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Week 2: “On the Road”
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen; Wednesday, 27 February 2013; texts: Hebrews 3:1-14; John 6:47-58
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
My family was not an outdoorsy family growing up. Our joke was that “roughing it” for my mother meant staying at a Holiday Inn where you had to call the desk for more toilet paper. So as I was involved in youth ministry as a young person and then a youth director, I found myself in a number of wilderness scenarios that I was not brought up for.
Some of the time on each of these trips it was a good experience. I’ve seen incredible beauty created by God in the Boundary Waters, northern Wisconsin, and the mountains of Montana. But every single trip I’ve ever taken, alongside those joys, and the grace of the fellowship with the group, was a level of misery that I never quite got used to. As much as I looked forward to such trips as a youth and an adult, I also dreaded them. Fear of animals tearing through the food, painful ground to sleep on, hiking through sleet or storm, and constantly being dirty, these are not attractive things for me. I’d still go on a trip like that now, but it will still have both those elements, I’m sure.
The both/and nature of my relationship with the wild is something the Scriptures seem to share. On the one hand, there is great joy in the creation and in what God has made, wonder at its beauty. On the other hand, the wilderness in Scripture is always a place of testing and difficulty, whether it was the Israelites wandering for 40 years or Jesus for 40 days. Not for nothing does the prophet Isaiah declare in words familiar to our Advent worship that when the day of the L ORD comes there will be a great landscaping project in the wilderness, with valleys being filled, mountains leveled, and a highway brought through it (Isaiah 40). This image is one that repeats in several places in the prophetic witness, especially the idea of a safe, level highway through the wilderness of life, created by God.
What’s so helpful about this image biblically is that it is true about our lives. Our lives are both filled with the beauty of God and with struggles and trials, challenges and difficulties. It makes sense that when the writer to the Hebrews was trying to help the reader understand this, the wilderness wanderings of the Israelite ancestors came to mind as a parallel experience.
And so we begin today where we left off last week: we’re on a road in our lives, we are on a journey of faith through the wilderness. And what we learn is that for several reasons, this is not a bad thing at all. Even if it is challenging and difficult.
Hebrews reminds us today that Jesus is our Guide and he is leading us on the right road, difficulties notwithstanding.
Comparing Jesus to Moses, Hebrews tells us that as Moses went into where people were in bondage and led them to freedom, so did our Lord Jesus take on our slavery to lead us to freedom. Because Jesus is “worthy of more glory than Moses,” according to Hebrews, because he is the Son, we can be confident that following him will keep us on the right path.
And that’s a huge relief in the wilderness. There’s nothing worse than being lost and not knowing where to turn. Or to keep going along a path or road and keep looking for familiar landmarks or sights and not seeing them, and getting more and more frantic. This writer encourages us to trust the direction our Lord is going, the way he invites us to live, which will be further described later in this book.
But the comparison also reminds Hebrews of the failure of the Israelites to follow Moses, and their collapse in the wilderness that led to 40 extra years of wandering. Hebrews urges us to do better, to learn from them and not to turn from the living God. If we are journeying through the wilderness, let’s not go it alone as they did, we hear. Rather, let’s trust the One who goes with us to know the way.
And as Jesus teaches the crowds in John 6, trust that he provides the bread of life, the food we need for the journey. To seek the grace of his Body and Blood to feed and nourish us, and bring us to eternal life. The image of our lives as a journey through a wilderness, sometimes beautiful and sometimes harsh, is only helpful to us if we keep our eyes on Jesus and trust him. And so be faithful in ways the Israelites were not.
For Hebrews, the promise is clear: we are partners with Christ, if only we can hold our confidence firm to the end (3:14). And our confidence is in the Lord Jesus who goes with us on our journey.
And it seems that the point of this image is to encourage us in two ways.
First, to help us understand that our goal is better than the Promised Land – the freedom Christ offers is far greater and lasts to eternity. We are living our lives in a wilderness, walking with each other from slavery to the promised land. As we heard from Luther last week, all our lives are in transit, becoming what we are not yet, growing in the grace of the Spirit.
But there’s a big difference between our journey and that of the Israelites. They were literally traveling in the wilderness, going to a new home, the promised land. We, Hebrews says to us, are walking a wilderness life, but we are going to a new home that is in eternity with our Lord Jesus. We have a goal, as we read near the end of Hebrews: “For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (13:14).
So the joy of this life is that no matter the good or the bad, the pleasant or the difficult, we not only are living it with our Lord Jesus at our side, we’re also on the way to a life prepared for us beyond anything we’ve known here.
But second, the point of this for Hebrews also seems to be to encourage us in the midst of a life that feels like wilderness to appreciate the journey, to find in it a blessing because we are with the Lord. This is a letter, a sermon to pilgrims, this book of Hebrews, and is intended to encourage pilgrims to live in the joy of God on the journey.
We’re not sour, depressed people who only live for a hoped-for world to come. If that’s our only focus, we’re going to miss a great deal of the life God intends for us. For me on my wilderness trips, that was always my challenge, not to mentally and repeatedly count down the days until we got back and thereby miss all the grace and joy of the actual present.
This life is a good life, even if lived in between Jesus’ resurrection and the full restoration of all things. We are not what we will be, but we are on the way, and being on the way can be rich and surprising and grace-filled. Because we are fed by our Lord in the Meal of life for this journey, we are blessed with forgiveness and grace from our Lord, and we are given sustenance and joy by the Holy Spirit to become these new people.
And all of that is good and joyful, even if we’re walking in the wilderness. In fact, with our eyes on Jesus we can find this life delightful even in the midst of the most difficult times.
So, like all believers who have gone before us, we are on the road. But we are on the road with Jesus, which makes all the difference.
As we will hear in a few weeks from Hebrews, we are exhorted here to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (12:1b-2a). It’s a long road, filled with many bumps and bruises, surprises and joys, setbacks and easy stretches. But it is a road blessed by the grace of the crucified and risen One who goes with us and leads us to life.
And that makes the wilderness seem a lot less wild, and our journey one to look forward to rather than dread.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
Our fear of God, of being vulnerable before God inhibits our letting God in, but it is overcome by God’s loving embrace and patient waiting for us to come under the wings of love and life.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen, 2 Lent C; texts: Luke 13:31-35; Psalm 27
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The mosaic from an altar in a church on the Mount of Olives pictured on the bulletin cover is beautiful to me. And of course it depicts Jesus’ lament from today that he is like a mother hen longing to gather her brood together under her wings, but they weren’t willing. There is much we could say about this image from Jesus, and this particular mosaic depicting it. But we should notice the striking placement of the words here. It’s Jesus’ quote in Latin (cited from Matthew’s version, but Matthew and Luke use the same words here). But if you notice, the last two words aren’t placed around the edge with the others. Literally translated “and you would not,” the “and you were not willing” phrase is separated out, under the baby chicks. And it has a question mark.
Now we could see the question mark as attending to the whole sentence: how often have I wanted and you were not willing? The NRSV and most English translations use an exclamation point. But the way this is laid out, it looks to me as if the artist is asking the viewer the question: you were not willing? Are you not willing? Almost as if each time we encounter this verse, this art, the same question comes to us: are we willing to let Jesus enfold us in his wings? Almost as if the artist says Jesus isn’t talking to ancient Jerusalem, he’s talking to us today.
It’s also interesting that the way Jesus uses this metaphor of a hen and her chicks only works if we humanize the chicks. Baby chickens are hardwired to run to their mother for protection when a threat comes, to respond to her call. Not so for us, apparently, since Jesus seems to think he has something we need but we aren’t willing to trust him to meet that need.
And that seems to be the crucial question: why wouldn’t we be willing? If we read this as a question mark, as if we are faced with this choice, this offer, every day, what on earth would keep us from running under Jesus’ wings?
We speak of “God’s will,” and say, as St. James invites, “the Lord willing.” But here Jesus declares the mystery that despite his will, we have a different will.
We don’t want what he’s offering. We’re not willing. And it makes him deeply sad to face such rejection.
Now, what Jesus says we’re rejecting is being gathered by him under his wings, being drawn into his care. It’s an image of protection. But it’s also an image of relationship and vulnerability. It’s an image which, if we accept it for ourselves, suggests we are not in charge, we cannot save ourselves, we are dependent upon the mercy and grace of God for everything.
And that might be our dealbreaker. Jesus is saying here that the Triune God wants a relationship with us, but it’s a relationship on God’s terms, a relationship based on a recognition that we need God for everything. And as much as we want God for some things, we’d rather keep some parts to ourselves.
The great risk in any relationship important to us is vulnerability and exposure.
In any of our relationships, if they are to deepen, we need to open ourselves to the other. And all of us have varying levels of openness with varying people. Those closest to us usually know us the best, and we’re more willing to be open to them about our deeper needs and wants and even our flaws. The further out the circle goes, the less free we are with ourselves.
In a relationship like a marriage, where two people commit to lifelong love and faithfulness, that kind of openness and vulnerability becomes central to growth and depth of love. But even there, we can hesitate to share everything we think and feel, to be known completely. There’s always a piece of us afraid of complete disclosure.
That’s the huge risk of any relationship, really, isn’t it? Vulnerability and exposure. How much do I trust you? And can I risk being hurt by you?
So what’s this have to do with the Triune God? Everything. Clearly God knows everything about each of us. So in one sense, there is no hiding. But the reason for confession, for prayer, for openness with God is our finding a willingness to admit our failings, our deepest fears, our flaws, our sins, to ourselves, and so to God.
When we can be honest with ourselves before God, that we cannot fix our lives, that we cannot be who we know we are meant to be, that we are broken and sinful, we’re not telling God anything that God doesn’t already know. But in that vulnerability, our relationship with God is strengthened. Because we’re saying we depend upon God for life. We won’t run to Mother Hen, in other words, unless we think we’re in need of help.
But it isn’t just our fear of vulnerability that holds us back. We also fear being trapped.
I was thinking this week that a hug might be analogous to the wings image in a helpful way. Some people are big huggers, others are not. And it often has to do with a sense of personal space.
Some people like a little space around themselves, are uncomfortable if others break into that space, unless they’re family or loved ones. And in some families, not even then. Others find great joy in physical touch and in hugging, and have no problem letting others into their personal space. Both options are certainly fine for people to choose. But look at what this might mean if we are trying to understand Jesus’ lament.
Whether you’re a natural hugger or not, can you think of a situation where someone’s hug made you uncomfortable? Or have you ever hugged someone who clearly didn’t want it, and stiffened up like a board? Why wouldn’t someone want to be embraced in that way? I think it’s because of fear of vulnerability, but also a fear of being trapped.
If we let someone into our personal space, we risk being harmed by them. We risk being touched, which can be threatening. And most important, we lose our ability to maneuver, we lose our room to move.
So what if that’s the problem with letting our Lord Jesus surround us with his care and love? What if we’re afraid of being so close to Jesus there is no place to hide from him? There will be no such thing as personal space for us any more? What if we’re afraid we’ll have no more room to maneuver under those wings, nowhere to run, nowhere to turn? If we accept his embrace and protection and care, we’re trusting him to embrace us, protect us, care for us, not to harm us or crush us.
And if we get nervous under those wings, we might fear that we can’t run away because he has us trapped. Think of that: an embrace, even between humans, can be freeing and a sign of love. Or it can make one of the people feel trapped. And maybe that’s part of our fear with Jesus.
And feeling trapped is more than just a concern we can’t escape or run. If we let him surround us with God’s wings, we not only put ourselves in God’s care, we put ourselves under God’s guidance and will. We freely give up some freedom to obey and follow his will and way. Going under those wings means giving Jesus, the Son of God, control of everything. It means agreeing to follow Jesus’ way, the way of the Triune God, and not ours. And that’s another way to feel trapped.
But freedom is actually key to all of this, because Jesus astonishingly leaves us to our choice.
He says, “See, your house is left to you.” In effect, “You’re in a mess, and you want to stay there because you can’t see trusting me with everything yet. And I will let you stay in that mess as long as you need. See, your house is left to you.”
This is key: Jesus is powerless in the face of our unwillingness because Jesus will not force us to trust, force us to faith, force us into relationship. He will not drag us under the wings of God.
But here’s the promise he says to Jerusalem and to us: “when you’re ready to recognize that I am the one who comes in the name of the Lord, that what I offer is God’s offer of life, that I am life for you, when you’re ready, I will be here.”
That’s what Jesus says. “I will be here when you’re ready.” I will wait for you, however long it takes.
And even more, the promise Jesus makes in dying and rising from the dead is that if we do decide to trust him, to let him bring us into relationship with the Triune God, to deepen in this relationship of trust and dependence, he will not let us down. Just as much as he won’t leave us simply because we keep rejecting his desire to gather us, we can trust that he also won’t let us down when we do let go and trust. He died and rose to prove that.
So the wings are waiting for us. For you. What are we waiting for?
That’s our question today. It’s our question for the rest of life. It may be good to think of entering into a relationship with God, “being willing” to go under those wings as something which takes little steps instead of one giant leap. Little steps like starting to open up just a little in prayer and confession and letting God see the inside, and trusting in God’s love. Steps like beginning to listen to the Word and actually hearing it and the promise again and again, and starting to live in that Word. Little steps like simply coming to this Table once again to be fed today and for at least a moment trusting God enough to forgive all.
And taking those steps means discovering what it is to live with the joy of the psalmist of Psalm 27 who today has no problem trusting in God for all things, in delighting in the shelter and protection the L ORD God provides, and in calling God a rock, a sanctuary, a home, a light and a salvation. That joy is where Jesus invites us to go, the life Jesus hopes we will seek.
Because make no mistake, this is where life is, abundant life: under the wings of God’s love and grace, where we are known fully and still loved, and where we are protected as much from our own fears and brokenness as from any outside force. With God is life. Let’s not be afraid to go there.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
Accent on Worship
Your Choice
When greeting someone upon seeing them, how do you do it? Do you smile and with a full-voice say, “Hi! Great to see you” or do you mumble? The degree of how much you mean it is perceived through body language and the tone of voice offered. With mere tone of voice you can communicate something more credibly than the words actually spoken. “Hello” mumbled with a low voice could evoke a “Really?” Most of the time we’re honest with our greetings and our “And also with you” or our corporate declaration “I renounce them!” is very heart-felt.
Roman Catholics have a phrase: “Full and conscious participation” when it comes to liturgy. Spoken responses and corporate song may involve a deliberate choice to “enter in” – using full voice: body, mind and soul!
I’ve heard congregations sing as though they’re embarrassed to sing. Indeed it’s possible: the voice is one of those things – a deep part of us we can’t really change (although we can learn to use it better) – and to sing in public can be very frightening, exposing a deep part of who we are. But this is precisely its value! We don’t offer to God just surface things! If we sing out of this fear, a kind of half singing becomes the norm. Yet when many sing out, this fear is removed, and it’s easier to join in.
To sing out does take a choice for those who can. We decide to breathe in, and push a good amount of sound out! When we all do that and sing out, no one sticks out, and we don’t really run the embarrassing risk of an unintentional solo because we’re all there for each other.
That being said, this can be difficult for some, for reasons that we can’t know. Maybe their vocal chords just don’t work right, or perhaps even emotionally they come to this liturgy unable to sing. In that case, the rest of us need to step in and sing for them too.
When sung notes approach the higher side, it’s especially important to sing them out more (rather than pulling back) – it helps the neighbor feel confident to do the same, and everyone feels empowered by each other. When we all do it, young voices, older voices, middle-age voices, trained voices, un-trained voices – all of our voices combine to create the best and unique blend possible. One of my favorite moments here is when we sing the Bach setting of “Lord Thee I Love” – everyone sings their part full voice – even those who think they don’t have a very good voice can sing out without fear!
So in our liturgy (no matter how many people are there) when we greet God and each other in spoken responses and especially song, how will you choose to do it?
May God grant us courage, and if anything is to be silent in worship, let it be our judgments.
- Cantor Cherwien
Midweek Lenten Worship
Wednesdays in Lent
Noon – Holy Eucharist
7:00 pm – Evening Prayer
2013 Lenten Devotional Booklets Now Available
Return to God: A Lenten Journey Into Wilderness, To Jerusalem, written for the Mount Olive community by Susan Cherwien, is now available at church. Pick one up for use in your Lenten journey this year. They are in the narthex and Chapel Lounge at church.
The devotional is also available online in a daily blog at www.journeyintolent.blogspot.com. If you are an online reader, bookmark the page!
Upcoming Adult Forums
Sunday, February 24 – “The Art of Lectio Divinia,” presented by Sister Carol Rennie OSB and Sam Rahberg from the Benedictine Center.
Sunday, March 3 – “The Exodus,” part 1 of a 2-part series, led by Dr. Earl Schwartz.
Church Clean Up - Mark Your Calendars!
The next church clean-up day will be held on Saturday, February 23, (tomorrow!) from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. Plan to come and pitch in – many hands make light work!
This Sunday’s Adult Forum: The Art of Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is one of the great treasures in the tradition of Christian of prayer. Translated "Divine Reading", it is a prayerful reading of the Scriptures we believe to be divinely inspired and a way of letting the Spirit form us to the likeness of Christ. Join Sister Carol Rennie OSB and Sam Rahberg to explore and practice how to sustain a relationship with God, through the text, over time. Materials will be provided.
Sam Rahberg is the Director of the Benedictine Center and a spiritual director. Sam has experience in parish education and administration and holds a master's degree in theology from Saint John's University, Collegeville.
S. Carol Rennie OSB is former prioress of St. Paul's Monastery and a member of the Benedictine Center's spiritual direction team. She is a teacher of teachers, an experienced retreat leader, and has a special interest in group spiritual direction.
Lenten Bible Study: Practice Faith
Christian faith practices are widely accepted, but not broadly understood outside of a moral/ethical understanding. But what is the Biblical root of these practices? Why are these things so important that they are mentioned over, and over, and over again in the Bible? What have Christians done in the past and what can we do now to keep these practices alive in our lives?
Come to this six-week Bible study led by Vicar Neal Cannon on Thursday nights from 6-7 pm, starting February 14. It meets in the Chapel Lounge and a light supper is served.
February 14 – Hospitality and Welcome
February 21 – Tithing and Generosity
February 28 – Prayer
March 7 – Celebration and Sabbath
March 14 – Sharing the Gospel
March 21 – Serving our Neighbor
Words for the Pilgrimage
Wednesdays in Lent: February 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20
• Noon – Holy Eucharist, followed by a soup and bread luncheon
• 6:00 p.m. – Soup, Bread, and Table Talk
• 7:00 p.m. – Evening Prayer
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1b-2a
Christian believers have long likened our life of faith to a journey, a pilgrimage through this world. On our Wednesdays this Lent we will explore words from an ancient sermon written to “the Hebrews.” These are words which use the same image, that of pilgrimage, and which provide guidance, direction, hope, and encouragement for this pilgrimage of life, as well as warnings and exhortations. The book of Hebrews will be our companion on our journey, not a tour guide, but a fellow-traveler with us as we seek to live faithfully in this world as disciples.
At noon, the preaching will be at the Eucharist; in the evening it will be during the soup supper, with conversation to follow.
Book Discussion Group
For the March 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting they will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.
Visioning
For the past month a Vision Task Force comprised of Andrew Andersen, David Cherwien, Pastor Crippen, Judy Hinck, Adam Krueger, Connie Marty, Peter Tressel, and Donna Neste have begun to develop a process that will allow the congregation to discern God’s vision for Mount Olive Lutheran Church and our shared ministry to our neighborhood and the world. A number of events have converged that make this an ideal time to undertake such a process: We have just completed a (quite successful) 5-year campaign and building renovation, Pastor Crippen is well into his third year as our pastor and has a stronger sense of who and where we are, and Donna Neste’s retirement as our Neighborhood Ministry Coordinator will occur in the spring of 2014.
Through a study of God’s word, prayer, visits around the neighborhood, interviews with community leaders, together we will work to match information gained with congregational interests and assets. A series of three congregational meetings will occur this spring and summer to build community around our history, our values, and God’s vision for our future as his people in this place. The task force will compile the information provided and present the findings and proposal for next steps to the October Semi-Annual meeting of the congregation.
How can you be involved in this important work? Following are some of the needs already identified.
• Pray for this important effort and faithful discernment of God’s will; specific requests will be posted from time to time, but you can begin now to lift up the process that Christ’s church and God’s people are served by it.
• Commit to study God’s word; specific “vision passages” of scripture and others will be provided as a guide.
• Get involved; volunteers will be needed for the following; contact any member of the Task Force or the church office:
Augment the Task Force (especially those who are gifted in strategic thinking)—needed now through October;
Triads of people to visit, observe, and pray about what they see in our neighborhood—commit to 2-3 visits as a group over a 2 week period;
People to interview identified community leaders about what they see in and hope for the neighborhoods around Mount Olive—commit 2 to 3 visits over a 2-3 week period; sample interview questions will be provided;
People to help provide childcare at the three congregational meetings;
People to provide refreshments at the three congregational meetings;
People to provide transportation to/from the three congregational meetings
Engage with and encourage other members to join you in these activities to help discern God’s vision for us and shape the direction of our journey in the coming years.
It is exciting to think about being deliberate in seeking what God has planned for Mount Olive, her people, and our neighborhoods. Won’t you be a part of discovering what that is and how it could look for our life together?
Taste of Ethiopia Thanks
A big thank you to all who cooked, decorated, worked in the kitchen, cleaned up, and were joyful participants in "Taste of Ethiopia." It was an educational, meaningful, and enjoyable event. We have sent our thanks to Dinku Bato and his family. We wish him the best in his studies and research, and we will keep the Ethiopian / Oromo churches, both near and far, in our prayers.
Some people asked for more information on the spice berbere that was used in many of the dishes. This spice can be found in bulk at the Wedge Co-op, the Seward Co-op, and at many of the local Ethiopian grocery stores in the Phillips and Seward neighborhoods or near the Snelling /University Avenue intersection in St. Paul. A description of berbere can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berbere.
In Search of Missing Tablecloths
Mount Olive is missing 4 long, cream-colored tablecloths (regularly used for funeral luncheons). If you have borrowed them, or if you brought them home to launder after an event, please return them as soon as possible. They may be returned to the upstairs kitchenette. Thanks!
Theology on Tap
Have you ever wanted to get to know the people sitting next to you in the pews a little better? Do you enjoy a good beer while sharing stories with friends? Then come to Theology on Tap!
Theology on Tap is a new group at Mount Olive that meets once a month at local bars/restaurants to enjoy a good beverage (beer/wine/soda? It’s up to you!), good food, and good conversation. Each month we’ll also dive into a dialogue about faith and life (no preparation or book reading required, only your personal knowledge and insight) as we explore Christianity in the 21st century. Contact Vicar Neal Cannon (vicar@mountolivechurch.org, 612-827-5919 x12) if you would like to join us for Theology on Tap!
March Event Details
Who: Anyone 21+ is welcome to join
Where: Chatterbox Pub
2800 Cleveland Ave S., St. Paul, MN
When: Tuesday March 5, 7:30-9:00pm
Discussion Topic: Violence and Christianity in the 21st Century
#gundebate #justwar #turntheothercheek
Facebook Page & Group: Mount Olive Theology on Tap. (“Like” the page to get updates on Theology on Tap)
Contact: Vicar Neal Cannon (vicar@mountolivechurch.org)
Week 1: “Looking to Jesus”
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen, Wednesday, 20 February 2013; Texts: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:1-4, 14-18; John 1:35-51
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
In June of 1520, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull condemning Martin Luther’s teachings, specifically 41 statements made in previous writings, calling them, among other things, “poisonous” and “offensive.” [1] As we can imagine, Luther responded to these condemnations in rather forceful ways, including four separate documents where he addressed the specific charges.
In his fourth attempt, from March 1521, and the one he considered “smoother and simpler” [2], one of the articles he defends himself against is the condemnation of his claim that sin remains in people even after Baptism, a claim he made in the Leipzig debate in 1519. He writes eloquently about how Christ and Paul both understand this, and part of his defense is that he understands our lives to be like the flour the baker in Jesus’ parable has, and the presence of the Spirit to be the yeast as the woman kneads the dough. Our lives, for Luther, are made more and more like this leaven, this yeast, until, as he says, we “eventually [become] a bread of God.” [3] He goes on to say:
“This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed.” [4]
I find this conviction immensely important to my life of faith, and find that it addresses us as well in the modern day as it does in dealing with a theological dispute of 500 years ago. Because whether or not we articulate a theology of baptism where it has wiped out sin in us for good and for all, we do tend to struggle with the reality of our lives as incomplete. We do recognize that sin still pervades our existence.
We would like it to be different. We would prefer to bypass the process of becoming the people either we hope to be or, as people of faith, we believe God hopes us to be, and simply be those people, now. We get frustrated that even after forgiveness we find ourselves in sin again. We get frustrated in our spiritual journey when it’s not going as well as we’d like. We get frustrated at our attempts to be better people, to break habits, to change ways, attempts which seemingly fall apart all too often. And we certainly get misled by others, who are also not completed, not perfect, and we tend to see their current, incomplete state as the final truth about them, and judge it accordingly. We don’t have a lot of patience for the need for others to continue to grow and become, wanting them to be perfect to us right now.
This Lent we will be exploring this by way of the book of Hebrews, a book in the New Testament that is more a sermon than a letter, and one that we don’t often take much time to study. The writer to the Hebrews had a deep conviction that saw life as Luther described it, as a journey, a process, a pilgrimage. For the writer, part of that awareness is knowing where the pilgrimage will end, in the “city yet to come,” our heavenly inheritance. But that’s not the main point. In fact, rather than being a “pie in the sky” dream, this writer is intent on helping the reader discover the joy and grace of being in the pilgrimage right now, of living one’s life on a journey, of realizing we are “on the way,” not arrived.
So these five weeks we’ll be considering our pilgrimage of life, considering our lives as a journey through the wilderness, not as a bad thing, but as our reality, and we will see what this writer would have us see as important points on that journey. And we begin with the One the writer to the Hebrews introduces as our guide and companion on the pilgrimage of our lives, our Lord Jesus himself.
We are led on our pilgrimage, says our writer, by the very Son of God, the imprint of God.
In this famous opening, we are told that “in many and various ways” God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets, but now in these last days God has spoken to us by a Son. There is for this writer a central idea: that God is not unknowable but has been speaking to people from long ago and to today. But now in Jesus we have direct communication unlike any before.
A large part of this book-length sermon is devoted to describing the superiority of Jesus to angels (a major concern of the original readers), to Moses, to all. But here we see the pinnacle: Jesus is heir of all things, through whom all things were created, as St. John also has told us. Even more, he is “the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.” The image used here is like that of a die used to stamp out coins with the image of the emperor: Jesus is imprinted exactly with the being of God, Jesus is an exact image of the eternal God.
And so as a guide in the pilgrimage of life, we could ask for no better. If we want to know what God thinks of us, we look to Jesus. If we want to know where God would have us go, we look to Jesus. If we want the definitive answer about God’s will and God’s intent, we look to Jesus.
So we begin consideration of our journey of life with the credentials of our Guide on that journey. And the importance to us is pretty high. We may not be tempted to worship angels, but there are lots of guides, lots of authorities, lots of influences in the world we can be tempted to follow. The writer to the Hebrews urges us to follow the true authority, the true influence, the true guide.
But as we hear from the start of the second chapter, we not only need to remember Jesus’ credentials. We need to pay attention to him, too.
There are doubtless few of us who need to be reminded of Jesus’ importance as the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, our Lord and Savior. But Hebrews urges us to pay attention to what we know. Otherwise we might “drift away.” And this seems to be a very important point.
If in fact we are journeying through life, on a pilgrimage, and we don’t listen to our Guide, we’re going to get lost, or worse. If you’ve ever taken a wilderness hike, or a trip through the mountains, or the Boundary Waters, and you’ve never been in that place before, your guide is absolutely critical. If she tells you not to step in a certain place, you’d be wise to listen. If he tells you not to eat a particular plant, by all means don’t eat it.
And so it may seem obvious, but in fact it isn’t: if we believe Jesus to be our Guide in life, we would do well to pay attention to him. To follow what he says, do what he commands, live as he lives. To seek in all things to better know where Jesus would have us be, how Jesus would have us walk, what Jesus would have us do.
Ultimately, it’s the only way to keep from being lost on the pilgrimage, or getting spiritually sick, or falling by the wayside. Keep your eyes on Jesus, Hebrews says.
But there’s one more thing about our Guide we’re supposed to know. And that is, he’s done this pilgrimage before. You wouldn’t want to follow a guide who’d never taken that trail or experienced that wilderness. And this is our best hope and grace in our Lord Jesus.
Hebrews says he had to become like us in every respect, be tested like us, so he is able to help us when we are tested.
In the second season of the television show The West Wing, there’s a scene in the Christmas episode where one of the President’s staff, Josh, is dealing with post-traumatic stress. His boss Leo, the chief of staff, tells him a story to let him know that he will always have a job with him, no matter what. Leo’s story goes like this:
“This guy’s walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, ‘Hey you. Can you help me out?’ The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole, and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, ‘Father, I’m down in this hole – can you help me out?’ The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole, and moves on. Then a friend walks by. ‘Hey, Joe, it’s me – can you help me out?’ And the friend jumps in the hole. [The] guy says, ‘Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.’ The friend says, ‘Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.’ ”
That’s the great gift of our Lord. He’s been down here before. And he knows the way out. We walk on a pilgrimage of life, becoming the children of God we were meant to be, and it’s a challenging, difficult journey. And on this first step of the journey, we start by learning that Jesus, our Guide, has been here before. He has faced all we faced, “testing,” as Hebrews calls it, temptation, suffering, fear, anxiety, even death. And he has risen from the dead and come to lead us to life.
This is the great promise of Hebrews: we have a Guide who is like us in every respect, and at the same time the very imprint of God’s being. So he not only knows where we need to go, he’s been down that path and suffered what we will suffer. And he becomes for us not only our Guide, but our faithful friend at our side all the way, helping us as only one who has lived like us can help us.
And so we continue on our pilgrimage with this hope.
“We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal but it is the right road.”
This is the right road. And we know who is going before us and beside us. And so we do not fear, but look with joy to this journey, reveling in the pilgrimage itself because of who is with us.
We hear his voice saying to us, as to his first disciples, “Come and see.” And so, we go.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
[1] Introduction to Luther’s Works, vol. 32; p. ix, copyright © 1958 Fortress Press.
[2] Introduction to “Defense and Explanation of All the Articles;” Luther’s Works, vol. 32, p. 5, copyright © 1958 Fortress Press.
[3]Martin Luther, “Defense and Explanation of All the Articles, March 1521;” Luther’s Works, vol. 32, p. 24, copyright © 1958 Fortress Press.
[4] Ibid, p. 24.
After escaping Pharaoh and wandering the desert for forty years, but before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses left them one final commandment. “Remember where you came from.” With this institutional memory, we enter this time of Lent in prayer and confession so that as Christ did in the wilderness, we say “no” to self-serving power and “yes” to power that serves the world.
Vicar Neal Cannon, First Sunday in Lent, year C; texts: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Luke 4:1-13
Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
The story of the Jewish people is the story of the wandering Aramean. Arameans were nomadic group of sheepherders that bounced around the Middle East looking for pasture where they feed their flocks and stay safe. They were a homeless people. They were an oppressed people. They were a people who struggled to survive.
It’s difficult for us in America to know what it’s like to wander in the desert, to struggle to survive. Most of us, if not all of us, can get clean water from the tap, and fresh fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. We don’t have to fight for it or toil over it.
The narrative in America that is true for many but not all, is that if you work hard and study hard, you can get ahead. You can build a nice living for yourself. You can have a nice home with a white picket fence and raise your children in safety.
And that’s why I think it’s so hard for us to relate to this text in Deuteronomy today. We don’t know what it’s like struggle to grow food. We don’t know what it’s like to be homeless. We don’t know what it’s like to live in a world where climbing the ladder is not a possibility, no matter how hard we work.
But then again, maybe this story is not so foreign to us …
In this text, Moses and the Jewish people had wandered the desert for forty years, struggling to get by and surviving only by the grace of God. Moses at this point was very old, and as he was nearing the end of his life he realized that he was never going to see the Promised Land while he lived. So, as tradition tells us, Moses wrote down the laws and stories of the Jewish people as a way to remember their history.
Moses wants to capture everything that has happened to his people. He wants them to remember that their ancestors were wandering Arameans. He wants them to remember how God delivered them, so that when they get to the Promised Land they won’t forget how they’ve been treated.
So, Moses leaves instruction for his people for when they come into Promised Land. He says this: “you shall make this response before the L ORD your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the L ORD the God of our ancestors; the L ORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The L ORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders.’ ”
And this is how Moses wraps up all the law, and the history of the Jewish people. He tells them to remember. Remember where you’ve been. Remember what it’s like to be oppressed. Remember what it’s like to struggle to survive. Remember what it’s like to be without a home.
That’s why Moses instructs us to welcome the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan. That’s what God did for us. It’s in our history and it’s crucial to remember that God saved us when we were hungry, and homeless, and struggled, and in pain and sorrow. Moses says that you can’t forget or else when you get to the Promised Land, you’ll become the oppressors, you’ll do the very things God hated. We can’t let that happen.
But here’s the thing. It’s extremely difficult for us to remember things we’ve never experienced personally, even though the story of America is not that different from the story of the Jewish people.
Our story is the story of people from all over the world from all different backgrounds and traditions who were searching for a place to call home. We were wanderers, some people came here to escape religious discrimination, others came to find a home, and others were brought as slaves against their will. This story was so ground into who we are as a people that we wrote the constitution to guarantee life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and other freedoms.
Ironically, time after time after time we’ve interpreted these words to be only for us. We practiced slavery, oppressed the native, said no to the widow, and kept out the immigrant. We’ve said, “you can’t be here, this is our Promised Land, and we will make it in our image.”
So we use our power to protect what is ours. We build fences to keep our neighbors out. We create laws that benefit the wealthiest in society. We make in groups and out groups of all kinds. And what this tells me above all is that we forgot to do what Moses commanded. We forgot that our ancestors were wandering Arameans. We forgot our ancestors were once foreigners here. We forgot that their story is our story.
Now, I hope you don’t think that I’m blaming America for this problem. The problem is not an American problem, this is a human problem. Whenever people, throughout human history, have gone from having no power to having power, they’ve fallen to the temptation of saying, “this is mine and I am going to use my power to serve myself.”
And this is the exact temptation that Jesus encounters in the wilderness today. The Gospel tells us that Jesus spent forty days, wandering in the wilderness, without food. And at the end of these forty days, the devil comes to Jesus at his weakest point and he says an incredibly logical thing, “You know, you have power, use it to feed yourself. Use this for your own purposes. Take these stones and turn them into bread.”
And Jesus turns to the Devil, and he says, “No.”
I find this fascinating because I think any one of us would have said, “Why not? I’m hungry, I need bread, and I have the ability to create bread for myself, why wouldn’t I do this?” It’s too easy for us to say, “Sure, what’s the harm in that?” And this is the human choice, to take power and use it for ourselves.
Jesus is the only one who makes the choice that we couldn’t make. Jesus is the only one, who makes the Godly decision to use power to give life to the other, as opposed to give life to the self.
This choice is emphasized later in the Gospel as Jesus uses the exact same power that he denies himself during the forty days in the wilderness. Jesus takes five loaves of bread and two fish, and he uses his power to feed the 5,000. In this story Jesus uses his power and authority, not for his own purposes, but to feed the world.
In our Gospel today, Jesus turns down power to serve himself three times. In this, Jesus teaches us an important lesson. He teaches us to say “no” to self serving power and “yes” to power that feeds the world and welcomes the stranger.
In this no, Jesus says, “I remember”. Jesus remembers when people took power and used it for their own purposes. Jesus remembers that his people were once slaves in Israel. Jesus remembers what it’s like to be homeless and wandering in the desert for forty years. In fact, because our God is the God of all people, then Jesus remembers everyone’s story. Jesus knows every story of oppression, and violence in the name of self-service, and he says “no” to it because he sees all of time and he knows how that story ends. Our problem is that we can only see what’s right in front of us, and we’re afraid of losing it.
When we have gone through the wilderness ourselves our temptation when we get power is to serve only ourselves. We don’t trust the words “One doesn’t live by bread alone.” So when we are blessed in life with wealth, and privilege, and power we use our power for ourselves. Jesus calls us to use that power for the world.
And that’s what the discipline of Lent is all about. In Lent we reconnect to Christ through the giving up of worldly power, and in doing so, we remember in the same way as Christ not only our own history, but the history of all people. We remember that we share a common link, common DNA. We remember that our ancestors were wandering Arameans too.
And that’s why in Lent we spend time prayer and confession, because in prayer we remember our history. We remember that we were once strangers in a foreign land, we were once oppressed, and we confess that when we gained power and influence, we gave into the temptation of using our power for ourselves.
But it’s also in this confession we make room in our lives for something new to happen. We make room for God to change us. In confession we let go of the need to serve ourselves, and we are given a heart for serving the other.
That is why Lent is not the Christian equivalent of a New Year’s resolution which asks, “How can I better myself?” Lent asks, “How can I serve the world?”
So for this Lenten season, if we give up chocolate to lose five pounds, we’ve missed the point of Lent altogether. But if we give up chocolate and sweets to remind ourselves that people in this world go without food everyday, then we’ve connected with something bigger than ourselves.
And if we give up TV so we have more time to exercise, truly we have not accomplished God’s will on Earth. But if we give up TV so that we can have time to serve the homeless a hot meal, and remember what it is to go for days without one, then God’s will is done.
And if for Lent it is our goal to pray, and fast, and study scripture, and worship in order become more holy before God and honored before other people, we’ve wasted our time. But if we remember in these Christian practices what it is like to wander, and so welcome the alien into our community, and wash their weary feet as they enter our homes, truly we’ve encountered the almighty presence of the living God and we will shine before all people.
So as we enter this time of Lent together, let us say this with one voice, “My ancestor was a wandering Aramean.”
Accent on Worship
Joyful Turning
I’ve started reading Soul Mending: the Art of Spiritual Direction, by Deacon John Chryssavgis, who was also our wonderful speaker at the Liturgical Conference last month. At the very start of this book he wrote something that has been sticking with me in the week since: “We have become so accustomed to thinking of repentance as an unpleasant, though necessary and obligatory rejection of the sin we “enjoy,” that we have tended to lose sight of repentance as a fundamentally joyous, restorative return to life in its fullness.”
(p. 1)
Repentance as a joyful return to life, that’s what’s been working its way through my mind as we approach Lent. Because Lent does have a rather dour reputation as a season of giving up things, a season of minor keys in music, a season of focusing on the terrible death of Jesus, a season of thinking about how awful and sinful we are. That it ends in Easter is considered a grace, but we often hear people speaking of Lent as something to be endured.
But Fr. Chryssavgis is right, that’s not what repentance looks like in the Scriptures, or even in the lives of believers. We are called to “return to the Lord” by the prophet Joel, “who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.” (Joel 2:13) Repentance, turning to God, isn’t actually a gloomy proposition at all because in it we are turning to life from death, to health from sickness, to goodness from evil, to loving action from sinful deed. It is a recognition that our lives are only of abundant value when they are lived in the life of the Triune God who loves us from before all time and into eternity, who is gracious, forgiving, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love.
I wonder what Lent would feel like if we lived it more joyously, as a time of renewal which brings us life from God’s grace, not grumpily as a time of sacrifice of things that normally we enjoy. Perhaps our New Year’s resolutions, which typically are intended to restore us to a better way of living and being, are better placed here, as pathways not to a six-week deprivation of things we long for but to the beginning of a life-long set of habits and ways that actually bring us life and joy. “Lenten discipline” need not have the connotations of a harsh school teacher for us. Rather, the disciplines of Lent could be for us the pathway of life and grace in the love of God we’ve been hoping to find all our lives.
I invite us all to consider this joy as we begin our discipline, as we intentionally begin to think on our being disciples once again. Jesus’ disciples didn’t follow him because of his threats or his stringent requirements. They followed him, and yes, learned the discipline of a life in Christ, because of his loving grace that drew them in, because of the life he brought them, even after dying himself, when he rose from the dead. Let us therefore joyfully repent of our sins, and turn to our God, in whom we find life and grace, a thing to celebrate even in this season of Lent.
In the name of Jesus,
- Joseph
2013 Lenten Devotional Booklets Now Available
Return to God: A Lenten Journey Into Wilderness, To Jerusalem, written for the Mount Olive community by Susan Cherwien, is now available at church. Pick one up for use in your Lenten journey this year. They are in the narthex and Chapel Lounge at church.
The devotional is also available online in a daily blog at www.journeyintolent.blogspot.com.
Upcoming Adult Forums
Sunday, February 17 – “The Work of Common Hope,” led by the Ruff family and Louise LeGrand.
Sunday, February 24– “The Art of Lectio Divinia,” presented by Sister Carol Rennie OSB and Sam Rahberg from the Benedictine Center.
Lent Procession to be Held This Sunday, February 17, 4 p.m.
Join us for another contemplative service of lessons and carols – for Lent! This service is offered on the First Sunday in Lent as an opportunity to withdraw from the busyness of life to pray, sing, listen, smell – to fully enter into the season of Lent, a time to renew our life as baptized children of God.
Midweek Lenten Worship
Wednesdays in Lent
Noon – Holy Eucharist
7:00 pm – Evening Prayer
Church Clean Up - Mark Your Calendars!
The next church clean-up day will be held on Saturday, February 23, from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. Plan to come and pitch in – many hands make light work!
Book Discussion Group
For the March 9 meeting, the Book Discussion group will read Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting they will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.
Lenten Bible Study: Practice Faith
Christian faith practices are widely accepted, but not broadly understood outside of a moral/ethical understanding. Of course we should be hospitable, of course we should give to the poor, and of course we should be in service to our neighbor. Other faith practices take on the sense of duty and obligation. We’re called to pray, observe Sabbath, share the gospel, etc.
But what is the Biblical root of these practices? Why are these things so important that they are mentioned over, and over, and over again in the Bible? What have Christians done in the past and what can we do now to keep these practices alive in our lives?
Come to the six week Lenten Bible study starting February 14th from 6-7:30pm in the Chapel Lounge to explore these topics in scripture and community.
February 14 – Hospitality and Welcome
February 21 – Tithing and Generosity
February 28 – Prayer
March 7 – Celebration and Sabbath
March 14 – Sharing the Gospel
March 21 – Serving our Neighbor
Meals on Wheels
Thanks to the following members of Mount Olive who delivered Meals on Wheels for TRUST, Inc. during the last quarter of 2012: Nancy & Gary Flatgard, Elaine & Art Halbardier; Bob Lee, and Connie & Rod Olson.
T hursday Musical Concert to Be Held at Mount Olive
For more than 120 years, Thursday Musical has been dedicated to presenting fine classical music programs featuring outstanding local musicians and offering educational opportunities to artists and audiences alike.
On Thursday, February 21, at 10:30 a.m., as part of their Thursday Morning Artist Series, their concert will be held at Mount Olive, and feature David Cherwien and Kathryn Moen, organists, and the Semada Trio (oboe, bassoon, and piano). The concert is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Visioning
For the past month a Vision Task Force comprised of Andrew Andersen, David Cherwien, Pastor Crippen, Judy Hinck, Adam Krueger, Connie Marty, Peter Tressel, and Donna Neste have begun to develop a process that will allow the congregation to discern God’s vision for Mount Olive Lutheran Church and our shared ministry to our neighborhood and the world. A number of events have converged that make this an ideal time to undertake such a process: We have just completed a (quite successful) 5-year campaign and building renovation, Pastor Crippen is well into his third year as our pastor and has a stronger sense of who and where we are, and Donna Neste’s retirement as our Neighborhood Ministry Coordinator will occur in the spring of 2014.
Through a study of God’s word, prayer, visits around the neighborhood, interviews with community leaders, together we will work to match information gained with congregational interests and assets. A series of three congregational meetings will occur this spring and summer to build community around our history, our values, and God’s vision for our future as his people in this place. The task force will compile the information provided and present the findings and proposal for next steps to the October Semi-Annual meeting of the congregation.
How can you be involved in this important work? Following are some of the needs already identified.
• Pray for this important effort and correct discernment of God’s will; specific requests will be posted from time to time, but you can begin now to lift up the process that Christ’s church and God’s people are served by it.
• Commit to study God’s word; specific “vision passages” of scripture and others will be provided as a guide
• Get involved; volunteers will be needed for the following; contact any member of the Task Force or the church office.
Augment the Task Force (especially those who are gifted in strategic thinking)—needed now through October
Triads of people to visit, observe, and pray about what they see in our neighborhood—commit to 2-3 visits as a group over a 2 week period
People to interview identified community leaders about what they see in and hope for the neighborhoods around Mount Olive—commit 2 to 3 visits over a 2-3 week period; sample interview questions will be provided
People to help provide childcare at the three congregational meetings
People to provide refreshments at the three congregational meetings
People to provide transportation to/from the three congregational meetings
Engage with and encourage other members to join you in these activities to help discern God’s vision for us and shape the direction of our journey in the coming years.
It is exciting to think about being deliberate in seeking what God has planned for Mount Olive, her people, and our neighborhoods. Won’t you join us in the discovery of what that is and how it could look for our life together?
There is in us a brokenness, a way of living and being apart from God, which traps and binds us; the joy of Ash Wednesday is that in turning to God in confession we find life, joy and forgiveness, a new life restored to live anew.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen, Ash Wednesday; texts: Isaiah 58:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10; Psalm 51
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Today is Ash Wednesday, a day where we confess our sin and begin a six week journey with God, a journey of turning our lives around and seeking to live in God’s ways. Today we once more speak strongly and openly about our sin. But I’ve been wondering about that lately, in two areas.
First, in our modern world, given that even speaking of something as “sin” rather than “bad choice” or “mistake” makes us somewhat out of step, we need to consider our language of sin and captivity to sin and see if we even still find meaning and truth in those words. But second, I’m also concerned that the invitation to confess our sin to God that Ash Wednesday brings, and the Lenten journey itself, is too often covered in layers of gloom in our minds, as if this six weeks is a time to be weighed down, as if confession and discipline are negative terms, as if we have to endure Lent so that we can have the fun of Easter.
We do put ashes on our heads today, reminding us that we are mortal, we die, and we live too often apart from God, that is true. But in spite of that, and in spite of the seriousness with which our readings from God’s Word today take our sin, our brokenness, the rupture of our relationship with God and others, they also describe a light, a joy, to which we are turning in our confession. Assuming we can continue to agree that captivity to sin is still our problem, perhaps we can also find that joy in confession as a present reality in Lent, we can find life in our discipline during this season that will also continue far beyond these six weeks.
So we begin with the question: do we mean it when we say we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves?
Those words from one of our confessional prayers, though not one we used today, are directly from the witness of the New Testament, and central to our understanding of our lives and of God. But do we still understand that to be true? If we aren’t sure how to begin to answer that, let’s listen to something a fellow Christian wrote:
15 “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 18b I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Romans 7:15, 18b-19)
Now let me ask you: do you understand what that Christian meant? Is that something we experience? If it is, then we know what it is to be in bondage to sin. To be a slave to sin. To be captive to sin. It’s amazing that the apostle Paul wrote those words nearly 2,000 years ago and they still connect.
This whole section of Romans, leading from chapter 5 up to this part of chapter 7 I just read, flows with Paul’s belief that sin – not just our actions but for Paul an actual power we cannot control – enslaves us, to the point that we are trapped at times. And those words describe our reality perfectly.
Paul describes a situation where he feels trapped, where he knows how God wants him to be, how even he wants to be, but he cannot seem to do it consistently. Sometimes, he thinks, he can’t do it at all. What Paul has done is move from an abstract theological word, sin, to a real experience, his brokenness in life.
And that’s the move we need to make if we’re going to be honest about ourselves and our lives. We need to move away from the idea that sin is an abstract idea, the breaking a set of arbitrary laws that God has set up and that are hard to follow. We also need to move from the cultural idea that flows around us that “sin” is outdated, that there is no need to speak in such terms.
In short, we need to move toward a recognition that sin is the word that best describes what we already know is wrong with our lives, what we know God sees as broken in us.
What the Scriptures tell us about this is actually pretty simple: we were created to be loving people who cared for a beautiful creation and for each other, who lived in the way we were created to live by a loving God, and who loved God with all of our lives.
To the extent that we know we are not any of that, we know sin. To the extent that we feel trapped and unable to return to the way we were created to live, we know captivity to sin.
Now, I don’t go to bed every night thinking, “I’m an awful sinner.” But I do go to bed remembering the ways I failed to be the father I could be, the husband I could be, the pastor I could be, the person God sees I could be and wants me to be.
I do hear the problems of the world and realize that too many days I’m too distracted by my own life and worries to even try to think how I could help the problem of world hunger, or the injustice our way of life creates for others, from our foreign policy to our use of resources, or the problem of homelessness in our own city, let alone the state or nation or world.
I understand what Isaiah says, that there’s no point in dumping ashes on our head if we still aren’t sharing our bread with the hungry, and inviting the homeless poor into our houses.
And my life is not the rich, full, abundant life it could be if I lived fully in God’s ways, and the world is not the beautiful, peace-filled place it could be if we all lived fully in God’s ways.
But like Paul says, knowing that isn’t enough.
We hurt people by what we say and do every day, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. We think about it after we realize someone is hurt by what we’ve said or done or failed to say or do, and we regret it. But tomorrow we’ll probably do something similar.
We neglect the poor and hungry every day, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. We think about it when we throw half a plate of food away or try some diet to get to a lower weight, and we regret it. But tomorrow we’ll probably be in the same place.
We know that life could be better for a lot of people in this world and we know that we’re a part of the problem, and we regret it. But we don’t change.
We know that God’s law isn’t bad for us, it’s good for us. And it’s frustrating when we repeat our sins again and again. We say, “this time I’ll do better.” We say, “now we’ll live more simply so others may simply live.” And yet we fall into the same patterns.
This is what sin is. And this is what it is to be enslaved by it. We know it in our bones.
This is why we come here today. To confess, to turn back to God, to remember our problem. We come to hear if we could possibly break free of this enslavement that grasps our lives, and find new lives in God. We come to hear if God has any good news for us, to understand what God’s forgiveness truly means.
Because there’s where the joy is found: ultimately the reason we want to recognize the things in our life that God calls sin is that we might be freed from them.
In that struggle in Romans 7, Paul ends with an outburst of thanksgiving to God who in Christ frees us from our bondage, our captivity. That’s why Lent, and confession, and repentance, the turning to God of which we speak today, is a call to delight and hope.
The Good News of God’s forgiveness in Jesus is that all these things into which we feel trapped, these things that harm our life and the lives of countless others, these things that we do that we don’t even want to do, all these things can be taken away.
We can be given new lives and new hearts, as David asked for and so do we in singing his psalm. We can become the people we were created to be. That’s what God came to do in Jesus.
And then, then, Isaiah says, “light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.” When we are honest about our captivity to sin, about our need for repentance, when we learn that God not only forgives us but frees us, all we can do is rejoice. Because God’s light is breaking forth in our lives, even in the midst of our sinful, broken world, and our sinful, trapped, broken lives.
And we are finding healing, hope, grace. We’re not there yet, not where we will be. But God is working this in us, and it is our joy and life. And our lives become, as Isaiah says, springs of water in the wilderness, a watered garden, and our gloom becomes “as noonday.”
So that even in the six weeks of Lent, while we speak often of the wilderness, even now we begin to understand the overflowing waters of God’s grace.
And we can see Lent not as a six week drudgery, but as a six week beginning of a new life. Because that’s what returning to the Lord really is for us, a new life. A life lived with the grace of forgiveness because we have been honest about our sin and our captivity and brought it to God. A life lived with the joy of being a part of God’s justice and peace for the world, because we have confessed our participation in the injustice and not only are forgiven but empowered to be a part of God’s healing.
That’s the promise. When we turn to the Lord in confession, knowing all that we do about our sin, we will not only know the Lord’s forgiveness, but also the strength to be freed. We will begin to be healed inside and out. We will become the children of God only God can see in us now and the world will begin to be healed, too. And this season of Lent then begins our joy, begins our new life.
Come, let us return to the Lord. Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation!
In the name of Jesus. Amen
The Rev. Dinku L. Bato is a pastor of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and a Ph.D. candidate at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership. He is from Addis Ababa, and he and his family were at Mount Olive on Transfiguration for a celebration of our partnership in mission with Christians in Ethiopia. He preached and led the adult forum.
Pr. Dinku L. Bato, Transfiguration of our Lord, year C; text: Luke 9:28-36
In the name of the Father, and of + the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Introduction
The story in our text today (commonly known as the Transfiguration) foreshadows the two separate events on the Mount of Olives: place of prayer and arrest as well as the scene of the ascension. The transfiguration is a narrative of two major doctrines of Christian life: the cross and glory wherein the theology of glory is inseparably intertwined to the theology of the cross. The scene depicts Jesus praying as heavenly bodies talk to him about his imminent pain, death, and resurrection while his disciples doze on the mountain of vision. As we continue to look into the passage where the identity of Jesus is unveiled, I want us to approach it in six analytical steps toward examining the problems and solutions the text offers (including brief passages immediately surrounding today’s gospel reading).
I. The External Problem: Spiritual Slumber, Heedlessness
The disciples, in spite of this important incident, where they are invited to participate in the disclosure of God’s salvation plan, seem to be heedless and unprepared, allegedly due to
1. The time of the day (probably night time, in which they usually go to bed),
2. The tiredness involved in the trek (mountain climbing), and
3. Apparently, Jesus’ prolonged prayer.
Their condition, however, may not be appropriate when seen against the background of Jesus’ intended purpose, which may include
1. Revealing the identity and purpose of Jesus’ coming,
2. Encouraging these particular disciples (in the inner circle) in their upcoming responsibility as key leaders in the ministry, and
3. Acting as prayer companions as Jesus prepares for the “exodus,” and departure (suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection) in Jerusalem.
Here sleep may be understood as a faithless equivalent to vigilance in prayer. Later at Gethsemane, Jesus rebukes the disciples for their heedlessness in prayer: “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Lk 22:46). Who chooses to sleep on such an eventful night—a divine one? Such nights need special alertness, for as Elihu states: “Our maker gives songs in the night” (Job 35:10).
Their inattention has led them to misunderstand the event which they glimpsed only partially. By the time they wake up from their slumber, they will have already missed the first part, the crucial part: the words of Moses and Elijah to Jesus where they speak about his departure (lit. “exodus”), that is, his suffering, death, and resurrection. This means that they miss the cross which they were meant to see considering their unwillingness and/or unpreparedness to accept. We also remember Peter rebuking Jesus for telling them about His imminent suffering and death.
Their misunderstanding of the event was not without consequences. I see four ramifications:
The first is surrender to their own agenda (dwelling in the moment of glory), exaltation above the rest of the disciples and all earthly pains. This was clearly demonstrated in the question of greatness raised among the disciples or the position the mother of John and James requested for her sons when Jesus would come to his Kingdom. Yet it is not possible to dwell permanently in this moment of glory. Peter could have learned this right from where he stood—the mountain which slowly releases the dew it absorbed from the atmosphere as the sun shines upon it. Thus, the dew turns into a stream that flows to the dry valleys. Mountain top experiences (dreams, epiphanies, and visions) always need to be connected to the lives in the valley where God wishes to pour his blessings. Only then can they bring significance to our entire experience in making the goal clear in the journey and at the same time helping us to see the tasks and struggles from new perspectives that give our lives purpose.
The second is knowing not what one speaks (v. 33). Cross-less talks are gibberish talks; they are quite misleading like flowery roads leading to death. Paul on the other hand determines to speak/preach nothing else but Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). Only in the light of the cross do we ever understand the character of God or the significance of Jesus.
The third is sinful silence (v. 36). According to Luke the silence seems to arise out of fear, a lack of faith which becomes sinful silence and unholy, a silence that emanates from a disappointment connected to the need to descend into the valley, leaving the mountain top experience behind. The hustle and bustle of self aggrandizement muffles the resounding evangelistic voice echoed in the holy mountains of revelation.
And the fourth and final ramification is to live below expectations, which is their inability to be agents of God’s blessing and healing to His people as depicted in their failure to heal the epileptic—(as in Luke 9:37-38). Obsession with the self (the big I) equates to spiritual slumber. There are times when this spiritual slumber deprives us of seeing what we ought to see. Preoccupied and tired out by the responsibilities and burdens in our lives, we soon lose focus on life’s bigger picture which is serving others in the name of Christ. We are often tempted to put ourselves at the center. This sort of self love stifles not only our ability to see the full revelation, but also leads us into sinful silence and inaction in the face of injustice and death in which the whole creation languishes. Hence, the call is in place for us: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14).
II. The Internal Problem: Faithlessness
The external problems we saw hitherto have an internal cause, in this case, fear /terror (v. 34) and faithlessness (v.41). The cloud which depicts the presence of God should have conveyed faith and joy, but to them it instigated fear and terror. Their hearts were filled with desire and competition for earthly gains. Their encounter with God of selfless love, therefore, has caused trembling and frustration rather than joy and jubilation. This lack of trust and confidence has resulted in all kinds of heedlessness, selfishness, and the inability to speak and act properly. The unbelief and the consequent restlessness of our hearts and thoughts often become the source of restlessness in our speech and action. We also may need to join the father of the epileptic boy in the Gospel of Mark, who cried: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk 9:24-25).
III. The Eternal Problem: Eternal Separation from the Presence of God (Death)
Unbelief leads to isolation and perdition as depicted in Jesus answer here: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you?” (v. 41). This refers, I believe, not only to the crowd that was gathering around the epileptic boy who the disciples, reportedly, couldn’t heal, but even more so to the befuddled and distraught disciples.
Faithlessness is powerful at keeping the presence of God out of one’s life. This sort of unbelief finally, Luke tells us, led Peter to denial of his Lord and the rest of the disciples to deserting Him. Luke clearly portrays this condition of the disciples–particularly in the life of the two who were on their way to Emmaus (representatives of the rest of the group, who were hiding out of fear) who remarked that “but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (Lk 24:21). Their hope for earthly glory was shattered and with this their lives. Similarly, Ron Starenko aptly notes in his Sabbatheology article “Glory Lost, Glory Found” that “whatever glory we seek, whether in our efforts or accomplishments, which are fading, we are heading the wrong way, ultimately having no promise of life, no future, no continuity, as the pay-off is death, the final terrifying experience, glory lost forever.” [1]
IV. The Eternal Solution: Listen to Him!
We see God coming closer and closer to them: the messengers (Moses and Elijah), the cloud, the voice, and above all, His Son, who walked with them in spite of their doubt, fear, and perversity. God comes to us, for us and always loves to abide with us—Emmanuel, regardless of our slumber and frailty.
No more cloud of fear and terror but of God’s presence and guidance as it was for the Israelites in the wilderness: “By day the L ORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way” (Exodus 13:21). This in some way depicts the characteristic of Christ, who is a refuge to His people from the heat of a flaming law, the blazing sword of justice, the anger of God, the fiery darts of Satan; and who continues to lead his people through the wilderness by his Spirit, by his word, and by his own example; and who is the best Shepherd to follow.
Now it is not the voice of Moses or Elijah but the voice of the Son (the fulfillment of both the Law and the prophets) whom they need to listen to. No more confusion from the multiplicity of puzzling voices but a unique voice of the Good Shepherd that guides them through the wilderness.
V. The Internal Solution: Know the Voice
Now they know a voice—the voice they know. Now they trust a voice—the voice they trust. The voice expels fear and disbelief and guides them to rest and peace: As Jesus said: “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (Jn 10:4-5).
I once heard a story of a man who lost a couple of dogs to thieves who killed them with poisoned meat before robbing his house. But finally, this man trained his new dog in a way that it eats only after listening to the voice of his owner whenever the food comes on a plate or thrown over the fence. Thieves, ever since, have relentlessly tried their old trick on the new dog, but to no avail. The dog knew the voice of his master.
The voice of our Shepherd continually comes to us, as new men and women in Christ: through the reading and preaching of the word, the sacraments, through prayer, friends, creation, vision, dreams, and epiphanies: “For God does speak—now one way, now another—though man may not perceive it” (Job 33:14). Do we notice the voice of Christ, our shepherd, who always speaks to us and walks before us?
VI. The External Solution: Live According to the Voice!
This humble voice that guides them now is powerful enough to break the haughty cedars of self aggrandizing motifs and selfish living. “The voice of the Lord is powerful . . . The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars” (Ps 29:4-5). No more would they seek their own glory, but the glory of the one who called them to glory through the cross ( theologia gloria via the theologia crucis): It enables these sons of thunder (“Boanerges”) to live for others a life of service rather than a life of wrath that once prayed for fire from heaven to destroy Samaritans who resist receiving them (Lk 9:54). At the end of their lives these Sons of Thunder became known for something else. James was the first apostle to be martyred. And John became known as the apostle of love.
They would no longer be unaware of what they spoke, as Peter did after seeing Moses and Elijah on the mountain of transfiguration. Peter and John’s fear was supplanted by a confidence from the Holy Spirit who speaks now through them even in the face of opposition from those who threaten them to keep silent about this Jesus whom they preach crucified and raised from the dead: “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).
Conclusion
Today, we too are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Who fills us with confidence and moves us to speak and proclaim boldly the good news of God to all creation through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. We too are empowered by the same Spirit to descend the mountain of self- enhancement to the valley of pain and suffering to serve others humbly and joyfully.
May the heavenly love always shine upon us and melt our love of dwelling in mountain top experiences, prompting it to flow and go to the arid and dark valleys until they grow and glow. Amen.
[1] See http://www.crossings.org/theology/2013/default.html
Accent on Worship
Shine On
Working at a Bible Camp in northern Minnesota during my summers in college, we had a term for the experience of our campers. We called it “The Mountain Top.” The Mountain Top experience is that ‘high’ that kids often felt in being at camp. It’s that feeling of never having been closer to God; never having been loved more in your life. Usually, by mid-week Tuesday or Wednesday, kids would start feeling as though they were on the mountain top, but by Thursday and certainly Friday, they started to dread going back down into the valley. They dreaded going home, going to school, and going back to “normal life” as they often called it.
I often wondered what it was that separated this place, the mountain; from our normal lives, the valley.
Our text this week answers that question beautifully. It tells us that there is a veil that separates us from God. The veil is that space between God and us. In scripture, whenever God appears to the people, it’s always at a distance or at an angle. God appears to Moses in a burning bush, and when he leaves, Moses only sees God’s back. Jacob wrestles with God in the dark, but God leaves before daybreak.
In this world, there are places where the veil is heavy. There are places in our lives where God seems far away, places of hatred, death, despair, loneliness, etc.
But there are also spaces in this world where we glimpse God. Sometimes we glimpse God when a friend comes to us in our sadness and loneliness. Sometimes we glimpse God in worship or in feeding the hungry. As someone once told me, there are places where the veil is thin.
But we also learn that in one person, the veil is removed. There’s one space where we see fully what God is like, and that’s in Jesus Christ as he comes down from the mountain, and into the valley to be with us.
So when kids at camp described their “mountain top” experience, what they are really saying is that they’ve encountered Jesus Christ who has come down from the mountain into the valley of their lives. They’ve encountered the Word of God, Jesus, in Bible study. They’ve encountered the Holy Spirit when friends and adults alike surround them with love and affirmation. They’ve encountered God in a song sung around the campfire. So, like Jesus and Moses on their mountain tops, they shine for the world to see when they encounter the Triune God.
The same is true for us. When we encounter God in worship, we shine. When we learn to love our neighbor as Jesus taught us, we shine because that is the image of God. When we bear this good news for others, we shine because we reflect God’s word to us.
So as Jesus and Moses did once, come to the mountain top where the veil is thin so you too may shine for the world.
- Vicar Neal Cannon
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tuesday, February 12, 6–6:45 p.m.
All are invited! Please take a moment to sign up on the chart in the west assembly area so that we can get an approximate count for food preparation– or call your RSVP in to the church office.
We are in need of two volunteers to help with games at this event. If you are willing to help, call Beth Sawyer at 651-434-0666, or drop her an email at mikebethsawyer78@gmail.com.
Lent Begins
Ash Wednesday
February 13, 2013
Holy Eucharist
with the Imposition of Ashes
Noon and 7:00 pm
Bring Your Palms
It’s time to bring in any palm branches you have from last year’s Palm Sunday liturgy. These branches may be placed in the designated basket in the narthex. They will be burned in a brief rite on Shrove Tuesday after the Pancake Supper, and their ashes used for the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13.
Sunday Readings
February 10, 2013 – Transfiguration of Our Lord
Exodus 34:29-35 + Psalm 99
2 Corinthians 3:12—4:2 + Luke 9:28-36[37-43]
February 17, 2013 – First Sunday in Lent
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 + Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13 + Luke 4:1-13
Taste of Ethiopia - This Sunday
“Taste of Ethiopia,” is this Sunday, February 10. The preacher and education hour leader will be The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At the education hour, he will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular. After the second liturgy, please join us for a lunch of Ethiopian food, prepared by members of Mount Olive. The annual “Taste of” event, which highlights the culture, foods, and history of various areas of our global community, is a long tradition at Mount Olive.
Proceeds from this year's "Taste of Ethiopia" will benefit two initiatives of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, the Lutheran church partner in Ethiopia. (1) The Oromo Functional Literacy project teaches Oromo communities to read and write with the goal of empowerment and development. We were invited to support this program by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation. (2) The other initiative is a program that supports communities to care for children who have been orphaned due to AIDS. We have been invited to contribute to this program by the Bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod of the ELCA, which supports this project through its sister synod relationship with Ethiopia.
Upcoming Adult Forums
Sunday, February 10 – As part of our Taste of Ethiopia observance, The Reverend Dinku Bato, a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary in Congregational Mission and Leadership, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will talk about the history and current context of Christianity in Ethiopia and Lutherans in particular.
Sunday, February 17 – Common Hope Project, led by the Ruff family (and others).
Lent Procession to be Held Sunday, February 17, 4 p.m.
Join us for another contemplative service of lessons and carols – for Lent! This service is offered on the First Sunday in Lent as an opportunity to withdraw from the busyness of life to pray, sing, listen, smell – to fully enter into the season of Lent, a time to renew our life as baptized children of God.
Book Discussion Group
The Book Discussion Group will NOT meet in February because several members will be traveling at the usual meeting time. For the March 9 meeting we will discuss Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. For the April 13 meeting we will discuss In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant. Looking ahead, in May we will discuss Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. This is the sequel to her novel The Sparrow which we read earlier.
Servant Schedule Deadline
February 15, 2013 is the deadline for requests for the 2nd quarter Servant Schedule. The schedule for April, May and June of 2013 will be posted at the beginning of March. Please email requests to Peggy Hoeft @ peggyrf70@gmail.com by 2/15/13.
Art Shoppe Update
In 2011, A Minnesota Without Poverty approached Mount Olive and JCRC seeking help in providing a space in which local artists could sell their work. We agreed! And after several months of planning and remodeling an area at Midtown Global Market, The Art Shoppe opened in October of 2011. One year later, they celebrated their first birthday with food, music, and demonstrations. At Christmas, not only did the store do well, but a “sister” store in Gaviidae Common downtown asked us to participate. December sales topped $10,000.
The artists, Kim, Terry, Raelena, Tara, Kip, and Keegan, have learned skills of bookkeeping, sales, management, and publicity in this micro enterprise. Mount Olive volunteers Kathy Thurston and JoAnn Sorenson, and Carol Austermann have contributed their energy and ideas. Over 60 consigners bring a variety of glassware, pottery, clothing, and jewelry to sell.
The income generated at the store has enabled the artists to pay rent and to begin paying off the loan which enabled them to start this adventure. A contract for the same space for 2013 has been signed and they are looking at a bright future and toward teaching others how to succeed at business. Congratulations to The Art Shoppe!
All are encouraged to visit The Art Shoppe – and to shop!
Hymnal Companion
Have you ever sung a hymn in church and wanted to know more about it? Were you curious to know a little about the person who composed the tune or who wrote the text, or other background on the hymn? Thanks to a generous donor, a copy of Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship, by Paul Westermeyer is now available in the west reception area. This book is meant to remain in this area to be a resource for the whole congregation. Take some time to peruse it and learn a little more about the church’s rich heritage of hymns.
Church Clean Up - Mark Your Calendars!
The next church clean-up day will be held on Saturday, February 23, from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. Plan to come and pitch in – many hands make light work!
Lenten Bible Study: Practice Faith
Christian faith practices are widely accepted, but not broadly understood outside of a moral/ethical understanding. Of course we should be hospitable, of course we should give to the poor, and of course we should be in service to our neighbor. Other faith practices take on the sense of duty and obligation. We’re called to pray, observe Sabbath, share the gospel, etc.
But what is the Biblical root of these practices? Why are these things so important that they are mentioned over, and over, and over again in the Bible? What have Christians done in the past and what can we do now to keep these practices alive in our lives?
Come to the six week Lenten Bible study starting February 14th from 6-7:30pm in the Chapel Lounge to explore these topics in scripture and community.
February 14 – Hospitality and Welcome
February 21 – Tithing and Generosity
February 28 – Prayer
March 7 – Celebration and Sabbath
March 14 – Sharing the Gospel
March 21 – Serving our Neighbor
A New Opportunity to Serve
The Neighborhood Ministries Committee recently took a survey of guests to see whether there was interest in staying for a social hour after the meal. There was enough favorable response so that we are considering offering a social time. However, the volunteers serving the Community Meal are obviously otherwise occupied. This is where you come in. We hope that a Mount Olive group or individual would like to take on this service. There is interest among the guests particularly in playing board games, and doing craft activities. The social hour could be kicked off, for instance, with a game of Bingo. A social time such as this could help fill a need for people who are often isolated and seeking to form relationships.
This service would require only a couple of hours on the Saturday that the community meal is served. If you or your committee or other group might be interested in carrying out this activity, please contact Carol Austermann (612-722-5123) or Eunice Hafemeister (612-721-6790) or speak to any member of the Neighborhood Ministries Committee.
Church Library News
One of the newest displays in our church library contains some timely or topical reading, as well as some pre-Lenten reading, such as:
• The Real Score, by golf champion Gene Littler
• All the Master’s Men: Patterns for Modern Discipleship, by Kendrick Strong
• Trevor’s Place: The Story of the Boy Who Brings Hope to the Homeless, by Frank and Janet Farrell
• Catch the New Wind: The Church is Alive and Dancing, by Marilee Zdenek and Marge Champion
• To the Kid in the Pew (60 Chapel Talks), by Eldon Weisheit
• Time for Questions: Messages for Lent and Easter, by Harris W. Lee
• Come, Lord Jesus, Come Quickly (Lenten Meditations), by Constance F. Parvey
• Parables from the Cross (Sermons for Lent and Easter), by Kenneth Rogahl and Walter Schoedel
• Voices of the Crossroads (First Person Dramatic Portrayals of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus),
edited by Paul K. Peterson (yes, this is our late Paul Peterson)
• Meeting Christ in Handel’s Messiah (Messages for Lent and Easter), by Roger T. Quillan
A recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune featured a great quote from the Reading is Fundamental organization and it goes like this: "BOOK PEOPLE UNITE -- Read to a child today and spark a lifetime of ambition!"
- Leanna Kloempken
Sign Up, Sign Up for Coffee!
If you are willing to host an upcoming coffee hour during the months of March or April, please take a moment to sign up on the chart, located in the church office. The chart is also available to sign at coffee hour on Sunday mornings.
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