Temple Talk - Tali Sievenpiper

A message on stewardship - November 19, 2023

I’m going to be honest, I don’t like talking in front of people. So when John asked me if I would speak today, my very first thought was, “No, sorry, absolutely not.”

Then I thought about it for a bit, and I thought, “That actually sounds like my nightmare, and what would I say anyway? So sorry, still no.”

But then I kept thinking about it, and there was this nagging feeling inside me that maybe I should actually say yes - because that is how much Ebenezer means to me. So I will try to put it into words for you.

It might surprise you to know that I first came to Ebenezer almost 20 years ago - I know it surprised me when I did the math to figure that out. I was in Nursing school at North Park, just down the street, and I was looking for a Lutheran church. It’s probably not super common for a college student to seek out Sunday morning worship, specifically one with an organ and the hymn of praise, but I was figuring myself out, and having grown up in a Lutheran church, I knew even then that the liturgy is comfort to me. I remember the peace I felt when I first sat in these pews.

Obviously I didn’t know anyone, and I sat in the back, not saying much to anyone. One Sunday there was a call for volunteers to make Lucia buns, and I thought, I have Swedish roots, and I like to bake, so Haley and I came and helped. I remember being awed by the community even then, coming together in the kitchen, welcoming in the random college kids that showed up but no one knew. Last December, my dad actually joined me in helping to make the buns for the first time since then.

Fast forward a few years, after graduation, Haley and I started to attend more regularly, and became members. I slowly and surely got to know a few people - Darlene being one of them. Though she is greatly missed, I know the effects she had on this community are still felt deeply. Somehow, she convinced me to join her small group. She often said to me that I didn’t have to talk in group, that silence was ok, too. I remember feeling connected, cared for, and understood.

A few more years pass, and our daughters were baptized here, witnessed by friends and family and this congregation. Now you’ll often find them in Sunday School or raiding the sweets at coffee hour. I remember the love and joy when they were welcomed into this community, the Body of Christ.

Through all those years, for various programs and ministries, in different seasons and on holidays, and all the time in between, I keep coming back. 

What is it about Ebenezer? Is it the music? Is it the people? Is it the sanctuary? I can’t say exactly, but I know that Ebenezer has been here for me since I was a young college kid finding her way in this world. And Ebenezer is here for me still as my kids grow up. It is a place I can always come to, a place where I feel comforted, at peace, and welcomed wholly. It is a reminder of my roots, and how deep they grow. It is a future that I hope for my children, to always know God’s love.

So that is why I’m up here today. To say Thank You. To those of you who stand up and serve each Sunday. To those of you who work tirelessly behind the scenes. To those of you who come and sit in the pews surrounding me - because silence is ok, too. Thank you for showing me God’s Love, for being my community.