Sharing the Lutheran Story

When Gethsemane was founded in 1890 by Scandinavian farmers, factory hands and small business owners, it offered traditional Lutheran worship and a place to gather for fellowship. Neighbors came for the familiar traditions and rituals and were welcomed by the generous spirit of hospitality and partnership within the community.

Much has changed in our congregation and in our neighborhood since that time well over a century ago but much has also stayed the same. Even though the community inside and outside the walls of Gethsemane is more diverse than ever before we continue to be known for our hospitality and neighborhood partnerships. Gethsemane still values our Lutheran tradition and supports the ELCA and other Lutheran organizations like the seminary, Augustana Care Corporation, Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Social Services. Tradition and hospitality are more than just a part of our story; they define us.

Throughout the month of January we are focusing on Sharing our Lutheran Story and why it matters. We recognize that there are many people within our community these days who don’t share the same Lutheran roots but we are convinced that there is more that unites us than separates us every time we gather for worship, fellowship or education events.

Throughout the month we will also have the opportunity to learn about our partnership with Lutheran World Relief, specifics of our worship services through pew cards, visit the gallery for Jim Arneson’s art show designed to Share the Lutheran Story through photography, provide donations for Lutheran Social Services through the Need of the Month and sing a variety of traditional Lutheran music.

Join us in worship and in education as we identify ways that we can all find a home in our Lutheran Story.

Don’t miss these special events!

January 13: Bishop Ann Svennungsen

The Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod will be our guest preacher at both services and share her faith story during the adult forum.

January 20: "Lutheran Lunch"
A congregational potluck at noon followed by a special screening of the biographical Luther movie.

January 27: Annual Meeting
Gather as we celebrate and recognize the ongoing unfolding of the Lutheran Story at Gethsemane.

February 10: 4:00 pm Hymn Sing
Lutheran favorites and special instrumentations.

Old Story...New Storytellers

A couple years ago a Gethsemane parent recounted for me a moment when driving her 8th grade daughter and some school friends home. As the car passed our church property on Highway 7, the student looked up from her backseat girl-talk to catch sight of the building, and exclaimed to her friends, "Hey! That's my church!" followed by a contented sigh and a fantastic endorsement: "I love my church," before she returned to the conversation. Mom further described her teen's devotion to her Confirmation small group, and her impatience to arrive on Wednesday nights to see her church friends.

It's been a few decades since the era of Saturday morning Confirmation class with the senior pastor. Many former teenagers recall this as involving a lot of memory work from Luther's Small Catechism, and not much relationship-building conversation about what was happening for them at school or at home - those daily challenges to living faithfully. It is entirely possible that those previous students also loved their church - but no one has ever recalled being impatient to get there for that Confirmation experience.

Many congregations now use cutting-edge technology, youth-friendly curriculums, and a small-group model to help students break down Bible stories and make them personally relevant. But I need to raise up the key reason our students show up every Wednesday: it’s the volunteers.
Our Confirmation program is serving 48 students this year, with the support of 30 every-week volunteers. Each small group has at least one adult "Guide" and at least one Sr. High "Junior Guide" to mentor the faith journey. Each Wednesday, these teams are asked to engage their students in discussions about the Bible lesson taught by Pr. John, Pr. Sarah or myself, while also listening to what is going on in their individual lives, and sharing their own personal faith experiences and struggles. It is this legion of committed and patient volunteers that makes possible a personable and caring atmosphere that keeps students coming back each week.

I hasten to point out that I inherited this volunteer culture when I arrived 7 years ago at Gethsemane; God and previous youth staff have made it relatively easy to fill the roster each year. But is it necessary to have such a big crowd to pass on the faith? Wasn't it more efficient to have it come straight from the seminary-trained professionals, to make sure we got it all straight? A 15-year-old Jr. Guide is not likely to be an expert on understanding the Gospel, or the Law, or Luther's writings; mistakes might be made!

However, in the interest of translating the 2000-year-old story of Jesus coming to us, those young voices are essential. Paired with adults, these "fresh horses," only 3 years older than the students, are not so far removed from the experience of navigating the social jungle of Jr. high, remembering - perhaps better than their parents' generation - the hurts, the pressures and the self-doubts. They will have insights into making God's grace seem real in a world that is often cruel. And they model something else really critical from our Elements of a Living Faith: "Spiritual Friendships," demonstrating that it can be the most natural thing in the world that some of your most meaningful friendships are at your church.

Thank you, God, for continuing to provide Gethsemane's youth program with awesome volunteers, adults and youth who are willing to share God's story and make it come alive for each new generation. Amen!

The Bread of Life

Do you want bread for life? Not many would pass up a good meal, much less a cheap meal deal when they find one. The local sandwich shop recently had a $1 sub special and the line went around the corner. How long would the line be if they were told they could have subs for life or that if they ate this bread they would never go hungry? They would likely line up around the world. These are the very words Jesus used and people have been lining up for thousands of years.

August is The Bread of Life month, when our Sunday gospel lessons all come from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel where Jesus identifies himself as "bread," the central element to sustaining life in his day. Each week we will hear a new preacher’s take on this image of Christ as the bread of life, the one who can sustain us for eternity. And we’ll be challenged to explore what it is we rely on most to sustain us in our lives.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. John 6:33

Each week different families will be baking the bread we will share in our Sunday worship. On August 26 we will celebrate a Bread of Life Sunday; everyone who comes to church will be invited to take home a loaf of bread to share with a neighbor or friend. Included with each loaf will be an invitation to worship on Rally Day and experience the start of our fall programing where everyone is encouraged to be engaged by God in their life of faith. Join us and let us feast together on the true bread from heaven.

Sharing God's Story

One night it was dark and dreary and all the men were sitting around the campfire. One of the men turned to Bill and said, “Bill, tell us a story.” And so Bill began, “one night it was dark and dreary and all the men were sitting around the campfire. One of the men turned to Bill and said, “Bill, tell us a story. And so Bill began …”

I have probably heard this story thousands of times throughout my life. It is my grandpa’s story. He learned it from it his dad. Every time any of us ever asked for a story this is what we got. And for some reason each time he started to retell his story we’d gather in and listen intently as if it was the first time we’d ever heard it. Every generation of my family has shared this story often. It has been told at scout camp, around campfires, at slumber parties, Bible camp and on team buses for generations, in several states and multiple countries. We tell it over and over again even though it’s an old story that’s not particularly profound or scary or funny or exciting, but because it is our story.

This reminds me of God’s Story. We keep sharing the same story of God’s unbelievable, undeniable love for the whole world again and again because it is our story. The context may change a bit or a few details as each storyteller adds their personal stories but the inclusive message of God’s grace and forgiveness doesn’t ever change. God’s Story is one that we can count on; it shapes and forms us.

We are engaged by God’s Story and as we live out our faith we share this simple, yet profound story in much of what we do here at Gethsemane. Every time we worship together, have Bible study or fellowship time, whenever we meet for exercise group, quilting, choir practice, to serve a funeral luncheon or provide food for those without we are sharing in God’s Story.

This month we have two special opportunities to share God’s Story beyond the walls of Gethsemane. On May 19-20 we will be sharing the story through our efforts in Community Days of Service as we gather with folks from many different congregations to participate in acts of service within and around Hopkins. And again on May 20 as we gather in our parking lot for the Driven to Serve event we are sharing the story of outreach and hospitality to the community that we call home. Please join with us in these efforts to share God’s Story in the community.

On a personal note, on a recent trip to Arizona we had the opportunity to spend a little time with my sweet grandpa. He suffers from Alzheimer’s and didn’t recognize any of us. But when my girls asked for a story grandpa said, “One night it was dark and dreary…” and we all sat and listened to grandpa tell his old story without missing a word. Some stories are just like that – they take hold of us at the very core and don’t let go, no matter what.

God’s story does that. And it’s our story to share!

Isn't this a Rerun?

All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. Ecclesiastes 1:8-10

The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, attributed to King Solomon (known for his wisdom,) reflects on the limitations of man’s understanding and creativity. He quotes an Eeyore-like philosopher wearily declaring that nothing really matters, that our efforts won’t make a difference, that humanity’s striving for achievement is really “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” The author goes on to explain that he was once caught in that trap himself: fearful that his reign will end up being quite forgettable, his kingdom’s problems still unsolved; becoming frustrated at the dead ends in his careful reasoning about the meaning of life…and finding that the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom wasn’t making him any happier. Yet eventually he came to a welcome sense of peace, an insight that God just intends us to enjoy the daily journey and the blessings of leaving the Big Questions for God to figure out. Then Solomon could relax, simply do his faithful best without discovering any great new tricks, and smile a lot more.

It would not be much of a stretch to see clinical depression in the thoughts of that earlier Solomon… but maybe he was just putting too much pressure on himself to be The Guy Who Figures It All Out, to live up to his “Wisdom of Solomon” image. In our modern culture, it’s usually not wisdom that gets you into the spotlight, but athletic superiority, beauty or a rock star singing voice… yet fame is fleeting (the proverbial “15 minutes”), and last year’s breakout superstar often finds it hard to sustain his/her freshness and success with that next season, album or movie… leading to some well-publicized crashing and burning for those who have not learned to accept how quickly the world will turn the page and start looking for Next Big Thing.

But are there any new Big Things left? Hmmm… Hollywood studios seem to have embraced Solomon’s assessment: “Sigh…Since there is nothing new under the sun, we might as well do another Spiderman movie, and maybe some rip-offs of American Idol, Survivor and CSI.” As Bob the Writer and Bob the Youth Guy, I acknowledge my own need to believe that I’m producing something original and distinct in my ministry, when really “something new” is pretty tough to come by. Okay, I don’t personally know anybody else who has gotten a church staff to jump on a trampoline in the sanctuary and put it to music for a Talent Show… but I realize this ain’t exactly changing the world. Still, it serves a purpose (I hope) of creating joyful settings for our community to have fellowship, even if that fellowship purpose is as old as the Christian church itself.

Some congregations can easily get persuaded that they have to Do Something to stem the tide, to turn the ship, because people get bored and dissatisfied with same-old, same-old. At Gethsemane we have lots of good outcomes to be celebrated, so our “Next Steps” process has not been one of panic, but a steady and faithful long view of our mission: encouraging all members to keep growing in their relationship with God, paying attention to the needs of the community, continuing traditions for as long as they continue to have meaning and serve a divine purpose, and staying “on message” (as they say in politics.)

And that Gospel message is this: Jesus’ saving grace was the Last Big Thing, the Next Big Thing, and the Biggest Thing Ever. We really can’t improve on what God has already done, but if we do our faithful best to serve him, it will be enough.