Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Home About Worship Music and Arts Parish Life Learning Outreach News Contact
Mount Olive Lutheran Church

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The Olive Branch, 1/28/15

Accent on Worship  

     On days when I need a new perspective (which is most days) I reach for Oswald Chambers’ popular devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. After searching for inspiration not found in a gray Minnesota sky, and after waiting for my caffeine to kick in so I could think of something coherent to write to you, I was pleased when today’s message from Oswald started with, “A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle for us because we will not be simple.” Oh Oswald, that happens to you too?

     We’re in the midst of a very rich time in the life of Mount Olive. The sharing of the expression of Vision with the congregation is a beautiful, challenging season of reflection, anticipation, and work.  As I consider my role within this vision, both from my position on staff and my role as a member, I’m finding myself twisting around corners and chasing the rabbit deeper and deeper with self-inflicted complication. As encouraging and supportive as this community can be, that doesn’t always save one from one’s self. In steps Oswald today to bring simplicity and calm.

     Micah was doing the same in chapter 6:1-8 when he told the people to remember their journey, remember God’s blessings on them, and then simplified the pending question of “with what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted?” No burnt offerings, no rams, olive oil or first born sons. Instead, the generous answer of “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Easy, right? So why do I complicate it?      

     I’m very excited about what is to come. There is so much potential circulating within the people of this church and good work already being done.  I am wary to share my struggle so openly – that I can get a little over-zealous on the ‘do’ nature and let that pressure complicate my ability to see the truth of the Lord’s Word and allow it to free me rather than bind me. But I trust that God is working, putting words and people around me to uplift and inspire (thanks Oswald!), and hopefully, I am helping do the same for you as well as we live together - in the presence of God. Being the presence of God.

- Anna Kingman          



Sunday Readings

February 1, 2015: 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 111
I Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28
 ______________________

February 8, 2015: 5th Sunday after Epiphany
 Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
I Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39



Sunday’s Adult Forum: February 1, 2015

“End of Life Decisions,” a presentation by the Congregational Care Committee



Can You Help?

     If you love food, good conversation, and have a compassion for caring, this opportunity may be for you!

     This past year Mount Olive members have been amazingly responsive to several calls to help families within our congregation by supplying meals and also offering support and encouragement as needed.   In doing so, it has become increasingly clear that others among us have similar needs that may be going unrecognized.    

     Mount Olive’s Congregational Care Committee wants to help what has been a “naturally occurring experience” become more inclusive and available to all of its members.  The goal is to increase awareness and responsiveness to needs such as:

A new baby in the family.   A few starter meals can ease the adjustment.
A spouse suddenly alone.   A meal, coffee or lunch out, and/or companionship can ease the loneliness.
An unexpected illness in the family.  Meals to drop off or share, and perhaps provide a needed break for caregivers.
The loss of job and income.  Meals, a listening ear, and supportive conversation to lessen feelings of discouragement.
A single person experiencing a significant life change.  Help with meals, transportation, etc. to support continued independence.

     How will this work? The hope is to develop a list of people who would be willing to bring a meal, take someone out for lunch, and to participate in the sharing of food and conversation.  Think about it!   The opportunities are wide open.

     Are you ready to give it a trial run?   A recently widowed member has had friends and relatives present after the death of a spouse.  These people have now returned to their homes. Before leaving, however, and in recognition of how difficult the loneliness will be, family members have asked if the Mount Olive family can step in a few times a week to bring a meal and share in conversation.
Can you help? Please call or email Marilyn Gebauer (phone: 612-306-8872, email: gebauevm@bitstream.net).



Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting February 14, the Book Discussion Group will read Wise Blood, by Flannery O’Connor. For their meeting on March 14, they will read The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.



Paying Attention

     Recently personal items of value belonging to Mount Olive folk were taken from public areas of the church building during Sunday liturgy.  It has been several years since we have had a similar occurrence.  

     Because of the open nature of the building it is not always possible to know who is coming and going from the building.

     All of us can help prevent future problems by:  1) greeting and welcoming persons who are unfamiliar to you and ask if they need assistance or directions.  Our hospitality helps us get to know folks who come among us, and will help with things like this as well;  2)  keeping personal valuables, e.g. purses, com-puters, phones, car keys, and brief cases with you or locked away; and  3) notifying staff, ushers, or vestry members if you observe suspicious activities.



More Helping Hands Are Needed to Feed the Homeless

     Members of Mount Olive provide the evening meal at Our Saviour's Shelter the second Sunday of every month.  This important ministry meets a real need right in our own neighborhood.  You can serve in these ways:

Food preparation - We'll cook the meal in our kitchen Sunday afternoon.
Food transportation - We will bring the food eight blocks north to the shelter.
Serving - We'll meet the residents as we serve the meal to them.

     You can find the sign-up sheet for 2015 in the East Assembly Room, near the Sunday coffee.  Come and be part of this chance to help.  Questions?  See Elaine Halbardier or Connie Olson.



The Presentation of Our Lord
Monday, February 2
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 p.m.

All are welcome.



An Evening with Donald Jackson

      Concordia University St. Paul invites all to a rare U.S. speaking engagement by Donald Jackson, renowned British calligrapher, illuminator, and artistic director of The Saint John's Bible. This event will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. at Buetow Music Auditorium, Concordia University St. Paul, 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.

     This event is free and seating will be on a first come first served basis.



Common Hope and Taste of Guatemala at Mount Olive - February 8

Here’s why I’m excited about Common Hope:
CH has a deep respect for the Guatemalan people;
CH offers us a way to learn and serve;
CH starts with hope and joy;
CH offers different levels of involvement, from the congregational level to personal sponsorship to the experiential;
I’m excited about the possibility of being on a Mount Olive Vision Team to Guatemala to learn and offer more;
CH is honest, effective, innovative and reflective.

     You are invited to join in celebrating and supporting our partnership with Common Hope at the education hour and luncheon on February 8.

-Judy Hinck, Missions Committee



Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive

     Mount Olive will host an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund, beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April.  The exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts program.

     Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched.  The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas.    We encourage members to invite guests to visit.



A Word About Parking

     All who come to Mount Olive (for Sunday worship particularly) are asked to reserve the handicapped parking places in the north lot for those who need them (and there are several who do need them!) Also, please remember that the spaces with diagonal stripes near the sidewalk are to be left open so that those who park in the adjacent spot can actually get out of their cars to come in to church.

     Thanks for doing what you can to make things as easy as possible for everyone who comes to Mount Olive.



End of Life Planning: Join the Conversation

This Sunday, February 1: 9:30 am - Adult Forum on End-of-Life planning with Pr. Crippen

Saturday, February 7: 9-Noon at Mount Olive - Kathy Thurston and Rob Ruff will present perspectives and direction on end- of -life planning including the POLST and Honoring Choices Advance Directive.

     Start the conversation and gather resources so that you can prepare or review your own Advance Directive.
     What should I know about health care directives?
• All individuals ages 18 and older should have a health care directive to appoint an agent and address basic quality of life and medical questions.
• The directive is a “living document”.  It should be updated as life circumstances change and when any of the "Five Ds" occur:  Decade; Death of a loved one; Divorce; Diagnosis; Decline.
• A health care directive is a legal document which serves as the basis for medical decision making.
• A copy of your health care directive should be shared with your agent (surrogate), family, loved ones, and health care and long term care providers.
• A health care directive can be changed as you grow older or as your life circumstances change.  Always share any changes with your health care agent, family and health care providers.  Destroy old copies that are no longer valid.

     WHO – me?  This event is open to all, including spouses, parents, adult children, caregivers and friends.  Even if immediate life changes are not evident now, they can happen surprisingly quickly.  If you wish an invitation be sent to someone who will not see the Olive Branch notifications, let the church office (612-827-5919) know.

     Registration – Not necessary, BUT if you plan to attend, a call to the church office or Marilyn Gebauer (612-306-8872) will help in planning for enough handouts and refreshments.



Bach Vespers at Mount Olive 
Sunday, February 15, 4:00 pm
Bach Vespers, with Cantata 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
Mount Olive Cantorei and Bach Ensemble; David Cherwien, Conductor
This event is sponsored by Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts.



Vision Expression

     Thank you to the 90-plus people who attended the congregational event on Sunday, Jan. 25. It was a great opportunity to “dive” into the Vision Expression document.  

     As a reminder of the next steps in this process, this is what is coming up in the next few weeks.

     Vestry members will host “Listening Posts” on five consecutive Sundays, beginning on Feb. 15. Watch for schedule and attend as many as you wish.

     On March 22, we will have a larger congregational update for everyone.



News from the Neighborhood
Anna Kingman

     In effort to share in the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Let’s call him … David.

     When David came to the office he had just spent this night sleeping in an open closet on a porch after getting kicked out of his rehab housing for starting a fight. He’s burnt all of his contacts and friends and has nowhere to turn, not even family. In the chaos he lost his wallet that held his birth certificate and social security card which he used for ID rather than a state license. Recently out of jail, David has no established home and no address.    

     Recovering such important documents is very difficult without having other important documents (also lost), and complicated when you have no address to mail them to anyways. David came in stressed, panicked, and option-less. Here, he was able to just sit, vent, and we came up with a plan. His most important priority was getting his phone reactivated so that he could start to work things out.

     So that’s what we did. Over and over he said thank you and that no one had ever helped him out like this. He came back the next day with registrations for the documents he needed and a plan for what to do next. I gave him a meal from our church food shelf stash and off he went to keep pulling the strings of his life back together. I made sure that he knows that here he has a place if he needs it.



Thank you for your support!

     There was a generous out-pouring of diaper support – thank you to those who could put that Target deal to use! I didn’t have to go buy diapers at all last week!

     The Diaper Depot is open Tuesdays from 4:30-6:30pm, and Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm. If you are able or interested in helping for an evening or learning more, please contact Anna:  neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org



Keep Us in the Loop!

     Have you moved? Are you moving? Dump your land line or get a new phone number or email address?

     Please be sure to let us know so that we can update your information and keep YOU in the loop!



Church Library News 
        Stop in the Mount Olive library soon to see the displays there for your inspiration, enjoyment, and/or helpful assistance.   The smaller display, across from the checkout desk, includes:
The Touch of the Earth, by Jean Hersey
Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul (101 stories to open the heart and rekindle your spirit), by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and others
Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul (101 stories to open the hearts and rekindle the spirits of women), by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and others
Put on a Happy Faith, by Cecil B.  Murphy
Give Happiness a Chance, by Phil Bosmans
Parables for the Present, by Christine Fleming Heffner
In Clover, by Myra Scovel
Small Blessings, by Celestine Sibley
A Touch of Greatness, by Harold E. Kohn
All Rivers Run to the Sea (a book of reflection and renewal by the author of Think on These Things), by Joyce Hifler

     The second and larger display is one requested by the Congregational Care committee of our church and has to do with end-of-life concerns,  which will be a topic for the forum on Sunday, with another part of that seminar to be held on Saturday, February 7.   A booklist has been prepared of some of the resources in our library surrounding this topic.   Please stop in the library soon to ascertain what might be helpful to your family now or in the future.   If you don't happen to receive this booklist in the next two events mentioned, stop in and ask the librarian-on-duty for a copy.

     An interesting article from the Star Tribune in the fall of 2013 told the story of Katherine Powers, daughter of distinguished Minnesota writer J. F. Powers, a teacher at St. John's University, and the first Minnesota author to win a National Book Award in fiction, who decided to publish some of his letters herself.  However, after trying to donate a copy of that book to her own public library system in Cambridge, Mass. she found they appreciated her offer but rejected it, nevertheless.  It’s interesting to note that our own Hennepin County Library system has six copies of that book in the collection, and at the time of the article, nineteen people waiting to read it.  The Ramsey County Library system also has this book and continues to get recommendations and requests to read it nearly every month.
     A quote worth repeating: “Without the love of books the richest man is poor; but endowed with this treasure, the poorest man is rich” (Leon Gullerman).

- Leanna Kloempken



Sunday, January 25, 2015

Unlikely Disciples

Saul had spent his life persecuting Jews who believed in Jesus, and so was the unlikeliest of disciples. He experienced Jesus, and everything changed. We are all unlikely disciples in need of conversion so we can live out our faith, and through the grace of God this becomes our way of life.

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
   The Conversion of St. Paul
   Texts: Acts 9:1-22, Psalm 67, Galatians 1:11-24, Luke 21:10-19

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

By all counts, Saul was the last person anyone would have expected to carry the news of Jesus. Of course, God has always been inclined to call unlikely people to be prophets and leaders. Look at Moses--he murdered someone and ran away, and then God called him in the burning bush to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. Esther was a young, unknown Jewish girl called to save her people from a plot to kill them. And Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors to be his disciples, not exactly people of means and authority and high reputation. But Saul. Saul, unlike Moses or Esther or the disciples, was not merely unknown or disreputable, he was far worse. He had put all of his passion and energy into seeking out, torturing, and killing the People of the Way, Jews who believed in Jesus. It kind of makes you wonder, what was God thinking, calling Saul to be a disciple?

Ananias certainly wondered, and he asked God if he was really being sent to Saul, the one who killed followers of Jesus. He must have felt that he was being sent into the lion’s den. Saul was said to have been breathing murder as he walked the road to Damascus, and Ananias was, after all, one of the troublemakers Saul was planning to arrest! It was an incredible act of grace, going to proclaim forgiveness and healing to someone who wanted to kill him.

So, why Saul? Well, why not Saul? Because here’s the thing: Saul wasn’t really evil, although he certainly did some evil things. He did not set out to fight God, or torture people for his own benefit. The truth is, in all the time before Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus, he was absolutely, passionately convinced that everything he was doing was essential to preserve the Jewish faith that he loved. Saul believed he was right, and was doing exactly what God wanted him to do, and he had no idea how wrong he was.

Saul needed conversion. He was heading the wrong way, and needed to be turned in the right direction. When Jesus came to Saul on the road to Damascus, he showed him the truth of his own sin and his need for forgiveness. Jesus changed his direction, telling him exactly where he had gone wrong, and what he needed to do next. Saul needed to follow Jesus, and just to make his point perfectly clear, Jesus struck Saul blind so he would understand that without God, he would never find his way.

We all need conversion. No matter how sure we may feel that we are on the right path, every one of us have our blind spots, and in that blindness we move away from God and hurt those around us. We serve meals to those who are hungry, and leave people in our family starving for attention and love. We treat co-workers with respect all day, and cut off the driver next to us on the way home. We come to worship on Sunday and pray for peace in our community, and ignore the web of violence, fear, and unjust treatment that is a part of daily life for so many. We really aren’t so different from Saul. We all need conversion. In the end, we are all unlikely disciples.

If conversion were as simple as making a statement of faith or belief, that would be easy. But conversion is more than that. Conversion, as Saul experienced it, is a process of seeing the truth, changing direction, and following Jesus. And, because we are human and will never be perfect, conversion is not a one-time deal. Seeing the truth, changing direction, and following Jesus needs to become a way of life, and it is not easy.

God told Ananias that Saul would learn that conversion involves suffering. Oscar Romero describes sin as sore spots that hurt when someone touches them, and tells us, “You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.”  We see the truth, and it hurts. But as long as we stay in our blindness, refusing to see the truth and change, we will continue on the same path Saul was on before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, hurting ourselves and others without ever realizing it.

The invitation of Jesus is a call to believe that change, even though it is hard and painful, is possible. No matter how far off the path we may fall, God can show us our sin and bring us back. God does this work through this community of faith. Hearing the word of God in scripture and preaching and music in our worship can help us see where we have gone wrong, call us to follow Jesus, and remind us of the grace and love of God. We can share the joys and struggles of our lives with one another, and learn to be humble, acknowledging that we are all human and none of us are perfect. We can practice conversion as a way of life, admitting when we have harmed someone and becoming willing to change. And, as Ananias showed us, we can be supportive of one another, offering truth, forgiveness, and grace when others struggle.

Conversion, then, is not a “way into the church.” It is a way of life that makes it possible for unlikely disciples like us to live out our faith in all areas of our lives. The faith that we share propels us into the community, calling for us to see the truth of how we have supported racism, poverty, and other forms of oppression, even if it is only by our silence. We are called to see the truth, hear the stories, and become willing to change and act so oppression ends.

As we go through our day, our faith opens our eyes to those that are too often invisible to us—the people in line with us at the grocery store, the server at the restaurant, the person checking us in at the doctor’s office. We see how easy it is to look through or past them, and offer only our frustrations and judgments, while never knowing their name. We respond to the call of our faith to treat everyone we encounter as children of God, first.

Our faith guides how we treat our parents, our siblings, our partners, our children. We open our hearts to see the truth of the ways we fall short in our relationships with the people we are closest to, and grow in our ability to love, support and forgive.

Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus changed everything for him, because it called him to act in new ways. As unlikely as it was that Saul should become a believer in Jesus, God made it possible. Our experience of Jesus should change us, too. It is not easy to see our weaknesses and acknowledge how we have hurt others, and become willing to follow God more closely, but this is what our faith is all about. We are not so different from Saul, after all. We all need conversion, so we can fulfill our call to live out our faith. The message of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness is much greater than our weaknesses, and in order to share that with the world, God uses even the unlikeliest of disciples.

Thanks be to God!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The Olive Branch, 1/21/15

Accent on worship

“In the presence of God. Being the presence of God.” These words expressing the vision of Mount Olive’s next years have been rolling around in my head the last few days. “In the presence of God” calls me to be aware of how God is at work all around me. Like a mantra, it washes over me, re-minding me that God is present, in the midst of phone calls, e-mails, meetings, and even Accent-article-writing. I am always “in the presence of God.”

     Saul walked the road to Damascus, and found himself in the presence of God, and he was never the same. Those Saul once persecuted were astonished at the change. Being in the pre-sence of God transformed Saul into the presence of God for those around him.

     Saul didn’t plan this. He thought he knew what he was called to do—protect the faith  he loved and cherished from anyone who would threaten it. Saul was doing just that when the presence of God over-whelmed him, and he realized he had been wrong. He let go of his own plans and beliefs, and allowed God to guide him, his physical blindness an outward sign of his need for God’s help. He became the presence of God for those around him, and was willing to go where he did not want to go, even to death.

     “Being the presence of God” is both an invitation and a challenge. And when I think about it, it raises far more questions than answers. And that scares me, because it means acknowledging my own blindness to how to live out this call. But then, I am always in the presence of God, who will show me the way. And so I ponder . . . What does it mean to be the presence of God? How can I live this out in my family? My neighborhood?  In my work at Mount Olive?

- Vicar Meagan McLaughlin



Sunday Readings

January 25, 2015: Conversion of St. Paul
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 67
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 21:10-19
 ______________________

February 1, 2015: 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 111
I Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28



Sunday’s Adult Forum
January 25, 2015:
Thomas Merton: A Film
On the occasion of Thomas Merton's
100th birthday.



The Presentation of Our Lord
Monday, February 2
Holy Eucharist at 7:00 p.m.
All are welcome.



Congregation Visioning Event to be Held This Sunday

     A congregational event to unveil the work of the Visioning Lead team will be held this Sunday, January 26, after the second liturgy.   We will review the material that the committee has written and begin to plan how all of us will bring that work to life.

     By now you should have received in the mail a copy of the Visioning Team’s “expression of vision” (as well as your annual contribution statement). Please take a moment to review this important information from the Visioning Team before this event.

     A light lunch will be served, and activities to occupy the kids are being planned.  We know your time is valuable, so including lunch we'll be here no more than an hour and a half. Please come!  We need everyone's voices to be heard!



Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive

     Mount Olive will host an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund, beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April.  The exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts program.

     Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched.  The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas.    We encourage members to invite guests to visit.



RIC Festival Service to be Held This Saturday, January 24, 2015, 4:00 p.m.*

     This annual service will be held at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 285 North Dale Street, St. Paul, MN 55103. Rev. Jim Erlandson will preside, and Rev. Bradley Schmeling will preach.
     A soup supper follows the service.

* please note change new service time!



Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting February 14, the Book Discussion Group will read Wise Blood, by Flannery O’Connor. For their meeting on March 14, they will read The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.



Centering Prayer Continues

Wednesday evenings
at 6:15 p.m.


No more snow this winter?  

     Wishful thinking on my part?

     Our sexton, William, is doing a great job of keeping the sidewalks clear for us this winter season.  However, if we get hit with a major snow event yet this year, it would be helpful to have a list of volunteers who would be willing to lend a hand and shovel if needed.  If you feel so inclined, please call the office or email me with your name and contact number.  We’ll prepare a call down list that William can use if necessary.

     Thanks for your consideration!

- Brenda Bartz, 
Property Director



More Helping Hands Are Needed to Feed the Homeless

     Members of Mount Olive provide the evening meal at Our Saviour's Shelter the second Sunday of every month.  This important ministry meets a real need right in our own neighborhood.  You can serve in these ways:

Food preparation - We'll cook the meal in our kitchen Sunday afternoon.
Food transportation - We will bring the food eight blocks north to the shelter.
Serving - We'll meet the residents as we serve the meal to them.

     You can find the sign-up sheet for 2015 in the East Assembly Room, near the Sunday coffee.  Come and be part of this chance to help.  Questions?  See Elaine Halbardier or Connie Olson.



Heaven and Earth in Little Space
A Hymn Festival with David and Susan Palo Cherwien

Sunday, January 25, 4 pm
The Lutheran Church of the Resurrection
3115 Victoria St. N., Roseville, MN

Free and open to the public – all are welcome!



An Evening with Donald Jackson

      Concordia University St. Paul invites all to a rare U.S. speaking engagement by Donald Jackson, renowned British calligrapher, illuminator, and artistic director of The Saint John's Bible. This event will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. at Buetow Music Auditorium, Concordia University St. Paul, 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.

     This event is free and seating will be on a first come first served basis.



Common Hope and Taste of Guatemala at Mount Olive - February 8

     What is Mount Olive's support of Common Hope in Guatemala all about?

     We learned about this organization through Lisa and Mark Ruff and their family, and we were impressed with the focus on education and community development. We could see that we could learn much and could contribute much. Here's an introduction for you.

     Common Hope promotes hope and opportunity in Guatemala, partnering with children, families, and communities who want to participate in a process of development to improve their lives through education, health care, and housing. Serving Guatemala since 1986.

We EDUCATE children and help them graduate from primary and secondary school, and some continue on to college.
We PARTNER with local schools to help them reach new standards of excellence.
We TREAT illnesses and TEACH parents how to prevent them so that their families live healthier lives.
We help parents BUILD houses so that their families have clean, dry, and safe places to live.



The Ghosts of Jehu: A Documentary Film

     St. Joan of Arc/WAMM Peacemakers will sponsor the viewing of The Ghosts of Jehu on Thursday, January 29, 7:00 pm, at Hospitality Hall, St. Joan of Arc Church, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. All are invited.

     This documentary film describes the non-violent resistance by residents of a small village on Jeju Island, South Korea, to their government's construction of a gigantic naval base on the island. The film also describes the effect the base would have on the environment and the traditional culture and livelihood of the villagers who live there. It links the resistance today to the resistance of the peasants to U.S. and South Korean military domination following World War II.

     The resistance effort has the support of many Korean and global peace and justice organizations and Christian groups, particularly the Catholic Church.

     The base also represents a major expansion of American militarism in that region, the so-called "Pivot to Asia."



End of Life Planning: Join the Conversation

Sunday, February 1: 9:30 am - Adult Forum on End-of-Life planning with Pr. Crippen
Saturday, February 7: 9-Noon at Mount Olive - Kathy Thurston and Rob Ruff will present perspectives and direction on end- of -life planning including the POLST and Honoring Choices Advance Directive.

     Start the conversation and gather resources so that you can prepare or review your own Advance Directive.

     What should I know about health care directives?

• All individuals ages 18 and older should have a health care directive to appoint an agent and address basic quality of life and medical questions.
• The directive is a “living document”.  It should be updated as life circumstances change and when any of the "Five Ds" occur:  Decade; Death of a loved one; Divorce; Diagnosis; Decline.
• A health care directive is a legal document which serves as the basis for medical decision making.
• A copy of your health care directive should be shared with your agent (surrogate), family, loved ones, and health care and long term care providers.
• A health care directive can be changed as you grow older or as your life circumstances change.  Always share any changes with your health care agent, family and health care providers.  Destroy old copies that are no longer valid.

     WHO – me?  This event is open to all, including spouses, parents, adult children, caregivers and friends.  Even if immediate life changes are not evident now, they can happen surprisingly quickly.  If you wish an invitation be sent to someone who will not see the Olive Branch notifications, let the church office (612-827-5919) know.

     Registration – Not necessary, BUT if you plan to attend, a call to the church office or Marilyn Gebauer (612-306-8872) will help in planning for enough handouts and refreshments.



Bach Vespers at Mount Olive 
Sunday, February 15, 4:00 pm
Bach Vespers, with Cantata 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
Mount Olive Cantorei and Bach Ensemble; David Cherwien, Conductor

     On the Sunday before Lent, February 7, 1723, J.S. Bach was invited to perform a cantata of his own composition as part of his audition for the post of Cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Bach actually prepared two cantatas for that day, one of which will be heard in this Service of Evening Prayer, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn.

     This event is sponsored by Mount Olive Music & Fine Arts.



Keep Us in the Loop!

     Have you moved? Are you moving? Dump your land line or get a new phone number or email address?

     Please be sure to let us know so that we can update your information and keep YOU in the loop!



News from the Neighborhood
Anna Kingman

     In effort to share in the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles:  Rodney
     Some of you had the opportunity to meet Rodney last Sunday as he visited church. He’s a writer, poet, philosopher, neighbor, ex-convict, orphan, and entrepreneur. Rodney was recently released from prison and is trying to piece together his life again to reflect his positive perspective on life in its entirety. He has created a 124 page collection of writings he hopes to publish as well as encouraging greeting cards. Daily living is complicated as he battles with multiple health issues and the trials of a criminal background. He does not have access to a job, transportation, quality healthcare, or the ability to buy himself clothes.

     Rodney taught me a new word: “indefatigable,” which means persisting tirelessly. I’m impressed, challenged, and encouraged by this new friend. If you connect with his story, let me know. If you happen to have any of these items to help him make his room into a home, also let me know: a walking cane, sheets, underwear, a suit coat, home items such as garbage bags, toilet paper, towels, cookware, etc.



It's STILL Cold!

     As long as the weather stays cold, warm clothes are still needed!

     Please continue to donate coats, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to the box near the coat room. They will be given away at the Community Meals as the cold weather demands.

     Thank you!



Get Involved!
Opportunities to BE involved highlight:  Selma

     Go and see the movie, Selma!



Getting to Know our Neighbors

     Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience. As we explore our community and get to know our neighbors, let's start with some helpful language lessons.

English: ‘Welcome’
Spanish: ‘Bienvenidos’ (bee-en-ven-ee-dos)

Review: ‘How are you?’
Spanish: “Como esta” (como  es-tah)

Go out and be fearlessly friendly folks!



Sunday, January 18, 2015

Without Fear?

Life in Christ, discipleship following the Risen Lord, removes our fear both of taking the way of the cross ourselves and of telling by our words and our deeds “what we have seen and heard.”

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   The Confession of St. Peter
   texts:  Acts 4:(1-7) 8-13 (9-22); Matthew 16:13-19 (20-26)

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

Jesus and the angels always say “Don’t be afraid.”  It’s not that easy.

We fear witnessing to what God has done in our lives and in the world.  We’re afraid of offending others, of risking being shut out, of being embarrassed.  We keep it to ourselves.

We fear walking the path of the cross.  We’re afraid of what it would be like to live where we didn’t always win.  What it would cost to be sacrificial in our loving.  Our culture teaches us to fear being taken advantage of, so we do.

We fear being open with those who don’t believe as we do.  We’re afraid that if we don’t fight for what we believe and defend what we say, we might lose salvation.  The Church has taken Jesus’ command to Peter, repeated a couple chapters later to all his disciples, to “bind” and “loose,” as our imperative to declare who’s in and who’s out, because we’re afraid of being out.

We should look at Simon Peter.  Something changed in him between these two confessions we heard today, something about his fear.  If we could do the same, we might see the path of discipleship much more clearly, and maybe even find courage to walk it.

There’s a huge difference between the Peter of the Gospel and the later Peter, the one in Acts.

Before the cross and resurrection, Peter confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of God.  But when Jesus described what that would mean – trial, suffering, death at the hands of the authorities – Peter rejected that path and rebuked Jesus.  That didn’t end well for Peter.  From Rock of the Church to Stumbling Block in record time.  Peter feared a path of loss and suffering, and on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, he fully turned from this path, vehemently denying his Lord.

But in Acts, after the resurrection, Peter and John stand before the very same council that condemned Jesus to death, not many weeks after those events.  Threatened and told to quit doing healings and preaching in Jesus’ name, they refuse.

In a short time, Peter has become willing to lose everything, even to die, to tell others of God’s love in Jesus, to preach the Good News.

Meeting his risen Lord transformed him.

After the resurrection, Peter met his Lord Jesus and was forgiven in a breakfast picnic and conversation on a beach in Galilee.  There he discovered three things.  First, he was forgiven and still loved forever by the one he had betrayed.  Second, he re-discovered that he loved his Lord very much.  Third, he was told if that was true, then he had lambs to feed and care for.

If you look at Peter’s life before and after, it’s what he does with his fear that changes.  His fear kept him from following, from being faithful, from being courageous.  Not anymore.  Now he knows his risen Lord and has been filled by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Know this, though: it’s not a question of our having fear or not having fear. 

Peter and John in Acts today had to have been a little terrified standing before the same council that sent Jesus to the cross.  They sound really brave, refusing to stop teaching about Jesus.  But imagine the looks they exchanged with each other as they walked out of that council chamber, relief combined with terror.  “Can you believe what we just did?”

Peter always had fear; with the Spirit’s help he just learned it didn’t have to control him.

This can be our path as well.

There will always be a part of us that is afraid.  But does fear drive our lives, control our actions, keep us from our path?

Not since we’ve met our risen Lord.  Not since we’ve eaten at his Table each week, and heard that we are loved and forgiven, loving him in return.  Not since we’ve heard our call to feed his lambs and care for his sheep, and have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This relationship of faith in Christ that is ours is stronger than our fear, so it doesn’t control us.

When we aren’t controlled by our fear, we can witness like Peter.

“Tell what we’ve seen and heard.”  That’s what they defiantly said they’d continue to do. Believers walked about with confidence in the love of God that destroys death and gives the power to live in the Spirit, and told about Jesus, his death and resurrection.  Thousands of people came to believe.

That could be us.  If our fear doesn’t control us we can tell what we’ve seen and heard, witness by our lives and our words about the love of the Triune God we have known, the forgiveness we have experienced, the life of the Spirit that fills us and changes us.  When our faith in Christ is stronger than our fear, we live lives that witness to what God is doing to save the world.

When we aren’t controlled by our fear, we can risk like Peter.

When Peter rejected Jesus’ path in today’s Gospel, he was rejecting it for himself.  You don’t follow a Messiah with the understanding that might lead to death.

Yet after the resurrection, Peter willingly took the path of Christ, the path of the cross.  The disciples were willing to risk all for the sake of sharing God’s love in Christ, life and limb, friends and family.  They must have been afraid.  But in faith they walked the path.

That could be us.  The path of the cross means we will be changed by God, to be different.  That’s frightening; the idea that the Spirit might transform us is a huge unknown.  But when our faith in Christ is stronger than our fear, we can trust the love of the Triune God to change us into something better, something like our Lord.

The path of the cross can mean we will be taken advantage of by others, even by those closest to us.  If we seek not to win but to love, not to control but to serve, we risk a lot.  But when our faith in Christ is stronger than our fear, we learn that this path of self-giving and sacrifice is empowering, life-giving.  Instead of having empty victories over people we didn’t need to defeat, we find the joy of a shared life of love and grace.

When we aren’t controlled by our fear, we can even be open to new things from the Spirit, like Peter.

Even after the resurrection, Peter sometimes let fear control him.  At first he wasn’t ready for Paul’s spreading of the Gospel to the Gentiles.  If he was supposed to “bind” and “loose,” he wasn’t ready to loose the requirements of circumcision and kosher foods.  Eventually his Lord helped him cope with those fears, too, and he became someone who saw God’s grace in Christ for all people, not just his own.

That could be us.  We remember that the heart of Christ, shown in Matthew 18, the very chapter when these commands are given to all the disciples, is that divine forgiveness and grace is limitless and astonishing.  Christ Jesus shows that the true keys to the kingdom are God’s breathtaking unwillingness to lose anyone, and the Church’s faithful living of such forgiving grace in the world.  When our faith in such love from God is stronger than our fear, we become people who live that love and forgiveness and insistent welcome in the world.

We’ll never fully be without fear, and that’s OK.  We belong to the Risen Christ who loves the world.

So we step forward anyway, in our fear and in our faith, remembering whose we are and what he has called us to be and do.

We step forward together as Christ’s people in the world, so that when any one of us is afraid, the others can help strengthen his knees or hold her hand.  We step forward with the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit in us, so that God’s love will calm our hearts and give us the courage to witness with our lives to the eternal love of God for this world and for all people.

We might be afraid at times, but we are in the loving hands of the Triune God, and nothing can take that from us.  So let’s step forward together and see what God will do.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Friday, January 16, 2015

The Olive Branch, 1/14/15

Accent on Worship

“That they may be one”

     The week of January 18-25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an octave (eight days) set at this time in January for over a century.  This octave dates back to prayers for unity of a divided Church beginning in the Reformation, through Anglican and Roman Catholic emphases starting over 150 years ago.  This week is an opportunity for us to pray for what Jesus prayed in John 17, that the Church be one even as the Triune God is One.  The days that bracket this octave, the Confession of St. Peter on Jan. 18, and the Conversion of St. Paul on Jan. 25, fall on Sundays this year, so the week looms a little more prominently than in other years for us, and provides an opportunity for us to recall this important task.

     I would invite all sisters and brothers at Mount Olive to consider adding Christian unity to their prayers during these eight days.

     Our witness to the grace and love of God for the whole world made known in Jesus’ death and resurrection and lived out in the lives of the faithful is diminished by our hatred and fighting within the Body of Christ.  When we ignore or neglect or despise those with whom we disagree who are yet bound to us in Baptism, we grieve the heart of God.  Offering prayer brings our hearts in line with the heart of the Triune God, and opens our lives to the Spirit’s grace which can move the Body of Christ ever closer together.

     Here is a helpful plan for our prayer that has been suggested and is found online, which I commend to you.

January 18: pray for the Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, and other Eastern Churches
January 19: pray for the Roman Catholic and Uniate Churches
January 20: pray for the Anglican, Old Catholic, and allied churches
January 21: pray for the Lutheran, Moravian, and Methodist Churches
January 22: pray for the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed Churches
January 23: pray for the Baptist, Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite, and Christian (Disciples of Christ) Churches
January 24: pray for the Pentecostal and charismatic churches
January 25: pray for the nonmainstream communities; and for theologians and councils seeking to promote Christian unity while preserving Christian truth.

     “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”  John 17:11b

In Christ,
Joseph



Sunday Readings

January 18, 2015: Confession of St. Peter
Acts 4:8-13
Psalm 18: 1-6, 16-19
I Corinthians 10:1-5
Matthew 16:13-19
 ______________________

January 25, 2015: Conversion of St. Paul
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 67
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 21:10-19



Sunday’s Adult Forum: January 18, 2015:

 Pastor Crippen will facilitate a discussion on the ELCA Statement, “The Use of the Means of Grace.”



Congregation Visioning Event

     A congregational event to unveil the work of the Visioning Lead team will be held on Sunday, January 26, after the second liturgy.   We will review the material that the committee has written and begin to plan how all of us will bring that work to life.

     You will receive in the mail this week a copy of the Visioning Team’s “expression of vision” (as well as your annual contribution statement). Please take a moment to review this important information from the Visioning Team before this event.

     There will be a light lunch served, and activities to occupy the kids are being planned.  We know your time is valuable, so including lunch, we'll be here no more than an hour and a half. Please come!  We need everyone's voices to be heard!



Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads

     For their meeting on January 17 (postponed one week because of the Conference on Liturgy) , they will read The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. For the meeting on February 14, they will read Wise Blood, by Flannery O’Connor.


Centering Prayer Continues

     Centering Prayer continues in the new year, Wednesdays ,at 6:15 p.m.

     Centering Prayer is an ancient monastic tradition that brings one into the presence of God through silence. The format of the time together includes a short reading from the Psalms or other Scripture, 20 minutes of silence, and then 5 minutes to come together at the end.

     Please join us at 6:15 pm on Wednesday evenings.

     Questions? You can find a brochure describing Centering Prayer in the rack by the display case in the narthex or call Sue Ellen Zagrabelny at 612-875-7865.



Pledging Update: Mind the Gap

     In our committee’s November 6 letter to members and friends we outlined the reasons Mount Olive’s 2015 revenue and expenditure budget is some 7% higher than last year’s. By early February we’ll report how actual contributions compare with those a year ago. Meanwhile, we’ve been closely watching pledges, hoping that they will, collectively, total at least 7% higher than last year’s. We have mixed news to report. As of January 11, we’ve received 95 pledges totaling $387,843, averaging $4083 per household, some 11% above last year’s per-household figure. But that total dollar figure—only 98% of last year’s pledged total—is about $35,000 shy of the amount that would represent a 7% increase, in part because we have 13 fewer pledging households. If you’ve been intending to pledge but haven’t gotten to it, you’re not too late. We’ll have pledge cards available outside the church office the next few Sundays; or you can email your pledge to welcome@mountolivechurch.org, indicating a dollar amount and whether it’s weekly, monthly, or whatever. Together, let’s bridge that $35,000 gap!

—Donn McLellan, 
Director of Stewardship



More Helping Hands Are Needed to Feed the Homeless

     Members of Mount Olive provide the evening meal at Our Saviour's Shelter the second Sunday of every month.  This important ministry meets a real need right in our own neighborhood.  You can serve in these ways:

Food preparation - We'll cook the meal in our kitchen Sunday afternoon.
Food transportation - We will bring the food eight blocks north to the shelter.
Serving - We'll meet the residents as we serve the meal to them.

     You can find the sign-up sheet for 2015 in the East Assembly Room, near the Sunday coffee.  Come and be part of this chance to help.  Questions?  See Elaine Halbardier or Connie Olson.



 An Evening with Donald Jackson

      Concordia University St. Paul invites all to a rare U.S. speaking engagement by Donald Jackson, renowned British calligrapher, illuminator, and artistic director of The Saint John's Bible. This event will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. at Buetow Music Auditorium, Concordia University St. Paul, 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.
     This event is free and seating will be on a first come first served basis.

     Concordia University St. Paul is honored to present An Evening with Donald Jackson.  Mr. Jackson is one of the world’s foremost Western calligraphers. As a scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Mr. Jackson was responsible for the creation of official state documents. In 1985, he received the Medal of The Royal Victorian Order (MVO). Mr. Jackson is an elected Fellow and past Chairman of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators, and in 1997, was named Master of the 600-year-old Guild of Scriveners of the city of London.

     Concordia is pleased to host an exhibition of all seven volumes of the Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program on our campus during the month of February 2015, and two of the volumes (The Pentateuch and The Gospels and Acts) from August 2014 through July 2015.



Every Church a Peace Church Monthly Potluck 

Date: Monday, January 19, Time: 6:30 Potluck
Place: Hospitality Hall, St. Joan of Arc Church, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis
Topic: Martin Luther King and the Nonviolent Jesus
Speaker: Mel Reeves

     Mel Reeves has been a human rights activist for the last 30 years. He has been involved in struggles against South African Apartheid and struggles for worker’s rights, and has helped lead several efforts to get justice in some well-known cases of police brutality. He has been a long time anti-war and anti-racist activist. Most recently he worked with Occupy Homes and is the adviser to a fledgling young peoples' alternative political party.



RIC Festival Service to be Held Saturday, January 24, 2015, 4:00 p.m.*

     This annual service will be held at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 285 North Dale Street, St. Paul, MN 55103. Rev. Jim Erlandson will preside, and Rev. Bradley Schmeling will preach. A soup supper follows the service.

* please note change new service time!



Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive

     Mount Olive will host an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund, beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April.  The exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts program.

     Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched.  The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas.    We encourage members to invite guests to visit.



End of Life Planning: Join the Conversation

Sunday, February 1: 9:30 am - Adult Forum on End-of-Life planning with Pr. Crippen

Saturday, February 7: 9-Noon at Mount Olive - Kathy Thurston and Rob Ruff will present perspectives and direction on end- of -life planning including the POLST and Honoring Choices Advance Directive.

     Start the conversation and gather resources so that you can prepare or review your own Advance Directive.

     What should I know about health care directives?

• All individuals ages 18 and older should have a health care directive to appoint an agent and address basic quality of life and medical questions.

• The directive is a “living document”.  It should be updated as life circumstances change and when any of the "Five Ds" occur:  Decade; Death of a loved one; Divorce; Diagnosis; Decline.

• A health care directive is a legal document which serves as the basis for medical decision making.

• A copy of your health care directive should be shared with your agent (surrogate), family, loved ones, and health care and long term care providers.

• A health care directive can be changed as you grow older or as your life circumstances change.  Always share any changes with your health care agent, family and health care providers.  Destroy old copies that are no valid.

Saturday, Feb. 7, Presenters
*Rob Ruff – Director of Chaplaincy Services at Regions Hospital, Chaplain for Palliative Care Team; Mount Olive member

*Kathy Thurston RN PHN MA - Manager of Care Coordination and Case Management AXIS Healthcare, part of Allina Health; Mount Olive member



Oh Baby, What a Deal! 

     Target is offering an amazing coupon this week in the paper ads and online (can be sent to your phone or computer).    

     If it is at all within your means, buy $100 worth of diapers and earn a $25 gift card for yourself!
That's quite a deal for the Diaper Depot and all gifts are tax deductible (with a receipt). We use Target brand diapers and most needed sizes are 3-6. Thank you!



Peace With Justice Forum

     All are invited to a Peace with Justice Forum on Sunday, January 18, 12:30-2:00 p.m., at Central Lutheran Church, 3rd Ave. and 12th St. in Minneapolis (next to the Minneapolis Convention Center).

     This forum will be a conversation on what the ELCA says about
Gun Violence, led by Rev. Dr. Ron Letnes and Jay Thacker.

     Come join the discussion of some biblical references to personal weapons violence, gun violence facts, and a discussion of the policy position of the NRA. Take a look at the Second Amendment, and hear some suggestions on what each person can do to decrease gun violence. There will be ample time for people to share their own thoughts, feelings and personal stories.

     Lunch is available for $7, and  validated parking is also available in the Central parking lot/ramp on the south side of the church.

     This forum series is sponsored by the Twin Cities Lutheran Peace with Justice Committee.



News from the Neighborhood
Anna Kingman

     In effort to share in the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Bradford
     Bradford said he was just walking by Mount Olive when he thought “why not ask?”  He, his wife, and 2 kids live not far from here, but he is walking in the cold because both of his cars recently broke down and are unrepairable. This caused him to lose his temp-to-hire job down in Chaska when he didn’t have transportation. Now he is jobless and desperately trying to pay off the back-rent and January rent so that his family won’t get evicted. He admitted that this is frustrating for a 55 year-old man with young kids to be struggling in this way, but he was very hopeful that things would work out. Throughout our conversation he said that he trusts that God will make small miracles happen, as he experienced in that moment. If anyone needs help with odd jobs, painting, or shoveling, I’ve got a contact for you!



It's STILL Cold!

     As long as the weather stays cold, warm clothes are still needed!
     Please continue to donate hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to the box by the West Assembly area. They will continually be given away at the Community Meals as the cold weather demands.
     Thank you!



Get Involved!

Opportunities to BE involved highlight:  Diaper Depot

     The Diaper Depot served 438 families last year, adding close to 225 new families to our roster. This is a unique and important ministry in the cities that reaches far and wide. Many service centers send people our way as a resource for struggling families. Because we offer one package per child, per month, we build a continuing relationship and easy, helpful interaction.
The Diaper Depot is open Tuesdays, 4:30-6:30 pm, and Thursdays, 1:30-3:30pm. If you are able or interested in helping for a shift or learning more about it, please contact Anna at:  neighborhood@mountolivechurch.orgShe will help you to get involved!



Getting to Know our Neighbors

     Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience. As we explore our community and get to know our neighbors, let's start with some helpful language lessons. English: “How are you?”
Spanish: “Como esta” (como  es-tah)
Review: “Nice to meet you”-“Mucho gusto.”

Go out and be fearlessly friendly folks!



No more snow this winter?  

     Wishful thinking on my part?

     Our sexton, William, is doing a great job of keeping the sidewalks clear for us this winter season.  However, if we get hit with a major snow event yet this year, it would be helpful to have a list of volunteers who would be willing to lend a hand and shovel if needed.  If you feel so inclined, please call the office or email me with your name and contact number.  We’ll prepare a call down list that William can use if necessary.

     Thanks for your consideration!

- Brenda Bartz, Property Director

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Spirited

The gift of our Baptism into Christ is primarily the entrance of the Holy Spirit into us, growing faith and calling us into our ministry and service in the world.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   The Baptism of Our Lord, year B
   texts:  Mark 1:4-11; Acts 19:1-7

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

“We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

What a strange thing for these Ephesian believers to admit.  Clearly getting doctrines straight before baptism was not a high priority for the disciples of John the Baptizer who made it all the way to Greece.  It’s hard to know which is more surprising: that John still had disciples going around as far as Ephesus proclaiming a baptism of repentance, well after he completed his task to prepare people for the Messiah; or that these evangelists didn’t even bother to tell the people much about Jesus.

We can’t know what they told.  But since one of the few things John actually said about Jesus’ ministry was that Jesus would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit, one wonders: if they didn’t get to that part of John’s teachings, what, if anything, did these wandering preachers preach?

“We haven’t even heard there is a Holy Spirit.”  This seems critical for us.  Do we understand our baptism as connected to what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives?  Or do we live as if we’ve never heard there is a Holy Spirit?

We sometimes focus on the wrong things when it comes to baptism.

When we talk about baptism we seem to most often talk about rules.  Who should be baptized?  How much should they know before they are?  Is it OK to baptize babies?  Is the baptism of other communions of the Church as valid as ours?  Is the Table of the Lord only for those who are baptized, or can others come?  What of those who aren’t baptized, are they in danger of not being saved?

All such questions focus on baptism as status and seem to consider this Sacrament our chance to sort who’s in and who’s out, to control the gate, keep the room free of riffraff.  The absolute monstrosity of centuries of the Church declaring that those who died unbaptized could not be brought to eternal life, in defiance of anything the Scriptures say, is only one example of how we consider baptism as a means of control: of the Church, of others, even of the Triune God.  It is ridiculously arrogant to believe we have any say over whom God loves, saves, blesses, or raises from the dead.  God will do whatever God wants to do.

But this odd story from Ephesus points out another reason why these questions distract us from a really important thing.  Ephesus reminds us that Baptism is really all about the Holy Spirit.

That’s the experience of Baptism in the early Church: the presence of the Spirit was central.

The pattern of baptism in the early life in Acts was that evangelists would baptize “in the name of Jesus” – it’s not clear if the Triune Name was being used yet.  Then the apostles would come, lay hands on them, and pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the believers, as Paul did today.

So in Acts 8, Philip preaches to Samaritans who “accept the word of God,” and baptizes them.  Later, Peter and John come and lay hands on them so they receive the Holy Spirit.  All of this we do at once in our baptisms today.

Sometimes it didn’t work that way, though.  In Acts 10, the Holy Spirit fills a group of Gentiles before anybody does anything.  Peter wisely recognizes that if the Holy Spirit has come, there is no reason to withhold baptism.  For the early Church, the presence of the Spirit of God was so deeply connected to their understanding of Baptism, they sometimes needed to baptize after the Spirit got there, to catch up.  The same thing happened at Pentecost.

Likewise, Jesus’ baptism is when we see the Spirit of God come upon him.

We don’t know why Jesus needed to be baptized, certainly not for repentance and new life.  We do know what happened, though: the Holy Spirit came upon him and his Father’s voice called him beloved, one in whom he was well pleased.

As he walked out of the waters of the Jordan, filled with the Spirit of God, he had an understanding that he was God’s anointed, God’s beloved Son.  With hair and clothes dripping, he kept on walking out into the desert to meditate and fast and pray for 40 days on this new life ahead of him, this ministry.  From his baptism, and the inflowing Holy Spirit, it all began, the teaching, the healing, the calling, and the path to the cross and resurrection.

This is the only thing that matters for us, too, because that same Spirit is poured into us.

We don’t need Baptism to protect us from God’s impotence or carelessness; Christ Jesus has shown us the Triune God is neither.  If anyone will be saved, God will do it, and nothing we do or don’t do will change that.  Baptism is never a question of our safety.

Baptism is, however, a clear place where we proclaim the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we are changed.  Like Jesus.  Sent into ministry.  Like Jesus.

Let us be clear also: the Holy Spirit is not limited by our ritual, our actions, not even by this commanded Baptism we do as Christ’s Church.  The Holy Spirit can and does go wherever she wills to go, and moves in and with people far beyond our reach and knowledge and control.

But we are promised by our Lord that the Holy Spirit will in fact come to us in baptism and change our lives.  We see that happen to Jesus, and that’s what we should be expecting for ourselves, and for Sophia today.

Baptism for us, like Jesus, is our time of in-Spiration, when we are Spirited by God to live our lives of discipleship.

John baptized a baptism of repentance, inviting people to turn from their old ways and follow in God’s path.  Baptism into the name of the Triune God is far more than that, it is the Holy Spirit joining us to the life of the Triune God, giving birth to us as children of God.

But the life after both kinds of baptism is the same: a new beginning going in God’s direction instead of our own.  It’s no accident that when we baptize, or affirm our baptism, we begin by turning away from evil and the powers of evil that are against God.  In Christian baptism we understand John’s call to turn around and start new.

What is different is that our baptism has the same gift given Jesus in his baptism, the coming of the Holy Spirit.  The presence of the Holy Spirit empowers our beginning, our repentance, our new life.  The Holy Spirit gives us the grace and strength to walk in God’s ways and not our own.

We begin to look different to others, and even to ourselves, because the Spirit is transforming us, creating fruit and life in us that others can see.

That’s our grace and gift in our baptism.  We go from the font Spirited to live new lives in the world, part of God’s grace and healing of the world begun in Christ and continued in us.

When we come to the font now, placing water on ourselves in remembrance of our first washing, we want to keep our eyes open for this Spirit of God.

Our baptism is our Pentecost, as it was for Jesus, and our remembrance and living into our baptism is our constant joy in the grace of the Holy Spirit working in our lives and in the world.

We not only have heard there is a Holy Spirit, we live as children of God who expect that having the Spirit fill us will change us, and like Jesus, send us out into our service and ministry.  We not only have heard there is a Holy Spirit, we expect to see signs of the Spirit’s work in us everywhere we look.  The more we expect this, talk of this, look for this, the more we will see it.

So let’s keep our eyes open to the work of the Spirit, be unafraid to tell each other what we have seen.  For the Holy Spirit has given us new birth, and the Father has called us beloved children, and our whole ministry and service in Christ now lies before us.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Following the Star

There is a time for waiting and watching and wondering, but this is not it. Epiphany is a time to focus, and to follow the star, wherever it leads.

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
   The Epiphany of Our Lord
   Texts: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2: 1-12

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

When was the last time you set out on a journey, with only a star—a single star—for your guide? When I am going somewhere, I typically want to know where I am supposed to go, how I’m going to get there, and what I should do once I’ve arrived. Failing that, I would at least like an address that I can plug into my GPS. When it comes to following what God has planned for my life, I have often asked God to put a big neon sign in the sky, laying out all the details of the path ahead. The idea of following a star sounds, quite frankly, a little crazy, even terrifying. If the wise men had tried to talk me into joining them, they would have had a hard time getting me out the door!

The wise men, however, seem to have taken their mysterious journey in stride. They were likely astrologers, so it was probably not such a strange thing for them to follow the guidance of the star. They may in fact have roamed often in response to what the skies told them. We don’t know where they were coming from, beyond the general statement “from the East.” We don’t know if they knew each other, or if they were strangers who met following the same star. This journey seems to be exceptional, somehow, even if they were accustomed to star gazing. There is nothing to indicate that the wise men themselves were Jewish, and yet, they travelled for days seeking the king of the Jews, so they could honor him. When the star disappeared, they stopped to ask directions, and continued onward. The wise men followed all of this, seemingly without question. Nothing else seemed to matter.

From the start, looking at it logically, nothing about this journey makes any sense. A star that shines and then disappears, about which they have only partial information. A king with ego issues and ulterior motives. The words of scribes and chief priests who serve the king. The star again. And finally, a dream. No GPS, no map, and truth be told, when they set out the wise men didn’t even know where they were going! Not exactly a pre-planned journey, although it certainly had a focus. Nothing mattered but following the star, going wherever it led them.

What was it about this child, this star, that motivated the wise men to travel such a distance, with almost no information? Why were the wise men so committed to finding Jesus, the baby who would be king of the Jews, that they set out on this incredible journey, and persisted in following the star despite the challenges, until they found him with his mother and father in Bethlehem? What was it they were really seeking?

The promise of this baby born in Bethlehem was not simply a continuation of the house of David, although he was that. He was a king, but he was not an ordinary king. He was not only salvation for the people of Israel, although he did come to save us. More than all of these things, the wise men were seeking the one who would be, as Isaiah describes, a light for all nations, a light that will guide exiles home. The psalmist tells us that this baby who will be king will bring justice for all who are poor. He will deliver those who are oppressed, have pity on those who are weak, redeem those caught in violence. In light of this promise, nothing else mattered, but following the star.

Following the star is no simple task. For one thing, a star is not exactly a neon sign. It is so easy to get distracted from the journey. If we don’t get wrapped up in the details of the end of the journey—where we are going, how we will get there, what we will do when we arrive—there are many other things all around us that clamor for our attention. The constant ping of notifications on laptops, smartphones, iPads, and tablets. Striving for success and approval, as defined by the world around us. Voices that tell us, constantly, that where and who we are is not enough, we have to keep climbing. The busyness of schedules so full that there is no time for gazing at stars, and following the star is out of the question.

Following the star is not easy, but if we take a moment to think about what the star means, we know, just as the wise men did, that nothing else matters. We live in a broken world that is in desperate need of light, mercy, justice, and redemption. We need the God who has come to us in Jesus, who will bring us home, show us what is really important. We need the God who stands with those who are most impacted by poverty, oppression, and violence, and who calls us to make that our priority, above anything else. We need the God who reminds us that if one person among us is suffering, we all suffer. Nothing else matters. We need to follow the star.

God is with us on this journey, and gives us the courage and faith to take it, but God does not follow the star for us. That is our job. There is a time for waiting and watching and wondering, but this is not it. Epiphany is a time to focus, and to follow the star, wherever it leads. Each time we take an action to bring light to the dark places in our world, we are claiming the promise of the one who set the star in the sky to guide us. When we walk the road with someone who is in pain, we open our hearts to the God who promises healing, and forgiveness. When we share the abundance of this world with a neighbor, we are following the star to Jesus, whose mercy will bring a day when no one will go without. When we stand against oppression, and are willing to change so that oppressive systems fall even if it’s not convenient for us, we are proclaiming that there is room on the road for everyone. The wise men knew, and we know, that the star leads to hope not just for some, but for all.

We don’t know where the star will lead us, or how we will get there. On our own, we would never find our way. Following the star is about believing in the promise of God and stepping into the promise, knowing that God is always faithful. It means that, no matter what else we do, or what might call for our attention, there is nothing more important than taking the next step toward the star.

I still don’t know if I would have gone with the wise men, if they had invited me to follow the star with them, but I hope I would have. Because the star, as hard as it may be for us as human beings to keep track of, and as scary as the unknown journey might be, reminds us that God has always been faithful, and always will be faithful, to God’s promises. It is also a reminder that we are not in charge of the journey. We are followers, ones who trust in God, who has never failed. We know the mercy, justice, healing, and love of God, and we respond by taking a step in the direction the star is leading us, not knowing where we will end up. Nothing else matters, as long as we follow the star.

Amen!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

How Else?

God comes to us as one of us, revealing the heart of God, light in darkness, and now transforms us to do the same for the healing and restoring of the whole world.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   The Second Sunday of Christmas
   text:  John 1:10-18

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

This was the only way it was going to work.

The problem of a world filled with pain and evil was never only a human problem.  The God who made this world has always been in pain over what we have done with it.  We have taken God’s great creation and made a disaster.  We’ve taken God’s great gift and turned it to harm against each other.  This world is not what it was created to be, and that has always angered God, saddened God, our ancestors in faith have testified.  It angers us, saddens us, too.

The question is what, if anything, is God doing.  When we see the evil people do, knowing this is not what God wants, we wonder what God’s answer is.  When we see people struggle to survive, that global problems of hunger and poverty place the majority of the world’s people in a life that barely clings to existence, we wonder what God is doing about this.  When we see the problems that beg for answers, our first thought is: what about God?

John the Evangelist says God in fact is doing something, the only thing that can deal with all of this mess, all of this brokenness, and bring it to healing, without also destroying us all and starting over.  God is doing the only thing that would work.  Are we willing to see, wise enough to listen?

It will take that, because we don’t seem to be looking for what God is doing.

Maybe because it’s about God changing us, changing people, to be a part of the needed healing and cleansing and restoring.  This always seems to surprise us.

When you imagine God solving the problem of world hunger, what do you imagine?  A miraculous intervention changing all the deserts into fertile land?  A power move overturning corrupt governments that deprive their people of needed resources?

When you imagine God stopping evil in this world, what do you imagine?  God intervening with power and might in every terrorist act?  God destroying those who live their lives to harm others?

The problem with expecting God to fix things apart from us is there really are no good answers on that path.  In the Great Flood God learned that destroying humanity didn’t solve the problem of evil.  It only caused a lot of death.  From there God had to make a new plan.

We’re still trying to catch up to that plan.

John says we’ve had this problem from the start.

This Word among us, John says, who made all things, came to his own, to the very people he had made, to us, and we didn’t know him.  We didn’t accept him.

From the beginning of John’s Gospel we see the problem: God’s answer, to come in person, is not the answer we’re looking for.  It’s not the magic solution, no-work, instant fix we secretly seem to expect God ought to do.

So God walks among us and we don’t see.  God’s plans to change the world have begun and we’re missing them.  If we look, though, we’ll see a wonder.

God’s way shows us the true heart of God.

This Son of God, John says, gives us what we only guessed at before: inside knowledge of God’s true heart for the world.  “No one has ever seen God.  It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”

With Jesus the world no longer needs to speculate as to the nature of God, the heart of God.  We never have to look at a natural disaster again and wonder, “was God angry with these people?”  We never have to face a tragedy of evil and ask if it was punishment from God.  The Son reveals to us the heart of the Triune God, and the heart of the Triune God is and always will be love.

God’s coming to be with us was the only certain way we could know this heart of God.  Not in thunder from a mountain or massive acts of nature or in miracles; those could always be misinterpreted.  In person, God could talk to us, model for us, show us true life.

God’s answer for the pain of this world is and always will be love, in person.

God’s way is therefore the only way that really is light in darkness.

This is a world in darkness, but God’s light has come and cannot be stopped.

It’s not always evident that this is true.  When the Son of God first came into this world, the darkness resisted mightily.  But the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus wasn’t a tragic mistake or something that the Father somehow overlooked in the plan.

It was the plan.  Coming in person not only revealed God’s heart as love, it showed the power of God as loss, the might of God as self-giving.  Rather than fight the darkness of this world by destruction and force, God’s plan was to enter it and transform it from within.  That’s why we struggle to see this, understand this.  We are addicted to wanting power solutions, flashy miracles.

But God said, “I’ll open myself up to the darkness and it will do all it can to me, and light will still win.”  That’s the plan, and in Jesus’ resurrection we see just how that plan is working.  When God doesn’t fight evil but stands in its way on our behalf, stands even in our way as we make evil, God brings a light that darkness cannot overcome.

This was the only way that was going to work.  We need to learn this.  Because the next part of the plan is where we get stuck.

You see, the plan was never to stop with just Jesus.  It was to begin to change the world through those who joined with the Son of God.

To those who believe in him, those who saw what God was truly doing in Jesus, John says, the Son of God gives power to become children of God themselves.

That’s the plan.  The whole deal.  God’s solution to everything that ails this planet, everything we wish God would fix, everything wicked and ruined and oppressive.  God will bring healing through us, through God’s children, across this globe.

It’s genius.  We are changed into children of God; so we, like Jesus, bear God’s heart in the world.  We, like Jesus, become people who are always love, all the time.  We, like Jesus, become people who stand as light in darkness not with power but with a willingness to lose.

Do you see how brilliant God is?  The problem with this world was never something God could separate from the problem with people, the problem with us.  Any solution of power, even with divine power able to create universes, couldn’t fix God’s greatest pain about this world: the hearts of God’s children were cold and selfish, the root of all that is wrong in this world.

Change the hearts and you’ve got something, God thought.  Changed people, which is the primary hope.  And then a changed world, because these people are going to go out there and make a new creation with God’s Spirit giving them grace to do it.

This was the only way that would work.  It’s time we saw that and rejoiced.

This coming of this child in Bethlehem we celebrate was the beginning of God’s massive attempt to reconnect with us and all people to heal and restore all things.  The changing of our hearts, and of the hearts of the people of this world, is the only way the Triune God is able and willing to change this world.

No one has ever seen God.  But the Son of God has made the Father’s heart known to us.  Now we, children of God ourselves, get to show that same heart to the world, and see God’s healing begin.

Joy to the world indeed.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Called by Name: In it for the Long Haul

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple and called him by name, they were making a commitment to Jesus, their community, and to God. God has called each of us by name, and God is in it with us for the long haul.

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
   The Name of Jesus
   Texts: Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 8, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:15-21

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

We all know about first days. The first day of a new job, the first day of being in love, the first day of sobriety or seeking help for mental illness, the first day of a diet and exercise plan, the first day of parenthood, the first day of New Year’s Resolutions. There is, along with fear and all of the other emotions that accompany these first days, a sense of newness, hope, energy, wonder. We know things are different; we are in the midst of the change. On the first day, we don’t know how things will look and feel in a week, or a year, or twenty years, and we may not even know if we will make it that far, but there is often a sense of readiness to take on the world, as though anything is possible. Although we know there will be challenges, on the first day we are not prepared for the inevitable ups and downs of the journey ahead. We are not yet settled in for the long haul.

A week ago, as we do every year, we celebrated a birth—a first day. And today, we gather on the first day of the New Year to celebrate the day on which this child was presented, circumcised, and named. This event feels very different from Christmas. Mary and Joseph, as they bring their son to the temple, are not in the first day anymore. They have heard the words of the angel Gabriel, and the words of the shepherds, telling them that their son is not just an ordinary child, but the Savior, the Messiah of the House of David, good news for all people, and Mary has been pondering these words, wondering what it means. She still doesn’t understand all that has been said, doesn’t know all that is to come, but as Mary and Joseph bring their son to the temple, they are making a commitment. As parents in this congregation do when they bring their child for baptism, Mary and Joseph are introducing their son to their faith, the traditions of their ancestors. They are presenting their child to their community of faith. They are publicly promising to raise their child to love and honor God. They are committing to be in it for the long haul. Mary and Joseph are calling their son by name: Jesus.

Whether to parenthood, marriage, friendship, recovery, the work God has called us to in the world, or those elusive New Year’s Resolutions, being committed for the long haul is not easy. It does not mean that we have everything “figured out,” that we know what it will look like down the road, or that we feel confident all the time about how we are living out that commitment. We may at times still feel as uncertain as we did on the first day. We may wonder why we ever made the commitment in the first place.

When we are committed for the long haul, we know the path will not be easy. Along with joy, love, fulfillment, and hope, there will be pain, uncertainty, fear, and doubt. Being committed, we accept all that is a part of this life to come. Mary and Joseph knew this, and knowing this, they brought their son to the temple, stood before their community, and called him by name: Jesus.

Being in it for the long haul is not something we can do on our own. It is a community affair. That is why Mary and Joseph went to the temple to present and call Jesus by name. It is why we celebrate baptism and marriage in the midst of worship, surrounded by our family, friends, and community of faith. When things get challenging, we face the unexpected, and we wonder if we can continue on the path, our community surrounds us, offering encouragement and hope, reminding us that commitment is not easy, and that we are not alone.

Even more important than community, being committed for the long haul is a commitment to God. Mary and Joseph, as they brought Jesus to the temple and called him by name, were following generations of faithful people who believed in God, and honored traditions that placed God in the center of their lives. As they presented Jesus in the temple, they were not only making a commitment to their son, and their community, but to the God of their fathers and mothers. They were promising to remain faithful to God, and to teach their son to be faithful also. And, as they called their son by name, Jesus, they were putting him in the care of the God who had always been faithful, trusting that God would love and guide Jesus as he had done for them.

As we start the New Year, the making of New Year’s resolutions has a “first day” feel to it, and we name goals for ourselves, with the best of intentions, that often fall by the wayside by Valentine’s Day. Today, we are invited to reflect on our relationships and commitments, and to remind ourselves and each other that we are in it for the long haul. We are called to consider what it means to us in this moment to be faithful to our friendships, our families, our vocations, and most importantly, to God.

And, on this day, as we share the story of Mary and Joseph bringing their son to the temple, calling Jesus by name, we recognize that they are honoring their commitment to a God who has never failed in commitment to them. To us. It is the faithfulness of God that makes commitment possible, for them and for us. When we know that God is in it for the long haul, we can trust God to guide us in all that we are called to, no matter what challenges and fears and doubts may present themselves. We can trust that, with God, anything is possible.

Like Jesus, we, too, have been called by name. God told Moses that Aaron and his sons were to proclaim to the people a very intimate blessing. The Lord keeps us. The face of God shines on us. God looks upon us with favor, and gives us peace. When we hear this blessing, we are reminded that we have been called children of God, and that God will never abandon us or forsake us. We have been named children of God. And God, the one who names us, is in it with us, for the long haul.

Thanks be to God!

 

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Reconciling in ChristRIC

Copyright 2014 Mount Olive Lutheran Church