort to raise funds for the ELCA Malaria Campaign. We have invited Jessica Nipp Hacker, the ELCA Coordinator of the Malaria Campaign to visit us as St. Thomas on Sunday, February 24. She will be with us in both church services that day, sharing information about the campaign and how we can help. Please join us for a forum led by Jessica Nipp Hacker from 9:45-10:45 am in the conference room.