October Tower Echoes: Sabbatical Check-In

Dear Friends in Christ,

I’m composing this Sabbatical update on the Sunday we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis. This morning, Britt and I prayed with you and all the communion of saints at Luther Place Memorial Church located in the heart of Washington D. C. Luther Place is an ELCA congregation that leans heavily into living out the baptismal promise of “striving for justice and peace in all the earth.” This community has a long history of working towards justice and is home to the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. We didn’t get to stay around for the pet blessing, but worshiped in-person with the community that is currently doing a hybrid service (in-person and online), much like PRLC.

Yesterday, we visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture. We were there for three hours but could have easily spent more hours in this stunning museum. Parts of the museum we were able to visit included a chronicling of African American history from the origins of slave trades, all the way to present day realities; exhibitions on Black culture; and a newer exhibit on the legacies of Reconstruction. It was sobering, to say the least, to see the clothing and other items in possession of Trayvon Martin when he was killed. One cannot leave this museum without being saddened by the injustices of institutional racism.

The museum and our visit to the neighborhood in and around Luther Place was a good overture to the civil rights tour that awaits us. From Washington D. C., we will travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, and then onto Durham, North Carolina, and Atlanta and much more.

We are grateful beyond belief to PRLC and St. Luke’s for this opportunity. Please continue to keep us in prayer. We promise to pray for you, too. I miss you all so very much. I’ll check in again in a month or so.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bryon Hansen