Some of my favorite memories about summer were playing cards. When we would gather at my grandparent’s cabin in the mountains and play games. The adults would always play pinochle, and the challenge of the weekend became beating my grandfather at a game of cribbage.
When we would make our annual trip to my other grandparents house who lived in Iowa, the cards would be on the table awaiting us. We always got in late, but Pepsi, bridge mix, and Cheetos greeted us as we played a competitive game of Hand and Foot (similar to canasta).
Playing cards often meant we were relaxing and on vacation. It meant taking a break and catching up. It was where I learned to be competitive, where I may have learned to trash talk and where we left the table laughing and already setting up the challenge for the next hand.
This year our church is commemorating the 500th year of the Reformation, the time in history where Martin Luther started a movement of change within the Christian Religion.
Since summer is coming up, decks of cards are sure to come out in hotel rooms, cabins, tents and campers. I thought it would be fun to connect cards with the Reformation. This summer I am going to lead a worship and sermon series on Lutheran trump cards. I am basing this off of David Daubert’s book, “Lutheran Trump Cards.” I’m sure that some of our ancestors are appalled that I am bringing cards into church. But Tex Ritter made a pretty good case for faith and cards in his song, “Deck of Cards.” For this summer we will just focus on the hearts in the deck. Each week we will look at a different card and connect it to Lutheran faith. The “taking faith home” sheets will be replaced with a card out of the deck. We will begin this series on Father’s Day weekend (June 17-18) and end on God’s Work our Hands weekend (September 9-10). I encourage you to collect as many of the deck as you can. We will even have extras to pick up during the week to take on trips for lively discussion.
Here are the themes for each week:
June 17-18 Ace of Hearts: There is no way to God.
June 24-25 King of Hearts: Jesus Reveals that God is love.
July 1-2 Queen of Hearts: Grace for Us Includes Hope for Others
July 8-9 Jack of Hearts: All the Baptized Have a Vocation
July 15-16 Ten of Hearts: The priesthood of all Believers
July 22-23 Nine of Hearts: Life is Sacramental
July 30-31 Eight of Hearts: Worship is Horizontal
August 5-6 Seven of Hearts: Love the Bible without Worshiping It.
September 9-10 Two of Hearts: We are always watching for Change
God blesses rest, rejuvenation and relaxation. Cards often pair nicely with those things. Enjoy a card game this summer and come to worship to see what trump cards of faith you might pick up!
Blessings,
Pastor Holly
