A New Birth

The Spirit is the Triune God’s maternal side for us, the One who gives us birth, who is our advocate and guide, who leads us into all truth.  The Spirit’s birthing of the Church at Pentecost is the gift of new birth to all of us now.


Pr. Joseph G. Crippen, Day of Pentecost, year B; texts: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

I’d like to read a portion of today’s Gospel for you once more, with one change.

Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, she will guide you into all the truth; for she will not speak on her own, but will speak whatever she hears, and she will declare to you the things that are to come.  She will glorify me, because she will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine.  For this reason I said that she will take what is mine and declare it to you.”


It sounds different, doesn’t it?  And the thing is, you could make the argument that translating the personal pronoun as “she” is just as legitimate as “he.”  Greek, like other inflected languages, assigns gender to nouns and other parts of speech.  So some nouns are masculine, some feminine, some neuter.  It often has little to do with real gender, but it’s similar to the English practice of referring to ships, or even the Church, as “she.”  The odd thing about the word “spirit” in Greek is that it is neither masculine nor feminine.  It’s a neuter word, which means its personal pronoun most accurately would be translated “it.”  Well, that’s not helpful for us as we believe and confess that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an it.  But the fact that English translators have always gone the other direction and translated “he” instead of “she” for the Spirit is a little hard to defend.

I bring this up for a couple reasons.  First, I had a seminary professor named Robert Bertram from whom I had one of my core theology courses, and a couple others.  Dr. Bertram, whom some of you who remember the Missouri Synod days of Mount Olive would know, was at Concordia St. Louis before becoming a part of the Seminex faculty, and eventually teaching in Chicago where I met him.  Dr. Bertram also consistently used the pronoun “she” when referring to the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and perhaps still does.  I found it compelling then, and still do, though it hasn’t yet become part of my practice.  I’m going to talk more about the limitations of language and gender and our need to rediscover a broader understanding of the Triune God’s life in our lives next week, on Holy Trinity Sunday, but I’m already beginning the conversation a little today.

The second reason I wanted to begin with this is that as I was considering Pentecost in the life of the Church, and in our lives here, the predominant image that kept coming to the fore this week was “birth.”  We glibly say that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, but if we consider that more carefully, it raises interesting questions.  Who gives birth?  Well, the females of most species, certainly our own.  When Jesus in John 3 says we must be born of water and the Spirit, is he not suggesting that the Spirit gives us birth in our baptism, and therefore is, in a very real sense, our Mother?

So if I’m going to be speaking of the Spirit’s mothering of us today, it seemed odd to use “he” as a pronoun.  In our collect for today we asked God to “give us language to proclaim [the] gospel,” clearly a reference to the speaking of tongues we just heard from Acts 2.  But is it not also important that we continue to explore how our language does, or doesn’t, proclaim God’s Good News?  To that end, we need to think of the Holy Spirit today and the ways she moves in our lives and gives us birth.

We begin then, with birth, with the gift of new life, and oddly it’s Ezekiel’s image of dry bones which helps us see.

We associate this powerful story so closely with Easter and resurrection, that it’s compelling to see it assigned for the Day of Pentecost.  But we can easily see why: a valley full of dry bones, a sign of death so pervasive that there is nothing to be saved, and yet these bones are given new life.  This is no resurrection of even a body with flesh and blood and sinew and muscle, which would still be a mighty miracle.  This is new life given to bones so dry that they are like lifeless, inanimate stones.

And perhaps the connection between resurrection and the birth of the Church is not coincidental.  As much as we’re tempted to interpret Jesus’ resurrection strictly in personal terms, that we will live again, the Church also saw it as a sign of new life into this thing Jesus called Church.  The transformation of the believers who, on this day of Pentecost, are still gathered in that Upper Room where they’d been hiding after Good Friday, can only be described as a resurrection.

Or, should we say, as a new birth.  The pouring out of the Spirit’s grace not only transformed the believers, men and women, into bold proclaimers.  When the Spirit came, she birthed an entirely new thing, and brought in thousands more.

The disciples prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus were disciples, followers, like any others in history.  They followed a Master, committed their lives to learning his ways, and that was it.

The Spirit gave them birth as a Church of apostles, literally people “sent out” to proclaim the new life the Spirit was bringing to the world.  In that sense, this giving birth which the Spirit accomplished on Pentecost was the first of millions of births, the beginning of a birth process that continues to this day.  The dry bones of fearful followers became living flesh of anointed Messiahs, Christs, in the world, who then with the Spirit’s grace helped bring to birth believers and believers and more believers.  More apostles who were sent out to do the same.

Year after year, century after century, the Spirit’s birth process for the Church continued until at some point in the recent past one of those apostles, or several, encountered each of us here and helped us as the Spirit gave birth to our lives of faith, and joined us to the life of this Church.

So in this metaphor, perhaps we consider ourselves not just apostles but midwives, sent to be with people as the Spirit moves in them, and help them into the new birth she is giving.

As newly born children of God then, the gifts Jesus promises the Spirit will be for us are absolutely critical.

First, the Spirit will be our Advocate, Jesus says today.  I’ve often said that for too long we’ve taken the work of the Spirit too lightly as Lutherans, but perhaps no more truly or powerfully than with this image.  Because how important is it that one of the Persons of the Trinity speaks on our behalf, speaks for us, defends us to all comers?  When the Spirit is our Advocate she becomes our defender, not only to the world, who cannot often understand the new birth we are being brought to, and even resists it.

But she also speaks on our behalf to the Father and the Son, within the life of the Trinity, speaking up for us when we cannot.  Isn’t that a marvelous thought to consider, that the Holy Spirit speaks for us?  Advocates for us?  And as Paul reminds us in Romans, she also prays on our behalf, intercedes for us, with sighs “too deep for words,” when we cannot find words to pray.  Or perhaps even the courage to pray.

If this were the only thing we knew about the Third Person of the Trinity it would be enough.  It would be more than enough.  But Jesus gives us even more today, telling us that the Spirit will be the Spirit of truth for us, who leads us to things we’d not imagined.

This is another gift that the Church has too often neglected with deep ingratitude.  Listen to Jesus’ promise again: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, she will guide you into all the truth.”  2,000 years ago, Jesus didn’t think the disciples were ready for everything he wanted them to know.  They couldn’t bear it, he believed.  So the gift of the Spirit was and is intended to be God’s continuing way to lead us into truth, to open new doors of understanding, to learn even more about God’s will for us and for the world.

And I simply cannot see how this isn’t still true for us today.  I once got into an argument with a colleague who believed that this only foreshadowed Pentecost, that the things they couldn’t bear on the night of Jesus’ betrayal were fully revealed 50 days after Easter.  That just seems like nonsense to me.  The life of the Church for the past 2,000 years clearly has been a life led by the Spirit who didn’t simply give birth, but stayed with her children, stays with her children still today, leading and guiding and teaching.  And sometimes revealing new things that even fifty years ago her children couldn’t have understood or “borne.”

So not only does the Spirit speak for us, advocate for us, she speaks to us still, leading and guiding us to God’s truth.

But there is one more thing we must remember about the Spirit, a thought we will continue next week: the Holy Spirit is not a metaphor.

This was one of the best lines I heard at the Festival of Homiletics a week ago.  A young ELCA pastor from Denver was preaching about metaphors for the Spirit, much as I’ve been doing, when she said, “But always remember this – the Holy Spirit is not a metaphor!”

You see, we use metaphors – like mother, advocate, guide – to help us understand the work of the Spirit in our lives, in the Church, in the world.  We use pronouns like “she” or “he” to help us use our language to proclaim God’s Good News.

But in fact, regardless of metaphor or language, the Holy Spirit of God is real and alive and working in our lives and in the world.  We’re not playing around with ideas just because we like doing so.

We’re struggling to find language, limited as it is, to describe the indescribable but also incredible reality we’ve all experienced, that the Triune God moves inside us even now, that there is, for lack of a better word, a Spirit of God which connects us to the apostles past and present and, God willing, future.

That this Spirit of God even connects us back to our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and gives us life which he promised 2,000 years ago to our ancestors in faith.  Whatever language we borrow to describe this, we must remember, the Spirit is true and real and alive.

And of course that means, just as we’ve discovered in dealing with our Lord Jesus, and with our heavenly Father, we cannot control where the Spirit goes, what she does, whom she touches.  Jesus told us this would be true, that the Spirit would be as unpredictable as the wind.  But not unpredictable in this: he said he would send her to us for our life, for the life of the world.

And that’s not a metaphor.  That’s reality.

So, Happy Birthday!  Today we celebrate the continuing birth the Spirit is making in the world.

We rejoice that she is with us, speaking for us, praying for us, leading us, guiding us, gathering the Church.  We long to be filled once again today as the first believers were, that we might boldly live our new lives as the children of God we’ve been born to be.  And with the Spirit’s grace, that’s exactly what we can expect will happen.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Praying for You

Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, prays for all of us; and God holds us in strong, loving hands.  God will never let us go, and God's love frees our hands so we can serve our neighbors.

Vicar Erik Doughty, Seventh Sunday of Easter, year B; texts: John 17:6-19

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Jesus is praying for us.  God is holding you in loving hands.  Alleluia?  Alleluia!

Could you follow Jesus’ prayer?  I confess my mind always wanders. This prayer, called Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” goes on and on, and then it goes on some more.  It doesn’t have the rich images and metaphors of a hymn, or a Psalm.  It uses compound sentences that are tough to follow – the Book of Common Prayer (or even ELW!) is much more clear.

But what Jesus is doing is saying goodbye to his disciples, to the ones he loves.  Jesus is asking God to care for us!  Jesus is praying for us.  And God is holding you in loving hands.

Living through the last quarter of my vicarage here has got me thinking of goodbyes.  I have four more sermons – four more Sundays – to preach after this one you’re listening to.  Having been here a while, there are things I want to continue after I leave, but I will not be there to do it.

Have you had that experience?  Of leaving something behind and leaving a list about how it should be cared for?  You should see the list I leave for the person who takes care of our pets when my partner Scott and I are gone for a while.  The guidelines are almost as long as this sermon!  And then there are the guidelines for the plants in the sunroom.  That’s another list, because I know each one, I care for each one, and I do not intend to lose any of them even if I am away.

It is in this sense that Jesus is praying for us – about care for the people he loves, when he is not able to physically be there and heal, physically be there to forgive, physically be there to protect, physically be there and give us joy.  Jesus is making sure that when he cannot be with us as a physical man, our Good Shepherd in person, that we still are taken care of, protected, heard.  So he prays for the disciples, for you and me.  He prays so that we can hear he’s praying for us.  And more importantly, God our Father in heaven hears, and acts for your sake.

Did you hear that?  Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, prays for us – prays for you!  And God, the Creator of the entire universe, cares about you.  You, and you, and you.  You are prayed for by Jesus Christ and watched over by none other than Almighty God: The one who has loved humanity since its very beginnings loves YOU, watches over YOU.  We may struggle in life.  We will fail with our own lists.  But we are never, ever, left on our own, abandoned to the jaws of sin and evil.  We are under the care of God who is love, God who is gracious and merciful, God who gathers us like baby chicks under the protective hen’s wing.   It’s God’s mighty hand, God the fortress, God like a mother bear, God whose robe’s hem filled the temple; that is who holds you safe in loving hands.  And it’s the effective prayer of Christ our crucified, risen and ascended Lord which places us there in God’s strong hands.  Child of God, you will not fall out of that embrace.  Held in eternal love, you may serve, and forgive, and – what in the world will limit you?  Reach out your own hand – can you help or forgive another?  Reach out and take the bread of life; it is for you, Christ held in your own hand, for you, strength for the days ahead.

Beloved, your hands are now free to love and to serve, to heal, to help; because Jesus Christ is praying for you.  God will forever hold you in loving hands.  Alleluia?  Alleluia!  Amen.

The Olive Branch, 5/14/12

Accent on Worship

     When my son graduated from high school he was not ready to go to college. Because he really wanted to do something meaningful and adventurous, we investigated a number of mission experiences during his senior year. We were lucky to know some Mennonite missionaries in Honduras and they hooked him up with a young missionaries program in which he trained before he was placed with a Honduran pastor and his family.  He was there for a year, and I had to let him go.  Almost all parents have to let go at some point, whether they are sending their kids off to a foreign country, to college, or to a job in another city. When that time comes you realize that your daughter or son will not be at the table every night, you will not be waking your teenager up for school in the morning or knocking on your child’s bedroom door in the evening to remind him/her of something that needs to be attended to the following day.  You go through a lot of emotions beyond loneliness, one of which is a certain loss of control over your child’s choices and decisions, and you are a little afraid for her/his safety.  You are beyond positive that this person, who is far from an adult, is ready to leave and go it alone into the big, bad world.

     When I read the Gospel for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, which highlights Jesus’ heartfelt intercessory prayer for his apostles the night before his death, I realized that Jesus was going through the same emotions.  He also had to let go.  But, before he did he gave a rundown to the Father of all that he taught them in His name.  It felt like he was trying to convince himself that they are ready, the way parents tell themselves that their child will be ok.  “After all, they have our values,” we say, “We can’t teach them any more.”  
     Like a parent, Jesus prays for their protection.  “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me,” he prays.  Jesus prays for their fulfillment, something all parents want for their children. “But now I am coming to you, and I speak of these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.” Jesus, like any parent knows, the world is not safe for those who live in the truth that he has taught, but he was not sent to them to take them back with him to the Father until they walked the path that he prepared for them.

     So it is with our children, they must walk the path that Jesus has prepared for them in this world and we must let them go.  But Jesus knows how we feel.

- Donna Neste



Metro Lutheran Hymn Festival
Sunday, May 20, 2012 – 4:00 p.m.


     This annual hymn festival is a fundraiser for The Metro Lutheran newspaper and will be held here at Mount Olive. Cantor David Cherwien will play and Susan Palo Cherwien will provide reflections. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.



Book Discussion Group


     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group regularly meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The book they are reading for the coming months are:

• June 16: (postponed one week due to Bach Tage): Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
• July 14: The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope.

Meet the Artists!

     During the Education Hour on Sunday, June 17, you will have the opportunity to meet artists from The Art Shoppe and to view some of their work.

     Mount Olive sponsors the Art Shoppe jointly with A Minnesota Without Poverty and the Jewish Community Relations Council.  By establishing an entrepreneurship, the artists are able to show and sell their work with the goal of overcoming poverty and becoming financially independent.

     The Neighborhood Ministries Committee will sponsor this event hoping that a closer connection with the Art Shoppe will develop.  Several from Mount Olive will soon begin volunteering at the shop.  If anyone else is interested, please speak to a Neighborhood Committee member.  The shop is located in the Midtown Global Market.

     The artists are grateful for your support and are eager to meet you! We believe that you will be impressed with the quality of their work. So come enjoy meeting the artists, hearing their stories and viewing their work.  Art work they display will be available for purchase.


Wanted: A Few Good Men or Women

     This summer Jobs After School will take place from Monday, July 2 – Friday, August 10 (with the 4th of July off.)  Neighborhood Ministries is in need of a few volunteers to help pick up three or four youth, supervise them on a job and bring them home one day a week, during those seven weeks. The summer jobs take about one to two hours. We will be holding an orientation lunch and meeting at noon on Tuesday, June 26 and an organizational meeting with the youth and parents at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday June 28.

     You may pick your day and your hours, morning or afternoon.  If you will be on vacation one or two of those weeks, we can cover that time for you.  For more information, please call Donna @ 612-827-5919.



Summer Benefit Concert

      A Minnesota Without Poverty is pleased to present a summer benefit concert, “2020: Enough For All.” This event will benefit the efforts of A Minnesota Without Poverty. The concert will be held on Monday, June 25 from 7-9 p.m. at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway, Minneapolis. Featured at this benefit performance will be Regina Marie Williams, T. Mychael Rambo, Thomasina Petrus, and others. Ticket price is $33 each and are available by visiting www.mnwithoutpoverty.org.



Walk Against Weapons


     If you think our nation spends too much in funds and human lives on military madness and weapons, the Walk Against Weapons is the perfect opportunity to express this opinion and to raise funds for Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). They will sponsor a Walk Against Weapons on Saturday June 2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The check-in point will be at Baker’s Square Restaurant, 928 Prairie Center Dr. in Eden Prairie.  This is a highly visible three mile walk encircling Eden Prairie Center and ending at Alliant Techsystems, Minnesota's largest employer of weapons production. This walk is a fund raiser for Women Against Military Madness in which pledges will be solicited by the walkers.  All checks are to be made payable to WAMM.

     If you would like more information about participating or would just like to make a pledge, please contact Donna Neste at 612-827-5919.



The Bargain Box


     Each August, Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries sponsors The Bargain Box, an affordable way for neighborhood families to obtain good quality clothing (new and gently used) for children of all ages to wear as they return to school in the fall. This year, the Bargain Box will be on August 4, from 8-11:30 a.m.

     You can help by donating new or gently used children’s clothes or money to purchase clothes (please include “Bargain Box” in the memo line of your gift), before August 4.

     If you have any questions about Bargain Box, please contact Irene Campbell at 651-230-3927.



Summer Worship Schedule Approaches


     Beginning Sunday, May 27 (Memorial Day weekend), Mount Olive will worship on summer Sunday schedule – one liturgy each Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. This schedule will continue through Labor Day weekend. We return to the regular (2 liturgy) schedule beginning Sunday, September 9.



Bach Tage – There’s Still Room!


     June 9 and 10 are the dates for this sixth Bach Tage weekend at Mount Olive. Many of you have participated in the past, or have come to the Saturday afternoon concert or the cantata vespers on Sunday afternoon.

     There is still room for additional participants! If you would like to join with other Bach-lovers to learn and sing BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, register now! Brochures with schedule and registration forms are in the narthex at church.

     The two concerts during Bach Tage are free of charge and open to the public – invite your friends!

Saturday, June 9, 4:30 p.m. All-Bach Recital

• Sonata in g for Oboe and Harpsichord (BWV 1030b), Stanley King, oboe; Arthur Halbardier, harpsichord
• Toccata & Fugue in d (“Dorian”) BWV 538) Cantor David Cherwien, organ

Sunday, June 10, 4:00 p.m. Evening Prayer

• Cantata BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, and Motet BWV 118, O Jesu Christ, meines Lebens Licht, Kathy Romey, conductor, with soloists and orchestra

     Plan to be part of Bach Tage VI, June 9 and 10.



Caring for a Person with Memory Loss: A Free Annual Educational Conference
Saturday, June 2, 2012 + 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Mayo Memorial Auditorium
420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN  55455

     Join experts in a lively, informative discussion related to memory loss, care giving tips, and what you can do to help.  The goal of this conference is to provide information, support, and education for adult children, spouses, parents, community care providers, and other individuals concerned with caring for persons with memory loss.

     For registration and more information call:  612-626-2485.



Recital at Mindekirken


     Tenor Aaron Humble and Pianists Mary and Sarah Hunt will present music by Schumann, Dvořák, and Schubert in a recital this Sunday, May 20, at 4:00 pm at Mindekirken (Norwegian Memorial Lutheran Church) 924 E. 21st St., Minneapolis.
Included in the program will be:

• Schumann: Dichterliebe
• Schubert: Assorted Mayrhofer Lieder
• Dvořák: Slavic Dances (Four Hands)

     Put this event on your calendar and plan to attend and enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music.



Thanks For All The Great Snacks!

     Many thanks to all the people who donated snacks to the Way to Goals Tutoring Program this year.  Many donated more than once and we really appreciate it.  Thanks to Naomi Peterson and Amy Thompson who brought treats five times!  Thanks to Judy Graves, who came in with treats three nights, to Gail Nielsen, Andrew Andersen, Beth Sawyer, Dennis Bidwell, and Dan and Marcia Burow.  Your generosity helps to keep the cost of this program down.  Have a great summer!

That's an Order!

“I give you a new commandment,” Jesus said on the night of his betrayal.  As his disciples, chosen friends of the crucified and risen Son of God, we are commanded to love as he loves.  It’s not an option.  It’s an order.


Pr. Joseph G. Crippen, Sixth Sunday of Easter, year B; texts: John 15:9-17; 1 John 5:1-6

Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

I remember certain times growing up where my mother intervened in a fight my sisters and I were having.  On more than one occasion she would separate us and send us to our rooms to re-memorize a Bible verse.  It was always the same one.  In those days the Living Bible was popular, which was a paraphrase, not a translation, and we older children had our own copies with pictures and maps.  She would send us off to memorize John 15:17-18, “I demand that you love each other, for you get enough hate from the world already.”  Now I mentioned that was from the Living Bible because you won’t find it worded that way at all in any regular translation, “you get enough hate from the world already.”  But for my mother, it was what she wanted us to know.  That love is not an option for us, it is a command of Jesus, because there is enough hate in the world, and Jesus wants us to be different.

Love.  It’s not an option for us.  It’s an order.  And that might be a problem.

Because we don’t like being told what to do.

It even sounds strange to us: love is commanded of us.  Love shouldn’t be about law and order, we feel.  It should come from the heart, from compassion.  Not from a command.  The elder of 1 John today says that God’s commandments aren’t burdensome.  I think most of us would beg to differ – commandments often feel like a burden to us.

In fact, people these days can get very nervous when they’re ordered to do anything, especially by the church.  We live in a day and an age where people desire to set their own values, make their own decisions.  I’ve said this before, but it’s true, many of us struggle to mature out of the childish attitude which shouts “you’re not the boss of me.”  We don’t like being told what to do.

And churches, pastors I must say, have sometimes fallen into the habit of catering to that.  If the appointed text is one that seems judgmental or commanding – and there are plenty of those kinds of words in Scripture – then you will sometimes hear a lot of dancing around it, to avoid offense to anyone.  The fear seems to be that if we ever say “God commands this” anymore, people will flee in droves.

And maybe today’s Gospel makes you feel uncomfortable this very minute.  If love is commanded by Jesus, not an option, then if we’re not loving, we’re disobeying the Lord God.  Maybe you don’t come here to be made to feel guilty, you want to be lifted up when you come here.  Maybe you didn’t come here today to be ordered around.  Maybe you’d rather just hear good thoughts to carry you through the week.  But in any case, this commandment is far from burden-free.

But maybe you came here today because deep down you know sometimes you have failed to love (many times?) and that hurts.  Maybe you’re looking to hear a word from God about your life that can give you hope even in the failures and sins and wrongs you know are a part of who you are.  Maybe you want God’s guidance, and genuinely wish to do what God commands.  And to hear it.  To be honest with you, all of those, and more, are reasons for me to be here.  Maybe for you, too.

So if we can assume that we’ve all come here today and really desire to hear the Word of God, no matter how difficult, then we must face this truth: Jesus more than once used the word “command” when he asked us to love.

We hear it of course in today’s gospel.  Please notice that Jesus does not suggest that being nice is something we might want to do as his followers.  He’s not suggesting anything.  And being nice has nothing to do with it.

He says this to his disciples on the night of his betrayal:  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  Did you hear?  This is my commandment.  I order you, if you are my followers, to love.  And did you hear?  Love is defined as love in the same way Jesus loved us.
Saying this on the night of his betrayal, the night before his death, his meaning could not be more clear.  And in case it could be mistaken, he goes on to say: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  That’s the love we’re commanded to love.

And remember another time, when Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the greatest commandment?  He didn’t name one of the Ten.  He gave two, which summarized them all. (Mt. 12:37-40 and par.)  The first: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.  The second: love your neighbor as yourself.

Interesting, isn’t it?  For Jesus, whom we name as Lord and master, there is no question.  If we are his followers, we are ordered to love.  Ask Peter, who found this out after the resurrection in his powerful meal on the beach with Jesus.

But doesn’t the value of the love diminish because it is ordered?  We like to play that game a lot.  If we have to be told to do something, it has no value.  No one wants to be loved by another person who’s just under orders to love.

Apparently Jesus didn’t think that was a problem.  There are two things which make me say that.  First, Jesus wouldn’t have ordered us to love if he thought we would do it on our own.

Isn’t that worth considering?  If we could do this on our own, we’d have done it.  If we were faithful enough followers, we’d follow – we’d copy his life, his love, his grace, his forgiveness.  But he knows us better than that, and so he has to make it a commandment.

But second, for Jesus the important thing seems to be that it is done, not that we thought of it on our own.  I remember a story William Willimon once told.  Willimon is a bishop in the United Methodist Church and a well-known preacher.  He tells of a time when he was leaving his church and someone came up to ask him for help.  It happens a lot, here, and where he was.  In a hurry, he said, “I’m in a rush – all I have is $15 – I hope that helps.”  He said that there was probably annoyance in his voice.  The man took it, looked at it, and turned to walk down the street.  As he was locking the church door, the man turned around and said, “I guess you think I’m supposed to be grateful.”  “Well, now that you mention it, a little gratitude wouldn’t hurt,” he replied.  “Well, I’m not going to thank you.  You want to know why?” the man said.  “Because you’re a Christian.  You don’t help me because you want to.  You have to help me because he (thrusting his finger up into the air) told you to help me!”  Then he walked on.

Does it matter that we love because we are commanded to do so?  Not if we actually love.  I don’t know the answer to the question of whether love has less value because it is ordered.  I just know that if we follow orders, love will be done.  That seems to be Jesus’ concern.

So because love is not an option for us, we do it, even if we don’t like it.

In fact, it’s very likely we won’t like it sometimes.  I’m not just talking about loving our siblings here.  Or even a homeless guy on the street.  In general, the love we are ordered to do has a high potential for our dislike and discomfort.

I remember a woman who had made a connection of some kind with my mother.  She has since died and thankfully is at rest.  She had a hard life.  For years she would call my mother all the time with her endless problems.  I suspect my mother didn’t enjoy visiting her, and I know she often dreaded her phone calls.  But I believe Mother knew her orders, because she didn’t avoid this woman.  She listened long hours, and visited.  She was this woman’s only regular visitor, as far as I know.  I don’t know if my mother liked her, she might have.  But she did love her.

And it strikes me that even Mother Teresa, a paragon of Christian love if ever there was one, may not always have liked what she did.  Can we really believe that every day she would rather have gone into the sinkhole of Calcutta, into the filth and disease, and clean up another person, knowing that there would be more the next day, instead of quietly spending her days in a convent meditating with the Lord?  But whatever her feelings were, we know her actions much better.

Jesus commands us to love, not necessarily to like, because otherwise we wouldn’t do it.  Loving those who are lovable is one thing.  Loving those who really need love is a lot harder.  Those who hate us.  Those who offend us.  Those who annoy us.  Those who demand so much of us.

It is all about being connected to Jesus, being a part of his life, abiding in him, as he says.  We are people who have been loved, saved by God in Jesus.  A large part of why you are here today is that sometime, perhaps many times in your life you have known this love of God in Jesus.

But always remember this: you most likely have known it through the love of another.  That’s why it’s critical we follow orders – for all those who do not yet know God’s love.  Christian love defines us, or we have no reason to be Christian.  As one pastor said, “Sierra Club members don’t start forest fires.  It goes with the territory.  Likewise, a disciple of Jesus is someone who, in every situation, tries to respond to people as Jesus responded.”

There are lots of difficulties about life, ethical questions which trouble all of us and may have lots of possible responses and answers.  But here the case is different.  Here Jesus simply, without options, commands us to love one another.  No matter what.

It would be nice if Jesus left us to our own hearts and said, “If you feel compassion, show it.

“If you feel generosity, indulge it.  If you feel concern, do something about it.”  Unfortunately, that option isn’t left to us.  Like it or not we have our orders.  Or we can choose to follow another master.  However, since there is only one Lord and Master who died to give us life and who, risen from the dead, loves and fills us, I think that’s not an option either.

So let’s pray to be given the courage and the grace we need to follow our orders, not because it will make us feel good or even because we want to sometimes.  But simply because they are our orders.  And maybe the more we follow them, the more we will understand what Jesus meant.  We’ll learn God’s surprise, that we actually like this love thing, and our joy truly is made complete.  But even if we never fully experience that, God help us to be obedient anyway.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

The Olive Branch, 5/7/12

Accent on Worship

     It’s a special Sunday approaching. When I hear words like that, I think to myself:  “But isn’t EVERY Sunday special?”  Indeed it is.

     Like last Sunday, a prominent theme for this coming Sunday is love.  We’ll hear about Jesus’ commandment to love one another.  For this particular Sunday of the church year the choir often sings the beautiful anthem by Thomas Tallis, “If Ye Love Me.”  This year, we are not singing this.  We’re doing something else.

     The Sixth Sunday OF Easter is also sometimes called Cantate Sunday.  There is little information about why this is, or from what tradition it comes to us, but speculation is that it is merely related to the appointed Psalm of the day, which is Psalm 98:  “Sing a new song to the Lord.”  However it came to be, for some it is an excuse to do something out of the ordinary musically.  In our case this became our excuse to do something with the ordinary.  The songs of the ordinary; Kyrie, Gloria and Agnus Dei will be sung by the choir with strings from the Missa Brevis by Mozart.  We will do this at both liturgies!

     In addition, years ago a tradition was begun at Mount Olive to have our young people offer a recital as a nod to Mother’s Day.  It is our excuse to hear the progress of our young as they develop their artistic skills: an important facet of life.  This will take place this Sunday during the Education hour, at 9:30 am. Performing will be:

Henry Hunt - piano
Audrey Crippen - piano
Katie Garner - violin
Eric Manuel – violin
Mikkel Sawyer – trumpet
Kaiya Ruff – voice and piano
Jessinia Ruff – voice and piano
Rachel Crippen – voice

     Their ages span from age 5 to being seniors in high school! It is our honor to be able to hear them perform, and to love and support them in their artistic endeavors.  You are cordially invited.

     Let the Easter celebrations continue!

- Cantor David Cherwien



Sunday Readings

May 13, 2012 – Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48 + Psalm 98
I John 5:1-6 + John 15:9-17

May 20, 2012 – Seventh Sunday of Easter
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 + Psalm 1
I John 5:9-13 + John 17:6-19



The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Holy Eucharist, 7:00 p.m.



Mother’s Day Recital

   All are invited to a Mother’s Day Recital this Sunday, May 13, presented by the young people of Mount Olive. The recital will take place during the Adult Forum hour, beginning at 9:30 a.m.



Metro Lutheran Hymn Festival
Sunday, May 20, 2012 – 4:00 p.m.

     This annual hymn festival is a fundraiser for The Metro Lutheran newspaper and will be held here at Mount Olive. Cantor David Cherwien will play and Susan Palo Cherwien will provide reflections. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.



Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group regularly meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The book they are reading for the coming months are:

• May 12: Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer
• June 16: (postponed one week due to Bach Tage): Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
• July 14: The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope.

Bach Tage VI Coming Soon!

     June 9 and 10 are the dates for this sixth Bach Tage weekend at Mount Olive. Many of you have participated in the past, or have come to the Saturday afternoon concert or the cantata vespers on Sunday afternoon. Put these dates on your calendar if you have not already.

     Those who choose to register as full participants will have the opportunity to study and rehearse under the direction of Kathy Romey (University of Minnesota and Minnesota Chorale). This year the cantata selected is BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, which will be performed during Evening Prayer on Sunday, June 10, with orchestra and four excellent soloists. Those who do not choose to sing may still participate as an observer in the rehearsals.

     It is important to register now, since music scores will soon be mailed to participants, so they have time to prepare. The registration form is in the brochure, or can be downloaded from the Mount Olive website homepage.

     The two concerts during Bach Tage are free of charge and open to the public:

Saturday, June 9, 4:30 p.m. All-Bach Recital

• Sonata in g for Oboe and Harpsichord (BWV 1030b), Stanley King, oboe; Arthur Halbardier, harpsichord
• Toccata & Fugue in d (“Dorian”) BWV 538) Cantor David Cherwien, organ

Sunday, June 10, 4:00 p.m. Evening Prayer

• Cantata BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, and Motet BWV 118, O Jesu Christ, meines Lebens Licht, Kathy Romey, conductor, with soloists and orchestra.

     Plan to be part of Bach Tage VI, June 9 and 10.



Walk Against Weapons

     If you think our nation spends too much in funds and human lives on military madness and weapons, the Walk Against Weapons is the perfect opportunity to express this opinion and to raise funds for Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). They will sponsor a Walk Against Weapons on Saturday June 2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The check-in point will be at Baker’s Square Restaurant, 928 Prairie Center Dr. in Eden Prairie.  This is a highly visible three mile walk encircling Eden Prairie Center and ending at Alliant Techsystems, Minnesota's largest employer of weapons production. This walk is a fund raiser for Women Against Military Madness in which pledges will be solicited by the walkers.  All checks are to be made payable to WAMM.

     If you would like more information about participating or would just like to make a pledge, please contact Donna Neste at 612-827-5919.



Meet the Artists!

     During the Education Hour on Sunday, June 17, you will have the opportunity to meet artists from The Art Shoppe and to view some of their work.

     Mount Olive sponsors the Art Shoppe jointly with A Minnesota Without Poverty and the Jewish Community Relations Council.  By establishing an entrepreneurship, the artists are able to show and sell their work with the goal of overcoming poverty and becoming financially independent.

     The Neighborhood Ministries Committee will sponsor this event hoping that a closer connection with the Art Shoppe will develop.  Several from Mount Olive will soon begin volunteering at the shop.  If anyone else is interested, please speak to a Neighborhood Committee member.  The shop is located in the Midtown Global Market.

     The artists are grateful for your support and are eager to meet you! We believe that you will be impressed with the quality of their work. So come enjoy meeting the artists, hearing their stories and viewing their work.  Art work they display will be available for purchase.



Thanks to the Bakers!

     Thank you, thank you, thank you to the bread-bakers of Mount Olive.  We are almost set for all the Sundays of our summer 9:30 AM liturgies.  There is still a Sunday when a baker is needed -August 26 - so call Vicar Erik and sign up.  If we get lots of names it will mean many hands make light work!

     With baking questions call Vicar Erik or Steve Manuel and we will help however we can.



Prayer Shawl Ministry Update

     There will be a meeting on May 13 (next Sunday) at 1:00 pm for any knitters or crocheters interested in the Mount Olive Prayer Shawl Ministry. Anyone who has been involved in any way with this ministry in the past or who is interested in making prayer shawls is invited to this meeting.

     Following our short meeting, those interested may join the group which has been getting together to do charity knitting. They start at 1:30. Bring your ideas and needles/hooks.

     We will meet in the west lounge area at 1:00 pm. Please call Peggy Hoeft or Sandra Pranschke with any questions.



Summer Benefit Concert

      A Minnesota Without Poverty is pleased to present a summer benefit concert, “2020: Enough For All.” This event will benefit the efforts of A Minnesota Without Poverty. The concert will be held on Monday, June 25 from 7-9 p.m. at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway, Minneapolis. Featured at this benefit performance will be Regina Marie Williams, T. Mychael Rambo, Thomasina Petrus, and others. Ticket price is $33 each and are available by visiting www.mnwithoutpoverty.org.



Taste of Chile: Thank You!

     The Missions Committee would like to thank everyone at Mount Olive for making the “Taste of Chile” event a success.

     Together we celebrated the culture of Chile, we learned about the country, we gained a global perspective on mission, and we built relationships.  Through our shared congregational effort, we raised $1,063.41 for our global mission partners in Chile—Action for Health in the Americas/EPES.  The Missions Committee had also previously donated $500 to EPES, as part of its year-end discretionary giving.   This brings our total for EPES to $1563.41.  

     Our congregational mission relationships would not be possible without the hard work and support of everyone at Mount Olive.  It is our shared work and joy.  Thank you!

 - Paul Schadewald


Church Library News


    A very special article appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on April 21, and I hope that many of you noticed it.  The article was entitled, "No Fine Print, Just Free - Free! – Books." compiled by Laurie Hertzel.  Because of this article's wonderful news, some details from this article are worth noting!

    On Monday, April 23, a second celebration of reading happened as a part of World Book Night, which began last year in Great Britain and which event was to be duplicated in the U.S. and Germany on the above date.  Nationally 500,000 books were given away by 25,000 volunteers.  Across the State of Minnesota and all over the Twin Cities area, more than 600 volunteers distributed 12,000 books on a random basis.  (Books were to be distributed in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and on the 4 military bases overseas.)

    In our state, four Minnesota writers were represented in this specific event, namely:  Leif Enger (Peace Like a River) and Kate DeCamillo – (Because of Winn Dixie), both of whom live here; plus Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carried), and Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights), who formerly lived here.  In all, 30 books were chosen to be reprinted in a similar paperback, funded by both printers and booksellers.

     Many classic and familiar books and authors were included in this list, and especially so because several of these books had already been reviewed by our Mount Olive Book Discussion group and at least a few are now (or soon will be) part of our main church library as well.

    An interesting note included a few examples of where and how these books were to be distributed -- on buses, trains, in parks, coffee shops, homeless shelters, schools, nursing homes, in prisons and literally "wherever people are spotted who look as though they could use a good read!"

     I was not previously aware this kind of undertaking was being planned but I am delighted to hear of an event like this.  What an absolutely inspiring and impressive story and I send along Kudos to all who were involved in making it happen again in 2012!

    Speaking of volunteerism, which was just saluted in mid-April, my article would not be complete without a warm word of thanks to the many volunteers who help in numerous ways around Mount Olive!   And a special note of thanks to those volunteers who help with the Mount Olive Library ministry, namely -- Dan Olson, Mabel Jackson, Brooke Roegge, Melissa Stone, Donna Wolsted, Nancy Flatgard and myself.  If there are others who would like to help in the library with specific talents or on a rotating schedule on Sunday mornings, please speak to me.  You would be welcomed and the library surroundings are a pleasant place to work for a short time!

    To close this article, here is a quotation from Pamela Kennedy: "Following God is a journey best made in the company of others…"
- Leanna Kloempken



Southside Family Nurturing Center Benefit Concert

     All are invited to join in an afternoon of beautiful music featuring composer Marty Haugen and the Caritas Vocal Ensemble. Together, they will present a concert on Sunday, May 13, at 4:00 pm at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley). Tickets are $15 each at the door and all proceeds will benefit the Southside Family Nurturing Center, which offers services to at-risk children and families in the Phillips Neighborhood.  For additional information about the Southside Family Nurturing Center or about this benefit musical event, visit www.ssfnc.org.



TRUST Plant Sale and Swap

     This garden event will be held on Saturday, May 12 from 8:00 a.m. to Noon at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church parking lot at 41st St. and Lyndale Ave. S.  You can bring plants to swap, or simply buy some plants to add to your garden.  Master gardeners will be available to give advice.

     This event is a fundraiser for the programs of TRUST, an interfaith coalition of south Minneapolis congregations (of which Mount Olive is a part!) serving families, youth and seniors. TRUST Youth will sell coffee and goodies to raise money for their summer mission trip.  This is a great opportunity to make changes to your gardens while supporting these important programs.



The Bargain Box

     Each August, Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries sponsors The Bargain Box, an affordable way for neighborhood families to obtain good quality clothing (new and gently used) for children of all ages to wear as they return to school in the fall. This year, the Bargain Box will be on August 4, from 8-11:30 a.m.

     You can help by donating new or gently used children’s clothes or money to purchase clothes (please include “Bargain Box” in the memo line of your gift), before August 4.
     If you have any questions about Bargain Box, please contact Irene Campbell at 651-230-3927.



Every Church a Peace Church

     The next Every Church a Peace Church potluck meeting will be held on Monday, May 12 at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Ave., St. Paul (www.pilgrimstpaul.org) (651 699-6886).

     The potluck begins at 6:30 pm, followed by the presentation at 7:00. This month's topic is "Occupy Wall Street - This Changes Everything."



Wanted: A Few Good Men or Women

     This summer Jobs After School will take place from Monday, July 2 – Friday, August 10 (with the 4th of July off.)  Neighborhood Ministries is in need of a few volunteers to help pick up three or four youth, supervise them on a job and bring them home one day a week, during those seven weeks. The summer jobs take about one to two hours. We will be holding an orientation lunch and meeting at noon on Tuesday, June 26 and an organizational meeting with the youth and parents at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday June 28.

     You may pick your day and your hours, morning or afternoon.  If you will be on vacation one or two of those weeks, we can cover that time for you.  For more information, please call Donna @ 612-827-5919.

Toward Completion

We are called today to bear fruit, to love as God has loved us.  We are not yet what we will be, but in our resurrection life from God we are moved to completeness, to becoming the love of God, the children of God.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen, Fifth Sunday of Easter, year B; texts: John 15:1-8; 1 John 4:7-21; Acts 8:26-40

Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Perfection is a daunting standard.  The elder who writes 1 John says today, “Perfect love casts out fear; . . . whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”  Since most of us know fear, we can assume we’re not perfect in our love.  And that’s a problem, because four times in this short section (and five in the whole letter) the elder calls us to perfect or perfected love.  We get the sense that one is either like God or not, loving or not, perfect or not.

Jesus isn’t any easier on us.  In his sermon on the mount, he is recorded as saying “You, therefore, must be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  (Matt. 5:48)  These are not unfamiliar words to us.  But were we seriously to consider them, we might despair, because perfection is far from our reality.  Well, how lucky for us, then, that we typically don’t take them seriously.  Rather, we have a convenient expression, “nobody’s perfect,” which absolves any of us from further discomfort or unease at our lack of meeting God’s expectations for us.  It’s interesting that even those who most violently declare themselves to be biblical literalists somehow dodge this pervasive claim on our morals, our lives, our love.

The only problem is that neither 1 John, nor Jesus in today’s Gospel when he six times refers to the fruit we are called to produce in our lives, a fruit which is the kind of perfected love the elder speaks about, neither of these teachers give any leeway to having a loophole here.  The elder says if we don’t love others but say we love God, we’re liars.  Jesus says if we’re not bearing fruit, we’re only suitable to be tossed in the pile of yard trimmings for burning.

What might be helpful for all of us would be a re-translation.

The word translated “perfect” in English in this letter and Jesus’ words is better translated “complete, mature.”  It’s a word derived from the word for “end” or “goal,” and implies the reaching of that end or goal.
So if we were to re-read these words now, they would go like this: “Completed love casts out fear; . . . whoever fears is has not reached completion in love.”  “You, therefore, must be complete, even as your heavenly Father is complete.”  And that sounds very different to me.

Instead of a standard so unattainable we can only consider dodging it, avoiding it, smooth-talking it away, we now have instead an understanding that we are not yet what we will be.  But that there is a possibility that one day, we could become this.

Here’s a way to think about this.  If you’re in a major building or remodeling project, such as our project here a couple years ago, or in your home, there are many points along the way it looks as if nothing is happening.  It looks a disaster.  If the only standard is the finished, perfect project, then the weeks and months of mess and slow going seem a huge failure.

But if you stop and see that you are perhaps 15% of the way, and look at what’s been accomplished, you can actually see progress.  You can start to say, “I can almost imagine what it will be like.”  There’s still 85% mess, but you can see where it’s going.  And as the project continues, that sense of what it will be increases.

And so it is with our lives.  If we look at the finished product which is our goal, that is, the loving, gracious life of our Lord Jesus Christ, we despair that we aren’t close to perfect love.  We barely seem to bear any fruit at all.

But if we look at this as a process of becoming completed, then even if we’re only 5% towards where God will take us, we can actually see that we are growing, we are moving toward something.

It seems to me that if we are to have integrity as believers, and as people who see the Scriptures as God’s written Word, we ought to seek to take Jesus, God’s Living Word, and the biblical writers seriously.  Saying “nobody’s perfect” and walking away hardly qualifies.  But when we understand this deeper meaning, we not only can take these words seriously, but can even envision a situation where they might become reality.  We can even see the progress God is making.

And in this we once more find ourselves in the same situation as those first disciples.  Once more, as it always seems to happen, our experience is like theirs.

In the days, weeks, and months following Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples had to re-think everything.

First, and most obvious, now that this beloved Lord and Master, brutally crucified, was alive, they needed to grasp the deeper meaning of that.  And what they realized is that death had no power over them, either.  That his resurrection meant theirs was assured.  So they started boldly preaching, fearing nothing, not even death.

But the other thing they had to sort out was what it meant for their lives.  How were they to live?  Certainly as witnesses, that they realized early on, and were commanded by Jesus.  But even more, they began to reflect on Jesus’ teachings and realized that there was a tremendous gap between the kind of lives they lived, and the love they had, and the life and love of Jesus.

He had commanded them to love one another as he loved them, to be willing to give their lives for each other.  This on the night of his betrayal, their worst hour as disciples.  And he had called them again and again to love of God and love of neighbor.  This, too, would be a witness, as much as their preaching, for it would be the sign to the world that they followed him.  Even when he called them to completion, in the Sermon on the Mount which I already quoted, it was in the context of loving even their enemies.  Love was what he asked of them; love was what he embodied for them.  And that, they saw in their lives, was not yet their reality.

So the writer of 1 John spends the whole letter urging his believers to seek a completed love, just as Jesus had.  Again and again he says things like “God is love.”  Or, “Those who live in love, live in God.”  Sayings like all those in 1 John can be reduced to nothing, mocked as overly-simplistic, not realistic, but for what we hear in today’s reading.

As it turns out, the link between Jesus’ death and resurrection and our lives as disciples is his death and resurrection.  The writer says it today: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent the Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  This is the completed love to which we aspire, the completed love to which Jesus calls us.  Our model is God’s willingness to lose everything on our behalf, even life, for love of us – what Philip helps the eunuch see today in Isaiah’s prophecy, God’s willingness to bear all our hate and wrongdoing out of love, and transform it.

And in an instant, what seemed trite and simplistic is now seen as profound and powerful, and in its own way, daunting.  That’s the completion we seek.  That was the goal of the disciples then.  It is our goal now.

But there’s something else to notice when we translate this differently: it is God who is working to make us complete.

When we think of a call to perfection, we despair because it seems as if it’s a standard we must reach.  And we clearly fail.  But throughout the New Testament we find this witness of the early disciples: As they learned what it meant that Jesus was alive, and pondered that gap between their lives and their Lord’s, they realized that Jesus was helping them close that gap.

Look at 1 John today: “Love has been completed among us in this.”  “If we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is completed in us.”  Has been completed.  Is completed.  The risen Jesus not only commands us to love, to seek completion in our love.  He makes it possible.

That’s what he means about the vine and branches – the fruit of completed love cannot come from us unless we stay connected to our risen Lord.  In baptism we are joined to the life-giving Vine, as Clara is today.  In worship, in God’s Word, God’s Meal, as we live in prayer and with each other in fellowship, we are strengthened and made complete.

And that’s why this writer says completed love has no fear – we’re not only strengthened to learn that God’s love is ours no matter what we do, no matter how imperfect we are, but also to discover that day after day in God’s care we are being made complete in our love.  With both these gifts, we come to know there is nothing we need to fear.

Not death – that’s taken care of.  Not our inadequacies, or our sin, or our hateful thoughts.  For those are being changed slowly, too.  Not even disaster, or disease, or terror, or job loss – for we are together in the Vine as God’s family and we will always have each other, and our Lord’s love.

And that’s why we want to stay connected to our Vine, our Life, our Grace, our risen Lord who loves us and will never leave us.  And whose love transforms our love and completes it.

When I think of my life, and where I know God wants me to be, I find this all very comforting.

If I thought I was supposed to be perfect today, and tomorrow, and always, I’d collapse.  I’m far too aware of how little I meet that standard.  But now that I understand that what God seeks in me is completion, that there’s a goal ahead, and that God is helping me to that goal, it’s all different.  Now it’s about knowing if I think I’m going in the right direction, not if I’m there already.  It’s about discerning if I am growing toward God’s love or away, not whether I’m living it fully now.  And that’s a huge difference.

Luther once said, “This life, therefore, is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being but becoming; not rest, but exercise.  We are not yet what we shall be,” he says, “but we are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished, but it is going on; this is not the end, but it is the road.  All does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.” (1)


That’s the hope.  That’s why we gather together.  Because we’re not there yet.  But with God’s grace, and with us together, God will complete our love one day.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

(1) “Defense and Explanation of All the Articles,” 1521, LW vol. 32, p. 24; but this is Michael Podesta’s translation.

The Olive Branch, 4/30/12

Accent on Worship

Everything is changed now

     Sometimes I wonder if we really believe Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, really believe it in our bones.  That there was a Galilean man named Jesus who was crucified by the Romans in the early first century is historical fact.  It can even be supported by historical non-Biblical sources.  But the Bible tells us that this crucified man came back to life.  Not that he lapsed into a coma on the cross and revived in the cool tomb, but that he was restored to life with only the marks of the nails as evidence of the brutality that had been done to him only a couple days earlier.  The Bible claims that Jesus was and is the Son of God, God-who-is-with-us, the One who gives us full and eternal life now and forever.

     But of course, you say, we believe that Jesus rose from the dead.  We just celebrated Easter.  We celebrate it every year.  We’re in the middle of a seven week celebration, for goodness’ sake.  We know Jesus rose.  And of course you are right.  Christians claim faith in this resurrection as foundational to all we are and believe and do.  Except I can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right here.  Because if we truly believed that Jesus rose I think we’d live and act differently.  We’d face life differently.

     Look at Mary Magdalene and Peter, or those disciples from the suburbs of Jerusalem, from Emmaus, Cleopas and his wife.  Once they realized Jesus was alive again, restored to full and abundant life, everything changed for them.  Really, for all of his followers.  They weren’t afraid of death anymore.  They weren’t afraid of life, either.  No more locked rooms.  They became people so filled with the joy of God’s love for the world in the risen Jesus, so filled with the eternal life his resurrection gave them, that they quite literally changed the world through the power of the Spirit working in them.  They knew that this Jesus was God-with-them and everything was different.

     On the other hand, we live as if we are still afraid of death, still afraid of life.  We hide our joy in God’s love from other people because we don’t feel confident we know how to share it.  When death and tragedy surprise us, instead of standing confidently in the love of the risen Lord, we fear them, we often run from them, or we blame God for them.  When we look into the inside of our own hearts and see brokenness and pain, or see sin and hurtfulness, or see things we’re not comfortable seeing, we close our eyes.  We don’t act as if we believe that God loves us enough to die for us, literally die for us, and that through dying and rising not only promises to forgive us but to restore us, make us new, make us holy.

     My sisters and brothers, Jesus really rose from the dead.  And that changes everything.  When someone who has defeated death – really defeated it! – when that person says, “Don’t be afraid,” well, we can take that person literally and seriously.  Whatever it is that you are afraid of, even death, you can let it go.  Jesus is alive and is with you, giving life and forgiveness and restoration.  Whatever it is that binds you, it can be taken from you by the One who couldn’t be bound even by the solidity and finality of a grave.  God give us all the faith to live in the same joy and confidence as did those who first realized what God has done.
     
     Don’t be afraid, for he is risen indeed!

In Christ,
 
- Joseph



Sunday Readings

May 6, 2012 – Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:26-40 + Psalm 22:25-31
I John 4:7-21 + John 15:1-8

May 13, 2012 – Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48 + Psalm 98
I John 5:1-6 + John 15:9-17



The Ascension of Our Lord
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Holy Eucharist, 7:00 p.m.



Missing a Dish?

     There are several pans and dishes in the lower kitchen which were left at this year’s Easter Carry-in Brunch. If you brought food to the brunch or are missing a dish, please stop downstairs in the kitchen to see if your missing dish is among those which were left.



First Sunday Food Collection

     All are encouraged to remember Mount Olive’s monthly ingathering of non-perishable grocery items on the first Sunday of each month. These groceries help to keep area food shelves stocked for those who are hungry. Please bring your donations to the grocery cart in the coat room at church.



Spring Issue of "Greetings"

     This Sunday, May 6, the greeters will distribute the Spring, 2012 issue of "Greetings from Mount Olive Neighborhood Ministries" after both Eucharists. If you cannot be in church this Sunday, extra copies will be avilable in the church office or in the narthex.



Mother’s Day Recital

   All are invited to a Mother’s Day Recital on Sunday, May 13, presented by the young people of Mount Olive. The recital will take place during the Adult Forum hour, beginning at 9:30 a.m.



Walk Against Weapons

     If you think our nation spends too much in funds and human lives on military madness and weapons, the Walk Against Weapons is the perfect opportunity to express this opinion and to raise funds for Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). They will sponsor a Walk Against Weapons on Saturday June 2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The check-in point will be at Baker’s Square Restaurant, 928 Prairie Center Dr. in Eden Prairie.  This is a highly visible three mile walk encircling Eden Prairie Center and ending at Alliant Techsystems, Minnesota's largest employer of weapons production. This walk is a fund raiser for Women Against Military Madness in which pledges will be solicited by the walkers.  All checks are to be made payable to WAMM.

     If you would like more information about participating or would just like to make a pledge, please contact Donna Neste at 612-827-5919.



Update on Communion Bread

     At the March 26 meeting of the Worship Committee, we discussed the feedback we have received regarding the use of fresh bread for the Eucharist.  That feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive of the change.  It was decided to continue the use of fresh bread through the Season of Easter and our summer schedule.  From the beginning, our conversations have included two issues, crumbs and the remaining host.  To help us please consider the following two ideas.  When you receive the host from the pastor, do so with open up-turned palm.  Passing the bread between fingers increases the possibility of it being dropped or crumbs falling.  Secondly, if you are so inclined, come forward to the chancel area during the postlude to assist the Sacristan and Acolytes with the consumption of the remaining bread.  We do appreciate your comments on this and all worship issues.  Each comment that we receive is considered, so if you are inclined, please drop me an email or hand me a note with your thoughts.  While I appreciate the many chats I have about worship issues, I don’t trust my memory to bring your thoughts accurately to the committee.

– Al Bipes, director of Worship Committee


Book Discussion Group

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion group regularly meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The book they are reading for the coming months are:

• May 12: Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer
• June 16: (postponed one week due to Bach Tage): Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
• July 14: The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope.

 Bishop’s Installation

     The Minneapolis Area Synod invites everyone to a Service of Holy Communion and the Installation of The Reverend Ann M. Svennungsen as Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

     The service will be this Sunday, May 6, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. All rostered leaders are invited to vest and process. The color of the day is red. Please gather in the Community Room no later than 1:45 p.m. to line up for the processional. A reception will immediately follow the service.



Bach Tage VI Coming Soon!

     June 9 and 10 are the dates for this sixth Bach Tage weekend at Mount Olive. Many of you have participated in the past, or have come to the Saturday afternoon concert or the cantata vespers on Sunday afternoon. Put these dates on your calendar if you have not already.

     Those who choose to register as full participants will have the opportunity to study and rehearse under the direction of Kathy Romey (University of Minnesota and Minnesota Chorale). This year the cantata selected is BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, which will be performed during Evening Prayer on Sunday, June 10, with orchestra and four excellent soloists. Those who do not choose to sing may still participate as an observer in the rehearsals.

     It is important to register now, since music scores will soon be mailed to participants, so they have time to prepare. The registration form is in the brochure, or can be downloaded from the Mount Olive website homepage.

     The two concerts during Bach Tage are free of charge and open to the public:

Saturday, June 9, 4:30 p.m. All-Bach Recital

• Sonata in g for Oboe and Harpsichord (BWV 1030b), Stanley King, oboe; Arthur Halbardier, harpsichord
• Toccata & Fugue in d (“Dorian”) BWV 538) Cantor David Cherwien, organ

Sunday, June 10, 4:00 p.m. Evening Prayer

• Cantata BWV 75, Die Elenden sollen essen, and Motet BWV 118, O Jesu Christ, meines Lebens Licht, Kathy Romey, conductor, with soloists and orchestra

     Plan to be part of Bach Tage VI, June 9 and 10.



Sanctus: Spirit of Music

     Two of the region’s nationally acclaimed choral ensembles, the National Lutheran Choir and Cantus, will perform together in an uplifting program called Sanctus: Spirit of Music. Powerful and uplifting repertoire will spark the singers and audiences, alike: master works by Randall Thompson, Ralph Manuel, and Jester Hairston stitch heaven and earth together. Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise is mysterious and ultimately becomes transcendental in this new arrangement which echoes between the National Lutheran Choir and the men of Cantus.  The two performances will be on Saturday, May 5, 7:30 pm at King of Kings Lutheran Church (1583 Radio Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125), and on Sunday, May 6, 4:00 pm, at Normandale Lutheran Church (6100 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55436).

     Experience music that joins together heaven and earth and two of the Twin Cities’ most acclaimed vocal ensembles.

     For ticket information, please call the National Lutheran Choir office at 612.722.2301 or visit them on the web at www.nlca.com.