Mount Olive Lutheran Church

Believe In

By

Our life in faith is summed up in believing in, trusting in, God-with-us for all we need, not for all the answers, not for all things, but that in Christ we are joined to the life of the Triune God and we find life.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
   Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 18, year B
      texts:  John 6:(15-21)(22-23)24-35; Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

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

How can you make someone king who’s already ruler of the universe?

The crowds want Jesus to be their king, or a new Moses, and take care of all their needs. Jesus already is the Son of God, ruler of all things. He doesn’t need or want the role they would give him.

What of us? Do we want a ruler of this world who will take care of all human problems? It’s a moot question; there is no leader who could do that job. So we, too, are faced with understanding the kind of ruler the one true God is for us and the world.

We can’t make God be what we want. So we need to know who God really is, and if that’s enough.

That’s not easy to do.

In the wilderness and Galilee we see the usual approach.

The Israelites were happy to follow Moses when things looked great: leaving slavery, moving to a new land promised by God, life will be good. Until Pharaoh heard and increased their suffering. They finally got out, and again it was good, until they realized they were in the middle of a wilderness with no food. Now they hate and revile Moses, and the God he represents. They complain, and God provides manna and quails.

Jesus faces lesser expectations, as the crowds weren’t journeying to a promised land. But they brought him all of their needs, and he fed them, did healing, taught them about God. Now, on day two, they want more signs. After all, satisfied hunger returns the next day if there still is no food.

We do this. When things are good, we’re happy and we trust God. When things get difficult, we begin to ask the questions about God’s true intention, God’s ability to help us. We start to complain in the wilderness, asking for signs that prove we can trust God.

It’s easy to understand why.

The human needs on this planet are tremendous; just a short list includes war, hunger, poverty, illness, oppression, prejudice, injustice.

After that list, our needs almost seem unmentionable, but they’re ours and they’re real. People we love get sick, every week we pray for new people. We’ve just faced the death of loved ones in our community; that will keep happening. Some of us struggle with illnesses like depression, some of us legitimately worry about making ends meet, some of us fear a threatening world. We don’t have to compare our needs to a starving family to recognize we have needs that on any given day can seem overwhelming, painful, frightening.

If the Triune God isn’t going to meet those needs, it’s normal to wonder if we can trust such a God. If we don’t get our answers, if things don’t improve, if we struggle day after day, how can we trust God?

What sign will you give us so we can believe in you, God?

Wouldn’t it be more sensible to look for an earthly ruler who could actually take care of things?

Jesus says we’re not thinking big enough.

The Israelites are only worried about the lack of food. Despite all God has done for them, they fret that it doesn’t include a plan for feeding them on the journey. They’re following the One God to a place they’ve never seen in the belief it will be their land, and they think somehow God forgot to pack lunch. They’re not thinking big enough.

The crowds compare Jesus to human leaders. Could he be our king? Are there signs he’s at least as powerful as Moses was for our ancestors?

They’re not thinking big enough, Jesus says. First, it was God who gave them manna, not Moses. Also, that God is “my Father,” Jesus says. Then he lays it out: “I am . . . the bread of life.”

You don’t say “I am” in a way like that to people who know the proper name of the God who brought them out of Egypt is “I am,” and not expect them to make that connection. Jesus’ great I Am statements in John are drumbeats of identification of Jesus with the one, true God, and this is the first clear one.

So Jesus is saying, “forget for a moment about another lunch, or even the little bit with the missing boats and walking on water. Forget about comparing me to Moses. In me, in my presence, God is here. I am. I am the bread you need. The life you need.”

In fact, he tells them the only “work” they have to do for God is believe in the One God sent. Believe in me. Because I am.

And Jesus says that’s enough for them and for us.

If we can believe in him, trust he is sent by God, trust him when he says, “I am enough,” it will be, he says.

John tells us later that these signs – water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, walking on water, and more – are given us so we can believe “that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing, have life in his name.”  John 20:31

The signs aren’t the point, they point to the real thing, so we can believe, and have life in his name. We don’t stand at sign posts on the road and wait for another, we go where they point.

Jesus says that he is what we need, that this relationship with the one, true God he is bringing to us and the world will be life for us, in spite of our needs and fears and struggles. He calls us to trust that when we come to him, believe in him, our hunger and our thirst will go away.

That sounds great. At some point, though, what difference does that really make? For the world’s problems? For our problems? Do we have enough to go on to not only believe in God-with-us but trust that will be enough?

In this place we have learned that we do.

I’ve been away from you for three months and have had time to think and ponder what it is God has made in this place. I had the privilege of spending some time with a long-time member on Friday where we talked about the same thing. This is a truth about this community of faith: here in this place we gather because we believe in the promise that the one true God, the Triune God who made us and saves us, will meet us here. And we will find life.

We are comfortable with mystery here. We have lots of good theologians here, lots of faithful disciples who might not call themselves theologians (even if they are) but have come here for years to meet God. We have people who are seeking, questioning, we have people who come here and find a safe place, find peace. What joins us all is that in this place we don’t fret about getting all the answers.

We come here because we meet God here, in Word and song and prayer and silence and beauty, and we are filled with the forgiving love and grace of God. We have signs, too: bread and wine, water, the physical grace and presence of brothers and sisters who care for us and surround us as Christ by their lives.

And that’s enough to satisfy us.

We know we are called to do things, and here we find guidance. We know there are problems in the world and our lives, and here we find paths to answers, people who help, promises that God is working to make a difference.

But ultimately, we gather here comfortable with not knowing all, open to mystery, not needing answers because we know and expect God will be with us. And God is. And it’s enough.

In this place a great gift that is passed down is this invitation to trust, not complain.

Here we meet people who have walked this path enough to know that a relationship with the Triune God based on God’s undying love and transforming forgiveness, a life with God’s life flowing in us through the Spirit, is enough to handle any circumstances, enough to challenge any to deeper discipleship and work in the world, enough to calm anxiety and bring peace, even in the face of death.

At any given time some of us forget this, because life happens. We gather here because there is always someone in this place who will remind us that in the life Christ gives us we have food and drink enough to satisfy all our needs. There is always someone here who will help whichever of us is inevitably struggling like the crowds and the Israelites.

Jesus says it’s enough for us to believe in him, to come to him, and if we trust him, we’ll find our hunger satisfied, our thirst quenched.

So, Christ Jesus, we are here. Come to us now and fill us with your life. It will be enough.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

The Olive Branch, 7/29/15

By

Accent on Worship

Longing

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Readings

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

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

So glad and grateful

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

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

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

God’s blessings and peace,
Pr. Crippen

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

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

Mount Olive to Host National Night Out Gathering 

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

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

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

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

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

Come and Sing!

Women’s Ensemble

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

Men’s Ensemble 

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

Prayer Chain

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

A Note From Our Presiding Bishop

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Join me for this important conversation.

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

News From the Neighborhood        

Coffee and a Side of Diapers! 

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

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

Profiles: Character

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

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

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

Coming Up

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

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

Attention Worship Assistants!

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

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

Thanks,
– Peggy Hoeft

A Note from Former Vicar Emily Beckering

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

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

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

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

In Christ,
Emily Beckering

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

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

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

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

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

Transitions Support Group to Meet Wednesday, August 5 

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

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

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

The Olive Branch, 7/29/15

By

Accent on Worship

Longing

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Readings

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

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

So glad and grateful

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

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

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

God’s blessings and peace,
Pr. Crippen

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

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

Mount Olive to Host National Night Out Gathering 

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

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

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

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

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

Come and Sing!

Women’s Ensemble

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

Men’s Ensemble 

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

Prayer Chain

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

A Note From Our Presiding Bishop

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Join me for this important conversation.

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

News From the Neighborhood        

Coffee and a Side of Diapers! 

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

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

Profiles: Character

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

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

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

Coming Up

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

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

Attention Worship Assistants!

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

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

Thanks,
– Peggy Hoeft

A Note from Former Vicar Emily Beckering

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

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

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

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

In Christ,
Emily Beckering

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

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

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

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

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

Transitions Support Group to Meet Wednesday, August 5 

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

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

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

Far More than Imaginable

By

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

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

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

Of course they wanted to make Jesus king.

Wouldn’t we?

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

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

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

Unless that’s not what Jesus means to do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul proclaims this today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What would happen if we asked, if we imagined?

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

Far More than Imaginable

By

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

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

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

Of course they wanted to make Jesus king.

Wouldn’t we?

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

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

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

Unless that’s not what Jesus means to do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul proclaims this today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What would happen if we asked, if we imagined?

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

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

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

In the name of Jesus.  Amen

MOUNT OLIVE LUTHERAN CHURCH
3045 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Map and Directions >

612-827-5919
welcome@mountolivechurch.org


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