Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

A deacon stole and a Malteser cross

@brittarnhild

I am trained and ordained as a deacon in the Church of Norway. I was ordained in 1987, but it was only this year that the deacons in my church were allowed to wear a stole. 

My best friend is an artist, and as we are planning a special service in the Nidaros cathedral in March neat year where our two bishops will lay stoles on all the deacons in the diocese, I have asked her to creat and make mine. 

She will make stoles for several of us, and today we met her to start the process of deciding what we want.

 

The Malteser cross will be on our left shoulder. We will have four different stoles. One green. One purple. One red. One white. According to the colours of the seasons in the church.

 

Added to the cross can be another symbol. Or as my friend told me - let me know a quote from the Scripture which means something special to you, and I can embroider it into the lining. Not to be seen, but for you to know.

 

 

Now I am sitting here with my Bible, trying to decide which quote to use.

 

A Park and a Church, and some light

@brittarnhild

I was on my way to a morning meeting, and as always, just in case, I had my camera in my handbag.

Already on the bus I knew I was in for a light and colour feast.

Dew in the grass, blue sky, sun as crisp as only the autumn sun can be.

I was early as always and could waløk around in the park to capture the moments.

Too soon it was time to go into the church, where the meeting was.

 

 

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The photos are from Lademoen in Trondheim. I had my first job in this church, as a deacon, back in 1985-1987

 

A Love Story

@brittarnhild

She was only 27 when he brought her from Denmark to a farm far up north in the world. They were deeply in love, but God gave them only one year together. Then death hit and he was left alone.

On her grave he planted two small copper beeches, the people on the nearby farms had never seen a tree like it. Deep red like the hair of his beloved.

He fertilized the two trees with all his love, watered with his tears.
And they grew, ribght up into the sky...

 

......where they lived together for ever and ever.

We were visiting the medieval church Hustad when the guide told us the story behind the two copper beeches. A fascinating story. I wish I could have learned more, but I can of course always make up the rest in my heart.

Creation Day

@brittarnhild

Once a year we celebrate Creation Day with an outdoor service in our church. Today was the day, and we woke up wondering what the weather was like. You never know here where we live. Yesterday was one of those fantastic sunny blue sky day, but today the sky was all grey. But, thanks to God, no sun, and that´s what matters when you are planning to be outdoors.

A warm jacket, a colourful scarf to keep me warm, and priest Mathias talking about football......woops, I mean the sun, The Giver of Life.

 

An accordion and an accordion player to accompany our hymns......

a tree filled with dreams.....

a barbecue and a lot of games.

Happy Sunday!

 

The Church in Trondheim

@brittarnhild

For three days the bishop is visiting the churches and congregations in Trondheim. Starting this morning with the church leaders - "structures and leadership in the church in Trondheim"

There will be three days filled with meetings, talks, meals, inspections, ending with a service in Our Lady´s Church on Thursday afternoon.

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I have a very interesting job.
The best there is :-)

 

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I will be busy these days, but would love to hear from you.......I will read the comments, emails and facebook every night.

 

Coat of many colours

text and images britt-arnhild

Less than two years ago Norway got a 12th bishop, a preciding bishop. Her cathedral is Nidaros cathedral, her diocese is Nidaros diocese. Her office is in The Archbishop´s Palace (and another office is in Oslo) For as long as bishop Helga has worked with us, a coat for the new bishop has been in progress. Today the new coat was finished, on Thursday bishop Helga will use it in London at the enthronement of the new Archbishop og Canterbury. Then again in Nidaros Cathedral on Easter Day.

 

Media came for the presentation today, when the two artists told about their work, and their thoughts while working on the coat.

And I was there with my camera of course :-)

Unlike most other churches we don´t have much pomp and circumstances in The Church of Norway. But today was an important day, at least in my oppinion :-)

Go to this site to find a video and more photos, great photos, of the coat.

Art, even in a bishop´s coat, lifts my day.

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The coat is made by the artists Lise Skjåk Bræk and Astri Reppe

Ash Wednesday mass

text and images britt-arnhild

Ash Wednesday night.
Mass.

Few people.
Reading. Hymns. Organ music.
Silence.

Communion. 

A break in the middle of a busy week.

I sit in silence.
During the organ music.
After the mass is finished. 

 

Silence,
awareness;
a good way to start Lent 

The Art of Fuge

text and image britt-arnhild

Music means often even more to me than words.
Music in our church last Sunday.
Organ and violin.

While listening I let my thought flow.
Close to God.
Without words.

That's what praying is about, isn't it?

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At home I put Bach's Art of Fuge in the cd player.
And my praying continues.

 

Meeting an old, dear friend in Tallinn

text and images britt-arnhild

Almost a week ago I flew to Finland. Three flights from Trondheim, via Oslo and Tallinn. On the small plane from Oslo to Tallinn I had a window seat, and as we flew low over Tallinn before landing, I could see a high, green spire. I had never been to Tallinn, and was on my way to Jyväskylä in Finland, but knew that I saw the church spire of an "old friend", the St.Olav Church, or Oleviste Kirik as they say in Estonia.

 

An old legend tells the tale of a stranger coming to Tallinn being asked by the noblemen there if he could build the highest church in the world. The stranger asked more money that the city could pay, but agreed to decrease the price if they managed to guess his name. According to the story this was almost an impossible task, but in the end someone managed to find the place where the stranger came from. There a young woman was singing for her baby: "Sleep my baby, sleep. Olaf will soon come home and bring us gold for the entire life"

The true story is that the church was built buy Scandinavian seafarers some 800 years ago. The Norwegian King Olav II Haraldson,  (Nidaros cathedral was originally built on his grave, you all know that, don´t you.....) later St. Olav, was the patron saint of seafarers, so they gave the church his name.

Once, the church tower with its spire was the highest building in the world.

High enough to attract lightning and set into fire several times. Today the spire is lower than it once was, though still it is an impressing building in the old town of Tallinn.

 

When we passed the church on Saturday, it was closed due to a wedding.
But we decided to go back this morning, before the service.

At first we were unable to find any signs of St.Olav, our dear, old friend, in the church, which is today owned by the Lutheran congregation in Tallinn.
We almost gave up, but on our way out we found a little pamflet about the church, and inside we found what we were looking for;
a tiny little photo of King Olav with the text:
"A bay of vaults contains a sculptured relief of St.Olav after whom the church has been named"

In we walked again. Preparations were being done for the upcoming service. We found one of the church guards and tried to ask him about St.Olav. He spoke no English, but when we showed him the photo in the panflet a broad smile spread in his face. "Come with me" he said.......with a wave with his hand.
And there, high up behind the altar
I found my friend.

Unfortunately we were not able to take part in the service.
We had to head back to the hotel, only stopping for cappuccinos and a huge Josephine cake (will be another blog post), to finish packing, and then fly back to Norway.

The flight from Tallinn to Trondheim is only a little over an hour (I had no idea),
so we are now back home,
ready for a new week.

And with a full basket of blog tales ideas.

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Your hands are filled with flowers

text and image britt-arnhild

Dine hender er fulle av blomster
hvem var det du tenkte å gi dem til?
Mine blomster er plukket til Jesus,
men han er stått opp, han er ikke her.

I have a hymn on my mind, humming it, with the words in my heart:

Your hands are filled with flowers,
to whom will you offer them?
My flowers are for Jesus,
but he is risen, he is not here.

 

A group of 4 year olds decorated the alter in our church with flowers during the service on Sunday. Flowers for Jesus.

The women came to the grave and found it empty. Jesus was not there.

We come to the altar with our flowers.
There we find Jesus.
He offers us the flowers back

"Take them out in the world. Share my love!"