Lord of Life Lutheran Church
North Pole, Alaska
Sunday Morning Worship
Worship is on Sundays at 10:30am
We are a liturgical congregation, meaning, we have an "order" to worship.
1st and 3rd Sundays: Traditional
worship with sung liturgy and hymns
2nd and 4th Sundays: Contemporary
worship with music you'd hear on a
Christian radio station
5th Sundays: We never know. Pastor Amanda messes
up worship to help open our eyes and ears to God's
work in different ways.
Another part of being liturgical is a cycle of seasons in a church year:
Advent (month of December)
Christmas (December 25-January 5)
Epiphany (next 4-6 weeks)
Lent (40 days before Easter [not Sundays])
Easter (a moving holiday and 6 weeks)
Pentecost (50 days after Easter)
Season after Pentecost (Ordinary time till Nov.)
Basically these seasons help us focus on who God is (Advent through Pentecost) and who we are (the Season after Pentecost is all about growing in our faith).
Children and Church
We encourage families of all ages (and volume levels) to worship together! Kids worship God in their own wiggly and noisy way and we need them with us! We have a children's message just for them, we encourage them to sing loud, to dance around, and to take communion (before a class or not!)
We've got "quiet bags" with toys and activities hanging on hooks near the stairs, and when parents need a break from the wiggles, we've got a nursery space just for them to play on the entry level.
No evil stares - just open arms from a room FULL of surrogate grandmas, grandpas, aunties and uncles.
Communion
Lord of Life practices open
Communion: Anyone who believes
that Christ is the risen Lord and
that he is present in this meal
are welcome at the Lord's table.
Communion is offered to everyone every Sunday.
A note of special inclusion: even toddlers! Anyone who stretches out their hand knows this meal is for them!
If you as a parent are uncomfortable with this practice or would like your child to "know something" about Communion, interactive classes are offered in the spring and fall. Contact Pastor Amanda if you are interested in this preparation.
Baptism
The Lutheran Church supports infant and adult baptism. Contact Pastor Amanda to set up a family meeting if interested in holding a baptism at Lord of Life.
The baptismal font at Lord of Life was carved by Cliff Pananen, with the help of Jerry Gustafson, from a cottonwood tree they had found while running their dog teams near the Tanana River in Salcha. Beavers had been trying to chew it down, which accounts for the unusual pedestal formation.
The inscription, taken from Ephesians 4:5 reads, "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism." This was suggested by Pastor Paul Daniel, who presided at the baptism of Max Pananen, nephew of the font's carver, on May 19, 1985, the first time the font was used.