Behind that banner, and leading us out for one last time, is Katrina Schrock. This cross quilt and banner has been a symbol of continuity, visible in every location where we have met for worship

.    "The cross before me…." Worshipers leaving the Chapel of the Cross for the last time.

To think that our time at Luther Seminary began with Pastor Jake, a Lutheran pastor from northern Minnesota, and an accomplished pianist, who performed in this sanctuary some 9 ½ years ago. My wife, Becky, read an announcement about him in the newspaper, which said that he would even play the piano with mittens on. So we came to hear him one Sunday evening. And we got more than our money's worth in entertainment and inspiration. Okay, so they only took a free will offering. But in addition to an inspiring mix of music, meditation and humor, Pastor Jake did indeed play one song on the piano with a big furry bomber cap on his head, and with mittens on his hands. And he did pretty well. The harmony was a bit sparse, but one can understand how that might be a helpful skill on a very cold January morning in a northern Minnesota church when the sanctuary may never warm up until the service is over. At the conclusion of that concert, Becky said to me, “I can see us worshiping here.”

At the time, we were still meeting at the Roseville Activity Center, our church's second location after meeting in homes. We knew that the RAC would soon be no more. Townhomes now stand where we once worshiped. So after we brought some members of our worship committee here, such as Nancy Boer and Marilyn Miller, to check it out during morning chapel services in the summer semester, a wider circle of people began to say, as well, “I can see us worshiping here.”

And thanks be to God, some people at Luther Seminary agreed with us when we approached them about worshiping here. So our first worship service here was held on Sunday morning, September 12, 1999. The rest is history, nine years' worth.

Next week you can find us at the former sanctuary of Messiah Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, at the corner of Columbus Ave. S. and 25th Street S., near Abbot-Northwestern and Childrens' Hospitals.

But for one last time in the Chapel of the Cross, we celebrated and praised God for what was and what is yet to come. And we got a word of blessing and encouragement from Rev. John Mann, campus pastor for Luther Seminary. For the text of that Sunday's (Dec. 7, 2008) combination Advent/Leavetaking message, and reflections on what was and may come for Emmanuel Mennonite Church, download Download Advent2-08

Pastor Mathew Swora

At the risk of really dating myself, let me tell you about an important pre-Christmas, Advent season, major annual event and ritual when I was growing up: the arrival in the mail of the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue. Weighing in at roughly 7 pounds, with five or six hundred glossy color pages, featuring thousands of things more than we could ever imagine or want, my sisters and I honed our reading skills by reading about the things we might want, and much of our research and library skills by learning to use the index to find Toys (its in the T-section, after S's and suits). Our math skills really surged whenever Dad said, "We're only spending this much on Christmas this year," and, well, you can guess how we approached our campaign to get this, that and more, within that price range. I guess you could say that the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue was, for us kids, our Bible, and the things pictured on the glossy pages, were our prayers and prophesies, while our Advent season disciplines were wishing, waiting…..and, or course, behaving.

But so many years later, I can't remember the half of what I asked for, nor of what I got. I was so sure at the time that the brightly colored toys and games on those glossy colored pages would make me eternally and uncontrollably happy. But now I don't even have anything anymore that would have come from a 1967 Sears and Roebuck catalogue. If they haven't turned to dust, they're in the depths of some landfill somewhere. Or in an antiques store somewhere getting sold for twenty times their original value. But when you're eight years old, you don't have the perspective on time and value that comes with later years.

Fast-forward by about thirty or forty years, and a middle age Advent Season pre-Christmas wish list may sound like this: 1) may I make it through the season with my bank account and my sanity intact; 2) may I not start sighing bitterly or say sarcastic things the next time I hear songs like "Happy Holidays!" over the sound system of major department stores; 3) may I get all the present shopping, card-writing, gift-wrapping and office party preparations done in time; 4) may I be gracious in the presence of my most difficult neighbors, work-mates and relatives.

Isn't there more to Advent than this? Isn't there more to existence than this? If the prayers and the prophets of Israel have anything to say about this, then our desires for life and the world are often too poor and paltry, not daring enough. For a look at the grand and gutsy things that our Christmas season Bible passages promise, check out the first message of the Advent season at Emmanuel Mennonite Church, at Download Advent1-08 .