Today was the last day of the Luther 500 Festival. The morning began with a "Sunday School" class where Gerald Coleman, author of the song, "The Lamb, The Lamb," which is included in our hymnal, led us in a session that assured us of God's love for us no matter what we have done. He then gave us some paper and an envelope that were were to address to ourselves. The idea was to write down some of the special moments from this festival. Sometime later these envelopes will be sent to us and we reminisce about the times we had here in Wittenberg.
After lunch we gathered for our closing worship. The theme for the day was "I am Baptized," a phrase that Luther used often in troubled times. In his sermon, Rev. Scott Moore reminded us to "remember our baptism" and gave us an opportunity to do that during the service.
Congregants were encouraged to come forward, dip their fingers in the water and make the sign of the cross to remind them that that have been baptized and made an heir of heaven. A fitting end to a festival full of God's grace.
After the worship service ended, the young adults from Saskatoon went on to Berlin and then to Fankfurt. I stayed one more night in Wittenberg and joined the remaining travelers for a boat cruse on the Elbe River.
We had some fantastic and unique views of Wittenberg from the river. It was a good time to unwind, enjoy a beer, and visit one last time with people from the four corners of the world.
Pictured with me here is Victor. He came all the way from South Africa to attend the Luther 500.
With all being accomplished we bring this memorable festival to a close.
Tomorrow I travel to Berlin by train, and in the next few days, plan to visit a number of interesting sites including The Berlin Wall, Check Point Charlie, and the Pergamon Museum. I hope to be able to blog about these places as well.
Gute Nacht.
Sleep well. You've obviously earned it! Thanks for the great blog. Enjoying your travels vicariously. Have a great time in Berlin. I'll add it to my bucket list.
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