Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Midweek Eucharist, noon (followed by Soup Luncheon)
Evening Prayer, 7:00 p.m. (preceded at 6:00 by Soup Supper and Table Talk)
Sunday, April 17, 2011: Sunday of the Passion
Holy Eucharist, 8:00 & 10:45 a.m.
Compline, 8:30 p.m.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sermon from April 10, 2011 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent, (A)
“Real Reality”
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Texts: John 9:1-45; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
We can only imagine how hard the wait was for these sisters. Mary and Martha have sent word to Jesus that their brother, his dear friend, was dying. When he finally arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. But if it took a couple days for the messengers to get to Jesus, and he waited two days as John says, and then it took him a couple days to get to them, it’s possible that Lazarus died even as the messenger spoke to Jesus, and his delay made no difference in the outcome.
But how long had Lazarus been ill? How long had the sisters been praying for healing, waiting for word about where Jesus was? This story is very different from our other Lenten Sundays – Nicodemus had heard of Jesus, but the woman at the well and the blind man hadn’t, and all three really had their first encounter with him in the stories we’ve heard. Not so Martha and Mary. “Jesus loved Martha” – that’s what John says – “and her sister, and Lazarus.” This was not a disciple-teacher relationship as much as a dear friend relationship. And they’d seen what their dear friend could do – healing, teaching, being grace. Mary and Martha knew he could save their brother. But they had to wait. And waiting for something you desperately want and need is incredibly hard to do.
The psalmist sings today, “Wait for the Lord, for with the Lord is steadfast love; with the Lord is plenteous redemption.” Even calling to God out of the depths of pain and sorrow, the invitation is to wait, because God will provide, God will save.
But how long can one wait? What if it doesn’t look like God is going to do what you’re praying for, hoping for?
This is a powerful part of this story for me: Martha, and then Mary, both confront Jesus in their grief which rises out of their fruitless waiting.
It’s hard to tell if they’re angry or just filled with sorrow. Probably both. But if we’re to look at Jesus through their eyes, the first thing we see today is disappointment. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How could you? How could you not come? Does our love mean nothing?
And in that disappointment we see a bit of ourselves. And perhaps the others from our Sunday readings. Was Nicodemus disappointed he didn’t get the answers he sought? Was the woman disappointed that there was no magic water after all? The blind man shouldn’t have been disappointed – he actually got his healing.
But this is the emotional connection for us here: facing pain or grief or loss, waiting for God to do something, and believing God has decided not to. Anyone who has stood in desperate silence beside a hospital bed knows what Mary and Martha are feeling. Anyone who’s stood at a grave on a cold hillside knows what is crushing them. Anyone who has looked at the devastation of a natural disaster in stunned horror can understand them. And I think we’ve all made, or wanted to make, their rebuke as well: “Lord, if you had been here, this wouldn’t have happened.”
So what are we to make of who Jesus is, what he offers us as followers?
It’s John’s goal for us, after all. So can we trust Jesus for what we really need? It’s fine to talk about prayer and asking God for help, but will it matter in the end? It’s fine to say Jesus is our beloved friend, but will he be there when we need him? More than anyone so far this Lent, we can see ourselves in these beautiful sisters.
But if we’re to know if Jesus is trustworthy, we ought to finish the story, see what he offers these sisters, and what happens next. Because the story doesn’t end with these rebukes, with Martha and Mary’s disappointment. And therein lies our hope.
And really the story isn’t about Lazarus being raised, either. At least for us it isn’t.
Yes, that seems like the main point, and it’s a pivotal moment, one that seals Jesus’ fate. From here on out his opponents are bound and determined to have him, and Lazarus, killed.
But for us there is something even more important. Lazarus died again, 2,000 years ago. He’s quite literally history. But there is truth for us in Martha and Mary’s experience that is deeper and more real and more present to us than this morning’s breakfast.
And that truth is that faith in Jesus means seeing a deeper reality of a loving relationship with God that gives meaning to the rest of life. Jesus invites Martha and Mary to see him in a different way, in a transforming way, even if the evidence of their eyes, of their lives, tells them otherwise.
Jesus responds to the sisters differently. Martha, the practical one, the one who runs out into the road to shout her disappointment at Jesus, gets a conversation. Jesus doesn’t tell her she’s wrong in criticizing him. He tells her that her brother will live again. She agrees – at the last day, she says. But that doesn’t change her sorrow. And it’s also not what Jesus is talking about.
Before he ever raises Lazarus, without promising that he will do it, he wants to know if Martha trusts him for her life. “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says. “Everyone who believes in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” he asks.
Here’s what he asks of Martha: a leap of faith. Can she trust that, even though it looks as if she’s lost Lazarus, even though it looks as if Jesus has let her down, can she trust that Jesus will be life for her? Enough for her? That he can fill her up inside with love and peace, even though her brother is dead?
And what a blessed woman! Martha not only elicits for us Jesus’ great “I am the resurrection and the life” statement, she makes a statement of faith more powerfully than any of his disciples in any of the Gospels: “Yes, Lord, I believe, that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
It’s important to remember – she has no idea what he’s about to do. That’s clear when they come to the tomb, and she doesn’t want Jesus to open it for fear of the smell of a rotting body. Martha doesn’t know what he’s going to do. But she’s decided to trust him for her life.
It’s the same leap Jesus asks of Nicodemus – to trust that with the Spirit giving him new birth he won’t need all the answers. And of the woman at the well – to trust that with this loving relationship with God that is hers, she’ll be quenched to the depths of her heart. And of the blind man – that even beyond his physical new sight, he is now seeing God’s love in the flesh, standing before him. And none of these had any more proof than Martha did. Or than we do.
This is what John tells us about Jesus, the Son of God: Living in a loving relationship with the God of the universe, as given by the risen Lord Jesus, transforms everything in our lives.
If we focus only on the tangible things, the things we can touch, sense, feel, we ultimately find only death. Nothing lasts – we grow old, we get thirsty, we go blind, we lose loved ones, we die. As Paul says in today’s reading, living by the flesh, the way of the world, is death for us. And if we’re hoping for God to make that different, it won’t happen, any more than the woman of Samaria got a magic pitcher which never emptied of water.
But what God has come to offer us in Jesus is the intangible reality of real life lived in relationship with God. A life where we live and breathe in God’s love, which surrounds and shapes and gives meaning to our life. Meaning even when we are thirsty, or grieving, or blind, or without answers. What Jesus offers is Resurrection and Life now – that we live with the amazing confidence that we are in God’s hands, no matter what.
And here’s the miracle: when we take that leap of faith in the intangible love of God, it then gives meaning to the tangible realities of our lives. As Paul says, if we live by the Spirit we receive life even in our mortal bodies.
And Mary is our key here. Jesus doesn’t have a conversation with her. He simply is with her. He weeps with her. He honors her pain, her grief, her sorrow. And transforms it by being there. This offer of Jesus is no rejection of our worldly needs and wants – Jesus knows how badly we need these things. This is an offer of life that will so fill and surround us that no matter our external circumstances we can know and live in the joy that God loves us with a deathless, eternal love.
Faith is a mysterious thing. And ultimately it is a gift of God to us.
And today Jesus invites us to jump into the gift, into the mystery, and revel in the love we find.
Of course Jesus ends up raising Lazarus. But his invitation to Martha, and her leap of faith, comes before that. While she’s still waiting. While she has no evidence that anything will be better, except the presence of her beloved Master standing before her offering her life. And it is enough for her.
And so we stand before Jesus on the road to our Bethanys. And of course we know that in his resurrection Jesus will bring us to eternal life even after our deaths. But like Martha and Mary, we’re not there yet. We live in our world as they did in theirs. And we come to this Table seeking answers, quenched thirst, eyes to see, life in the midst of death. And we have no guarantees that the things we think we most need will be given us. We come, knowing that what we see as real life can often be hard, and painful.
But we come to this Table and our Lord comes to us in bread and wine – granted, small tokens of this presence, but gifts of grace nonetheless. And Jesus looks at us and says, “Do you believe that I can fill you up, even if your other circumstances don’t change? Do you believe I am Resurrection and Life, even now for you? Do you want to leap into my love and know forever that you are mine?”
We know what Martha said. As for me, I’ve come to know that in Jesus I’m home. At his Table I am home and I am fed. That’s the best way I can describe what it means for me. In Jesus, I’m alive. I’m loved. No matter what happens. Even death. And that is your gift, too – I pray God helps you know that as well. Because this, this is real life. This is ours as a gift. And this, this is what we have to share with the world.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Texts: John 9:1-45; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
We can only imagine how hard the wait was for these sisters. Mary and Martha have sent word to Jesus that their brother, his dear friend, was dying. When he finally arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. But if it took a couple days for the messengers to get to Jesus, and he waited two days as John says, and then it took him a couple days to get to them, it’s possible that Lazarus died even as the messenger spoke to Jesus, and his delay made no difference in the outcome.
But how long had Lazarus been ill? How long had the sisters been praying for healing, waiting for word about where Jesus was? This story is very different from our other Lenten Sundays – Nicodemus had heard of Jesus, but the woman at the well and the blind man hadn’t, and all three really had their first encounter with him in the stories we’ve heard. Not so Martha and Mary. “Jesus loved Martha” – that’s what John says – “and her sister, and Lazarus.” This was not a disciple-teacher relationship as much as a dear friend relationship. And they’d seen what their dear friend could do – healing, teaching, being grace. Mary and Martha knew he could save their brother. But they had to wait. And waiting for something you desperately want and need is incredibly hard to do.
The psalmist sings today, “Wait for the Lord, for with the Lord is steadfast love; with the Lord is plenteous redemption.” Even calling to God out of the depths of pain and sorrow, the invitation is to wait, because God will provide, God will save.
But how long can one wait? What if it doesn’t look like God is going to do what you’re praying for, hoping for?
This is a powerful part of this story for me: Martha, and then Mary, both confront Jesus in their grief which rises out of their fruitless waiting.
It’s hard to tell if they’re angry or just filled with sorrow. Probably both. But if we’re to look at Jesus through their eyes, the first thing we see today is disappointment. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How could you? How could you not come? Does our love mean nothing?
And in that disappointment we see a bit of ourselves. And perhaps the others from our Sunday readings. Was Nicodemus disappointed he didn’t get the answers he sought? Was the woman disappointed that there was no magic water after all? The blind man shouldn’t have been disappointed – he actually got his healing.
But this is the emotional connection for us here: facing pain or grief or loss, waiting for God to do something, and believing God has decided not to. Anyone who has stood in desperate silence beside a hospital bed knows what Mary and Martha are feeling. Anyone who’s stood at a grave on a cold hillside knows what is crushing them. Anyone who has looked at the devastation of a natural disaster in stunned horror can understand them. And I think we’ve all made, or wanted to make, their rebuke as well: “Lord, if you had been here, this wouldn’t have happened.”
So what are we to make of who Jesus is, what he offers us as followers?
It’s John’s goal for us, after all. So can we trust Jesus for what we really need? It’s fine to talk about prayer and asking God for help, but will it matter in the end? It’s fine to say Jesus is our beloved friend, but will he be there when we need him? More than anyone so far this Lent, we can see ourselves in these beautiful sisters.
But if we’re to know if Jesus is trustworthy, we ought to finish the story, see what he offers these sisters, and what happens next. Because the story doesn’t end with these rebukes, with Martha and Mary’s disappointment. And therein lies our hope.
And really the story isn’t about Lazarus being raised, either. At least for us it isn’t.
Yes, that seems like the main point, and it’s a pivotal moment, one that seals Jesus’ fate. From here on out his opponents are bound and determined to have him, and Lazarus, killed.
But for us there is something even more important. Lazarus died again, 2,000 years ago. He’s quite literally history. But there is truth for us in Martha and Mary’s experience that is deeper and more real and more present to us than this morning’s breakfast.
And that truth is that faith in Jesus means seeing a deeper reality of a loving relationship with God that gives meaning to the rest of life. Jesus invites Martha and Mary to see him in a different way, in a transforming way, even if the evidence of their eyes, of their lives, tells them otherwise.
Jesus responds to the sisters differently. Martha, the practical one, the one who runs out into the road to shout her disappointment at Jesus, gets a conversation. Jesus doesn’t tell her she’s wrong in criticizing him. He tells her that her brother will live again. She agrees – at the last day, she says. But that doesn’t change her sorrow. And it’s also not what Jesus is talking about.
Before he ever raises Lazarus, without promising that he will do it, he wants to know if Martha trusts him for her life. “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says. “Everyone who believes in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” he asks.
Here’s what he asks of Martha: a leap of faith. Can she trust that, even though it looks as if she’s lost Lazarus, even though it looks as if Jesus has let her down, can she trust that Jesus will be life for her? Enough for her? That he can fill her up inside with love and peace, even though her brother is dead?
And what a blessed woman! Martha not only elicits for us Jesus’ great “I am the resurrection and the life” statement, she makes a statement of faith more powerfully than any of his disciples in any of the Gospels: “Yes, Lord, I believe, that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
It’s important to remember – she has no idea what he’s about to do. That’s clear when they come to the tomb, and she doesn’t want Jesus to open it for fear of the smell of a rotting body. Martha doesn’t know what he’s going to do. But she’s decided to trust him for her life.
It’s the same leap Jesus asks of Nicodemus – to trust that with the Spirit giving him new birth he won’t need all the answers. And of the woman at the well – to trust that with this loving relationship with God that is hers, she’ll be quenched to the depths of her heart. And of the blind man – that even beyond his physical new sight, he is now seeing God’s love in the flesh, standing before him. And none of these had any more proof than Martha did. Or than we do.
This is what John tells us about Jesus, the Son of God: Living in a loving relationship with the God of the universe, as given by the risen Lord Jesus, transforms everything in our lives.
If we focus only on the tangible things, the things we can touch, sense, feel, we ultimately find only death. Nothing lasts – we grow old, we get thirsty, we go blind, we lose loved ones, we die. As Paul says in today’s reading, living by the flesh, the way of the world, is death for us. And if we’re hoping for God to make that different, it won’t happen, any more than the woman of Samaria got a magic pitcher which never emptied of water.
But what God has come to offer us in Jesus is the intangible reality of real life lived in relationship with God. A life where we live and breathe in God’s love, which surrounds and shapes and gives meaning to our life. Meaning even when we are thirsty, or grieving, or blind, or without answers. What Jesus offers is Resurrection and Life now – that we live with the amazing confidence that we are in God’s hands, no matter what.
And here’s the miracle: when we take that leap of faith in the intangible love of God, it then gives meaning to the tangible realities of our lives. As Paul says, if we live by the Spirit we receive life even in our mortal bodies.
And Mary is our key here. Jesus doesn’t have a conversation with her. He simply is with her. He weeps with her. He honors her pain, her grief, her sorrow. And transforms it by being there. This offer of Jesus is no rejection of our worldly needs and wants – Jesus knows how badly we need these things. This is an offer of life that will so fill and surround us that no matter our external circumstances we can know and live in the joy that God loves us with a deathless, eternal love.
Faith is a mysterious thing. And ultimately it is a gift of God to us.
And today Jesus invites us to jump into the gift, into the mystery, and revel in the love we find.
Of course Jesus ends up raising Lazarus. But his invitation to Martha, and her leap of faith, comes before that. While she’s still waiting. While she has no evidence that anything will be better, except the presence of her beloved Master standing before her offering her life. And it is enough for her.
And so we stand before Jesus on the road to our Bethanys. And of course we know that in his resurrection Jesus will bring us to eternal life even after our deaths. But like Martha and Mary, we’re not there yet. We live in our world as they did in theirs. And we come to this Table seeking answers, quenched thirst, eyes to see, life in the midst of death. And we have no guarantees that the things we think we most need will be given us. We come, knowing that what we see as real life can often be hard, and painful.
But we come to this Table and our Lord comes to us in bread and wine – granted, small tokens of this presence, but gifts of grace nonetheless. And Jesus looks at us and says, “Do you believe that I can fill you up, even if your other circumstances don’t change? Do you believe I am Resurrection and Life, even now for you? Do you want to leap into my love and know forever that you are mine?”
We know what Martha said. As for me, I’ve come to know that in Jesus I’m home. At his Table I am home and I am fed. That’s the best way I can describe what it means for me. In Jesus, I’m alive. I’m loved. No matter what happens. Even death. And that is your gift, too – I pray God helps you know that as well. Because this, this is real life. This is ours as a gift. And this, this is what we have to share with the world.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
The Olive Branch, 4/11/11
Accent on Worship
Prepared For What?
The word preparation has been stuck in my head, like a ditty that won’t go away, since Ash Wednesday. It’s not a particularly religious word, although it sounds downright profound, even Lenten if you add the word “solemn” in front. But really, what does preparation have to do with Lent? Let’s face it, most of us have experienced Lent many times, what’s to prepare? We all know the story and how it ends, and it’s spectacular!
I have a very dear friend who has taught second grade for many years. She is in her classroom every morning at 5:00 a.m. in preparation for her class. This might seem odd. The material hasn’t changed much over time and she certainly must know it by heart. I think her preparation shows a profound dedication to her calling, and a deep love for her students. She spends as much time in preparation as she does in presentation. I believe her objective is to make the material that she knows so well relevant and exciting to this group of second graders, the class of 2021, just as she did for the class of 2020, 2019 and so on.
We have all endured lectures, presentations or meetings where it was obvious there was little or no preparation. We soon feel impatient, embarrassed and uncomfortable or even angry that our time is being wasted. We leave feeling the presenter lacked conviction and consequently credibility. On the other hand, when the speaker is prepared, conviction is obvious and remarkable things can happen. They don’t convince you of anything, but you are drawn to a new way of looking at something, a new way of thinking. Dr. Fretheim and adult forum this past Sunday was an excellent example.
We will soon hear again the story of Peter’s unfortunate confrontation in the courtyard. His lack of preparation is obvious in his three-fold denial of Jesus. Let’s not be too hard on Peter. We will encounter our own “courtyards” and be challenged by “maids,” perhaps in the boardrooms, break-rooms, classrooms and living rooms of our lives. Undoubtedly something we do or say will cause another to wonder, “I thought this person was a Christian,” or they might actually call us out like the maid, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” How much more prepared will we be than Peter? Might we be inclined to denounce Him: “Sure I’m spiritual, I believe in God, but I’m not crazy over this stuff.” Or perhaps we have become more adept than Peter and can deflect the whole issue, perhaps shift the conversation to focus on others. We might even avoid the courtyard altogether; just blending into the crowd … the one that yells “Crucify Him!” Of course, we would never yell that… but maybe just raise our fist and mumble it, just to fit in: “It’s nothing personal, Lord. This is where I work and live, I have to survive here, Lord, and I have to fit in!”
These 40 days of Lent point us to a life changing, (better said, a death changing!) event. We know the story, like the 2nd grade teacher, but have we spent the time in preparation? Will the people we encounter every day see our conviction, that we have been changed? This stuff of Lent and Holy Week makes little sense to the world in which we live. We are compelled to do far more than tell the story, we are called to show what life in Christ means in our lives. That requires a lot of preparation, a whole new way of life!
- Al Bipes
Sunday Readings
April 17, 2011 – Sunday of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a + Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11 + Matthew 26:14—27:66
April 24, 2011 – Resurrection of Our Lord
Acts 10:34-43 + Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3:1-4 + Matthew 28:1-10
Sunday’s Adult Education - 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel Lounge
This Sunday, April 17: Annual Bread for the World Offering of Letters, facilitated by Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator, Donna Neste.
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
Wednesdays in Lent at Mount Olive
One Maundy Thursday Liturgy
Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum, the great Three Days in which the church contemplates, remembers, and celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus. In recent years Mount Olive has had both a noon and an evening liturgy.
Given the importance of the foot washing and the stripping of the altar in that day’s liturgy, and given the Gospel reading’s emphasis on the unity of the church, it seemed that it would be better to have one liturgy rather than two on that day. After several years of discussion, the decision was made this year to have only one liturgy on Maundy Thursday (April 21 this year) at 7:00 p.m.
In talking with several of those who have ordinarily attended the noon liturgy, it is apparent that the biggest obstacle to their being present for the evening liturgy is transportation. Driving at night is difficult for some. We are, therefore, going to work at matching those who will be driving to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy with those in need of transportation to that liturgy.
If you are able to provide transportation to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy, or if you are in need of transportation to that liturgy, please contact the church office either by phone (612.827.5919), or by email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org). A coordinator will follow up with you once arrangements have been made.
Maundy Thursday Footwashing
In the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, we read about the goings on in the upper room where Jesus and his disciples shared their last meal together. In this precious, brief span of time, Jesus does an astonishingly intimate thing: he washes the feet of his followers. It is an act of both devotion and humility that makes Peter so uncomfortable he refuses at first to accept this gift. Yet in the next moment, Peter goes overboard in wanting to participate, once he understands what it means.
We may be reluctant to receive this lesson of foot washing, but listen to what Jesus says: (John 13:14-15): "So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."
Notice that Jesus does not tell his disciples that they must go out and wash a bunch of other people's feet. Rather, he tells his disciples to wash each other's feet. This powerful, intimate, humbling gift is meant to be mutual. We are to love and serve each other, both giving and receiving.
This year at the Maundy Thursday evening service, we will listen again to the Gospel story, and then do as Jesus commanded: We will wash each other's feet.
Art Exhibit in Chapel Lounge
Selections from the St. John’s Bible
In 1998, St. John’s Abbey and University commission- ed renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible. This display will invite you to explore this work of art which unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium. This exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts, and will be open to the public before and after all church services and events in April.
Contribution Statements Available
Contributions statements for the first quarter of 2011 are printed and ready to be picked up at church. They are on a table near the coat room. Please pick yours up! If you are unable to get to church, please call the church office and your statement will be mailed to you.
New Members/Inquiry Lunch to be Held This Sunday, April 17
Those interested in joining Mount Olive this spring, or just interesting in learning more about membership at Mount Olive, are invited to a luncheon on Sunday, Apr. 17, following the second liturgy. Leaders of Mount Olive will be present to meet and greet folks, and answer questions about Mount Olive. New members will be received on Sunday, May 1, the Second Sunday of Easter. Please talk to Pastor Crippen if you would like to consider joining at this time, or if you simply would like to talk about membership for a future time.
Join Us In the May Day Parade
Hey everyone, it's time to put on your walking shoes and march with Mount Olive members and friends in the May Day Parade, on Sunday May 1! It has been our tradition to let folks know that we are in the neighborhood by marching behind the Mount Olive banner. Meet after the second liturgy at Cedar Park on 18th Ave. and 25th Street. MONAC members will be there to greet you with fun stuff to wave. We will be marching from there down Bloomington Ave. to Powderhorn Park.
If you have never done this and want to participate this year, you are in for a treat. It is energizing and fun to have thousands of people wave back at you and wish you a happy May Day! It might be a good idea to car-pool or have someone drop you off at the park, because parking is tight there.
From the Wish List
The following items currently appear on Mount Olive’s Wish List, waiting to be donated by generous members. If you are interested and able to donate any of these items, please sign your name next to the item on the Wish List, posted in the church office. Someone will contact you regarding payment and exact amount.
Furniture:
(3) Mahogany Upholstered Guest Chairs for Chapel @ $199 ea.;
(6) Upholstered Stacker Chairs for Library @ $139 ea.;
(17) Upholstered Stacker Chairs for East Assembly @ $139 ea.;
6x2 Maple Table for Library @ $250;
(2) White Melamine Sideboard Storage for restrooms @ $150 ea.
(2) White Mirror over Sideboard Storage @ $100 ea.
Educational Supplies:
The Ark and Tent/Tabernacle Godly Play set @ $196.95;
Prophets Godly Play set @ $36.95;
Jonah, Prophet Godly Play set @ $169.95;
Basic Lent Godly Play set @ $128.95;
Mystery of Pentecost Godly Play set @ $137.95.
Prepared For What?
The word preparation has been stuck in my head, like a ditty that won’t go away, since Ash Wednesday. It’s not a particularly religious word, although it sounds downright profound, even Lenten if you add the word “solemn” in front. But really, what does preparation have to do with Lent? Let’s face it, most of us have experienced Lent many times, what’s to prepare? We all know the story and how it ends, and it’s spectacular!
I have a very dear friend who has taught second grade for many years. She is in her classroom every morning at 5:00 a.m. in preparation for her class. This might seem odd. The material hasn’t changed much over time and she certainly must know it by heart. I think her preparation shows a profound dedication to her calling, and a deep love for her students. She spends as much time in preparation as she does in presentation. I believe her objective is to make the material that she knows so well relevant and exciting to this group of second graders, the class of 2021, just as she did for the class of 2020, 2019 and so on.
We have all endured lectures, presentations or meetings where it was obvious there was little or no preparation. We soon feel impatient, embarrassed and uncomfortable or even angry that our time is being wasted. We leave feeling the presenter lacked conviction and consequently credibility. On the other hand, when the speaker is prepared, conviction is obvious and remarkable things can happen. They don’t convince you of anything, but you are drawn to a new way of looking at something, a new way of thinking. Dr. Fretheim and adult forum this past Sunday was an excellent example.
We will soon hear again the story of Peter’s unfortunate confrontation in the courtyard. His lack of preparation is obvious in his three-fold denial of Jesus. Let’s not be too hard on Peter. We will encounter our own “courtyards” and be challenged by “maids,” perhaps in the boardrooms, break-rooms, classrooms and living rooms of our lives. Undoubtedly something we do or say will cause another to wonder, “I thought this person was a Christian,” or they might actually call us out like the maid, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” How much more prepared will we be than Peter? Might we be inclined to denounce Him: “Sure I’m spiritual, I believe in God, but I’m not crazy over this stuff.” Or perhaps we have become more adept than Peter and can deflect the whole issue, perhaps shift the conversation to focus on others. We might even avoid the courtyard altogether; just blending into the crowd … the one that yells “Crucify Him!” Of course, we would never yell that… but maybe just raise our fist and mumble it, just to fit in: “It’s nothing personal, Lord. This is where I work and live, I have to survive here, Lord, and I have to fit in!”
These 40 days of Lent point us to a life changing, (better said, a death changing!) event. We know the story, like the 2nd grade teacher, but have we spent the time in preparation? Will the people we encounter every day see our conviction, that we have been changed? This stuff of Lent and Holy Week makes little sense to the world in which we live. We are compelled to do far more than tell the story, we are called to show what life in Christ means in our lives. That requires a lot of preparation, a whole new way of life!
- Al Bipes
Sunday Readings
April 17, 2011 – Sunday of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a + Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11 + Matthew 26:14—27:66
April 24, 2011 – Resurrection of Our Lord
Acts 10:34-43 + Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3:1-4 + Matthew 28:1-10
Sunday’s Adult Education - 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel Lounge
This Sunday, April 17: Annual Bread for the World Offering of Letters, facilitated by Neighborhood Ministries Coordinator, Donna Neste.
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
Wednesdays in Lent at Mount Olive
- Noon: Holy Eucharist, followed by a soup luncheon
- 6:00 pm: Table Talk (meditation and discussion on The Lord’s Prayer)
- 7:00 pm: Evening Prayer
One Maundy Thursday Liturgy
Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum, the great Three Days in which the church contemplates, remembers, and celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus. In recent years Mount Olive has had both a noon and an evening liturgy.
Given the importance of the foot washing and the stripping of the altar in that day’s liturgy, and given the Gospel reading’s emphasis on the unity of the church, it seemed that it would be better to have one liturgy rather than two on that day. After several years of discussion, the decision was made this year to have only one liturgy on Maundy Thursday (April 21 this year) at 7:00 p.m.
In talking with several of those who have ordinarily attended the noon liturgy, it is apparent that the biggest obstacle to their being present for the evening liturgy is transportation. Driving at night is difficult for some. We are, therefore, going to work at matching those who will be driving to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy with those in need of transportation to that liturgy.
If you are able to provide transportation to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy, or if you are in need of transportation to that liturgy, please contact the church office either by phone (612.827.5919), or by email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org). A coordinator will follow up with you once arrangements have been made.
Maundy Thursday Footwashing
In the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, we read about the goings on in the upper room where Jesus and his disciples shared their last meal together. In this precious, brief span of time, Jesus does an astonishingly intimate thing: he washes the feet of his followers. It is an act of both devotion and humility that makes Peter so uncomfortable he refuses at first to accept this gift. Yet in the next moment, Peter goes overboard in wanting to participate, once he understands what it means.
We may be reluctant to receive this lesson of foot washing, but listen to what Jesus says: (John 13:14-15): "So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."
Notice that Jesus does not tell his disciples that they must go out and wash a bunch of other people's feet. Rather, he tells his disciples to wash each other's feet. This powerful, intimate, humbling gift is meant to be mutual. We are to love and serve each other, both giving and receiving.
This year at the Maundy Thursday evening service, we will listen again to the Gospel story, and then do as Jesus commanded: We will wash each other's feet.
Art Exhibit in Chapel Lounge
Selections from the St. John’s Bible
In 1998, St. John’s Abbey and University commission- ed renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible. This display will invite you to explore this work of art which unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium. This exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts, and will be open to the public before and after all church services and events in April.
Contribution Statements Available
Contributions statements for the first quarter of 2011 are printed and ready to be picked up at church. They are on a table near the coat room. Please pick yours up! If you are unable to get to church, please call the church office and your statement will be mailed to you.
New Members/Inquiry Lunch to be Held This Sunday, April 17
Those interested in joining Mount Olive this spring, or just interesting in learning more about membership at Mount Olive, are invited to a luncheon on Sunday, Apr. 17, following the second liturgy. Leaders of Mount Olive will be present to meet and greet folks, and answer questions about Mount Olive. New members will be received on Sunday, May 1, the Second Sunday of Easter. Please talk to Pastor Crippen if you would like to consider joining at this time, or if you simply would like to talk about membership for a future time.
Join Us In the May Day Parade
Hey everyone, it's time to put on your walking shoes and march with Mount Olive members and friends in the May Day Parade, on Sunday May 1! It has been our tradition to let folks know that we are in the neighborhood by marching behind the Mount Olive banner. Meet after the second liturgy at Cedar Park on 18th Ave. and 25th Street. MONAC members will be there to greet you with fun stuff to wave. We will be marching from there down Bloomington Ave. to Powderhorn Park.
If you have never done this and want to participate this year, you are in for a treat. It is energizing and fun to have thousands of people wave back at you and wish you a happy May Day! It might be a good idea to car-pool or have someone drop you off at the park, because parking is tight there.
From the Wish List
The following items currently appear on Mount Olive’s Wish List, waiting to be donated by generous members. If you are interested and able to donate any of these items, please sign your name next to the item on the Wish List, posted in the church office. Someone will contact you regarding payment and exact amount.
Furniture:
(3) Mahogany Upholstered Guest Chairs for Chapel @ $199 ea.;
(6) Upholstered Stacker Chairs for Library @ $139 ea.;
(17) Upholstered Stacker Chairs for East Assembly @ $139 ea.;
6x2 Maple Table for Library @ $250;
(2) White Melamine Sideboard Storage for restrooms @ $150 ea.
(2) White Mirror over Sideboard Storage @ $100 ea.
Educational Supplies:
The Ark and Tent/Tabernacle Godly Play set @ $196.95;
Prophets Godly Play set @ $36.95;
Jonah, Prophet Godly Play set @ $169.95;
Basic Lent Godly Play set @ $128.95;
Mystery of Pentecost Godly Play set @ $137.95.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Midweek Lent 2011 + Lord, Teach Us to Pray
Week 4: “The Obvious (?) Solution” Fifth Petition, the Lord’s Prayer
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Texts: Matthew 18:21-35
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
“Forgive us, God, just as we forgive others.” Is there any way to say that which doesn’t cause us to hesitate? We might struggle to pray for daily bread, as I talked about last week, but this petition could be even more difficult. Tying our own forgiveness to our ability or willingness to forgive others is a little daunting.
Jesus gives us this prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, to teach us to pray, and this petition is one we need every day. But it’s not easy to pray. And the difficulty isn’t just in the second half, to be honest. We’re not entirely thrilled with the first part, either. It’s a toss-up whether we’re less willing to admit our own wrongdoing or to forgive the wrongs others have done to us.
But maybe we’re missing something here. Martin Luther said this is a petition to gladden us, a prayer we can “use and practice every hour, keeping it with us at all times.” (Large Catechism) He saw great joy in the first part, that we can turn to God who has already promised to forgive us, and honestly face our flaws, our sin, our brokenness. We can turn to God in confidence that God will forgive, and admit all, tell everything, and trust in God’s love. And as for the second part, Luther says there’s comfort in it. Though it seems at least in the Large Catechism he doesn’t really explain what that comfort is, I think I might know. And I do believe this – our Lord Jesus would say that praying this petition hourly, daily, all our lives, is central to living in the grace of God for the world.
The first part first: we’re invited to admit our own sin and brokenness.
The story Jesus tells Peter today responds to Peter’s complete lack of focus on his own reality. Whatever the precipitating circumstances were that caused Peter’s question, Jesus is aware that Peter’s view of sin is uni-directional. He only wants to know how he can limit his forgiveness of others – what’s the bar, the standard, the end?
To be fair, he sets it rather high. Not many of us would willingly forgive the same offense seven times running. But Jesus focuses him and us on the reality that while we’re withholding forgiveness from others, we’ve received infinite forgiveness from God.
The key to this story, and to Jesus’ understanding of forgiveness, is relationship restoration. The relationships are what is repaired, or needing repair: between the king and the servant, and the servant and his fellow servants. Forgiveness in the Bible is most often about re-creating a broken relationship, be it between God and us, or between people.
So the reaction of the king to the unforgiving servant is in part so strong because he believed that his relationship with the servant was restored by the forgiveness. The fact that the servant was unwilling to forgive another person showed that he wasn’t living in that relationship in any significant way – he only saw forgiveness as avoiding punishment. But that’s not the point of biblical forgiveness – it’s always about God wanting us back, and wanting us restored to each other, not about getting out of something.
This is why we want to pray the first part: we want to be back in a loving relationship with God. We have nothing to lose in confessing and turning to God but our pride (and Luther reminds us how foolish that is) and everything to gain in a new relationship with God.
But what about part 2, the other part?
Forgiving others and asking their forgiveness is one of the hardest things we do.
In the the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, there was a series dealing with the little boy Calvin insulting his friend Susie. In one key strip, Calvin realizes that he feels sorry he’s hurt her. But when his friend the tiger says “Maybe you should apologize to her,” Calvin replies, “I keep hoping there’s a less obvious solution.”
That’s our dilemma – asking forgiveness of another, and offering forgiveness to another require a vulnerability that we’re often not willing to have. But if we don’t do it, we live with the pain of the broken relationships. We keep hoping there’s a less obvious solution, when this is the only one that makes any sense. It’s the only one that can restore relationships.
And that’s the key to Jesus’ command in this parable, and repeated in this petition. We are commanded to forgive each other because it’s the only way to healing and new life with each other. As long as we persist in believing we’re in the right, we will live with the pain of our disrupted relationships, no matter who is at fault in the disruption. And if I could add to Luther, I think this is where the comfort of this second half comes – in forgiving others and seeking forgiveness from them, we find the same rich, joyful life we find in seeking God’s forgiveness.
I learned this many years ago in a way that deeply affected me. I was pretty young, and there was a person who was very hard on me, unkind, and said things to me and to others about me that weren’t kind or true. I’d tried to talk through with this person what was wrong, to no effect. It didn’t help at all that others told me this person did this to everyone – I felt I should find a way through it. But I was firm in my self-righteous belief that I at least wasn’t in the wrong.
But as God often does, the words of Scripture kept pushing at me. I’d read stories like today’s, or pray the Lord’s Prayer, or hear Jesus’ command to love, and think “I’m not doing this very well.” So finally I gave in. I prayed for this person. Here was my prayer, initially: “Dear God, help me forgive this person. But I have to tell you that I don’t want to – I’m only praying this because you say I have to. So you’re going to have to work hard on this one.”
Not the most gracious of prayers, but it got me through. And for awhile I prayed that prayer. I tried to pray for this person every day. And what was amazing to me was that over time I didn’t need to be so obstinate in my prayer. I began to pray that God’s love be real to this person, that this person be filled with God’s joy – something I began to see they needed badly. And the result was that after a few months, my prayers for this person were all about them, and their needs, and that they know God’s grace as real.
This person never stopped being unkind to me, that I could ever tell. But the miracle God worked in me is that I eventually found I wasn’t angry or hurt – I only had pity and compassion for this person. Given my attitude when I began, this is all God’s grace.
And that’s what Jesus is promising in this petition – that our forgiveness from God and our forgiveness of each other will transform us into new people, regardless of what the other person has done.
And of course Jesus is saying in this petition and parable that we can hardly deny forgiveness to another person when we’ve received it in full from God. But what he means is that if we do not forgive others, we are living as if we haven’t been forgiven by God – we are living as if there is no new relationship of love between us and God. And through this prayer Jesus promises that God will change our hearts and make us filled with the grace that we’ve already received from God, grace that we can then offer others.
And that’s definitely something worth praying for.
At the bottom line, we need this petition because we need to ask God’s help in doing it. Without God’s help, we’d never confess or forgive.
As I experienced, God changes our hearts even when we think right up front we don’t want them changed. And with the difficulty we have with both directions of forgiveness – divine and human – I’m thankful Jesus tells us we ought to pray for this. As Luther says, when our heart isn’t right with God we lack the confidence and do not dare to pray this petition. So thanks be to God that Jesus commands us to do it, whether we dare or not – and then gives us the confident heart to live in it as well.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Texts: Matthew 18:21-35
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
“Forgive us, God, just as we forgive others.” Is there any way to say that which doesn’t cause us to hesitate? We might struggle to pray for daily bread, as I talked about last week, but this petition could be even more difficult. Tying our own forgiveness to our ability or willingness to forgive others is a little daunting.
Jesus gives us this prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, to teach us to pray, and this petition is one we need every day. But it’s not easy to pray. And the difficulty isn’t just in the second half, to be honest. We’re not entirely thrilled with the first part, either. It’s a toss-up whether we’re less willing to admit our own wrongdoing or to forgive the wrongs others have done to us.
But maybe we’re missing something here. Martin Luther said this is a petition to gladden us, a prayer we can “use and practice every hour, keeping it with us at all times.” (Large Catechism) He saw great joy in the first part, that we can turn to God who has already promised to forgive us, and honestly face our flaws, our sin, our brokenness. We can turn to God in confidence that God will forgive, and admit all, tell everything, and trust in God’s love. And as for the second part, Luther says there’s comfort in it. Though it seems at least in the Large Catechism he doesn’t really explain what that comfort is, I think I might know. And I do believe this – our Lord Jesus would say that praying this petition hourly, daily, all our lives, is central to living in the grace of God for the world.
The first part first: we’re invited to admit our own sin and brokenness.
The story Jesus tells Peter today responds to Peter’s complete lack of focus on his own reality. Whatever the precipitating circumstances were that caused Peter’s question, Jesus is aware that Peter’s view of sin is uni-directional. He only wants to know how he can limit his forgiveness of others – what’s the bar, the standard, the end?
To be fair, he sets it rather high. Not many of us would willingly forgive the same offense seven times running. But Jesus focuses him and us on the reality that while we’re withholding forgiveness from others, we’ve received infinite forgiveness from God.
The key to this story, and to Jesus’ understanding of forgiveness, is relationship restoration. The relationships are what is repaired, or needing repair: between the king and the servant, and the servant and his fellow servants. Forgiveness in the Bible is most often about re-creating a broken relationship, be it between God and us, or between people.
So the reaction of the king to the unforgiving servant is in part so strong because he believed that his relationship with the servant was restored by the forgiveness. The fact that the servant was unwilling to forgive another person showed that he wasn’t living in that relationship in any significant way – he only saw forgiveness as avoiding punishment. But that’s not the point of biblical forgiveness – it’s always about God wanting us back, and wanting us restored to each other, not about getting out of something.
This is why we want to pray the first part: we want to be back in a loving relationship with God. We have nothing to lose in confessing and turning to God but our pride (and Luther reminds us how foolish that is) and everything to gain in a new relationship with God.
But what about part 2, the other part?
Forgiving others and asking their forgiveness is one of the hardest things we do.
In the the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, there was a series dealing with the little boy Calvin insulting his friend Susie. In one key strip, Calvin realizes that he feels sorry he’s hurt her. But when his friend the tiger says “Maybe you should apologize to her,” Calvin replies, “I keep hoping there’s a less obvious solution.”
That’s our dilemma – asking forgiveness of another, and offering forgiveness to another require a vulnerability that we’re often not willing to have. But if we don’t do it, we live with the pain of the broken relationships. We keep hoping there’s a less obvious solution, when this is the only one that makes any sense. It’s the only one that can restore relationships.
And that’s the key to Jesus’ command in this parable, and repeated in this petition. We are commanded to forgive each other because it’s the only way to healing and new life with each other. As long as we persist in believing we’re in the right, we will live with the pain of our disrupted relationships, no matter who is at fault in the disruption. And if I could add to Luther, I think this is where the comfort of this second half comes – in forgiving others and seeking forgiveness from them, we find the same rich, joyful life we find in seeking God’s forgiveness.
I learned this many years ago in a way that deeply affected me. I was pretty young, and there was a person who was very hard on me, unkind, and said things to me and to others about me that weren’t kind or true. I’d tried to talk through with this person what was wrong, to no effect. It didn’t help at all that others told me this person did this to everyone – I felt I should find a way through it. But I was firm in my self-righteous belief that I at least wasn’t in the wrong.
But as God often does, the words of Scripture kept pushing at me. I’d read stories like today’s, or pray the Lord’s Prayer, or hear Jesus’ command to love, and think “I’m not doing this very well.” So finally I gave in. I prayed for this person. Here was my prayer, initially: “Dear God, help me forgive this person. But I have to tell you that I don’t want to – I’m only praying this because you say I have to. So you’re going to have to work hard on this one.”
Not the most gracious of prayers, but it got me through. And for awhile I prayed that prayer. I tried to pray for this person every day. And what was amazing to me was that over time I didn’t need to be so obstinate in my prayer. I began to pray that God’s love be real to this person, that this person be filled with God’s joy – something I began to see they needed badly. And the result was that after a few months, my prayers for this person were all about them, and their needs, and that they know God’s grace as real.
This person never stopped being unkind to me, that I could ever tell. But the miracle God worked in me is that I eventually found I wasn’t angry or hurt – I only had pity and compassion for this person. Given my attitude when I began, this is all God’s grace.
And that’s what Jesus is promising in this petition – that our forgiveness from God and our forgiveness of each other will transform us into new people, regardless of what the other person has done.
And of course Jesus is saying in this petition and parable that we can hardly deny forgiveness to another person when we’ve received it in full from God. But what he means is that if we do not forgive others, we are living as if we haven’t been forgiven by God – we are living as if there is no new relationship of love between us and God. And through this prayer Jesus promises that God will change our hearts and make us filled with the grace that we’ve already received from God, grace that we can then offer others.
And that’s definitely something worth praying for.
At the bottom line, we need this petition because we need to ask God’s help in doing it. Without God’s help, we’d never confess or forgive.
As I experienced, God changes our hearts even when we think right up front we don’t want them changed. And with the difficulty we have with both directions of forgiveness – divine and human – I’m thankful Jesus tells us we ought to pray for this. As Luther says, when our heart isn’t right with God we lack the confidence and do not dare to pray this petition. So thanks be to God that Jesus commands us to do it, whether we dare or not – and then gives us the confident heart to live in it as well.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Monday, April 4, 2011
This Week's Liturgies
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Midweek Eucharist, noon (followed by Soup Luncheon)
Evening Prayer, 7:00 p.m. (preceded at 6:00 by Soup Supper and Table Talk)
Sunday, April 10, 2011: Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist, 8:00 & 10:45 a.m.
Compline, 8:30 p.m.
Midweek Eucharist, noon (followed by Soup Luncheon)
Evening Prayer, 7:00 p.m. (preceded at 6:00 by Soup Supper and Table Talk)
Sunday, April 10, 2011: Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist, 8:00 & 10:45 a.m.
Compline, 8:30 p.m.
Sermon from April 3, 2011 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent (A)
“Do You Also Want to Become His Disciples?”
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Texts: John 9:1-41; Ephesians 5:8-14
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
This story seems to be simple, doesn’t it? It’s all about a healing Jesus does. It’s all about seeing when you couldn’t see before. Except the story’s not about physical sight at all. Greek, like English, uses the same verb “to see” to mean both physical sight and mental or spiritual insight. In this story the man born blind gets two gifts of sight, the first physical and the second spiritual, and the second is by far more important to him. Likewise, the Pharisees, whose eyes by all we can tell were just fine, never see at all.
But what if seeing isn’t our problem? What if our problem is what we do or don’t do once we’ve seen?
So we’ll begin with the question of seeing and not seeing – but we can’t end there.
Initially, this is simply an account of a man who was born blind receiving his sight from Jesus. And the question everyone wants to know from this man is “who did this?” For the man born blind, it was very simple: once he was blind. Now he can see. He doesn’t know who Jesus is, just that he healed him. Once he finally meets Jesus at the end of the story, he becomes a believer – and a follower.
In John’s Gospel, these miracles Jesus does are called signs, signs which point to who Jesus is. And this man follows the sign. In fact, the whole story is a story of the movement for this man from him knowing nothing about Jesus except that he’s a healer, to being a follower and almost an evangelist himself with the Pharisees. And what gives him life is that he now sees, believes, that Jesus is God’s gift to him of life and salvation.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, have a different kind of blindness with which to deal. They witnessed a miracle. As the man himself said, never before had they seen a man born blind get his sight back. But they couldn’t see it. They couldn’t see who Jesus was. All they saw was a lawbreaker – a man who healed on the Sabbath.
We’re amazed that they’re so blind they can’t see God’s Son in their midst. But Jesus healed on a Sabbath. That was too much. God wouldn’t break God’s own rules, even to help someone, they thought. And they were sure they knew what God would do. They wanted a God they could control, manage, understand in their terms. They weren’t bad people as much as people who felt more comfortable when they knew the rules and could stay within them. The problem was when God moved outside the rules they were completely lost.
But what if you can see what God has done and still don’t know if you’re going to do something about that?
We have been immeasurably blessed by God. We have seen what the Pharisees could not. We’re much more in the position of the formerly blind man – we’ve been directly touched by the love of God in Jesus. We know what many people do not – that God loves us enough to die for us and give us life. That God has forgiven us and now calls us to live a new life, a life of light, a life like Christ. We know, as Paul says today in Ephesians, that we used to be in the darkness and now are in the light.
But in some ways, we’re worse off than the Pharisees – we know what God has done in Jesus. We’ve seen it for ourselves. We’re just not sure we’re ready to give Jesus our lives. We tend to live our lives for ourselves. Our number one priority is usually us. Not God. Not God’s will. We want God around when we want God, but not when God might need us. Like the Pharisees, we also tend to want to control God’s presence in the world and in our lives. We tend to feel threatened when God calls us to see things differently, to live differently, to believe differently.
Because that’s the rub, isn’t it? Jesus didn’t come to do miracles that we could see and believe and that was it. In fact, most times, Jesus tried to downplay the miracles, because he was more interested in asking people to follow him with their lives. Through Jesus God says there’s a different way to live than the self-centered ways we usually live, and calls us to look at the world differently.
To start thinking about other people in different ways, to change our lives so that justice and peace might begin to appear. Like this healed man, there are consequences to following Jesus, consequences to living lives in and under Jesus’ rule and reign. And we can become very uncomfortable with those consequences.
So the man’s question to the Pharisees is in fact our critical question today: Do you also want to become his disciples?
Do we or do we not want to believe in Jesus and follow him?
Paul clearly urges us to follow, to be what God has made us to be. He says, “You used to be in the dark, now you can see. So walk as if you can see.” Be who you are, he says. We have God within us now. We’ve seen God’s healing grace in ways the Pharisees couldn’t. The Spirit of God is ours, to open our eyes to the light. So, Paul says, live and walk as the children of light in the Lord that we are.
And that’s our invitation: to believe in what we’ve seen in Jesus, and then to follow Jesus with our lives. Like the man born blind, we once were blind, but now in Baptism we have begun to see. And we can continue to seek this gift of healing sight from the one who today calls himself the Light of the world. We can seek Jesus’ light and life in our lives – and follow him always. Not just when it’s convenient and not intruding on our lives. We can ask our Lord to shine in our hearts so we can see where we’re going in life, and alter our priorities accordingly.
And yes, our lives will change. Things will be different, as they are for all followers of Jesus. But this is life, and we’ve seen it, we’ve seen God’s grace. Do we really want another option?
Now that we know God’s answer to us and the world is found in this Jesus, we can see how it will change our lives.
But instead of fearing that change, we can also see that following Jesus is the only way to real life. Even though it will mean changes for us, we know what we have seen God do, and we want that. And even though much of our life will still be mystery, at least we’ll know where we’re going. And even more, we’ll know who’s going with us, beside us, ahead of us, guiding and leading and showing us the way. When we stumble, Jesus will pick us up. When we sin, and walk away from him, Jesus will bring us back and set us on the right path again.
We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. Let’s walk as children of light – and let Jesus lead us in all our ways. Because we know it’s the only way to real life.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Texts: John 9:1-41; Ephesians 5:8-14
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
This story seems to be simple, doesn’t it? It’s all about a healing Jesus does. It’s all about seeing when you couldn’t see before. Except the story’s not about physical sight at all. Greek, like English, uses the same verb “to see” to mean both physical sight and mental or spiritual insight. In this story the man born blind gets two gifts of sight, the first physical and the second spiritual, and the second is by far more important to him. Likewise, the Pharisees, whose eyes by all we can tell were just fine, never see at all.
But what if seeing isn’t our problem? What if our problem is what we do or don’t do once we’ve seen?
So we’ll begin with the question of seeing and not seeing – but we can’t end there.
Initially, this is simply an account of a man who was born blind receiving his sight from Jesus. And the question everyone wants to know from this man is “who did this?” For the man born blind, it was very simple: once he was blind. Now he can see. He doesn’t know who Jesus is, just that he healed him. Once he finally meets Jesus at the end of the story, he becomes a believer – and a follower.
In John’s Gospel, these miracles Jesus does are called signs, signs which point to who Jesus is. And this man follows the sign. In fact, the whole story is a story of the movement for this man from him knowing nothing about Jesus except that he’s a healer, to being a follower and almost an evangelist himself with the Pharisees. And what gives him life is that he now sees, believes, that Jesus is God’s gift to him of life and salvation.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, have a different kind of blindness with which to deal. They witnessed a miracle. As the man himself said, never before had they seen a man born blind get his sight back. But they couldn’t see it. They couldn’t see who Jesus was. All they saw was a lawbreaker – a man who healed on the Sabbath.
We’re amazed that they’re so blind they can’t see God’s Son in their midst. But Jesus healed on a Sabbath. That was too much. God wouldn’t break God’s own rules, even to help someone, they thought. And they were sure they knew what God would do. They wanted a God they could control, manage, understand in their terms. They weren’t bad people as much as people who felt more comfortable when they knew the rules and could stay within them. The problem was when God moved outside the rules they were completely lost.
But what if you can see what God has done and still don’t know if you’re going to do something about that?
We have been immeasurably blessed by God. We have seen what the Pharisees could not. We’re much more in the position of the formerly blind man – we’ve been directly touched by the love of God in Jesus. We know what many people do not – that God loves us enough to die for us and give us life. That God has forgiven us and now calls us to live a new life, a life of light, a life like Christ. We know, as Paul says today in Ephesians, that we used to be in the darkness and now are in the light.
But in some ways, we’re worse off than the Pharisees – we know what God has done in Jesus. We’ve seen it for ourselves. We’re just not sure we’re ready to give Jesus our lives. We tend to live our lives for ourselves. Our number one priority is usually us. Not God. Not God’s will. We want God around when we want God, but not when God might need us. Like the Pharisees, we also tend to want to control God’s presence in the world and in our lives. We tend to feel threatened when God calls us to see things differently, to live differently, to believe differently.
Because that’s the rub, isn’t it? Jesus didn’t come to do miracles that we could see and believe and that was it. In fact, most times, Jesus tried to downplay the miracles, because he was more interested in asking people to follow him with their lives. Through Jesus God says there’s a different way to live than the self-centered ways we usually live, and calls us to look at the world differently.
To start thinking about other people in different ways, to change our lives so that justice and peace might begin to appear. Like this healed man, there are consequences to following Jesus, consequences to living lives in and under Jesus’ rule and reign. And we can become very uncomfortable with those consequences.
So the man’s question to the Pharisees is in fact our critical question today: Do you also want to become his disciples?
Do we or do we not want to believe in Jesus and follow him?
Paul clearly urges us to follow, to be what God has made us to be. He says, “You used to be in the dark, now you can see. So walk as if you can see.” Be who you are, he says. We have God within us now. We’ve seen God’s healing grace in ways the Pharisees couldn’t. The Spirit of God is ours, to open our eyes to the light. So, Paul says, live and walk as the children of light in the Lord that we are.
And that’s our invitation: to believe in what we’ve seen in Jesus, and then to follow Jesus with our lives. Like the man born blind, we once were blind, but now in Baptism we have begun to see. And we can continue to seek this gift of healing sight from the one who today calls himself the Light of the world. We can seek Jesus’ light and life in our lives – and follow him always. Not just when it’s convenient and not intruding on our lives. We can ask our Lord to shine in our hearts so we can see where we’re going in life, and alter our priorities accordingly.
And yes, our lives will change. Things will be different, as they are for all followers of Jesus. But this is life, and we’ve seen it, we’ve seen God’s grace. Do we really want another option?
Now that we know God’s answer to us and the world is found in this Jesus, we can see how it will change our lives.
But instead of fearing that change, we can also see that following Jesus is the only way to real life. Even though it will mean changes for us, we know what we have seen God do, and we want that. And even though much of our life will still be mystery, at least we’ll know where we’re going. And even more, we’ll know who’s going with us, beside us, ahead of us, guiding and leading and showing us the way. When we stumble, Jesus will pick us up. When we sin, and walk away from him, Jesus will bring us back and set us on the right path again.
We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. Let’s walk as children of light – and let Jesus lead us in all our ways. Because we know it’s the only way to real life.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
The Olive Branch, April 4, 2011
Accent on Worship
Lord, have mercy
We have begun our Sunday Eucharists this Lent with extended forms of the ancient Kyrie. “Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison” (Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy) is a prayer which from the earliest centuries of the Christian Church has been a part of our liturgy. Even when the Western rite became shaped in the Latin language, this ancient Greek prayer, with roots extending deep into the Old Testament, was kept in its Greek clothing. We have alternated between using the Kyrie from setting five, expanded with organ meditations, and the Great Litany, another ancient set of petitions which itself begins and ends with the Kyrie.
This pattern of prayer is something of a tradition at Mount Olive for Lent, and I have been deeply grateful for it as we’ve come together these past Sundays. Lent is often described as a penitential season, beginning on Ash Wednesday with a call to return to the Lord, “who is gracious and merciful.” As we pray “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy” we intentionally return our lives to the One on whose mercy we rely and without which we cannot live.
“Lord, have mercy.” It’s a powerful prayer with which to come before God seeking grace and life. Often in our Lutheran tradition we begin our Eucharists with Confession and Absolution, with intentional time for confession before God and a promise of God’s grace and forgiveness. Singing the Kyrie is a similar way of entering worship. We come before God with nothing to commend us except the mercy of God. We offer our prayers for the Church, for the world, for peace, for justice, for new lives, for God’s grace to abound, all trusting that only in the mercy of our good Lord will such prayers be heard and answered.
We now approach Holy Week and the Triduum, when we will ponder the deepest mysteries of God’s love for us and for the world. Let us continue to ask
God’s mercy for our lives as we enter into contemplation of the most potent sign of that mercy, the cross and the empty tomb. As we confess together our sin and brokenness which has harmed us, our neighbors, and the world, we do so trusting in God’s mercy which will make all things new, including our hearts and lives.
Kyrie eleison.
Sunday Readings
April 10, 2011 – Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 37:1-14 + Psalm 130
Romans 8:6-11 + John 11:1-45
April 17, 2011 – Sunday of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a + Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11 + Matthew 26:14—27:66
Sunday’s Adult Education
9:30 a.m. in the Chapel Lounge
This Sunday, April 10: “Prayers in a Time of Trouble,” presented by Dr. Terence Fretheim of Luther Seminary.
Palms and Paschal Garden
Donations for Passion Sunday palms and the Easter paschal garden will be received for one more week, this Sunday, April 10. Members of the Worship Committee will be available after each liturgy to receive your contribution. Checks should be made payable to “Mount Olive Women.”
Holy Week and Easter at Mount Olive
_________________________________________
Sunday, April 17, 2011 – Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday
Holy Eucharist at 8:00 & 10:45 am
Monday-Wednesday, April 18-20, 2011
Daily Prayer at Noon (in the side chapel of the Nave, near the columbarium)
Thursday, April 21, 2011 – Maundy Thursday
Holy Eucharist with Washing of Feet at 7 pm
Friday, April 22, 2011 – Good Friday
Stations of the Cross at Noon
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm
Saturday, April 23, 2011 – Holy Saturday
The Easter Vigil at 8:30 pm
Sunday, April 24, 2011 – The Resurrection of Our Lord / Easter Day
Festival Holy Eucharist at 8:00 & 10:45 am
(Easter carry-in brunch at 9:30 am)
Book Discussion Group
For its meeting this Saturday, April 9, the book group will discuss the poem Gilgamesh, and for the May 14 meeting, the essay collection Small Wonder, by Barbara Kingsolver.
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray” Wednesdays in Lent at Mount Olive
Semi-Annual Congregation Meeting This Sunday
Because of the significant number of agenda items, the April semi-annual meeting of our congregation will be held following the second liturgy this Sunday, April 10.
Agenda items include election of Officers and Directors to the Vestry: Adam Krueger-President, Lisa Nordeen-Vice President, Ann Sorenson-Secretary, Paul Sundquist-Treasurer, Paul Schadewald-Global Missions, Dennis Bidwell-Stewardship, Al Bipes-Worship; reports from the Audit, Mount Olive Foundation, and Capital Campaign Committees; Internship program and proposed Constitution and Bylaw amendments; and endorsement of a resolution of the joint Peace with Justice Committees of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Area Synods.
All voting members of Mount Olive are encouraged to attend.
One Maundy Thursday Liturgy
Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum, the great Three Days in which the church contemplates, remembers, and celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus. In recent years Mount Olive has had both a noon and an evening liturgy.
Given the importance of the foot washing and the stripping of the altar in that day’s liturgy, and given the Gospel reading’s emphasis on the unity of the church, it seemed that it would be better to have one liturgy rather than two on that day. After several years of discussion, the decision was made this year to have only one liturgy on Maundy Thursday (April 21 this year) at 7:00 p.m.
In talking with several of those who have ordinarily attended the noon liturgy, it is apparent that the biggest obstacle to their being present for the evening liturgy is transportation. Driving at night is difficult for some. We are, therefore, going to work at matching those who will be driving to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy with those in need of transportation to that liturgy.
If you are able to provide transportation to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy, or if you are in need of transportation to that liturgy, please contact the church office either by phone (612.827.5919), or by email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org). A coordinator will follow up with you once arrangements have been made.
Contribution Statements Available
Contributions statements for the first quarter of 2011 are printed and ready to be picked up at church. They are on a table near the coat room. Please pick yours up!
Art Exhibit in Chapel Lounge: Selections from the St. John’s Bible
In 1998, St. John’s Abbey and University commission- ed renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible. The display will invite you to explore this work of art which unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium.
This exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts, and will be open to the public before and after all church services and events in April.
April 10 Adult Forum: Prayers in a Time of Trouble
Questions about prayer are common, even in the church and especially in times of difficulty. What effect might our prayers have on God? Can our prayers help shape the future? Do our prayers make a difference? Yet, if God is in charge, why pray? We will explore such questions in view of the place of prayer in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. This forum will be presented by Dr. Terence E. Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, where he has taught for over forty years. He has authored twenty-two books and more than one hundred articles.
New Members/Inquiry Lunch to be Held on Sunday, April 17
Those interested in joining Mount Olive this spring, or just interesting in learning more about membership at Mount Olive, are invited to a luncheon on Sunday, Apr. 17, following the second liturgy. Leaders of Mount Olive will be present to meet and greet folks, and answer questions about Mount Olive. New members will be received on Sunday, May 1, the Second Sunday of Easter. Please talk to Pastor Crippen if you would like to consider joining at this time, or if you simply would like to talk about membership for a future time.
Lord, have mercy
We have begun our Sunday Eucharists this Lent with extended forms of the ancient Kyrie. “Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison” (Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy) is a prayer which from the earliest centuries of the Christian Church has been a part of our liturgy. Even when the Western rite became shaped in the Latin language, this ancient Greek prayer, with roots extending deep into the Old Testament, was kept in its Greek clothing. We have alternated between using the Kyrie from setting five, expanded with organ meditations, and the Great Litany, another ancient set of petitions which itself begins and ends with the Kyrie.
This pattern of prayer is something of a tradition at Mount Olive for Lent, and I have been deeply grateful for it as we’ve come together these past Sundays. Lent is often described as a penitential season, beginning on Ash Wednesday with a call to return to the Lord, “who is gracious and merciful.” As we pray “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy” we intentionally return our lives to the One on whose mercy we rely and without which we cannot live.
“Lord, have mercy.” It’s a powerful prayer with which to come before God seeking grace and life. Often in our Lutheran tradition we begin our Eucharists with Confession and Absolution, with intentional time for confession before God and a promise of God’s grace and forgiveness. Singing the Kyrie is a similar way of entering worship. We come before God with nothing to commend us except the mercy of God. We offer our prayers for the Church, for the world, for peace, for justice, for new lives, for God’s grace to abound, all trusting that only in the mercy of our good Lord will such prayers be heard and answered.
We now approach Holy Week and the Triduum, when we will ponder the deepest mysteries of God’s love for us and for the world. Let us continue to ask
God’s mercy for our lives as we enter into contemplation of the most potent sign of that mercy, the cross and the empty tomb. As we confess together our sin and brokenness which has harmed us, our neighbors, and the world, we do so trusting in God’s mercy which will make all things new, including our hearts and lives.
Kyrie eleison.
Sunday Readings
April 10, 2011 – Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 37:1-14 + Psalm 130
Romans 8:6-11 + John 11:1-45
April 17, 2011 – Sunday of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a + Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11 + Matthew 26:14—27:66
Sunday’s Adult Education
9:30 a.m. in the Chapel Lounge
This Sunday, April 10: “Prayers in a Time of Trouble,” presented by Dr. Terence Fretheim of Luther Seminary.
Palms and Paschal Garden
Donations for Passion Sunday palms and the Easter paschal garden will be received for one more week, this Sunday, April 10. Members of the Worship Committee will be available after each liturgy to receive your contribution. Checks should be made payable to “Mount Olive Women.”
Holy Week and Easter at Mount Olive
_________________________________________
Sunday, April 17, 2011 – Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday
Holy Eucharist at 8:00 & 10:45 am
Monday-Wednesday, April 18-20, 2011
Daily Prayer at Noon (in the side chapel of the Nave, near the columbarium)
Thursday, April 21, 2011 – Maundy Thursday
Holy Eucharist with Washing of Feet at 7 pm
Friday, April 22, 2011 – Good Friday
Stations of the Cross at Noon
Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm
Saturday, April 23, 2011 – Holy Saturday
The Easter Vigil at 8:30 pm
Sunday, April 24, 2011 – The Resurrection of Our Lord / Easter Day
Festival Holy Eucharist at 8:00 & 10:45 am
(Easter carry-in brunch at 9:30 am)
Book Discussion Group
For its meeting this Saturday, April 9, the book group will discuss the poem Gilgamesh, and for the May 14 meeting, the essay collection Small Wonder, by Barbara Kingsolver.
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray” Wednesdays in Lent at Mount Olive
- Noon: Holy Eucharist, followed by a soup luncheon
- 6:00 pm: Table Talk (meditation and discussion on The Lord’s Prayer)
- 7:00 pm: Evening Prayer
Semi-Annual Congregation Meeting This Sunday
Because of the significant number of agenda items, the April semi-annual meeting of our congregation will be held following the second liturgy this Sunday, April 10.
Agenda items include election of Officers and Directors to the Vestry: Adam Krueger-President, Lisa Nordeen-Vice President, Ann Sorenson-Secretary, Paul Sundquist-Treasurer, Paul Schadewald-Global Missions, Dennis Bidwell-Stewardship, Al Bipes-Worship; reports from the Audit, Mount Olive Foundation, and Capital Campaign Committees; Internship program and proposed Constitution and Bylaw amendments; and endorsement of a resolution of the joint Peace with Justice Committees of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Area Synods.
All voting members of Mount Olive are encouraged to attend.
One Maundy Thursday Liturgy
Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum, the great Three Days in which the church contemplates, remembers, and celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus. In recent years Mount Olive has had both a noon and an evening liturgy.
Given the importance of the foot washing and the stripping of the altar in that day’s liturgy, and given the Gospel reading’s emphasis on the unity of the church, it seemed that it would be better to have one liturgy rather than two on that day. After several years of discussion, the decision was made this year to have only one liturgy on Maundy Thursday (April 21 this year) at 7:00 p.m.
In talking with several of those who have ordinarily attended the noon liturgy, it is apparent that the biggest obstacle to their being present for the evening liturgy is transportation. Driving at night is difficult for some. We are, therefore, going to work at matching those who will be driving to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy with those in need of transportation to that liturgy.
If you are able to provide transportation to the Maundy Thursday evening liturgy, or if you are in need of transportation to that liturgy, please contact the church office either by phone (612.827.5919), or by email (welcome@mountolivechurch.org). A coordinator will follow up with you once arrangements have been made.
Contribution Statements Available
Contributions statements for the first quarter of 2011 are printed and ready to be picked up at church. They are on a table near the coat room. Please pick yours up!
Art Exhibit in Chapel Lounge: Selections from the St. John’s Bible
In 1998, St. John’s Abbey and University commission- ed renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible. The display will invite you to explore this work of art which unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium.
This exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts, and will be open to the public before and after all church services and events in April.
April 10 Adult Forum: Prayers in a Time of Trouble
Questions about prayer are common, even in the church and especially in times of difficulty. What effect might our prayers have on God? Can our prayers help shape the future? Do our prayers make a difference? Yet, if God is in charge, why pray? We will explore such questions in view of the place of prayer in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. This forum will be presented by Dr. Terence E. Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, where he has taught for over forty years. He has authored twenty-two books and more than one hundred articles.
New Members/Inquiry Lunch to be Held on Sunday, April 17
Those interested in joining Mount Olive this spring, or just interesting in learning more about membership at Mount Olive, are invited to a luncheon on Sunday, Apr. 17, following the second liturgy. Leaders of Mount Olive will be present to meet and greet folks, and answer questions about Mount Olive. New members will be received on Sunday, May 1, the Second Sunday of Easter. Please talk to Pastor Crippen if you would like to consider joining at this time, or if you simply would like to talk about membership for a future time.
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