October 2015 – Page 3

Accent on Worship

Favorite Hymns Survey

It was no surprise to me that when I asked of you to name your “top three” hymns there was grousing about narrowing it down to so few. It’s always been clear that this is a hymn-loving congregation. It’s deeply a part of who we are – both as individuals, and as a community with a collective memory bank!

There’s still a little time. We said you had until the 15th – which is Thursday of this week. However – if you can get your list to me by the end of Monday, October 19, I’ll include it in the survey compilation. Just jot them down. No more than three, however.

So far, here’s where we stand:

52 of you have responded so far.
87 hymns were named.
64 of those were named by one person.
12 of those were named by TWO persons.
3 of those were named by three people.
4 of those were named by four people.
3 of them were named by six people.
1 was named by seven people.

There are some interesting things to learn from this already. First of all, a close unanimous thing is that the hymns named were among those sung regularly by us in our liturgies. Only three or four of those 88 hymns are currently not sung on a regular basis by the Mount Olive community. We’re constantly singing each other’s song, making them an “our” song! I find this encouraging. There isn’t a list of hymns we’re NOT singing that most of you wished we were.

Second, isn’t it interesting to see the relatively small number of “in common” favorites? This, too, I see as a good thing. It’s our diversity brought into unity through song. An assumption I often have run into over the years, is that there is a list of favorites which is in common with a majority. Not so. At least among what we have asked for in this instance, “favorites.” No doubt there are hymns that a majority “like” in common. Especially here!

To find that list, I’d have to ask you all to write down ALL the hymns you find meaningful and compile that which would be a huge task. I can tell by your voices when we’re singing, however.
Once we are past the 19th I will publish and post the final results with titles. I left them out here so as to not influence those of you who haven’t responded yet.

What are we going to do with this list? Mostly it’s for information to keep in mind as I select hymns for our liturgies. I’m also finding out as much as I can about you as individuals, and how that translates into community in song. We are also preparing for a month-long celebration commemorating 50 years since the installation of the Schlicker organ (October of 2016). One thing we will do as a part of that is record and produce a CD of hymns sung by the Mount Olive congregation! We’ll have some recording sessions this coming spring, and perhaps include some of the “top favorites.” Watch for more information.

– Cantor David Cherwien

Sunday Readings

October 18, 2015: St. Luke, Evangelist
Isaiah 53:4-12
Psalm 91:9-16
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45
______________

October 25, 2015: Reformation Sunday
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36

Tending the Family of God

We are sometimes reluctant to get in touch with people who have been missing from worship because we are afraid the conversation will be uncomfortable. (Actually, such conversations are rarely uncomfortable.) But which is worse: some possibility of discomfort caused by an act of love, or the people whom you have noticed missing from worship coming to the conclusion that no one cared about them or even knew that they were gone because no one got in touch with them? We want them to know they are missed and loved. They are important to us.

Be in touch.

Semi-Annual Meeting

The semi-annual meeting of Mount Olive congregation will be held on Sunday, October 25, following the second liturgy. The purpose of this meeting is to approve a budget for 2016.

A budget preview meet-ing will be held this Sunday, October 18, follow-ing the second liturgy. This will be an opportunity for all members to learn more about the budget they will approve the following week. All voting members of Mount Olive are encouraged to attend these meetings!

Thursday Bible Study Continues

Thursday evening Bible Study continues through October 29. The evening starts with a light supper at 6:00 pm, followed by Bible Study. This session, titled “The Last Enemy,” is led by Pr. Crippen. The focus is on mortality, death and dying, and how the Scriptures guide us.

Reminder: There will be no Bible Study tomorrow evening, October 15.

Transitions Support Group

All are welcome at Transitions Support Group. If you’re looking for new ideas or encouragement to meet the challenges or uncertainties that are before you, join us on Wednesday, November 11 at 6:00 pm.

This is an opportunity to share in fellowship, prayer, and discussion with others in the Mount Olive community.

Transitions Support Group meets on Wednesday, November 11 from 6- 7 pm at Mount Olive in the lower level Youth Room, and will be facilitated by Cathy Bosworth and Amy Cotter.

For more information, please contact Cathy at 612-708-1144, marcat8447@yahoo.com, or Amy at 612-710-1811, agate651@gmail.com.

What are your Top Three Favorite Hymns? Deadline Extended to Oct. 19

I am conducting a survey in the coming weeks, to find out what our top three hymns are. My hunch is that for many of you this may be difficult – to narrow it down to so few, that is! I did this in past parishes, and learned a lot about who they were in doing so. I suspect that will again be the case, although I also suspect the lists will look quite different from than those I’ve seen before.

When you get a chance, begin thinking and thumbing through the hymnal; try to narrow it down. We will NOT ask you to include Christmas carols and hymns, as that is too easy to guess. (or..?!?…)

Those with internet access, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y9ZMP2H to enter your favorites. If you don’t have internet access, simply jot them down and bring/mail them to the church office – or call them in by calling the office at 612.827.5919.

The results will be helpful in a number of ways, but mostly will be informational for me as your Cantor.

– Cantor David Cherwien

New Member Welcome

Mount Olive will welcome new members and associate members on Sunday, November 15, during the second liturgy. If you are interested in becoming a member or associate member, please contact the office via e-mail to welcome@mountolivechurch.org or by phone, 612-827-5919. You may also contact Pastor Crippen at church, or Andrew Andersen (763-607-1689).

A welcome brunch will follow the liturgy for new members and for all who would like to be part of the welcome festivities.

Restoration 2015 Updates

Follow the Renovations 2015 blog for weekly updates and new information on the project: http://morenovations2015.blogspot.com/.

There is also a link to the blog on the front page of the church website www.mountolivechurch.org.

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 November 14 meeting they will read The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery.

Names of the Departed Saints Invited

As a part of our All Saints liturgy on Sunday, Nov. 1, worshipers are invited to submit the names of loved ones close to them who have died in the past year, since last All Saints Sunday, who weren’t members of Mount Olive. (Members of the parish who have died are always named.) These other names submitted will be included in the prayers of intercession. There will be one more opportunity to write these names this Sunday, or you may simply contact the church office with the names. Please keep this to just those who have died this past year, so we can have a more manageable list.

Peace with Justice Forum

The next Minneapolis and Saint Paul Area Synods Peace with Justice Committee’s Peace With Justice Forum will be held on Sunday, October 18, 2015, 12:30-2 pm, at Central Lutheran Church, 3rd Ave and 12th St. in Minneapolis. Lunch is available for $7.00, but the speech is gratis.

Validated parking is available in the Central parking lot/ramp on the south side of the church.
The topic of this forum will be “A Challenge for Us All: Soul-Searching on Consequences of War,” and the presenter will be the Rev. Lowell Erdahl, retired pastor, author, and former bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod of the ELCA.

Extreme Makeover: The Nave Floor

The refinishing of the floor under the pews went on throughout last week. By Friday, it was looking beautiful! But, then came the huge job of vacuuming and dusting the pews, the hymnals, the kneelers – it’s amazing all the places into which dust can find a way.

Huge thanks are due to a wonderful crew of workers who moved, refastened, and cleaned for over six hours last Saturday, so the church would be ready for worship Sunday morning.

The workers: Mark and Linda Pipkorn, Chuck Reyer, Steve Manuel, Jo Ellen Kloehn, Bob (“Vacuum Man”) Lee, Katherine Hanson, Don Luther, David Molvik, Joyce Brown, George Oelfke, Andrew Andersen, Elaine and Art Halbardier. And a round of applause to Sexton William Pratley for long days, patience, and perseverance in getting the floor stripped, sealed, and waxed. Altogether, it was a huge job well done.

Asbestos – Gone!!

Monday, October 5, 7 am: The sidewalk in front of the church looked like an “invasion site.” It was! The crew from Mavo Systems were there to clear the asbestos tile and mastic from the undercroft.

The work area was sealed so that none of the nasty stuff could escape into the rest of the building; a fresh air supply for the undercroft was created, contaminated air was filtered and vented outside.

In just four days, the asbestos was gone and the area was safe. The abatement crew was very professional and thorough. Workers are now hard at work installing the new floor to get the Undercroft ready for use next weekend. This project was funded by a grant from The Mount Olive Lutheran Church Foundation.

Powderhorn 365

Through the lenses of volunteer photographers, Powderhorn365 tells the daily stories of the Powderhorn Park neighborhood: making people and places visible, documenting history and celebrating life. Powderhorn365 produces a visual, community-written narrative through photo postings, photobooks and exhibits.

To see the work of this photo a day project, visit http://www.powderhorn365.com.

2016 Common Hope Teams to Guatemala

Mount Olive will send two teams to Guatemala in 2016 to visit Common Hope students and projects. One team is going in April and one at the end of July. Each team still has room for more members if you’d like to go along. Just leave your name at the church office or contact Judy Hinck (judyhinck@gmail.com, 612-824-4918) or Lisa Ruff (jklmruff@msn.com) for more information.

All of Mount Olive is part of this adventure. Our team goals: we will foster encounters that provoke compassion and challenge com-placency; we will connect needs and resources; we will build relation-ships. Practically speaking, what does that mean? We will visit students and their schools. We will meet supported families. We will help build a home. We will learn more about the health care Common Hope provides. We will provide support for schools, students and families.

Even if you can’t come along, as part of Mount Olive, you are part of the action. You’ll get updates, meet students who attend school because of Common Hope. You’ll see what a difference a floor can make. You’ll wonder at the beauty of central Guatemala. Look for updates as we plan, but get involved now. Support our teams as we contribute our time, talents and money to extend our Taste of Guatemala–Common Hope to a people-to-people connection.

Final Call for Refugee Relief Match

Next week Mount Olive will submit its contribution to the synod to participate in the Refugee Relief Matching Challenge. If you would like your donation to be part of the match, contribute this week, clearly marking your contribution “Refugee Relief.”

All funds will be sent to the Lutheran Disaster Response fund and 100% of the monies will be earmarked for refugee relief projects.

Celebrate and Rejoice!

Your Missions Committee received this news from the ELCA:

“I have incredible news! The ELCA Malaria Campaign just reached its fundraising goal of $15 million! Thank you for being a part of this monumental milestone and helping us protect countless lives from this preventable, treatable disease. Working with our Lutheran companions and partners in 13 African countries, we have brought about lasting change. We couldn’t have done it without you! Today we celebrate all that we have accomplished together.”
– Christina Jackson-Skelton,
Executive Director, Mission Advancement, ELCA

Sunday’s Adult Forum

Oct. 18: “The Body at Worship,” presented by Dwight Penas.

National Lutheran Choir to Present All Saints Concert, “Blessed Are They”

Join the National Lutheran Choir for their annual All Saints Concert: “Blessed Are They” – a concert of music and texts reflecting on the lives of those who have been loved and lost. Concerts are 4pm, Sunday, November 1, at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi and 7:30pm, Friday, November 6, at St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community in Wayzata.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, call Brown Paper Tickets (800) 838-3006 or order online at www.nlca.com.

Tickets will also available at the door on the day of the concert. The box office opens one hour prior to the concert.

The word of God both calls us to act and reminds us that we are enough. This is the tension in which we live, called into something new and scary and not yet knowing or understanding how to make it a reality. This is where God’s grace is found.

Vicar Anna Helgen
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 28, year B
text: Mark 10:17-31

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

If Jesus were to walk through the doors here at Mount Olive, can you imagine yourself running up to him, kneeling at his feet, and saying, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” I can. Because I wonder about these things. Like you, I try to be a good person, to do the right thing by loving others, and to ensure that my future is in God’s hands. But I worry about what I’m forgetting, what I’m missing, and where my ignorance has gotten the best of me. We want to know that our relationship and life with God is promised both here and now and in the life to come. So this question of eternal life matters! As does Jesus’ answer.

In this brief interaction, we get a sense that this man trusts Jesus enough to enter into this dialogue. He’s led a faithful life and kept the commandments, and yet he wonders what is missing. “You lack one thing,” Jesus says. “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Those words are hard to hear: You’re too focused on yourself and your own accumulation of things. It’s time for a change! Opportunities for relationship abound and you’re missing them!

We can relate. We too have many possessions–in comparison to the rest of the world–and it’s easy for us to get caught up in our own lives, in our own worries, concerns, and ideologies. We feel anxious about entering this future that God calls us to because it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to sell all our things and give the money to the poor. But is that all this passage is about? Does Jesus simply ask us to cash out our IRAs and piggy banks, empty our homes of our belongings, and then follow him?

Hebrews provides some help here. “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The words of Jesus cut deep. They have this wonderful ability to expose us and help us see who we truly are. To feel our brokenness and vulnerability. To uncover our fears. And also to help us imagine a new reality that comes into being as we live into our relationship with God and with others.

On the one hand, these words from Jesus convict us. In order to be in relationship with Jesus, to follow him and have eternal life, we need to change the way we handle our wealth. “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

This is a call to act! But I’m not sure I can do what Jesus asks of me nor am I sure I want to. I like my things. My canoe. My car. A home to call my own. My dad taught me to save money for the future, and now I’m being asked to give it all away? That is scary. What if I can’t do it? Am I a bad person? Will Jesus still love me? Will there still be room for me in God’s kingdom? This man, no doubt, has these same questions. Jesus’ words pierce his soul and leave him feeling uncertain and sad. If this is required of us, then we all fall short.

On the other hand, these words from Jesus come from a place of love. Did you catch that detail? Before Jesus says these words, he looks down at the man who kneels before him, sees his truth, and loves him, just as he is. After all, he knows a few things about what it’s like to live in this world. To give up what makes us comfortable, what secures our future, and what makes life easy. It is out of love that Jesus provides words of guidance that will help this man to be better. Advice that will help him along the way. Like a good teacher, Jesus doesn’t trick, shame, or belittle this man. Instead, he helps him to imagine a new way of living in the world.

So what are we to do? The word of God both calls us to act and reminds us that we are enough. I find this tension remarkable. And I love that we aren’t sure what happens with this man, who lives within this very tension. Does he go away grieving because he is too tied to his stuff and cannot give up his own abundance? Or is he grieving because he realizes that in order to embark on this new adventure, he will need to leave his old life behind. We don’t know.

I find great comfort and hope in this because it’s often where I find myself: in the uncertainty. Standing on the edge of change, with one foot in the past and one in the future. Being called into something new and scary and not yet knowing or understanding how to make it a reality. This is where God’s grace is found.

We don’t know what this man decides to do, but we know that Jesus gives him the freedom to make his own decision in his own time. To take the first step. To take a chance, a risk. God gives us freedom to listen for the Spirit to speak in our lives and move our hearts to action. And all the while, we are loved, just as we are.

The thought of having to change is scary because it means stepping out from the easy and comfortable and into the unknown. But when we take that first step, we realize that this is where there is meaning. Where we find life, hope, and grace. We notice the person at the highway entrance ramp and instead of quickly passing by, we open our wallet, exchange a sign of peace, and smile. We give a little more to the young woman who rings the doorbell raising money to save the honeybees. We remember to fill up bags for the epilepsy foundation and leave them at the doorstep. We give up our need to be better than another. We share our hearts.

Perhaps this man asked the wrong question when he ran up to Jesus. There is nothing we can do to inherit eternal life because an inheritance is something that is given. Our present and future life with God belongs to us now. And we, like this man, are already on the road with Jesus. We can approach him at any time. As we follow him and learn to live into this future that God calls us to, it becomes clear that Jesus invites us to be generous. Not because we have to in order to be in relationship or to secure our eternal destiny, but because it is better for us. It is life-giving.

By sharing our abundance, we learn to trust God and live like we believe God’s promises. We enter into relationships with people different than us. We find new opportunities to give and serve. We see all God’s people as worthy and in need of love and care. In the topsy turvy upside-down world of the gospel, to live fully in God’s kingdom we are called to share in the struggles with our neighbors, where the first are last and the last are first, where all are welcomed, valued, and loved. And, in all our attempts, in our successes and failures, in our certainty and doubt, God walks with us, leads us, and loves us. Just as we are.

Amen.

The Olive Branch, 10/14/15

An Invitation to Live

Archives for October 2015