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A Reconciling in Christ community
2006 NW 65th ST. SEATTLE, WA 98117 (206) 784-1306 ALL ARE WELCOME. |
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Join us here for online worship
April 18, 2021 - Blessing of the Fleet
This service marks the 93rd Annual Blessing of the Fleet — this time virtually. Watch here:
This service marks the 93rd Annual Blessing of the Fleet — this time virtually. Watch here:
April 11, 2021 - Second Sunday of Easter
The Easter season is a week of weeks, seven Sundays when we play in the mystery of Christ’s presence, mostly through the glorious Gospel of John. Today we gather with the disciples on the first Easter, and Jesus breathes the Spirit on us. With Thomas we ask for a sign, and Jesus offers us his wounded self in the broken bread. From frightened individuals we are transformed into a community of open doors, peace, forgiveness, and material sharing such that no one among us is in need.
This week's service will be presented by folks throughout the NW Washington Synod.
The Easter season is a week of weeks, seven Sundays when we play in the mystery of Christ’s presence, mostly through the glorious Gospel of John. Today we gather with the disciples on the first Easter, and Jesus breathes the Spirit on us. With Thomas we ask for a sign, and Jesus offers us his wounded self in the broken bread. From frightened individuals we are transformed into a community of open doors, peace, forgiveness, and material sharing such that no one among us is in need.
This week's service will be presented by folks throughout the NW Washington Synod.
ACT 3 - Easter Sunday - April 4, 2021
This year, Ballard First Lutheran Church presents Holy Week and Easter: A Drama in Three Acts.
Watch Act Three - Easter Day here:
This year, Ballard First Lutheran Church presents Holy Week and Easter: A Drama in Three Acts.
Watch Act Three - Easter Day here:
ACT 2 - Good Friday - April 2, 2021
This year, Ballard First Lutheran Church presents Holy Week and Easter: A Drama in Three Acts.
Watch Act Two - Good Friday here:
This year, Ballard First Lutheran Church presents Holy Week and Easter: A Drama in Three Acts.
Watch Act Two - Good Friday here:
ACT 1 - Palm Sunday - March 28, 2021
This year, Ballard First Lutheran Church presents Holy Week and Easter: A Drama in Three Acts.
Watch Act One - Palm Sunday here:
This year, Ballard First Lutheran Church presents Holy Week and Easter: A Drama in Three Acts.
Watch Act One - Palm Sunday here:
For more past services, please go to our Virtual Worship page or visit our YouTube channel.
For now, in-person activities and worship services at Ballard First Lutheran are online only. That includes:
We invite you to watch worship services here on our website (above); new services will be posted each Sunday by 10:00 a.m.
Please remember that you may still support Ballard First Lutheran with your regular giving by clicking the GIVE NOW button below. Offerings can be made through ACH, debit or credit cards.
- Sunday morning worship
- Coffee Hour
- Sunday School
- Choir Rehearsal
- Wednesday Bible Study
We invite you to watch worship services here on our website (above); new services will be posted each Sunday by 10:00 a.m.
Please remember that you may still support Ballard First Lutheran with your regular giving by clicking the GIVE NOW button below. Offerings can be made through ACH, debit or credit cards.
Message from Pastor Erik
April 13, 2021
Dear Friends in Christ,
I’m sorry... and thank you.
First of all, I’m sorry. I know that each of you has known loss in this year so recently passed. I don’t know the nature of each loss you have experienced. But I know that this experience of quarantine has left many of us with gaping holes of loss in our lives. For the young among us: There is the loss of contact with friends and the interactions so essential for personal development. For the old among us: There is the loss of time, which was already in short supply. For too many of us: There has been the loss of dear ones taken from us unexpectedly. For all of us: There is the loss of opportunities to which we had looked forward. So, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Secondly, thank you. Thank you for your patience during this time of pandemic. Call it what you want. Tolerance. Stability. Self-restraint. Composure. Persistence. Calmness. Fortitude. I know these days have required it. So, thank you. Thank you for your stick-to-it-ive-ness. Thank you for the ways you have endured.
And thank you for the ways in which you have continued to support our congregation. From tuning in to our online worship services... to the care you have extended to one another... to working in the church yard... to decorating the sanctuary for each new season... to volunteering with Project Phoenix... to the simple act of praying... to your continued financial generosity. All of it is so important... and so appreciated.
Your enduring spirit leads me to this conclusion: Even as we have been apart we have been united. We are the body of Christ together... in our grief... and in our persistence. It seems a contradiction to say it, but I believe it to be true: We have come a long way together... even as we have not been able to be together.
As more and more people are vaccinated, we draw closer to the day when we will be able to physically be together again. And, while we are not ready to pinpoint a re-opening date quite yet, our church leaders are beginning to have the conversation. In fact, this issue of Ballard Blessings is being sent out on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 13. Later that same day, a church council task force consisting of Karrin Daniels (President), Tina Aure (Facilities), Gunbjorg Ladstein (Personnel), David Austin (Finance), and Pastor Elise Scott and I are meeting in order to begin outlining a safe and wise re-opening plan. This will include the protocols that will be put in place to foster the healthiest possible environment for all who pass through our doors. The following Monday, April 19, our congregation’s Our Life Together Team will meet to discuss how to implement the re-opening plan.
It has been said that, “God is in the details.” I can think of no time in my life when those words have rung more true. Here are some of the considerations that must be taken into account as a re-opening plan is formed:
In Christ’s Abiding Love,
Pastor Erik Wilson Weiberg
Dear Friends in Christ,
I’m sorry... and thank you.
First of all, I’m sorry. I know that each of you has known loss in this year so recently passed. I don’t know the nature of each loss you have experienced. But I know that this experience of quarantine has left many of us with gaping holes of loss in our lives. For the young among us: There is the loss of contact with friends and the interactions so essential for personal development. For the old among us: There is the loss of time, which was already in short supply. For too many of us: There has been the loss of dear ones taken from us unexpectedly. For all of us: There is the loss of opportunities to which we had looked forward. So, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Secondly, thank you. Thank you for your patience during this time of pandemic. Call it what you want. Tolerance. Stability. Self-restraint. Composure. Persistence. Calmness. Fortitude. I know these days have required it. So, thank you. Thank you for your stick-to-it-ive-ness. Thank you for the ways you have endured.
And thank you for the ways in which you have continued to support our congregation. From tuning in to our online worship services... to the care you have extended to one another... to working in the church yard... to decorating the sanctuary for each new season... to volunteering with Project Phoenix... to the simple act of praying... to your continued financial generosity. All of it is so important... and so appreciated.
Your enduring spirit leads me to this conclusion: Even as we have been apart we have been united. We are the body of Christ together... in our grief... and in our persistence. It seems a contradiction to say it, but I believe it to be true: We have come a long way together... even as we have not been able to be together.
As more and more people are vaccinated, we draw closer to the day when we will be able to physically be together again. And, while we are not ready to pinpoint a re-opening date quite yet, our church leaders are beginning to have the conversation. In fact, this issue of Ballard Blessings is being sent out on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 13. Later that same day, a church council task force consisting of Karrin Daniels (President), Tina Aure (Facilities), Gunbjorg Ladstein (Personnel), David Austin (Finance), and Pastor Elise Scott and I are meeting in order to begin outlining a safe and wise re-opening plan. This will include the protocols that will be put in place to foster the healthiest possible environment for all who pass through our doors. The following Monday, April 19, our congregation’s Our Life Together Team will meet to discuss how to implement the re-opening plan.
It has been said that, “God is in the details.” I can think of no time in my life when those words have rung more true. Here are some of the considerations that must be taken into account as a re-opening plan is formed:
- Reservations. As we return to worship, you will be asked to call the church office to notify us of your plans to attend on a given Sunday as well as the number of people in your party. This will allow us to create a seating chart that ensures safe distances between people and will help the church staff know how many pews will need to be roped off. Additionally, this will help us to monitor the number of people who plan to come, ensuring that we stay within state guidelines regarding how many can be present in our sanctuary for worship. While it is our hope that no one be turned away - and we do have a large sanctuary - you will be encouraged to sign up early as names will be taken on a “first come, first served” basis. In the event that anyone be turned away, that party would go to the top of the list the following Sunday.
- Observing safe distances. In ensuring good health practices, some pews will be roped off and left empty. This might mean sitting in a pew other than the one to which you have grown accustomed.
- Masks. All participants will be required to wear a face mask. Your church leadership sees the pandemic as a medical matter, and not a political one. Wearing a mask protects those who are most vulnerable to catching Covid-19. If you are wondering, “Once I am vaccinated, must I wear a mask?” the answer is yes. Studies have proven that people who have been vaccinated can still get and carry the disease. As the church, we will always take a protective stance toward those who are most vulnerable. Morally, we simply cannot knowingly put others at unnecessary risk. So, we will err on the side of caution. We will endeavor to have masks on hand for anyone who needs one.
- Holy Communion. We are still discerning whether and how Holy Communion will be offered as we begin to come back together. We look forward to the day when we can confidently come to the altar to safely taste of God’s grace in this way.
- Singing. Martin Luther said, “I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Music drives away the Devil and makes people joyful; they forget thereby all wrath, unchastity, arrogance, and the like. Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.” We Lutherans prize music. When we return to in-person worship, there will most certainly be music. But we are still trying to determine how and when we can safely sing in worship. We are looking carefully at guidelines in this regard. But it is possible that the music may be more instrumental at first. When we do sing, it is likely that we will be singing through masks.
- Streaming the service. Based on the surveys many of you filled out last fall, we expect that some people will be coming back to worship sooner than others. Therefore, we are exploring ways to stream or record and upload the service for those who remain at home.
- Volunteers. As you can see, it will be necessary to take many matters into consideration. We will need people to help in all kinds of ways: Surface cleaners, greeters, mask ambassadors, ushers, technical people to help with filming and streaming the service and such. We will be putting out a call for volunteers as the day of re-opening nears.
- Surges and variants. We are aware that the virus is something of a “moving target.” Therefore, any plans to re-open come with something of an asterisk. If circumstances change to the degree that it is not safe to gather publicly, we will have to cancel plans to do so. It is our hope that this will not be the case, but your safety and community public health are our paramount concerns. This letter concludes in much the same way as it began. I’m sorry... and thank you. I’m sorry that it has become so complicated to simply come together and worship... and I thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. Throughout history, God has seen the human family through times of great hardship, conflict, and challenge. I believe with all of my heart that God will see us through these days as well.
In Christ’s Abiding Love,
Pastor Erik Wilson Weiberg
Words of Scripture
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Psalm 42:1-5
(feelings of desperation) As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. |
Psalm 46:1-6, 10-11
(God is with us) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. |
Psalm 34: 15-18
(righteousness) The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. |
Classes are canceled at this time.
ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sundays at 9:00-9:50 a.m. Haavik Hall CONFIRMATION CLASSES: 6th-8th Grade Sundays from 9:00-9:45 a.m. Church Office KIDS SUNDAY SCHOOL: Ages 3 - 5th Grade Sundays from 9:15-9:45 a.m. Kangaroo Room in the Childcare Building |
"Following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, we at Ballard First Lutheran affirm the dignity and worth of all people...."
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Pastor Erik R. Wilson Weiberg
Pastor Elise Scott 
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FAN features events about justice, peace and care for the environment across the state of Washington.
See FAN website for more info.
See FAN website for more info.
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We are a Greening Congregation. Collectively, we can make our planet better. Learn more at earthministry.org
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