Part One Chapter One
Linka moved her tall slender body ever so slightly in the pew, turned her head imperceptibly in the direction of Daniel and Inga, and drew her blond arched eye brows down in the fashion that her six children knew meant stop whatever it is you are doing, sit up straight, and keep your eyes on your father.
Fourteen-year-old Daniel got the message at once and pocketed the dry twig with which he had been tickling Inga, his twelve-year-old-sister, fixing his eyes innocently and intently upon the tall commanding black-robed figure in the pulpit.
Linka allowed her eyes to linger briefly on Thor, sixteen and beginning to display signs of an uncomfortable independence, before sitting back in the pew beside nine-year-old Sonja. She was struck again with the similarity between Jens and Thors looks. How can two people in the same family look so alike and be so different? she mused To be sure, the entire Jensen family bore an amazing resemblance, with thick blond hair and deep blue eyes, but Jens and Thor were uniquely like two peas in a pod.
Ah, yes - Thors features and physical build reminded Linka of when she had first seen Jens. Her concern for Thor slipped away as she allowed sweet memories to intrude upon her mind. Linkas father had been a Danish-Norwegian Lutheran minister. One day he had announced that a young man had arrived from Denmark to study at the School of Divinity in Chicago, and since he had no place to live, Pastor Larsen had insisted that the young seminarian stay in their home. Linka smiled. It had been love at first sight for both of them. She remembered her quiet mother holding her head and muttering the time-honored Scandinavian expression Uff da! When Linka had told her that one day she would marry this handsome Jens Jensen.
To her left sat eighteen-year-old Peder and nineteen-year-old Hilda. No need to even glance in their direction. Linka had never had a moment of concern for her two older children. Good children. Hard workers. Considerate. If only Hilda would find a nice young man, settle down, and present us with a house full of grandchildren.
It is by the grace of God we have been saved! Not by what we do or think or say! Our Roman friends may struggle with a multitude of so-called Good Works in order to be worthy of our Lords love, but
Linka cringed inwardly. She wished Jens would not attack the Roman Catholic Church in his sermons. Tomorrow his harsh condemnations would be the topic of conversation at the market. She and Mrs. McNeill had become friends while waiting to be served at the counter, and she feared that now her good friend would be cold to her. Of course, Jens had no idea that his wife was pursuing a friendship with a member of St. Annes. What a scene that would cause.
Linka glanced at the watch that hung from the front of her pale blue Sunday dress. Her husband had been preaching for half an hour now. Probably fifteen or twenty minutes to go. She made every effort to return her attention to Jens and his sermon, but her stomach began to feel queasy again, as it had when she had tried to eat breakfast with the family earlier this morning.
The Apostle Paul made it finally and definitively clear in his letter to the church at Rome. It was this epistle that our very own Martin Luther studied so faithfully, and in which he found peace with the Lord!
The Reverend Jens Jensen allowed his hand to drop loudly on the pulpit as his voice rose dramatically.
It is by the grace of God and through the faith he grants us, that we are saved!
Sonja yawned noticeably, and Linka laid a warning hand on her lap. The pastors family suffered from high visibility. Jens reminded them regularly that they must set a fine example, in and out of church. The pastors family must at all times and in all places demonstrate high Christian values! he reminded them, all too often for their own pleasure.
Now he raised his arms out to his sides and up into the air, indicating that they should all stand. Linka put her hand on Sonjas back to encourage prompt obedience, and gave Daniel and Inga a warning glare. Thor made quite of point of letting it be known that he wasnt anyones puppet, even his austere fathers. He shrugged and lumbered to his feet, well after everyone else was standing.
Uff da! Linka muttered to herself in exasperation, and then suddenly she felt dizzy and grabbed the pew in front of her. She closed her eyes and felt Hildas strong arm around her. In a moment she felt the dizziness pass, raised her head, and gave her oldest daughter a grateful smile. Silently she counted the minutes until church would be over.
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