Lord of life lutheran
DECEMBER 2020
C O M P A S S
F R O M
“ B A H
H U M B U G ”
by Pastor Kaitlyn Forster (kaitlynf@lordoflife.org)
By now, we are well within the ‘Christmas Season’ that seems to begin around Halloween and will end right around New Year’s. It’s a spectacle of lights and purchases, decorations and displays, and way too many opportunities for overindulgences. All for what? Santa coming to town? The birth of a baby in a manger? A reason to get energized in the darkest months of the year? Maybe a combination of all of those. Do you get excited for Christmas? If so, what about it gets you excited? I don’t ask that to be an Ebenezer Scrooge crying, “Bah Humbug” on this beloved holiday. But there is some truth to the overcommercialization that we’ve gotten into. Almost as if we do not do all the things and check off all the lists—the nice ones, of course—that we’re somehow doing it wrong. And quite honestly, I’m not sure I’m interested in all of that pressure, especially this year. When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, “Bah Humbug” was a fairly common phrase that became popularized by this novella. A ‘humbug’ is something that is intended to deceive or mislead. So, when Ebenezer Scrooge shows us his crabby pants, it isn’t to simply be a grump. He’s naming that the Christmas cheer
FROM 'BAH HUMBUG' to blessed.................2-3 BIBLE 101: NATIVITY ........................................4-5 community life / confirmands...............6-7 GIFT IDEAS / LIGHT THE WAY.........................8-9 CHRISTMAS MUSIC / contacts ................ 10-11
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T O
B L E S S E D was something he found to be a sham. A hoax. Fake news. He had learned from experience that manufactured happiness wasn’t how the world operated and instead of getting swept up in the moment to stand his ground. It wasn’t until he relived some of his previous experiences, when he had a change of heart. In doing so he saw the beauty of family coming together. He saw the ways in which he needed to ask for forgiveness. And in many ways, that’s when he became changed by the relationships in his life. He found value, joy, and hope through the people and things that were already right in front of him. This year, Christmas, and the holidays in general, are bound to look very different than past years and it could be very easy to cry, “Bah Humbug.” But maybe we can learn from Scrooge’s mistakes and figure out what makes these days important for us. One of the miracles of the Christ child’s birth that we celebrate is that God breaks through to us, wherever we may find ourselves. God defies our expectations, meets our reality, and promises to be with us on the journey of life. So, we don’t have to buy into all the hype if we don’t want to. We don’t have to do things the way they have always been done. We can instead find ways for God to be known while keeping our relationships safe, and by reminding our loved ones just how loved they are. This day and every day. May you all have a safe and joyous holiday season.
Enter into the holiday season with the gift of an Advent prayer journal. Each day, receive a prompt and take some time to reflect on what this season means for you. To reserve your free copy, go to lordoflife.org/Christmas. Merry Christmas!
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N A T I V I T Y by Pastor Joel Wight Hoogheem (joel@lordoflife.org)
For many of us, when we think of “the Christmas story” (not to be confused with the movie A Christmas Story), our minds may drift to the scene depicted in a typical Nativity scene: baby Jesus in a manger, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, and an assortment of animals. That’s all well and good, yet it’s important for us as discerning readers of the Bible to know that this common scene is an amalgamation of strands of Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth, Matthew’s story of Jesus’ birth, and the imagination of St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. Truth be told, there are actually four stories of the Nativity of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Luke brings us the shepherds and the little town of Bethlehem. Matthew installs the wise men from the east on the scene, as they arrive days, weeks, or perhaps even months after Jesus’ birth. And then there are the other Nativity stories: One that’s typically heard on Christmas Day and another 4
that you may have never heard at all. First, there’s John’s story of the coming of Christ. It’s not an intimate birth narrative, but a poetic rendition about the Word of God made flesh for the sake of the entire world. And that other Christmas story in the Bible? Well, it’s not from the gospel of Mark. It’s not in any of Paul’s letters. It’s communicated by John of Patmos in Revelation 12 and, boy howdy, it’s a doozy. There’s a great red dragon and a cosmic woman, together in a scene that is far from being a silent night. If there were a Christmas song written about this biblical Nativity story, it would be sung to the tune “O Tannenbaum” and include the lyrics, “O great red dragon, O great red dragon, please don’t eat the baby.” (Trust me: it’s there in the Bible.) What binds these four Nativity stories together, however, are the same promises that God is with us, that God is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ, and that the child born on that day
has come to be the Savior of the world. That’s the meaning of Christmas, whatever version of the story you hear. This may be a particularly good time to recall that this same story of the birth of Jesus gets told in very different ways. We are all well aware that Christmas this year will look and feel different than it has in the past. It’s the first time any of us have had to celebrate the season during a pandemic, after all. Our family celebrations will be reshaped or postponed. Our worship experiences will be different than usual. Our Christmas traditions will have to be reimagined. Yet in this unusual time, we have the freedom and creativity both to appreciate what we miss this year, knowing it can return in the
future, and we can dream up new and meaningful ways to hear and celebrate the coming of Christ. Every tradition has to start somewhere, and I have a strong suspicion that there will be countless, heartfelt, faithful new traditions established in 2020. And who knows? Maybe one of those new traditions will be a greater amalgamation of the story of the birth of Jesus offered in ultradeluxe Nativity scenes that have all the old favorites plus that great red dragon and cosmic woman.
Bible 101 reflections
Read the four stories of the Nativity of our Lord in the Bible: 1. Luke 2:1-20 2. Matthew 1:18-2:12 3. John 1:1-18 4. Revelation 12:1-6 What details do you notice in each? Why do you think each author chose to write about the coming of Christ in the way they did?How do these multiple versions of the birth of Jesus deepen your understanding of the meaning of Christmas?
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C O M M U N I T Y
L I F E
baptisms At Lord of Life, we baptize individuals at any age. For the next baptism class or to schedule a baptism, call the church office (763.420.5015).
October 3 Cassius Clayne Carlon Kinsley Rose Mason October 4 Sydney Marlena Verchota Weston David Vernon Cieara Angela Jean Marie Vidor Reagan Vidor
October 10 Wilder George Krause Elijah Kent Mainquist William James Schmidt October 11 Mila Marie Anderson Channing Jesse Belair
October 17 Paxton Allen Sjulstad
October 24 Halle Marie Morem
October 18 Aria Lea Cease Joseph Lane Nitchie Madelyn Ione Rickert
October 25 Oliver Marvin Chisato-Rodvik October 31 Weston Tomas Bolin Dillon Mae Johnson
bereavements Prayers of sympathy for those we have lost in our community and for those grieving the loss of a loved one. May there be comfort in the promise of the resurrection.
Gary Benson and family at the death of his mother Patty Davidson and family at the death of her aunt
John Nelson and Jenni Schroeder and families at the death of their father, Cecil Nelson
The Dooley family at the death of their father
Peter Perri and family at the death of his wife, Vicki Perri
Lori Hartkopf and family at the death of her nephew, Jake Newby
Jan Roehl and family at the death of her father, Ed Sanford
Keri Hanson, Greg, Tim, and Zach Skagerberg and families at the death of their mother and wife, Kathy Skagerberg Patti Leaf and Lori Thomsen and families at the death of their mother, Marilyn Boyce
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Brenda Rolando and family at the death of her father, Charles Rolando Mark Steffenson and family at the death of his mother Community Life continues on Page 11—
God’s blessings to 157 confirmands, some of whom shown here, who affirmed their baptismal promises in October— visit lordoflife.org/ affirmationofbaptism for both virtual services!
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Now with online shopping, you can visit Lord of Life’s Reflections of Faith gift and bookstore to see gifts available for purchase this Christmas season! In the photo at right is a gift bag with a Christmas devotional book, bookmark, and packet of tea. From ornaments to felted wool Nativity and other décor, you may find exactly what you need for a difficultto-shop-for person on your Christmas gift list! lordoflife.org/reflectionsoffaith
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Enter into a new Christmas experience at Lord of Life with Light the Way. We know this winter is unique, so we’ve transformed our campus into a beautiful light display that can be enjoyed safely from your vehicle. December 4-27, 5-9pm, drive through eight stations artfully depicting the story of Jesus’ birth, and listen to an audio guide sharing how the Christmas story is more meaningful than ever. Children can keep an eye out for a special hidden symbol in each station. Light the Way will be an experience you’ll want to revisit throughout the season of Advent. 9
C H R I S T M A S
M U S I C
Although the pandemic prevents the gathering of choir, orchestra, and a live audience this year, there will be two special virtual December Christmas music events to get in the holiday spirit! First, a Christmas concert with the considerable talents of Dana and Deric Craig, David Frank, and Brian Schroeder will combine to tell the Christmas story in music and readings. This unique custom-made event will feature a variety of instruments and vocal combinations in fresh, creative, and exciting new arrangements. Interspersed with poetry and readings, Christmas tunes both familiar and less familiar will describe the timeless story of Advent’s hope to the joy of Christmas Day. This Christmas concert will be available on both Facebook and YouTube social media sites premiering Tuesday, December 15. Another Christmas music event will be presented by David Frank on the sanctuary’s Kawai concert grand. David will play his own virtuosic or simple arrangements of carols and tell the fascinating story of their origins. On both Facebook and YouTube social media sites, this event is scheduled for Thursday, December 17.
Merry Christmas!
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Community Life continues from Page 6—
weddings For details on your wedding, visit lordoflife.org/weddings. To schedule a wedding, contact Wedding Supervisor
welcome new members Jacob Halldorson Scott & Brittany Anderson with Attley
Michelle Tomlinson (michellet@lordoflife.org).
Membership at Lord of Life means you make a commitment
October 2 Alicia Bartsch & Zachary Wahl
to be an active participant in congregational life. The expectation of not only new members but all members—is to worship regularly, grow in faith, serve others, and support the
October 3 Julia Sorenson & George Wilkes
church and its programs financially. For more information, contact Katie Gartzke (katieg@lordoflife.org or 763.420.5015) or visit lordoflife.org/membership. You are invited to become
October 17 Erin Eklof & Eric Palmer
a part of the Lord of Life faith community.
LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) 7401 County Road 101, Maple Grove, MN 55311-4313 phone 763.420.5015 fax 763.420.7286 web lordoflife.org Visit lordoflife.org/staff for a full staff listing with photos. Prayer requests may be submitted to prayernetwork@lordoflife.org.
PASTORAL STAFF
WORSHIP / CONNECT
Rev. Dr. Joel Wight Hoogheem, Lead Pastor, joel@lordoflife.org Rev. Kaitlyn Forster, kaitlynf@lordoflife.org Rev. Dr. Karen Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Pastor Emeritus, karengl@lordoflife.org Rev. Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Pastor Emeritus, peter@lordoflife.org Rev. Karen Greimel, ksgreimel@lordoflife.org Rev. Charles ‘Chick’ Lane, chickl@lordoflife.org Rev. David McCarty, davem@lordoflife.org
Visit lordoflife.org/worship for the most up-to-date worship schedule.
lordoflife.org
office@lordoflife.org
To connect with an adult ministry representative, contact Karen Nelson (karenn@lordoflife.org). To connect with a children, youth, and family representative, contact Chelsey Grandstrand (chelseyg@lordoflife.org). For all ministry events and calendar items with the most current dates, times, details, event locations, and registrations—visit lordoflife.org.
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Credits: KLLeaman Photography, Unsplash. Compass is a monthly ministry by Lord of Life Lutheran Church (ELCA) printed by Wallace Carlson Printing using ecofriendly inks. Share it with a friend or neighbor inviting them to the Lord of Life faith community. To receive Compass in the mail or electronically—call 763.420.5015 or email office@lordoflife.org. Copyright 2020 Lord of Life Lutheran Church
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Lord of Life Lutheran Church
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