Blog – Page 321

The Olive Branch, 11/4/15

November 5, 2015 By Mount Olive Church Leave a Comment

Accent on Worship

For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
-1 Kings 17:14-16

The widow of Zarephath is one of my favorite Bible characters. Unnamed, starved, and poverty-stricken, she gathers sticks near the outskirts of town so that she can build a fire to cook her last meal. She assumes death is right around the corner. But then she runs into a man of God. Elijah invites her to first share what little flour and oil she has with him and then go feed her son. He promises that she will have enough food. The widow does as she is told and Elijah’s promise comes true. She and her family eat for many days.

The widow of Zarephath inspires me. In her desperation, she finds it within herself to trust Elijah, a person whom she identifies as a man of God. She takes a risk! And that risk moves her from despair to hope, from little to enough, and from death to life. Being in relationship with God involves both trust and risk. We trust that God will provide, but we don’t always know how it will happen. It is easier for us to trust God in times of joy and happiness, but this story reminds us that God calls us to have courage even in times of fear. And that is what feels risky! It requires an openness to oneself and to God. This widow is a woman of faith. Her faith enables her to trust Elijah and to be open to how God might show up in surprising and unexpected ways.

Her story is not over, however. If you read on, you’ll learn that she soon faces another crisis: the illness and death of her son. The widow’s story reminds me of the importance of those people who come into our lives in times of chaos and uncertainty and bring us hope. Like Elijah, they help bring us from death to life. For these people, I rejoice!

– Vicar Anna Helgen

Sunday’s Adult Forum

November 8: “Begin With Wonder: Music, Cosmic Awareness, and Care for the Earth,” presented by Susan Cherwien.

Images of God: Thursday Bible Study
This Thursday, Nov. 6, a new six- week study will begin, led by Vicar Helgen, which will run through December 19. (The study will not meet Thanksgiving Day.) The study, called “Images of God,” will explore how we talk about God through the language of image and metaphor. The sessions will reflect on common images of God and participants will have the opportunity to share a creative presentation of an image of God that speaks to them.

As always, the sessions begin with a light supper at 6:00 p.m. Please let Vicar Helgen know if you are able to provide a meal.

November Music & Fine Arts Events

+Sunday, November 15, 4 pm: SING! With Alice Parker
The SINGs led by Alice Parker have delighted groups all over the United States and Canada since she started leading this kind of program forty years ago. The unique feature of these SINGs is their high musical accomplish-ment – the sheer beauty and communicative power of the singing. The atmosphere is one of delight in joining in music-making, and of ease in creating varied sounds. A reception will follow the event in the Chapel Lounge. This event is free and open to the public – bring a friend!

+ Sunday, November 29, 4 pm: Advent Procession
Mark the season with a solemn procession and a series of lessons and carols for Advent. Enter this season of hope in the darkest time of the year. Candles, incense, and beautiful music all invite the listener to engage in this very profound liturgical season.

Church Clean Up

The Altar Guild will sponsor a Thanksgiving/Advent /Christmas clean-up of the worship areas of Mount Olive from 9 am to noon on Saturday, November 14.

We anticipate that the renovation process will be substantially completed by then. Any help from congregational volunteers would be greatly appreciated.

Please contact Steve Pranschke if you are willing and able to volunteer for this effort.
Thank you,

– The Altar Guild

New Member Welcome – Note Date Change!

Mount Olive will welcome new members and associate members on Sunday, December 6, during the second liturgy (please note change of date!). 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.

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.

One concert remains: 7:30 pm, 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 be available at the door on the day of the concert.

A Gentle Reminder

Information for the weekly Olive Branch is due on Monday of the week it is to be published. If you have information to share, please be sure it’s in to the church office on Mondays. Thanks!

Thanksgiving Day Eucharist: Thursday, Nov. 26, 10:00 a.m.

Bring non-perishable food items to help re-stock local food shelves. Monetary donations are especially welcome (for every $1 donated, food shelf personnel are able to buy about $9 worth of food!)

As has been our custom for a number of years, the entire offering received at the Eucharist on Thanksgiving Day will be divided between Sabbathani Community Center and Community Emergency Services food shelves.

Advent Luncheon for Seniors to be Held Wed., December 2

Attention Seniors (65 and over)! Be on the lookout for your invitation to the annual Advent Luncheon for Seniors. They will be in the mail soon!

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, and for December 12 they will read The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James.

South Minneapolis Coalition for Grief Support

The South Minneapolis Coalition for Grief Support provides education & support for those who are grieving. Support groups are designed for adults experiencing grief as a result of the death of a loved one.

Small discussion groups follow the speaker each week, led by trained facilitators. Groups are open-ended; come as you feel the need. Individuals may join the group at any time.

The current session is held on Thursdays through Dec. 3, 6:15-8 pm, at Our Lady of Peace Church, 5426 12th Ave. S. in Minneapolis.

All are welcome.

News From the Neighborhood
Anna Scott, Coordinator of Neighborhood Outreach & Ministry

Powderhorn Park Neighbor-hood Association will hold its Community Meal and Annual Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12. Dinner will be at 5:30 pm and elections and meeting at 6 pm. Celebrate the gift of community with the neighbors of Mount Olive!

A Wish List
Parents in Community Action, Inc. Head Start serves the community of children and families experiencing hunger, homelessness, poor access to resources, and the devastating effects of poverty. They will host the annual Head Start Health Fair for neighborhood children and families and are requesting any donations of new or gently used prenatal or early childhood supplies: things like diapers, wipes, clothes, blankets, bottles, toys, formula, etc. Any donation will help and goes directly into the hands of the most needy children and families in the neighborhood. Donations can be dropped off in the coat room near the upstairs kitchen and are needed before Friday November 13. Thank you! Please call Anna Scott at church with any questions.

Powderhorn Empty Bowls
Friday, November 6, 11am – 7pm

Powderhorn Empty Bowls was started in 2007 by five neighbors and potters who met at the Powderhorn Park Pottery Program. Their mission, to promote art, provide sustenance and promote the common good has been carried out every year since, with the help of donations and hundreds of volunteers. Every year hundreds of neighbors and community members gather together to help end hunger. These people choose a hand-made bowl that has been donated, which is filled with soup made by volunteers and local businesses and accompanied by bread made on site by volunteers.
For this, each adult is asked to make a $20 donation, or a $5 donation for kids. Any and all donations, of any amount, are gladly accepted.
When finished, wash your bowl and bring it home. Enjoy it and have it as a reminder of all the empty bowls in your community, across Minnesota and around the world. Also leave with that bowl feeling good, knowing that on this day, you did something to feed people in your community.
Many volunteers are needed to make this day happen. If you’re able, please visit them on the web to see if there’s anything you can help with.
THANK YOU! More information on facebook or http://powderhornemptybowls.org/

In With the New!

The new sidewalk to the 31st Street door will soon be ready for use, thanks to our two top-quality in-house concrete masons, Mark and Tim Pipkorn. Here they are, hard at work last Friday.
Thanks, Mark and Tim, for an outstanding job. You’ve got talent -…and probably VERY SORE knees!!! We’re all grateful.

Also new is several restored stained glass windows. The large window over the altar is now cleaned, and new protective glass is installed. Another window on the South side of the nave will be complete this week.

The goal is to continue the repairs as long as weather stays on our side. The crew will try to select the units in most urgent need of attention. Wisely, they are working on only as many windows as they can finish within a reasonable period of time. One is never sure in Minnesota when winter will settle in for good!
Thank you to all the people of Mount Olive for your patience with inconvenience and gracious support during these past few months.

Road Trip!

Christine Skogen invites you to join her for her junior organ recital, to be held in the Center for Faith and Life at Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa.

The event will take place on Thursday, November 19, at 6:30pm, in the Main Hall. The recital will include works by Bach, Widor, and Fletcher.

A short reception will follow the program. All are welcome!

Amongst Our Graves

November 1, 2015 By moadmin Leave a Comment

We walk amongst graves in our lives, living in a world with death, but like Mary we walk with the true God who not only weeps with us, but heals us and the world now and for a life to come.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
All Saints Day
texts: John 11:32-44; Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:1-6

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

Jesus and Mary of Bethany walked to Lazarus’ tomb.

It was a cave, with a stone rolled in front of it. This isn’t the last time disciples of Jesus will come to such a place, with such a cave and stone. And like those women on Easter morning, Jesus and Mary come to a place where death is real, permanent, immovable as a boulder.

Today we walk with them to a burial place. Every day we worship here we walk with Mary and Jesus. We worship with the graves of our loved ones beside us, graves we’ve recently filled. We leave communion and pass them again. We worship in a cemetery.

We notice this today more than usual. We take our normal incense, smoke that is our prayer to God, smoke that also honors the presence of God in our midst, and we spread that fragrance at our place of burial. Apart from the feast of the Resurrection and our funeral Eucharists, this is the only time we do this there.

Today we remind ourselves to remember. To remember our loved ones who have died. To remember that we worship in a cemetery because we don’t ever want to forget the truth of our death, and the death of those we love. To remember that we constantly walk on graves, amidst our beloved dead, above those who for centuries have lived and died. After millennia, everywhere we walk is holy ground, sanctified by the dead. Everywhere we walk we walk with Mary and Jesus.

It is good to remember we always walk amongst our graves. Where death is real and permanent. Because it is only at the grave we find the truth that gives us life.

We walk amongst our graves and remember names today, from this year and many, many past years, because it’s essential to our life and our faith.

Our culture too often urges us to move on after death, uncomfortable with grief that isn’t neatly processed, impatient for us to get over the deaths of those we love.

We stubbornly say on this day every year that we don’t intend to get over it. We remember every year because there is grace in remembering, joy in the midst of grief, whether it’s recent or long-standing.

We insist on remembering because as long as we live we want the memory of those we love to be alive in our hearts and minds. We insist on remembering because we hope that when it’s our time to go, others might remember us, that our existence won’t fade quickly after we leave.

We insist on remembering for the same reason Mary and Jesus went to the tomb. Mary went to visit and name her brother, to mourn him, to show Jesus the place. She didn’t expect him to be raised. She did what we’re doing today.

And there, amongst the graves, Mary saw the wonder of what the Triune God can do, a wonder even death cannot stop. When we go where Mary went, we also begin to see.

When we walk amongst our graves like Mary, we see and remember how powerless we are in the face of death.

Mary repeats her sister Martha’s plea, but less angrily. She’s mostly sad and helpless: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” At the implacable stone covering where her brother is laid, Mary can’t see any course of action, anything to do, but weep.

She used to be confident, to know what to do. When Jesus visited, she sat at his feet and listened, filled with joy. She would confidently know what to do later when, as Jesus’ worst week began, she took sweet-smelling oil and anointed him for burial. But in the face of this death, her brother four days buried, she can do nothing but weep.

We walk amongst our graves to remember we’re that helpless. We see systems of oppression, habits of violence and war, world-wide poverty and hunger, and see no way to break them. We see a culture warped with the sins of racism and selfishness, inequalities that tear people apart even in our enlightened, free country. We see things that bind us in our own hearts and keep us from being who God means us to be.

But we walk amongst our graves because death is even more powerful than all of these things. All that sickens this world, all that owns us, all that causes pain and suffering, as intractable as they are, death is more. We walk amongst our graves and remember how powerless we are. We weep with Mary because it’s all we can do.

So when we walk amongst our graves like Mary, we do it because with Mary our tears are welcome.

We may be functioning perfectly well, coping with our grief, finding a way to live without our loved ones, but at times when we remember deeply as we do today, the tears often come, unbidden, uncontrollable.

That’s why we can’t take our eyes off of Jesus today. Jesus stands at Lazarus’ tomb with his grieving and weeping sister and weeps with her. Now, Isaiah, and John in his Revelation, see a future before us where God will wipe every tear from every eye and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

Yet before that happens, while we live on this side of the grave, what does God do? The One who is God-with-us stands with us at the graves of our beloved and weeps with us. The One who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, who is making all things new, that One is content to share our grief here, and shed the same tears we shed.

So in that day when the Triune God wipes away all tears from all eyes, our God will first need a tissue for God’s own eyes. This is immeasurably comforting. The true God knows our grief and shares it. Here amongst our graves we are not alone.

But mostly, when we walk amongst our graves like Mary, it’s because Jesus promised we’d see something marvelous.

We need to know we are powerless; we are comforted to know God grieves with us. But we come here because Jesus promised this to Martha and to us: “If you believe, you will see the glory of God.”

It is death that is the great power, the end of all possibility, the great unknown; it is death that tells us there’s nothing more we can do. Sometimes we dream, wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone who died could come back to life and tell us what to expect, comfort us? That’s what we want. Then we’d know.

Oh . . .

Oh.

This is why we walk amongst our graves. Because when we come to that other cave, with that other stone, we find it is rolled away, and the cave is empty. We look up from our tears and see our risen Lord standing before us saying, “ See, see . . . I am making all things new.”

We recognize that in becoming as powerless as we are, even going through death itself, our God has destroyed death’s power forever.

We can only see this at the grave. And what this means is stunning.

Amongst our graves we see the empty tomb of Christ Jesus and we are amazed.

Because if even death, the great finality, the great power, is over and done, then all the other powers that plague our world have no chance. All the things that we see no hope in changing are ultimately doomed. So we can begin to work to dismantle them, to heal our society and our world. Because our Lord is alive and is making all things new.

And if even death, the great finality, the great power, is over and done, then all the things that bind us and keep us from our life as children of God have no chance. All the things that own us, lead us astray, keep us from loving God and loving neighbor fully, are ultimately doomed. So we can begin to work to dismantle them, too, to find healing of our hearts and lives to be who we were always meant to be. Because our Lord is alive and is making all things new.

And if death, the great finality, the great power, is over and done, we will not end there, either.

Our hope for those we love is our hope for us: because Christ lives we also will live. Because our Lord is alive and is making all things new.

We worship in a cemetery because here we find hope and joy for the healing of this world, for the healing of our lives, and for the life with God forever that awaits us with those whom we love who have gone ahead.

We worship here because it is here we learn to say with Isaiah, “This is our God for whom we have waited, that God might save us. Let us be glad and rejoice.”

Let us be glad indeed. The One who is making all things new has already begun. And on this day we remember, and we are glad.

In the name of Jesus. Amen

The Olive Branch, 10/28/15

October 29, 2015 By Mount Olive Church Leave a Comment

Accent on Worship

Rome, Italy is a place that can make you feel so tiny, and yet so significant amidst its tattered grandeur. Walking among pillars that have stood for over 2,500 years there is a placid mood that shifts and rotates in the shadows around the burial grounds of these monumental structures, now crumbling, but miraculously still so imposing and present. As Josh and I gazed over the huge stretches of brick and marble, it took just a bit of imagination to picture what an incredible, frightening sight this must have been so many years ago. We wondered that in all the years, events, catastrophes and normalcy we are still walking across these ruins talking about people who existed thousands of years ago.

As impressive as Rome is, there was a little voice in my brain that said “someday this will all pass away.” Someday all of this toil will return to dust and there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” as is the vision in Revelation 21, and “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The old order will pass away. All of this will pass away. Though it may seem like loss, there is no sadness in this transition. There is only joy and expectation. The day that I watched my grandmother take her final breath through her aching lungs, she was shedding the old order and stepping into the new one. One that we cannot see or feel or know in our little earthly bodies and brains, but we wait for, we hope for, we believe in. Each brilliant shining soul that walked the marbled world of Rome
thousands of years ago, or hauled away its bricks to build a new home, or takes selfies with its pillars in its backdrop – we are all part of the order that will pass away, but Jesus is holding our tears and mourning and pain and will trade them in for a feast.

I don’t much care about Caesar or Augustus. I care about my grandma and grandpa, my birth mom, my aunt Kim, my faithful saints that are waiting at that feasting table. They have passed away, but, oh, what joy – WHAT JOY! when we all trade in our tears for a seat at the table with them again.

– Anna Scott

Sunday Readings

November 1, 2015: All Saints Day
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 24
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44
______________

November 8, 2015: 24th Sunday after Pentecost B
I Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

Funeral Liturgy October 31

The funeral Eucharist for Elaine Stender will be held this Saturday, October 31, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be held one hour before the Eucharist, beginning at Noon.
Rest eternal grant her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on her. May Elaine and all the blessed dead, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Wedding Bells have Rung!

On October 11, Anna Kingman (now Anna Scott), our Neighborhood Ministry Program Coordinator, married Josh Scott at Solomon’s Porch Christian Community in Minneapolis. We want to celebrate with them this Sunday, November 1, after the second liturgy. We’ll get to see pictures, eat treats, drink Mimosas and even get a glimpse of THE DRESS! You all received an email last week about how you might help, and we could still use some contributions of time or goodies. In that email were also suggestions for gifts, should you be so inclined (certainly not required!). For more information, contact Lora Dundek or Mary Crippen.

TRUST Youth Update

On Sunday, Sept. 27, Sedona Crosby and Eric Manuel participated in the TRUST Youth kick off picnic at Lake Calhoun. On October 11, they went on a Mississippi river paddle through Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventure. It was a beautiful day to canoe from Hidden Falls Park in St. Paul to Ft. Snelling Park and back. Next up: Holiday Baskets for the Aliveness Project on Sunday December 6. In January TRUST Youth will participate in a Martin Luther King Jr. service on Sunday January 17, 2016. Events for the spring are still being planned but will include a Monarch and Milkweed activity, Earth Day, and other fun things soon to be announced. A mission trip to Pilgrim Point Camp near Alexandria in August 2016 is also in the works.

TRUST Youth is comprised of kids from local Protestant churches of varying denominations and is open to youth grades 6-12. If you have a young person in grades 6-12 and are interested in having them attend TRUST Youth activities, please contact Julie Manuel.

Attention Worship Assistants!

The Servant Schedule for the 1st quarter of 2016 (January- March) will be published at the beginning of December 2015. The deadline for submitting requests to me is October 30, 2015. Please email your requests to peggyrf70@gmail.com. Thanks.

– Peggy Hoeft

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.

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.

Light a Candle

All Saints Day, November 1, is this coming Sunday. Before the liturgies on this day, all are invited to light a candle in memory of the faithful departed, the saints we have known, at the baptism font. This practice, begun in 2003 at Mount Olive, is an extremely powerful devotion for many people. Come a few minutes early and pray in the peace of our nave and in the light of the saints’ reflections of Christ.

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, and for December 12 they will read The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James.

Sunday’s Adult Forum

On November 1, All Saints Day, there will be no regular no teaching session. All are encouraged to view the display of the baptismal and death registry books of Mount Olive Lutheran Church.

A Gentle Reminder

Information for the weekly Olive Branch is due on Monday of the week it is to be published. If you have information to share, please be sure it’s in to the church office on Mondays. Thanks!

November Music & Fine Arts Events

+ Sunday, November 15, 4 pm
SING! With Alice Parker

+ Sunday, November 29, 4 pm
Advent Procession

Hymn Survey Results are In!

We heard from 84 of you. 139 hymns were named. Of those:

One hymn was mentioned by eleven people: “There in God’s Garden.”
One hymn was mentioned by ten people: “Lift High the Cross.”
One hymn was mentioned by 9 people: “Lord Thee I Love With All My Heart.”
One hymn was mentioned by 7 people: “O God Our Help in Ages Past.”
Four hymns were mentioned by 6 people: “Beautiful Savior,” “For All the Saints,” “Love Divine All Loves Excelling,” and “When Peace like a River.”
One hymn was mentioned by 5: “Children of the Heavenly Father.”
Four hymns were named by four: “A Mighty Fortress,” “All My Hope on God is Founded,” “God of Grace and God of Glory,” and “O Day Full of Grace.”
6 hymns were named by 3 people.
28 Hymns were named by 2 people.
And 92 hymns were named by one person.

While fascinating, there are some things to keep in mind: our average worship attendance is 228. Add to that, the most-named hymn was named by 11 of you (as in 11 out of 228!). While we had four hymns rise as the “top” hymns, it’s not a huge percentage of our average attendance (not that anything would be “average” around here?!). While I am not an expert on poll results, my hunch is that this poll is not something to take too terribly seriously with regard to declaring any majority trends/preferences, but it does say some interesting things.

For one, with the exception of “Beautiful Savior,” our top hymns on this list are not the typical hymns named in most contexts. In fact, “There in God’s Garden” and “Lord Thee I Love,” I suspect, would rarely be named by even one in most assemblies in a typical community. Second, it says we embrace both history and new. The top three include a brand-new hymn, a British Victorian hymn, and a German Chorale. There may be other things one can derive from this list – and I’m sure our ensuing conversations will provide those!

I went into this venture somewhat expecting some results: that there would be push-back to only being asked for three (and not more), that the list of named hymn would be predominantly single (as in a hymn named by only one person), and I expected the list to be somewhat diverse in terms of the kind of hymns named (like from where they came, when, style/culture; although predominantly European in nature).

One thing I think is so important about this exercise: that we strengthen the sense of “Having it OUR way” over and above “Having it MY way.”

– Cantor David Cherwien

Images of God: Thursday Bible Study

This Thursday, Oct. 29, is the last session of the study titled “The Last Enemy.” On Thursday, Nov. 6, a new six- week study will begin, led by Vicar Helgen, which will run through December 19. (The study will not meet Thanksgiving Day.) The study, called “Images of God,” will explore how we talk about God through the language of image and metaphor. The sessions will reflect on common images of God and participants will have the opportunity to share a creative presentation of an image of God that speaks to them.

As always, the sessions begin with a light supper at 6:00 p.m. Please let Vicar Helgen know if you are able to provide a meal.

“Please, may I have some more?”

This is a poignant quote from Dickens, in which the orphan boy, institutionalized, receives a meager bowl of gruel and dares to ask for more.

Incredibly, here, now in America, many children are food-deprived. Mount Olive has been generous in giving to a variety of causes and none is more important than providing for the hungry. The Neighborhood Ministries Committee has been the vehicle for collecting donations. Although it is true that cash donations bring about greater results, food donations are also welcome. For families with small children, bringing food for the needy is a tangible way for the children to grasp the concept of helping and in which they can participate.

Community Emergency Services suggests the following food items; food staples, such as sugar, flour and cooking oil are listed as being very important. Other categories are dry food items, canned food, breakfast items and personal hygiene needs.
As in the past, the first Sunday of each month is designated as food collection Sunday. However, donations can be brought at any time. Please bring your contributions to the grocery cart in the coat area.

Thank you for your generous response to the needs of those who need our help the most.

Winter’s Coming – Working to Get Ready

What’s going on outside the 31st Street door?

The sidewalk over the past few years has become dangerous. The segments of the walk were uneven at best, and during the winter freeze, surface would become a hazard (think squares one to one and one-half inches higher or lower than their neighbors.

It had to go. And thanks to the hard (really hard) labor of a small crew, it went last Saturday. Broken up, loaded up and carted away, and the surface prepared for a new sidewalk this Friday.

Mark and Tim Pipkorn are heading up this project, with less skilled labor provided by Ted Thompson and Art Halbardier. And Al Bipes loaned us his truck.

Look forward to an easier, safer walk into church this winter!

In Our Neighborhood

A Wish List

Parents in Community Action, Inc. Head Start serves the community of children and families experiencing hunger, homelessness, poor access to resources, and the devastating effects of poverty. They will host the annual Head Start Health Fair for neighborhood children and families and are requesting any donations of new or gently used prenatal or early childhood supplies: things like diapers, wipes, clothes, blankets, bottles, toys, formula, etc. Any donation will help and goes directly into the hands of the most needy children and families in the neighborhood. Donations can be dropped off in the coat room near the upstairs kitchen and are needed before Friday November 13. Thank you! Please call Anna Scott at church with any questions.

Tending the Family of God

What if it were you? What if you were the one who had been worshiping with this congregation every Sunday for five years or twenty-five years or fifty-five years, and you stopped coming because of illness of mobility issues, or because you got mad about something that had been done here – and no one even bothered to get in touch with you and tell you that you were missed? How would that feel? Like no one cared? Like you didn’t matter? Like no one even noticed you were gone?
We can’t let that be our story. If you are missing someone, get in touch. Let them know you care.

Powderhorn Empty Bowls
Friday, November 6, 11am – 7pm

When finished, wash your bowl and bring it home. Enjoy it and have it as a reminder of all the empty bowls in your community, across Minnesota and around the world. Also leave with that bowl feeling good, knowing that on this day, you did something to feed people in your community.

Many volunteers are needed to make this day happen. If you’re able, please visit them on the web to see if there’s anything you can help with.
THANK YOU! More information on facebook or http://powderhornemptybowls.org/

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 4 pm, Sunday, November 1, at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi and 7:30 pm, 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 be available at the door on the day of the concert.

Truly Free

October 25, 2015 By moadmin Leave a Comment

We are slaves to deeper powers that shape our actions and behaviors, our sins, and only the Son of the Triune God can free us to be the children of God we’re meant to be.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Sunday of the Reformation
texts: John 8:31-36; Jeremiah 31:31-34

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

“We’ve never been slaves to anyone.”

That’s a bold statement. The obvious problem is that these people’s central faith identity is they belong to the God who brought them out of slavery into freedom.

Maybe they just forgot. But that’s odd. It would be like Christians saying, “Jesus was never defeated by anyone.”

These believers have a problem deeper than momentary historical amnesia. Jesus isn’t interested in a history lesson. Jesus needs them to face a problem that is killing them.

John calls them “the Jews who had believed in Jesus.” Most of Jesus’ followers were Jewish, so that’s strangely non-specific. But he says these are believers, people who had found God in Jesus. Jesus has some investment in these folks already. He loves them.

And they’re enslaved, trapped. But they can’t see it. So they don’t need or want the life the Son of God is offering them.

That’s a problem. It’s also ours.

Like these believers, we misunderstand Jesus.

When Jesus says he can free them, they get confused and think he means from real, physical slavery. When Jesus says “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin,” we get confused and think he’s talking about individual things we do. When we confess our sins here, what crosses your mind during the silence? Is it things you’ve done or said, problems you’ve caused, individual sins? For many it is. It’s rarer for people to confess they are trapped, enslaved to the power of sin, and cannot be free. Yes, one of our confession prayers says just that. But when it comes to what we confess, we don’t often get there.

So we obsess with sins. We have long debates about what is sinful, we look for loopholes in God’s law, as we heard a couple weeks ago, to help us justify things we do, and when we do take time to confess, we try to name the list of things we can remember we did wrong.

It’s healthy to be able to name individual sins. We need that honesty to find healing from God. Consider, though: if critters are getting into your house you can try and eliminate all of them whenever they come. It would be better to discover the root cause of how they’re coming in, and deal with that.

That’s what happens when we ask ourselves about the power of sin that enslaves us. If we don’t address that, we’re just bailing water out of a leaky boat, and at some point we’re going down.

When we’re confused about what enslaves us, thinking of places we get stuck can help.

If you aren’t sure you’re enslaved to sin, ask this: how often do I get into the same kind of trouble, or cause the same difficulty, or do the same thing I always regret? When do I act in the same sinful ways, even though I’ve tried to stop?

And ask this: what is my deepest anxiety or fear, and how often do I make bad decisions because of it? What is the repeated habit, attitude, point of view, that leads to repeated mistakes?

We act as if every decision is a freely made, unattached moment, but virtually everything sinful we do is part of a long chain of behaviors and attitudes in our lives, sometimes stretching back years. Individuals get trapped in these patterns. So do families and groups. If we ever tried to stop doing something we knew was wrong, only to find ourselves doing it again and again, we begin to understand the power of sin to enslave us. The sins are symptoms of the disease.

So how do we know what owns us? And how can Christ Jesus help?

Well, other believers have done some work in naming our masters.

In the early centuries of the Church, teachers identified common places where we are trapped. These ancient teachers named what eventually became called a list of deadly sins. But it’s not about individual sins, it’s about those deeper masters that enslave us. That’s why they’re deadly. On that list, every believer can find what controls them, and it’s important we do.

For some of us it is our pride that owns us. For others it’s our greed. For some it’s our anger. For some it’s our lust and desire. For some it’s our envy. For others it’s our gluttony, insatiable need. For some it’s our laziness. There were teachers who added two more to the list. They said some of us have fear as our master, and some of us are owned by shame.

Pray about this. Consider your life and actions, the places you always get stuck. You’ll likely find your owner here. Knowing that truth is the only way we stop saying, “we’ve never been slaves to anyone.” This truth can free us, as Jesus said, and show us why we need the Son of God.

This is when we admit we can’t deal with this and let Jesus truly free us.

God promises a new covenant in Jeremiah today because the old covenants, especially Sinai, with the Ten Commandments, didn’t help God’s people cut to the root of their problem. It was a list of laws and rules, so people looked for loopholes. Or ignored them. Or pretended they didn’t understand. God needed to make a covenant that changed our hearts, that dealt with our deeper enslavement. But we’re going to need to want God to do this.

To admit we are trapped means clearing out space in our lives for God’s Word to come in and transform us. Jesus says today he’s rejected by people because “there is no place in you for my word.” As long as we keep him away from the deep problems that keep getting us into difficulty, if we can’t make room for him to heal and free us, we’ll keep spinning our wheels and digging deeper and deeper into the mud that traps us.

When we make room in our hearts, we find the true joy of God’s promise.

The new covenant the Triune God makes in Christ with the people of the world means we don’t have to be in control anymore. We will be given new hearts, with God’s path written on them so we love God and neighbor as if it’s our true nature, in our DNA. We are made into new creatures in the death and resurrection of the Son of God, freed from what traps us.

We still live in this world, and freedom takes time. The path God is writing on our hearts takes time to free us. Making room for the word of God in our hearts takes time. I’ve seen there are things God has taken more than three decades to free up in me, and there’s more work needed. But there is hope when we see even some things that trap us break apart, find a freedom we didn’t have a few years before. While we pray for the full freedom God will give us, that hope keeps us going along the way.

This may seem complicated, but it’s simple, and it’s life.

Jesus, the Son of God, loves us and wants to free us from the things that own us and trap us and lead us into sin. Our forebears have given us guidance to learn what each of us serves, what owns us, so we can ask the Christ for help with that. We have each other to support and help us as we all are being made free into the children of God we are meant to be. And at the end of this journey we will find our full freedom in Christ as we live in the presence of the Triune God forever. That’s it.

It’s actually life-giving to admit we’re enslaved if the Son of God is able to free us. And if the Son makes us free, we will be free indeed.

In the name of Jesus. Amen

The Olive Branch, 10/21/15

October 22, 2015 By Mount Olive Church Leave a Comment

Accent on Worship

Be Stilled

Our psalm for Reformation Sunday is always 46, and it’s full of noise. Mountains fall into the sea, waters foam, nations rage, kingdoms are shaken. The psalmist breaks up this chaos with the constant refrain, “The LORD of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” No matter the storms that thunder around us, the confusion and clamor of the world, God is our refuge and strength, our help in trouble.

Yet near the end of the psalm we sing this very different note, in God’s voice: “Be still, then, and know that I am God.” In the midst of chaos and noise, God speaks to us and says, “Be still a moment. Know I am God.”

I used to listen to podcasts on my morning walks, and I still listen to music if it’s a morning run. Recently my spiritual director wondered what would happen if I went silent on the walks, so I’ve been trying that.

This week I realized some of why it’s a good idea. I wasn’t listening to any outside source, but for the first two miles the noise and chaos was in my mind. Thoughts and words from two sermons and a Bible study needing to be written this week, pastoral care concerns, music from choir rehearsal the night before, my mind was full and racing. It took two miles to realize how unquiet I was. Then I remembered “Be still.” And for the next two miles I tried to tell myself, “Be still, know God.” But I still was racing around from place to place. It wasn’t until the fifth mile I realized that I needed God to still me. The command wasn’t enough. I needed God to quiet me down, center me, lead me into peace.

The Church cannot continue be reformed, our congregation reformed, each of us reformed, if we cannot find the stillness to hear God. When we slow down, turn off the outside influences for a moment, and ask God to calm our hearts and minds we begin to hear God’s voice over all the other voices that compete in our minds and hearts.

I didn’t fully find quiet and stillness on that walk. But in the last mile there were moments. Moments where I saw the quiet trees and the peaceful sky. Moments I was aware of my breathing and stepping. Moments that I was able to sense God saying, “I’m God, you’re not. Let me still you, quiet you.” Such is our life of faith. We likely never find a permanent place of stillness in the chaos of life. But when we open ourselves to God’s presence we receive moments that clarify, calm, give us refuge. We are reformed, made new again, and sent back into the chaos different, better able to live and not be overwhelmed.

This is how God will reform us, and the Church. Still us, Lord God, that we may hear and know you and be transformed.

– Joseph

Sunday Readings

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

November 1, 2015: All Saints Day
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 24
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44

Semi-Annual Meeting

The semi-annual meeting of Mount Olive congregation will be held this Sunday, October 25, following the second liturgy. The purpose of this meeting is to approve a budget for 2016. All voting members of Mount Olive are encouraged to attend!

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 series is titled “The Last Enemy,” and deals with mortality and faith.

Attention Worship Assistants!

The Servant Schedule for the 1st quarter of 2016 (January- March) will be published at the beginning of December 2015. The deadline for submitting requests to me is October 30, 2015. Please email your requests to peggyrf70@gmail.com. Thanks.

– Peggy Hoeft

Funeral Liturgies

The funeral Eucharist for Lydia Iverson will be this Friday, October 23, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be held one hour before the Eucharist, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The funeral Eucharist for Elaine Stender will be held on Saturday, October 31, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be held one hour before the Eucharist, beginning at Noon.

Rest eternal grant them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them. May Lydia and Elaine and all the blessed dead, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

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

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.

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.

Save the Date!

On Sunday, November 1, following the second liturgy, we will host a wedding reception for Josh and Anna (Kingman) Scott! Watch for details in next week’s issue of The Olive Branch!

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.

Sunday’s Adult Forum

Oct. 25: “Martin Luther – The Wittenberg Nightingale,” presented by Victor Gebauer. Martin Luther’s view of music as God’s good gift (“donum Dei”) initiated a stream of joyful praise rooted in human experience and deep faith. Melody, worship, poetry, instruments, voices, and theology all flow together in the great reformer’s enduring legacy of hymns for the church.

On November 1, All Saints Day, there will be no regular no teaching session. All are encouraged to view the display of the baptismal and death registry books of Mount Olive Lutheran Church.

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 4 pm, Sunday, November 1, at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi and 7:30 pm, 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 be available at the door on the day of the concert.

Stewardship Notes

Our general-fund giving.
At the September 30 end of our third quarter, year-to-date general-fund giving from members was $418,671, about 5.5% above where we were at the same point last year. Sure, a 7% increase would feel more comfortable at this point in the year, but we’re doing OK—and we like to feel challenged, don’t we?

2016 budget.
This coming Sunday, October 25, following the second liturgy, we’ll discuss and vote on the budget at our semi-annual meeting of the congregation. On November 22, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, on Thanksgiving Day, and again the following Sunday, November 29, we’ll have op-portunities to signify our individual or household commit-ments in support of the budget, whether or not we choose to turn in what we’ve often called pledge cards. Watch for more about this in the next few weeks.

Blue envelopes.
As director of stewardship I get, along with some other people, our Weekly Income Summary, compiled by John Meyer or Jeff Brown after members of our rotating two-person teams of counters finish their work. Yes, my eye goes first to the top line, which shows general-fund giving. A so-so Sunday shows $4572.46 (Sept. 27), a better one shows $10,789 (Sept. 13). The forms don’t include contribu-tions via Simply Giving. But what really surprised me when I first began getting copies of these forms—and has delighted me since—are all the designated gifts, which usually come in the blue envelopes. Some recent examples: September 27: LWF Jerusalem, $20; World Hunger, $25; Food Shelf, $50; Capital Campaign 2014, $60; Refugee Relief, $225; Restoration 2015, $5,000. October 4: Minneapolis Area Synod, $25; Common Hope Guatemala, $25; Lutheran Volunteer Corps, $40; Community Meal, $100; Diaper Depot, $10; Capital Campaign 2014, $60; Restoration 2015, $600; Refugee Relief, $750. Since I (happily) never see names of contributors, I can’t say whether these gifts tend to come from relatively few households or a larger number. But these gifts, small or large, really make a difference. Thank you!

—Donn McLellan, Director of Stewardship

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.