January 2022 Compass Magazine

Lord of life lutheran

JANUARY 2022

C O M P A S S

I N T E N T I O N A L I T Y

F O R

by Pastor Kaitlyn Forster (kaitlynf@lordoflife.org)

In January of 2020 most of the United States was just starting to learn about the novel coronavirus that was being identified in China.

The uncertainty weighed heavily in the air, and nothing could have prepared us for what March 2020 brought. Nearly two years later, we are still amidst uncertainty—though we know more now—as the pandemic continues to impact our everyday lives. Albeit in different ways.

I remember those early days of the pandemic vividly. There was the fear and anxiety of what was happening so quickly around us. It showed up as empty shelves at stores while rushing around, waking up at 3am every night, and worrying about every interaction. Not to mention

the laundry, ohh all the laundry! Amid all of that, I also recall the deep need for worship and the yearning to feel connected to our faith community. On Sunday mornings, I would get the coffee brewing and find activities to keep the kids present but occupied. I would nestle into the couch and grasp onto every word—in the worship service and in the comments. In many ways it felt like a desperate need to feel God’s presence and to be connected with the community of faith as well.

I was so used to being a part of a culture that told me to go-go-go and do-do-do, that it made those moments of not being able to go or do bewildering. So, worshipping on the weekend became the place where I could set the

INtENTIONALITY for the new year..................2-3 BIBLE 101: GOD AND PLANS....................................4-5 community life / SNOW ANGEL.......................... 6-7

listen

FAITH FORMATION INTENTIONALITY...................... 8-9 DAILY DEVOTIONS....................................................... 10 CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER / COntact Us .................11

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process

T H E

N E W

Y E A R

bewilderment aside, know that there were others who were gathering too, and to simply just be.

To be aware of God showing up. As the weeks, months, and years have progressed since those initial days, I have been reflecting on the need for intentional time for faith practices and spirituality.

Taking the time to listen and process, I’ve learned that intentionality in faith is less about saying or doing the right thing and more about listening for God to be present. It’s not an item to check off the to-do list or a means to go further or do more.

It is not about going through the motions for the sake of going through them or so that others will notice. Intentionality with faith is about being more open to the possibility of God entering the

world and noticing the place where God is already at. In many ways, it is about remembering that we are human be-ings instead of human do-ings.

If you’re anything like me, wondering how to be intentional with faith and life as the world kicks back into gear, I invite you to pause and reflect as you are able. Maybe consider the spiritual practice of sitting in silence for one minute every day. It may sound easy, but for some it is anything but.

If you lean into this practice, notice where your mind wanders and where the spirit leads. Notice what happens in your body and your breath.

Notice how you treat the time. Be gentle and ask yourself, where is God showing up?

open practice

presence

to simply just be

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“For surely I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare to give you a future with hope.” says the Lord,

and

not for harm,

Jeremiah 29:11

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G O D

A N D

by Lead Pastor Joel Wight Hoogheem (joel@lordoflife.org)

I recall visiting the office of a member of a previous parish who was a college professor. Every square inch of his desk and office seemed to be covered in haphazardly arranged stacks of paper. The organizing principle seemed to be “Make Jackson Pollack’s art seem tidy.” As he shoved a stack of papers off a chair to allow me to sit, he said, “A friend of mine once said that a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind. ‘Well,’ I asked, ‘what does that mean about an empty desk?’ ” He then chuckled in a way that told me he relished sharing that vignette with every new guest to his workspace.

Bible 101

As you think about God’s plans, how do you envision God’s organizing principles?

It doesn’t seem that many would envision God as being random and haphazard. But do you think God is rigidly structured in a controlling sort of way? Does God allow for freedom of movement and change? Do we have any input on God’s plans?

P L A N S Some read Jeremiah 29:11 (see sidebar) to say that God has everything already set and in motion, that there’s an unswerving course for all things. Yet if that were the case, what would we matter? If God exerts such control, do we have anything to do, any free will?

Can we affirm that God has plans and we make a difference, too? That is, can we say that God’s plans can change?

I hope so. Since the God I see in Scripture is uncontrolling and God’s love is the foremost attribute of God, God is affected by us and we are affected by God. That’s what happens in real relationships.

Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon, so he was offering them a word of hope and consolation in the midst of their unprecedented and unwelcome experience. God didn’t want the people to wind up in exile, but it was the result of their faithlessness.

And God did not abandon them! God’s plans for them changed. God’s love for them remained.

And it’s also really important for us to know that the word “you” in Jeremiah 29:11 is plural. A better way to read this verse is to hear God saying, “I know the plans I have for y’all…” This isn’t a “God-and-me” message. It’s an affirmation both of God’s relationship with humanity and our need for one another along with God. This is an expansive vision of God’s uncontrolling love.

Does God have a plan for you? Absolutely! Do you have a say in what that plan is and how it is shaped? Absolutely! Are any of us ever alone in any of this? No chance! God is neither haphazard nor controlling. God’s intentions for us are loving and God respects us enough to revere our choices and voices in the midst of it all. reflection questions • How have you sensed God’s plan for your welfare? How has your idea of “God’s plan” changed over the span of your life?

• How does Jeremiah 29:11 change when you read “you” as plural and not singular?

• Do you think God is more concerned with your future or your past? Why?

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C O M M U N I T Y baptisms

L I F E

weddings

At Lord of Life, we baptize individuals at any age. For the next

For details on your wedding, visit lordoflife.org/weddings.

baptism class or to schedule a baptism, call the church office

To schedule a wedding, contact Wedding Supervisor

(763.420.5015) or visit lordoflife.org/baptism.

Michelle Tomlinson (michellet@lordoflife.org ).

November 7, 2021

Beau Robert Miller November 14, 2021

Sutton Blake Carlson

Nolan Dean McMahon

Beau Steven Popowitz

Ilaria Schmit

Hayes Paul Walsh

Hudson Brett Walsh November 20, 2021

Evelyn Kendi Warming November 21, 2021

Eliana Jo Caldwell

Avery Marie Dingman

Grayson Douglas Havlik

Lillianne Ione Ross

bereavements Prayers of sympathy for those grieving the loss of a loved one; may they be comforted in the promise of the resurrection.

November 12, 2021

Brianna Stonewall & Derek Vidor

welcome Mike & Jessica Allen with Zachary (10), Max (5), and Calvin (3) Glenn & Jannell Brown Jesse & Janel Landis with Verona (8) and Luke (6) Ray & Marge Lundeen Justin & Jenna Peterson with Austin (8), Colton (3), Cooper (3), and Carson (3) Tom & Kim Starling with Brady (5), Cooper (2), and Harper (8 months) Sara Zuelow with Audrey Morales

Larry Benedict and family at the death of his mother Jon Collins and family at the death of his father, Donald Collins Nicole Lee and family at the death of her brother David Nord and family at the death of his wife, Jessica Nord Carrie Petrie and family at the death of her uncle, Kevin Carlson Dean & Pam Showalter at the death of their sister-in-law, Jessica Nord

Membership at Lord of Life means you make a commitment 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 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 a part of the Lord of Life faith community.

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Winter joy to all snow angels in the new year ahead!

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F A I T H

F O R M A T I O N

by Kirstin Delp (kirstind@lordoflife.org)

Lord of Life’s Children, Youth & Family (CYF) team strives to create experiences for children, youth, and families to experience, learn, and live out the promise that all are children of God, loved beyond measure, sent to serve the world.

Woven throughout this timeline are developmental stages for young people. Programming meets kids where they are and pays close attention to what kids are experiencing and how growing in faith is a part of growing up. We added “I am” statements summing up what kids should be able to experience, with thanks to many volunteers who help build up our community.

From Lord of Life’s onsite cornerstone programs (church school, confirmation, choirs) to featured summer events (vacation Bible school, summer stretch, mission trips, camps, and the ELCA Youth Gathering)— to faith milestones, online options, and programs yet to be developed—all are infused with intention and purpose.

These experiences are centered around the intention to help even the youngest who come to Lord of Life understand their identity (children of God), claim God’s promise (loved beyond measure), and become faithful to God in community (sent to serve the world).

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I N T

E N T I O N A L I T Y

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D A I L Y

D E V O T I O N S

by Fred Lilleboe (fredl@lordoflife.org)

Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10 When I think of “space” as in outer space, I think of a vast soundless vacuum. I have no idea what percentage of the universe space/nothingness is, but it is a lot. If I googled it somebody would be simply guessing. I did watch a documentary that claims scientists have found elements in that nothingness that is actual something. But my thoughts today are on silence. I think God likes silence. Although there is a lot of wild, wonderful, beautiful loud sounds in our world, there is also a great deal of silence.

The band I was in played before at least a dozen national acts. I always felt the difference between the super pros and the average musician was silence. The millisecond difference when the drummer hits the drums, or certain musicians at particular times played nothing until asked to do something, was amazing. Silence is powerful. A pause in a sermon can be powerful. A moment of silence at a stadium can be powerful.

My friend likes to have the TV loud on the cable news all day long. When I borrow any of my family’s cars, the radio is always on when I start up the vehicle. I walk the dog and many cars have loud talk radio or music on. Nothing wrong with that, but I wonder sometimes if they fear what they would hear if there was silence.

Although doubtful, maybe one day scientists will discover what many scholars of multiple religions already know. That it never was the absence of something but the presence of something or Someone. God whispers. That is why God gave us Psalm 46:10.

Lord, help me to learn to be still. It is so hard to do with external and internal voices and thoughts. Calm my anxiousness, calm my fears. Help me find stillness and peace in you.

Amen.

Want to be more intentional in your faith journey? Subscribing to Lord of Life’s daily devotions may be a good tool for you to try! Written by Lord of Life staff members, they come to your email inbox every morning with Scripture, devotion, reflection question, and prayer—visit lordoflife.org/hope to opt in.

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contemplative prayer on wintry nights via zoom All Thursday evenings in both January and February 8:30-9pm led by Karen Wight Hoogheem

To learn about contemplative prayer practices and this opportunity to rest, reflect, and reconnect with God, visit lordoflife.org/transformation.

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

Visit lordoflife.org/worship for the most up-to-date worship schedule. Note: beginning in January, face masks will be required for Saturday 5:30pm worship.

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. David McCarty, davem@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.

lordoflife.org

office@lordoflife.org

/lordoflifelutheran /lolcyf

/lordoflife /cyf_lordoflife

/lordoflifeluth

Compass is a monthly ministry by Lord of Life Lutheran Church (ELCA) printed by Wallace Carlson Printing using ecofriendly inks. Paper is the most sustainable natural resource. After reading, please recycle or share with a friend or neighbor inviting them to Lord of Life’s community of faith. You don’t need to be a member to receive Compass. To receive it in the mail and/or electronically, call 763.420.5015 or email office@lordoflife.org.

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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION

Beginning January 2022—

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a prayer for the new year God of all time, Here for our past, present, and future.

You call us to reflect on what has been to shape the outline of the future.

Hold space for this time.

Giving thanks for the good, Grieving the losses, Curious to your abiding presence in this world.

Empower our minds and hearts To heal the wounds To bridge the divides To dance with joy.

Let us resolve to simply be.

Your grace is sufficient for this day, the next, and every day, With the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding.

Amen.

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