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Mount Olive Lutheran Church

Friday, July 31, 2015

The Olive Branch, 7/29/15

Accent on Worship

Longing

“As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”  Mark 6:34

     The days of Jesus’ ministry in which we are now moving in our Gospels are scenes of chaos. News of his healings and his teaching is getting around, and everywhere he goes, crowds gather, press, ask, demand. Jesus’ compassion for these crowds, as we heard in Mark’s Gospel a couple weeks ago, is remarkable. They must have drained him daily, which is why he also had a rhythm of withdrawing to quiet places. Yet even there, they find him.

     This brings us to our great sequence of these five weeks, starting last Sunday. Having tried to get away, Jesus once more is confronted by great crowds, and now they’re hungry. He takes a few loaves and a couple of fish from a boy’s lunch, and feeds 5,000 people. At the end of that day, though, they still want more of Jesus. They want to make him king, someone who can give them what they need. These next weeks, John tells of the aftermath of this for Jesus and for the crowds.

     The other week I was reminded how much I don’t like crowds. 30,000 young Christians from the ELCA gathering together in Detroit sounds beautiful unless you really don’t like being jostled and pushed and shoved by more people than you can imagine trying to get to the exact place you are trying to get. Some are cheerful, some are cranky, some are loud and energetic, some are pushy. All are hot and sweaty and overwhelming. I see this story of Jesus and know I would have hated to be shoved around in that crowd. I’d be tempted to go home, even if I was hungry.

     But there’s the problem. We really don’t have an option to go home. We long for God’s care and love and grace and we don’t know how we will live without it. We long to be filled by God, and we long for the world to be filled by God. We don’t know where else we would go for that. The jostling, painful, annoying, frustrating needs of our fellow travelers in this world are overwhelming to us, and there are days we wish we were the only ones coming to Jesus. We don’t know how we can make a difference to the seemingly endless needs of our city, our country, our world, any more than the disciples knew how to feed 5,000 with a sack lunch.

     Thank God for Jesus’ compassion. In our frustration and concern, in our longing and desire for God, Jesus looks at us not as sheep without a shepherd. He looks at us as our Shepherd, the one who loves us enough to die for us, and whose abundance is more than enough for the whole world.
This is the One whom we gather to meet this Sunday, the One whose table is sufficient for all, whose forgiveness is denied to no one, the One who is the Bread that satisfies the longing of the world. Best of all, this is the One who will show us, even as he feeds us, how we will be a part of sharing that abundance and outpouring with the rest of this jostling, frustrating, suffering, and longing world.
 
- Joseph



Sunday Readings

August 2, 2015: 10th Sunday after Pentecost, 18 B
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
Psalm 78:23-29
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:15-35
______________

August 9, 2015: 11th Sunday after Pentecost, 19 B
1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:1-8
Ephesians 4:25—5:2
John 6:35, 41-51



So glad and grateful

     As I settle into work after sabbatical I want to take a moment to say how glad I am to be with you again, my sisters and brothers. I have missed you more than I can say, but I am also glad for this time apart. It was good for me to take a mental, spiritual, and physical break from my time among you, and now I feel energized and eager to take up your call once again. I expect that the time apart was also good for you!

     I’ll be reflecting on my sabbatical in an Adult Forum on September 13, so I won’t go into that here. But I want to thank you from the depths of my heart for your generosity and grace in giving me this sabbatical rest, and for your prayers and love during that time. Thanks to the Rev. Robert Hausman for his care of this congregation in my absence, and all the staff for the extra work a sabbatical brings them, and to all of you for being supportive of this.  

     I am blessed to be your pastor, and very happy to return to that role.

God’s blessings and peace,
Pr. Crippen



Let's Talk About Racism
Friday, August 7, 6-9 pm

     Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has invited us into conversation about racism. This raises many questions . . . What is racism? Why do we need to talk about it? What can we do? Join us for a meal and facilitated conversation. All questions are encouraged. Articles and resources are available for those wishing to read about this topic. Contact Vicar McLaughlin for details.



Mount Olive to Host National Night Out Gathering 

     Mount Olive will host a National Night Out event in our parking lot on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

     The Open Space Committee (a part of Neighborhood Ministries) is organizing the event.  National Night Out is a program aimed at bringing neighbors and neighborhoods together so they can get to know each other and become closer.

     If you and your family would like to join friends from Mount Olive on August 4, you are more than welcome.  We are a part of this neighborhood and we hope events like this will help us become closer and build bonds with those who live around our church.

     If you can join us that evening please:
1. Let Anna Kingman know you are coming and how many to expect.
2. Bring snacks or desserts to share.
3. Bring your own lawn chairs.

     Water and beverages will be provided.  See you on August 4!!



Come and Sing!

Women’s Ensemble

     We’re forming a Women’s Ensemble to sing for Eucharist on Sunday, August 9.
     Any sopranos and altos who would like to sing together for a day are invited!  There will be one rehearsal on Wednesday,  August 5,  from 7:00-8:00 (or so).   Contact Cantor Cherwien for more information, or simply come.

Men’s Ensemble 

We’re also forming a Men’s Ensemble to sing for Eucharist on Sunday, August 16.
     Any tenors and basses who would like to join for one day, join us on August 16.  There will be one rehearsal, on Saturday morning, August 15 from 10:30 to 11:30.  Contact Cantor Cherwien for more information, or simply come.



Prayer Chain

     In addition to the prayer requests listed in The Olive Branch and the Sunday bulletin, Mount Olive’s Prayer Chain also receives prayer requests. All requests are kept confidential. If you would like to request prayer for yourself or someone else, please call the church office or Naomi Peterson, the Prayer Chain contact leader (612-824-2228).



A Note From Our Presiding Bishop

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

     The hard but undeniable fact of deeply embedded racism in American society has come to the fore in painful ways this past year through high-profile occurrences of racial discrimination, hatred and violence – including racially motivated killings. As Lutheran Christians, what should be our response and witness? As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, how are we called to confront the sin of racism?

     We need to talk and we need to listen, but we also need to act. As one important step in this process, I invite you to join me and William B. Horne II, an ELCA lay leader and member of the ELCA Church Council, for a live webcast conversation on the complexity and implications of racism on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 8 p.m. (CDT).

     Through our church’s social statement – “Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” – the ELCA collectively has expressed its calling to confront racism and advocate for justice and fairness for all people. You can read this social statement at  (http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/race_ethnicity_culture_statement.pdf ). In addition, I have made several public statements on behalf of the church recently on this subject. Those statements are available at http://www.elca.org/Resources/Presiding-Bishop-Messages.

     God’s intention for all humanity is that we see the intrinsic worth, dignity and value of all people. Racism undermines the promise of community and fractures authentic relationships with one another. As Christians, though, we live in the conviction that the church has been gathered together in the joyful freedom of the reign of God announced by and embodied in Jesus. That reign has not come in its fullness, but the message of God’s “yes” to the world breaks down all dividing walls as we live into that promise.

     I urge you to deepen your involvement in and commitment to this important work to which we all are called. I believe our live webcast on this topic on Aug. 6 is one useful way for us to pursue this together, and I hope you will view and take part in it.

     You may read more about this webcast at www.ELCA.org/webcast, where a link to the live webcast will be embedded. A live stream also will be available at www.Facebook.com/Lutherans. Twitter hashtag is #ELCAConfrontRacism. If you would like to submit a question to be considered during the live webcast, please send it to livinglutheran@elca.org and provide your name and your congregation’s name, city and state.

     Join me for this important conversation.

Your Sister in Christ,
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America



News From the Neighborhood        

Coffee and a Side of Diapers! 

     The August 9 coffee hour will be hosted downstairs in the Diaper Depot area/Youth Room to invite the congregation to learn more about this very valuable program and its benefits for our neighborhood.

     The freewill offering could be a pack of diapers if you feel so inclined.



Profiles: Character

     Character is "the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of a person or thing" according to the Webster dictionary. The collection of what we say, how we act, the way we treat people accumulates over time. I imagine it like rings in a tree - we can hardly perceive it growing, but right there inside are rings of evidence in growth, strain, abundance, fire, and sunshine.

     During our Summer ACTS program, we took time to discuss what building a character means, and what kind of character we want for ourselves. In the two different groups, they came up with strikingly identical lists of character traits; traits such as kindness, responsibility, respect, honesty, hard-working. But these are more than words, they are actions. They are rings around each day where we speak kindly, we display our responsibility, and show respect for others. As Henry David Thoreau said, "You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."

     It was wonderful to watch a group of young people on their journey as they slowly forge themselves a character even over the course of 4 weeks. It also caused me to reflect on my own self and evaluate where I had maybe been dreaming myself into something rather than hammering it in to reality. Take a moment in your day and ponder the words of Thoreau, or Romans 5:3-5, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”



Coming Up

Open Streets:  Lake Street on Sunday, Aug. 2, 11am - 5pm. Walk, bike, and participate along Lake Street to promote healthy living, local businesses, sustainable transportation, and civic pride in Minneapolis.

Do-It-Green Clothing Swap, Saturday, Aug. 8, 9am - 3pm, in the Mount Olive Undercroft. Exchange your clothes for free!  Bring in all the items that are no longer right for you and trade them in for new ones.  This is a great opportunity to update your wardrobe without spending a penny!  All styles, sizes, and types of clothes, shoes, and accessories are welcome.  Any leftover items will be donated to charity. We will also have some Do It Green! Minnesota items for sale, including tote bags, utensil sets, and green living books. Open to the public!



Attention Worship Assistants!

     The Servant Schedule for the 4th quarter of 2015 (October- December) will be published at the beginning of September 2015.  

     The deadline for submitting requests to me is August 14, 2015.  Please email your requests to peggyrf70@gmail.com.

Thanks,
- Peggy Hoeft



A Note from Former Vicar Emily Beckering

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

     I am delighted to share with you that St. Paul Lutheran Church in Reading, Ohio, has called me as their pastor. I am thankful and eager to begin serving this congregation!
     As I prepare for this future ministry, I am especially thankful for your ministry, and for the many ways that you nurtured me as a disciple of Christ and as a pastoral leader during my time as vicar at Mount Olive.

     You are a people that take very seriously your baptismal call to witness and to embody Christ for one another and the world; you did this for me time and time again, for God continually met me through you all. You also have a deep commitment to your vicars and to their preparation as a ministry to the whole church. Your feedback cultivated my skills as a teacher and preacher. During liturgies, you invited me to experience the wonder and mystery of God’s faithful presence in worship. You modeled for me what community can truly be when a congregation loves one another. Through all of this, you confirmed my call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and I shall forever be grateful to God for the gift God has given me in you.

     I will be ordained at Mount Olive on Thursday, August 6, and would be overjoyed to worship with you. Thank you for challenging me, for extending such support and care, and for your partnership in the Gospel.

In Christ,
Emily Beckering

All are invited to the Service of Ordination at Mount Olive on Thursday, August 6, 2015, at 7:00 pm.  Clergy are invited to vest. All are invited to wear red.



Called to Care: A Forum for Those Touched by Memory Loss
Saturday, August 1, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis 

Learn about supportive resources within our community and be inspired by stories of folks who have lived this journey.  Hear presentations by speakers from MN Council of Churches Dementia Friendly Congregations Program, Lyngblomsten’s The Gathering, Mount Olivet Day Services, and Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness.

     This forum is free for caregivers and care receivers; $10 for everyone else.

     Brochures are available on the ledge outside the church office, and can be downloaded from www.trustinc.org.  Questions?  Contact Nancy Biele at 612-827-6159 or trustinc@visi.com.



Transitions Support Group to Meet Wednesday, August 5 

     All are welcome to visit the Transitions Support Group meetings if you've been hoping to find new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

     The next session meets on Wednesday, August 5, from 6- 7 pm, at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room. It will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth.  

     If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.


Sunday, July 26, 2015

Far More than Imaginable

Christ comes to change our hearts, fill us with the power of the Spirit and with the love of Christ living in us, so we can be a part of the pouring of God’s abundant love into the world.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 17, year B
      texts:  John 6:1-15; Ephesians 3:14-21; Psalm 145:10-18

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

Of course they wanted to make Jesus king.

Wouldn’t we?

About 20,000 people will die of hunger today. 1.5 million children will die of hunger this year. If a leader could make bread appear out of nowhere, why wouldn’t we want that?

That’s what we want from our leaders, isn’t it? The ability to solve intractable problems, without any commitment from us? The daunting number of people who want to be elected president in 15 months time are already exciting crowds with impossible promises, hoping to fool people into believing they are able to make bread out of thin air.

Wouldn’t it be great, though, if Jesus were here, and could just end world hunger? While he was at it, maybe he could also take care of our war making and violence, end oppression and injustice, clean up a lot of things? Our world has far more than 5,000 needy people; Jesus could be a big help.

Unless that’s not what Jesus means to do.

Jesus slips away at the end because he wasn’t about providing bread.

Jesus fed 5,000 people with a little boy’s lunch, and there were leftovers. Of course they wanted to make him king. Anybody with that kind of power should be in charge. The next day after this miracle, the people were looking for Jesus again, wanting another sign. Wanting more bread.

My friends, Jesus isn’t about the bread. This story isn’t about the bread. This astonishing lunch is simply a byproduct of Jesus’ unstoppable compassion for people in need. He couldn’t ignore that they were there, and they were hungry.

But he went away when they wanted to make him king because he didn’t come to give them bread. He came to give them himself.

Jesus knows the needs of this world are a people problem, not a God problem.

It’s a people problem that 20,000 will die of hunger today, because every reputable agency working on world hunger tells us there is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. This planet produces enough. God’s hand is open, and offering enough to satisfy all.

Yet millions are starving. And in places like the United States we throw 40 percent of our food away every year, about $165 billion worth. Imagine today’s story if some of the 5,000 started grabbing bread and fish from their neighbors and hoarding it, so some of the folks got nothing. Then after getting the food away, they threw nearly half of it into the trash. That’s our world. That’s a people problem.

The Son of God coming to offer food to all people today would look exactly like the world looks today, because that’s precisely what God is already doing. It’s a people problem, not a God problem that we can’t feed everyone. That’s why in all four Gospels, Jesus asks the disciples what they’re going to do about feeding the people.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, one of his temptations was to turn stones into bread. Maybe he refused to do it for the same reason he walked away from the people after this lunch, and for the same reason he’s not miraculously placing stacks of food in every poor village and city in the world. You don’t need to turn stones into bread if there’s enough bread for all. You just need to transform the people’s hearts so the bread is shared.

The same is true about most of what we are anxious about, what we need, what we lack.

People worry about security, about jobs, about having enough money. People worry about their health. These are the things we’d ask Jesus about if we were in that crowd.

But if we were living in a world that truly understood God’s abundance, most of these would never be a problem. People wouldn’t fret about retirement income, or loss of a job, if everyone took care of everyone else. People wouldn’t lose sleep over security, over a threatening, violent world, if everyone looked out for each other. We would still have our health concerns, but we’d have a world where everyone got the care they needed, and safety nets below safety nets to make sure no one fell through.

Our needs and the needs of the world are almost universally people problems, not God problems. When the Triune God looked at the world and decided to come among us, the answer wasn’t miraculously solving needs. It was changing the hearts of the people.

Paul proclaims this today.

There are three abundant gifts Paul tells the Ephesians he is praying they receive.

First, that they would be strengthened inwardly, in their inner being, by the power of the Spirit.

Second, that Christ would live in their hearts through faith, so they would be rooted and grounded in love.

Third, that they would have the power to comprehend the incomprehensible, to know the unknowable, that is, that they would begin to grasp the height, depth, breadth, and length of God’s love.

This, Paul says, is God’s abundant gift in Christ to us, to the world. And somehow, he says, in giving these gifts, God is doing far more than we can ever ask or imagine.

Since we tend to ask and imagine God saving the world from all these pains and fears and suffering, that’s saying something. What it’s saying is that when God enters our hearts and transforms them, the people problems of the world start to disappear.

The eyes of all wait upon you, we sang, and you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

How does God satisfy every desire, if it’s not about the bread, about the miraculous ending of all human problems?

By giving us God’s very self in Christ Jesus, not just bread, and changing our hearts. Hearts that hunger not for our needs to be fulfilled but for God’s love to fill our hearts and lives. Hearts that long not for God the great vending machine of the world but God the one whose love will root and ground us and give us strength of heart and the love of Christ in our lives.

When we begin to comprehend the incomprehensible love of God, we are changed. And we become part of God’s saving of this world. The only way everyone in the crowd gets fed, with leftovers to collect, is when everyone in the crowd passes bread and fish to their neighbor.

It’s far more than we usually ask and far more than we can imagine.

That’s our problem. Like people looking for political leaders who promise to fix everything without any involvement or sacrifice on the part of the people, we simply haven’t had the imagination or the will to consider that God could end all of human suffering through us, the people of the world. The problems seem so unsolvable, so daunting, whether it’s poverty or hunger or racism or war, or the systems that perpetuate all those things, we can’t imagine how any of that could be changed.

God can, and does imagine how all this can be transformed, and the world made into a better place, where all are fed and healthy and strong, and there are leftovers. This will happen when we are transformed by God into people who, rooted and grounded in God’s love, reflect that love in our lives, our decisions, our votes, our work, everything.

What would happen if we asked, if we imagined?

What if we imagined that through changing the people of the world God would bring life to the world? What if we asked God to transform our hearts so we’d be a part of the needed solutions? What might happen then?

We don’t know exactly. But we know God can accomplish this, and far more even than that.

It seems foolish if we don’t at least ask. And prepare to be changed.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Sunday, July 19, 2015

All We Like Sheep

We are all like sheep—intelligent, but prone to scattering when we don’t listen to our shepherd. Like sheep, we are meant to stay with the flock, and follow Jesus, our shepherd. If you listen, you will hear the shepherd calling!

Vicar Meagan McLaughlin
     The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 16, year B
        texts: Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 23, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

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

There are a lot of sheep in our readings for today. And a lot of shepherds. And for Jesus’ listeners, shepherds and sheep were very familiar, because if they were not shepherds themselves, they knew or worked with people who were. Encounters with sheep were common experiences, so when Jesus compared his listeners to sheep, as he does several times in the Gospels, or when they heard references to sheep and shepherds from the Hebrew scriptures, our Old Testament, they probably had a pretty easy time understanding what that meant.

Most of us today don’t have the same advantage when it comes to sheep images. Of course, we know some things about sheep. We know they live in flocks. We know they give us wool. We know they smell. And of course, we know they “baaaa!” But all of these things that we know about sheep from our limited experience are very little help when it comes to understanding what it means for us to be like sheep. After all, we may live in flocks, sort of, but we don’t shed wool, we hopefully don’t stink as badly as sheep do most of the time, and we don’t typically “baaaa,” except of course when we are singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, or having fun with Biblical sheep imagery!

No, our limited experience with sheep is not very helpful at all. We might have better luck explaining rotary phones or pilot lights to someone under 18! But in spite of the challenge to our 21st century minds, sheep and shepherds are really major themes in the Bible, and given today’s texts, it is worth spending a little time thinking about what it means for us to be like sheep, with God as our shepherd.

Sheep often get a bad rap for being “stupid,” and it is true that they have been known to walk off the edge of a cliff, one following another, with no hesitation. Sheep stick together as a group for safety and companionship, and if a lead sheep heads off in a bad direction, it is likely that others will follow. The truth is, however, contrary to popular opinion, sheep are actually very intelligent, and they are good at solving problems. While they may get misled, sheep can also find their way back home. And, they can go to lengths, even working together, to get into fields of juicier grasses!

Does that sound familiar? We human beings, like sheep, are intelligent, and are very good at working together to solve problems or achieve our goals. We also find safety in numbers. And, we have been known to trust and follow leaders who made bad decisions, not fully aware of what we were doing. Think of the last time you were in a car caravan when the lead car got lost. How long did it take—how many minutes, or miles, or turns, or silent thoughts that maybe this wasn’t right—before someone actually decided to question the leader?

The results of our human flocking tendencies can be harmless, and even humorous. Taken to an extreme, our sheep-like behavior can lead to nothing short of tragedy. Dylan followed false shepherds and other sheep whose ideas were not only misguided, but simply evil, and it led him straight into the Wednesday night Bible study at Emanuel AME for the purpose of taking the lives of nine innocent people.

I think perhaps Jeremiah could have been talking about this when he said, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.” Those spreading overt messages of hatred and division and supremacy and bias are certainly responsible. But so are all of us who remain silent in the face of subtle jokes or comments that demean whole groups of our fellows, or remain unaware of our own biases. We are following and encouraging others on a path allowing racism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression, to go unchallenged.

We who don’t respond and share our abundance with those lacking basic needs have gone astray. We have forgotten that our well-being, and the well-being of all creation, is not dependent upon individual success or safety. Our lives are inextricably intertwined with all of our fellow sheep and this world in which we live. When we forget that, like sheep without a shepherd, we are scattered and separated from one another.

We have been scattered, driven apart. We are all responsible to look to the shepherd who can lead us home.

In Jeremiah, God promises to raise up a new shepherd, and call his people back from where they have been scattered. We as Christians understand Jesus to be God our shepherd, the one who prepares a table for us, protects us, leads us along the right path. Paul assures the Ephesians that Jesus, our shepherd, has called us together, with all of our differences. Jesus has compassion on the people who seek him, because they are like sheep without a shepherd, and he teaches them. Jesus becomes their shepherd. And Jesus is our shepherd, the one who brings all of us sheep-like humans together as one flock.

We, like sheep, can be confused and led astray when we are not listening to our shepherd. But non-human sheep can recognize each other, and even distinguish one human being from another. This means that sheep can identify who their shepherd is! They know their shepherd’s voice, they know their shepherd’s face.

The crowds followed Jesus, ran ahead of him to wherever he was going, because intuitively, they knew who he was.

And so do we. We hear the voice of our shepherd all the time, if we listen for it. We hear it in the scriptures. We hear the shepherd calling in the voice of loved ones and mentors who know us well, and can help us find our way when we are lost. We even hear that voice, I daresay, in the voice of the preacher telling us hard truths on Sunday morning. And when we hear the voice of the shepherd, we know it, the same way we know the voice of our parents, our children, our spouses or partners. We can’t explain how we know, we just know.

Our shepherd is with us, always, no matter how lost or scattered we may become. Native legend tells us that humanity will not be whole and healed of brokenness until all of us—all colors, ethnicities, traditions, backgrounds—come together and share equal voice in the circle. Our shepherd is calling!

We humans are like sheep, even if we don’t “baaa” . . . . we are intelligent, we know our shepherd’s voice when we hear it, and at our best, we tend to follow our shepherd and stay with the flock for safety and companionship. Our lives and our well-being are dependent on realizing that we are not meant to be scattered or divided along any lines, and only our shepherd can keep us from getting lost. Come together, little sheep! And listen to the voice of Jesus our shepherd in scriptures, pastors, trusted companions. We are all like sheep. And—listen, do you hear it?—our shepherd is calling!

Thanks be to God!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

The Olive Branch, 7/15/15

Accent on Worship

     Well, I guess this is my “swan song!”  That is a figure of speech, based on the legend that a swan is mute until just before death.  Then the swan lets out with a beautiful song and dies.  Well, I have not exactly been mute these months, but it is still applicable.  I may stop singing, but, as they say, the beat goes on!  The beauty belongs to the song, not the singer.

     That is just an introduction to what I want to write about: the relationship of the gospel to the one who is sent to preach it.  At Corinth, some believers were dividing on the basis of their favorite preacher.  Paul’s answer: “What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (I Cor. 3:5 ff.)

     Paul then switches the image from agriculture to the building trade.  “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it.  Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”  (I Cor. 3:10 ff.)  Then, just as in the story of the three little pigs, Paul starts to list the different building materials used, from superior to inferior.

     One more image Paul uses for ministry we could call the olfactory image.  The gospel is called the fragrance of knowing Christ as Lord.  “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life.  Who is sufficient for these things?” (II Cor. 2:14 ff.)

     That is our challenge.  Who is sufficient for these things?  As hard as we may try, often we are unsure whether we are watering enough or whether the materials we build with are precious stones, or only straw.  Then we have to trust in God’s hard grace.  It is hard, because it tells us that on the last day our buildings will be tested with fire.  It is grace, because Paul says that the poor builder will be saved, but only as through fire.  (I Cor. 3:13 ff.)  

     “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.”  (I Cor. 16:23, 24)

- Interim Pastor Robert A. Hausman  



Sunday Readings

July 19, 2015: 8th Sunday after Pentecost, 16 B
 Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
______________

July 26, 2015: 9th Sunday after Pentecost, 17 B
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21



Farewell and Godspeed

     This Sunday, July 19, we bid Farewell and Godspeed to Interim Pastor Robert Hausman, who has served Mount Olive during Pr. Crippen’s three-month sabbatical leave. A light reception will be held following liturgy on Sunday to thank Pr. Hausman for his work at Mount Olive. All are cordially invited!



Let's Talk About Racism
Friday, August 7, 6-9 pm

     In response to the shooting at Emanuel AME Church, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has asked us to enter into a conversation about racism. This raises many different questions . . . Why do we need to talk about racism? What is it? What can we do about it?

     Please join us for a meal and facilitated conversation. Contact Vicar McLaughlin for more information.



Summer Organ Concert

     All are invited to hear Mount Olive member Bill Wilson play a summer organ concert at Wayzata Community Church, 125 E. Wayzata Blvd, Wayzata, MN, on Wed., July 22, at 12:15 pm.  The 30-minute concert is free and open to the public.



Mount Olive to Host National Night Out Gathering 

     We are going to host a National Night Out event in our parking lot on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

     The Open Space Committee (a part of Neighborhood Ministries) is organizing the event.
National Night Out is a program aimed at bringing neighbors and neighborhoods together so they
can get to know each other and become closer.

     If you and your family would like to join the Mount Olive family on August 4 you are more than
welcome.  We are a part of this neighborhood and we hope events like this will help us become
closer and build bonds with those who live around our church.

     If you can join us that evening please:
1. Let Anna Kingman know you are coming and how many to expect.
2. Bring snacks or deserts to share.
3. Bring your own lawn chairs.
     Water and beverages will be provided.

     See you on August 4!!



ReconcilingWorks/RIC Gala 

July 31-Aug 2, 2015 - Augsburg College, Minneapolis

     So far two folks from Mount Olive have contacted me and want to attend the Reconciling Works-RIC gala event on Friday, July 31. It would be great to have a few more, so please check your calendars and let me know if YOU can attend.  The fee for the gala is $40.00.

     I am also putting together a set of items from Mount Olive to be sold in the silent auction at the gala. If you have some new items or would like to give a gift card from a store or restaurant, please contact me.  We could use a nice set of items for that auction.

    Please consider coming to the gala and meet other local and national members of RIC congregations.

- Paul Nixdorf-Chair, Reconciling Works-Twin Cities  



Spiritual Gifts Workshop

     Have you been asking yourself these questions?
What gifts has God given me?  Where is God calling me now? How can I be the presence of God for those around me?

     Explore these questions and more at this workshop!

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and
Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Before the workshop, take an online gifts inventory: www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Faith-Practices/Assessment-Tools

     RSVP Required: Vicar McLaughlin at 612.827.5919 or vicar@mountolivechurch.org.



Olive Branch Summer Publication

     During the summer months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week. The next issue will be published on July 29.

     If you have information to be published in the July 29 issue, please have that information to the church office by Monday, July 27.



Lost and Found

     Have you lost an umbrella, coat, gloves, glasses, or keys at church? Did you bring a dish to pass, only to forget or lose the dish at church?

     Our lost and found is full to overflowing! Watch for a table with lost items in the coming weeks – see if your missing things are there and take them home!



Book Discussion Group Update

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 am in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome!     For the August 8 meeting they will read the collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris, and for the September 12 meeting, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven.



Called to Care: A Forum for Those Touched by Memory Loss
Saturday, August 1, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

    Learn about supportive resources within our community and be inspired by stories of folks who have lived this journey.  Hear presentations by speakers from MN Council of Churches Dementia Friendly Congregations Program, Lyngblomsten’s The Gathering, Mount Olivet Day Services, and Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness.

     This forum is free for caregivers and care receivers; $10 for everyone else.

     Look for brochures in the church office or download from www.trustinc.org.    
     Questions?  Contact Nancy Biele at 612-827-6159 or trustinc@visi.com.



Every Church A Peace Church - Twin Cities

     The next ECAPC potluck supper meeting will be on Monday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, (29th St. & 32nd Ave. South, Minneapolis: 612-724-3643, http://saintalbertthegreat.org

     The speaker for this meeting is Jay Kvale. Jay taught math, science, and reading at Catholic schools in the Twin Cities for 20 years. Following that, he served the state of Minnesota as a travel guide at the Albert Lea Information Center for 16 years. Since retiring in 2006, Jay has devoted his time to justice and peace activities, particularly nuclear disarmament.  He is a member of WAMM, the Minnesota Peace Project, and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee.

     The title for his presentation is "Nuclear Weapons: A Christian Perspective."  He will address the current status of nuclear arsenals, whether the use of nuclear weapons can be justified, and provide thoughts and statements by leading Christian thinkers about this subject.

     All are welcome.



Transitions Support Group to Meet Wednesday, August 5 

     All are welcome to visit the Transitions Support Group meetings if you've been hoping to find new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

     The next session meets on Wednesday, August 5, from 6- 7 pm, at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room. It will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth.  

     If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.



Donations Still Needed!

     Thanks to those who have contributed items for the Voigt family.  Many items are needed, but the key ones are listed here:
-  twin bed or bunk bed (and mattresses)
-  dressers
-  night stands
-  lamps (floor or table)
-  desk and chair
-  occasional tables
-  area rugs and scatter rugs
-  dining room table and chairs
-  twin and queen sized sheets and blankets
-  vacuum cleaner
-  adult bicycles (The Voigts are very accustomed to using public transportation and bicycles for transportation, although they will have a car to use here.)
-  gift cards/cash donations to help with purchasing items not donated.

Please see the "wish list" at: http://www.jooners.com/edit_sheet?l=45905ed6-a225-4f5e-a7ba-b7e7edad8a64  for a more complete list, or call/email Lora Dundek (651/645-6636 or lhdundek@usfamily.net).



Bargain Box

     What’s better than the start of a new school year? Making sure that all children have clothes and school supplies to make school something to look forward to!

     On Saturday, August 1, Bargain Box will sell new and gently-used clothing for kids. School supplies will be distributed to all children at the Community Meal. Each year, we are able to supply about 100 students with clothes and school supplies, which makes going back to school fun for kids and much easier for parents!

     You can help by volunteer-ing a few hours on that day, by bringing donations of gently used kids’ clothes, by donating new and gently used back-packs, or by making a mone-tary donation to purchase school supplies.

     For one more Sunday (this Sunday, July 19), someone from the Neighborhood Ministries Committee will be outside the lounge during the coffee hour to receive your donations.

     Thank you for making this annual ministry so successful!



News From the Neighborhood                        
Anna Kingman                  

     The last 48 hours for my family have been an unfolding of what staff here at Mount Olive call a “Cannon,” endearingly named after a previous Vicar’s consistency in sharing stories with troubling beginnings and a redeeming conclusion.

     My parents’ home in Blaine was struck by lightning in Sunday’s storm, sparking a fire in the attached garage and causing a considerable amount of damage, but only in a small area. My parents were out of town on a well-deserved vacation, but my sister was home alone. Around midnight our neighbors heard a loud crack and investigated, finding smoke in the garage. They leapt into action, getting my sister out of a smoky bedroom and the dogs out of the house. The fire department came very quickly, extinguished the fire, and made it safe. No one was injured and the constant statement of “it could have been so much worse” was soon found on everyone’s lips.

     Sometimes you need a bad thing to shake out all the good. Our neighbors were and continue to be an incredible support. What an immense blessing to have people so fully embrace your bad moments and sooth them. Offers to stay, offers for freezer space, calls of concern, meals, and everything was offered, but mainly comfort in the frustration. My wise little sister was shaken, but immensely grateful to the people who stuck their heads out their window when they sensed something wrong. There is no end to the trail of what could have happened, so we’re just grateful for what did happen and the ways that we can clearly see God acting throughout the story in small and big ways.

     We are grateful for our neighbors and family in an even deeper way. I hope you all feel that sense of trust and comfort in the many communities you sojourn through, and are able to find ways to be a good neighbor to those around you as well.



Summer ACTS: Last Week!

     Summer ACTS is providing jobs for 19 neighborhood youth and it’s been a great success! This fun group of youth, helped and mentored by some wonderful adults, worked with Stone's Throw Urban Farms, the Minneapolis Police Dept., Handyworks home help, and an art project.

     Thanks to the following adult mentors who helped make this program possible: Judy Hinck, Elizabeth Biessel, Joyce Brown, Connie Marty, Elaine Halbardier, Cynthia Prosek, Jo Ellen Kloehn, Eunice Hafemeister, Amy, Ted, and Rose Thompson, Gretchen Campbell-Johnson, Gail Neilsen, Sue Ellen Zagrabelny, and Vicar Meaghan.



Coming Up

OPEN STREETS - Lake Street on Sunday, Aug. 2, 11am - 5pm. Walk, bike, and participate along Lake Street to promote healthy living, local businesses, sustainable transportation, and civic pride in Minneapolis.

DO-IT-GREEN CLOTHING SWAP on Saturday, Aug. 8, 9am - 3pm, in the Undercroft. Watch for details in the next issue of The Olive Branch.



Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Olive Branch, 7/1/15

Accent on Worship

Crazy news we have seen in the last few weeks! Historic decisions came from the Supreme Court, including same-gender marriage and changes to the Voting Rights Act. Donald Trump was fired, and escaped convicts captured.  Greece faces financial ruin, and acts of terror and the spread of ISIS threaten people across the world. And President Obama eulogized Reverend Clementa Pinckney, and the FBI is investigating fires at several black churches in the south (3 confirmed arson at last count). Taken all together, it feels pretty chaotic. I find myself getting overwhelmed, and wonder, when is God going to straighten out this crazy world we live in?

And then, in this week’s reading from Mark, after describing how Jesus’ childhood neighbors resisted believing that Jesus has power from God, there is this: “And he could do no deed of power there . . .” What? Jesus can’t perform miracles because people don’t believe? This sounds like a “fake preacher” movie starring Steve Martin!

Matthew 13:58 reads differently: “And [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” Not that he couldn’t, but simply did’t. Either way, it hints of a requirement of belief for miracles to take place! With the reality of the violence of racism revealed at Emanuel AME fresh in my mind, I wonder . . . if belief is required for miracles, whose belief, exactly?

The words of African American theologian and minister Crystal St. Marie Lewis echo in my mind: “Is it possible that our prayers for God to somehow “fix” the world seem unheard because we don’t yet see ourselves as the answers to those prayers?”

We—not “we” as in white-people-only or “we” as in Mount-Olive-members-only, but an all-encompassing corporate “we” that propels us into the community. God has created each human being to work for the realization of the kingdom of God. “We” are the answers to our prayers. God is waiting on us. Are “we” ready?

- Vicar Meagan McLaughlin



Sunday Readings

July 5, 2015: 6th Sunday after Pentecost, 14 B
 Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 123
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13
______________

July 12, 2015: 7th Sunday after Pentecost, 15 B
Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29



Meet Our Missionary July 12

     After church on Sunday, July 12, grab some coffee and a seat and spend some time getting to know Karen Anderson, our ELCA missionary to Chile. We support Karen through the ELCA and her community health work through our support of EPES/ (EducaciĆ³n Popular En Salud) Action for Health in the Americas. Karen had wanted to be with us when we celebrated the Taste of Chile a few years ago, but at that time her delayed flight kept her away. Now is our chance to catch up with Karen, learn about her commitment to developing strong community health organizations that meet the real needs of the communities they serve, from strengthening prenatal health to helping rebuild after a community fire to campaigning to end smoking. And even more: Karen and her team are now reaching out to teach com-munity health techniques to community workers through-out Central and South America, and even to those working in Africa. Through our support of Karen we have real impact in improving health and lives in Chile.

     Save the date. Save the time. Join the conversation.



Olive Branch Summer Publication

     During the summer months of June, July, and August, The Olive Branch is published every other week. The next issue will be published on July 15.

     If you have information to be published in the July 15 issue, please have that information to the church office by Monday, July 13.



 July Vestry Meeting Rescheduled

     To accommodate Pr. Crippen's schedule, the Vestry will have its July meeting on Monday, July 20, rather than the regularly scheduled date of July 13.  Pr. Crippen will be accompanying youth to the ELCA 2015 Youth Gathering in Detroit during the week of July 13.

     The Vestry meetings are always open to congregation members, and are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm.



Book Discussion Group Update

     Mount Olive’s Book Discussion Group meets on the second Saturday of each month, at 10:00 am in the West Assembly Area at church. All readers are welcome!     For July 11 meeting, they will read, Bleak House, by Charles Dickens, and for August 8 the collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris.



Spiritual Gifts Workshop

     Have you been asking yourself these questions? What gifts has God given me?  Where is God calling me now? How can I be the presence of God for those around me?

     Explore these questions and more at this workshop!

Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts:
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 a.m.–noon
Mount Olive Lutheran Church
Workshop Leaders: Connie Marty and
Vicar Meagan McLaughlin

Before the workshop, take an online gifts inventory: www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Faith-Practices/Assessment-Tools
 
RSVP Required: Vicar McLaughlin at 612.827.5919 or vicar@mountolivechurch.org.



The Diaper Depot Needs You!'

     The Diaper Depot is open Tuesdays (4:30-6:30) and Thursdays (1:30-3:30) each week. Dozens of families make their way to Mount Olive each week for this extra support. Please consider if you can help any day this summer - just two hours of greeting families and neighbors who need diapers! Call Anna Kingman 612-827-5910 for more info and thank you.



Mark your Calendars for Wednesday, August 5: Transitions Support Group

     All are welcome to visit the Transitions Support Group meetings if you've been hoping to find new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you. This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

     The next session meets on Wednesday, August 5, from 6- 7 pm at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room, and will be facilitated by Amy Cotter and Cathy Bosworth.  

     If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144 or marcat8447@yahoo.com.



Donations Needed!

     Mount Olive and another ELCA congregation will be assisting Pr. Helge Voigt and his family from Leipzig, Germany, (friends of this congregation), as they spend a year in Minneapolis to study and work beginning in August.        

     Please click on the link below (or cut and paste, if needed), to be taken to the wish list of items.   You can sign up on line and then we'll get in contact with you with details.

     Scour your closets and donate to the Voigts!  Cash and gift cards are also welcomed, as noted on the sign-up sheet.

     We also need moving vehicles and people to help, dates TBD.   For questions, contact Lora Dundek at 651/645-6636 or by email to lhdundek@usfamily.net.

http://www.jooners.com/guest?l=45905ed6-a225-4f5e-a7ba-b7e7edad8a64



Flour, Sugar and Oil, Oh Yeah

A request from our ACTS summer program kids and helpers:      

     After working at the Community Emergency Services food shelf this week, we noticed totally bare shelves above the flour, sugar and oil labels. We asked. We found out that these are items most needed and least donated. We encourage you to fill those shelves!  

     Place your donations in the marked spot in the coat room. Thanks.



Bargain Box

     What’s better than the start of a new school year? Making sure that all children have clothes and school supplies to make school something to look forward to!

     On Saturday, August 1, Bargain Box will sell new and gently-used clothing for kids. School supplies will be distributed to all children at the Community Meal. Each year, we are able to supply about 100 students with clothes and school supplies, which makes going back to school fun for kids and much easier for parents!

     You can help by volunteer-ing a few hours on that day, by bringing donations of gently used kids’ clothes, by donating new and gently used back-packs, or by making a mone-tary donation to purchase school supplies.

     On Sundays July 5, 12, and 19, someone from the Neighborhood Ministries Committee will be outside the lounge during the coffee hour to receive your donations.

     Thank you for making this annual ministry so successful!



News From the Neighborhood     
                                     
Profiles: conversations

     Having the role of Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach and Ministry is a really amazing position. It's challenging to walk through hardships with others and learn how to best support people. It's immensely gratifying to see relief and hope and abundant blessings. It's also really fun to chat with moms at the Diaper Depot or get to sort food with ACTS kids or play games after tutoring. But the most wonderful part of this role is the ability and (dare I say) call to actively pursue positive change and betterment for the neighborhood that Mount Olive is a part of and each one that our members and sojourners goes home to. It's been all about conversations; talking with Meagan about how to recognize and address the complicated subject of racism, or to an Ethiopian Muslim man from LSS on respectful behavior at a mosque, to chatting with a forlorn woman over a bowl of soup after she literally bathed in the bathroom sink after days of unpaid work. All of these things, and so many more good, meaningful conversations make this job a ministry.

     We all have this opportunity within our lives. We all come across people we do not know or do not understand or do not appreciate, and we have an opportunity to start conversations in good faith with open hearts. It's how we will all, in this big, broad, broken world, go about healing and hoping with one another. Where, when, and how are you starting new conversations and being a good neighbor?

P.S. I'm learning how to do that well, so any conversations or advice are always welcome.



Summer ACTS

     Summer ACTS is providing jobs for 19 neighborhood youth and it's going great! It's a fun group of youth, helped and mentored by some wonderful adults and we still need mentors to make it through the end on July 16. Yet to come: Stone's Throw Urban Farm, the Minneapolis Police Dept., Handyworks home help, and an art project. If you can be a part in these kids' life and this program any Monday – Thursday through July 16, from 10am - 2pm, please let me know: neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org or by calling 612-827-5910. Thank you.



Celebrate Ramadan with our Muslim Neighbors!

     Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, each day the fast is broken with a meal called Iftar. The Minnesota Council of Churches and the Muslim American Society of Minnesota is hosting a series of open houses at area mosques. Attend an iftar dinner in your area! There is no charge, but RSVP required.

     Anna Kingman and Vicar Meagan will attend the dinner on July 7, at Dar al-Hajira Mosque. The link below will take you to registration for all the events scheduled for Ramadan this year. Hope you can join us!

http://mnchurches.org/respectfulcommunities/interfaithprogramming/takingheart/registration.html



Open Space Event on June 20, 2015: The Neighborhood Garage Sale

     Mount Olive hosted a community-wide garage sale in the OPEN SPACE of our church parking lot on June 20. Thank you to all who participated and made this activity a success. There were 12 vendors selling their goods; 5 members and 7 neighbors. There were 16 Mount Olive member volunteers whose main role was to be the presence of God for our guests! They put up handmade signs to draw in the guest shoppers, offered assistance to the vendors as they unloaded and set up, directed cars for parking in the lot, welcomed at our south church door to greet guests for tours of the building, and joined in the community meal over the lunch hour. Here are some comments from those who volunteered:

"I liked the mix of Mount Olive vendors and neighborhood vendors."
"I didn't hear any complaining from anyone - the feeling was almost celebratory."
"The comments I heard as they came in to the church were positive. They liked having it in the area.
Also gave people a chance to come in to the church which many of them liked."

     Yes, we literally opened our doors and our space which gave us a chance to show that we are part of the neighborhood, not just talk about it. Check out photos from the day in the main display case and watch for the next Open Space event coming up in August!

- Connie Marty and the Open Space Leadership Team



Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Conference

July 31-Aug 2, 2015 - Augsburg College, Minneapolis

     At the end of July we have an opportunity to show our support and commitment to the RIC program and to be a voice to the many other congregations in the ELCA who have not become RIC congregations.

     The National Reconciling Works Assembly and RIC conference is being held at Augsburg College July 31-August 2. If you would like to attend, visit www.reconcilingworks.org to register. If you cannot attend the entire conference, consider attending the July 31 gala. Gala tickets are $40 there will be a dinner and silent auction.  If you or you and your spouse would like to attend the gala please call or email me so I can get you on the list.  (Paul Nixdorf - 612-296-0055; pn@paulnixdorf.com )

     We are collecting items for the silent auction, asking each RIC congregation to assemble a set of items to be placed in the silent auction at the gala.  If you have ideas or know of that we can assemble for the silent auction please call me.
- Paul Nixdorf




 

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Reconciling in ChristRIC

Copyright 2014 Mount Olive Lutheran Church