Lord of life lutheran
NOVEMBER 2019
C O M P A S S
L I V I N G by Pastor Chick Lane (chickl@lordoflife.org)
How is a Christian to live? This is a pretty important question. It is also a question the Bible devotes quite a few pages to answering. On one hand, the Bible spends a good bit of time telling us things Christians aren’t supposed to do. We aren’t supposed to kill, or steal, or talk negatively about other people. We aren’t supposed to take advantage of the poor, or the immigrant in our land, just because our position of power would allow us to do this and get away with it. The list goes on.
living generous lives...........2-3 Bible 101: AN ACT OF TRUST ����4-5 community life............................6-7 a HARVEST of generosity ���8-9 Are We Rich?.............................. 10 contacts/calendar................. 11 2
On the other hand, the Bible also spends a good bit of time telling us things we are supposed to do. We are supposed to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are supposed to care for others, especially those who have a hard time caring for themselves. This list also goes on. One item on this second list, which doesn’t get the attention it deserves, is that we are to live generous lives. There is a lot of ink on the pages of your Bible devoted to this. God,
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we are told, is a generous God, who has showered upon us incredible blessings. The purpose of these blessings is two-fold. First, God wants us to enjoy them. God really does want you to live well, to enjoy the days of your life. Second, God wants you to use the blessings God has showered upon you to improve the lives of those around you. To not do this is to live life counter to God’s plan for you, which is never a good thing. What does it look like to live a generous life? God has given you time. Living generously means using some of that time for the good of others. How do you volunteer? How do you serve others, either through Lord of Life or other organizations? God has given you talents. You are good at some things. How do you use your unique talents for the good of others? God has given you financial resources. For many at Lord of Life, God has given you considerable financial resources. How do you use the money God has entrusted into your care for the good of others? The biblical call is to give 10% away, to tithe. Tithing is the biblical standard of living a generous life. How much do you give away? How is a Christian to live? Living generously is one important answer to this important question.
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by Lead Pastor Joel Wight Hoogheem (joel@lordoflife.org)
One of my favorite parts of the grand story of the Exodus in the Old Testament is how the people had to fully trust in God’s provision. The story is that all of God’s people who were enslaved in Egypt were freed and led on an uncharted journey to the Promised Land. And there’s a pretty important detail in this: all these people needed to eat. I know how hard it can be to come up with a week’s grocery list for my family of four, so I can’t imagine what it would’ve taken to plan to feed these teeming masses – not for a week, but for forty years! (And there was no grocery store in sight.) Exodus 16 tells the story of how the food needs of the Israelites were met: quails in the evening and manna in the morning. God’s provision of food is perhaps unsurprising. The surprise comes, however, when the Israelites were told only to gather the food their family needed for that day (and a double portion on the day before Sabbath). Those who tried to store up extra found that “it bred worms and became foul” (verse 20) the next day. That’s gross.
Bible 101 4
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Exodus 16 and 2 Corinthians 9
But what they learned quickly was they couldn’t squirrel it away. They had to trust in God’s daily provision of food for them. It was an act of trust. It’s easy to fall into the mindset of scarcity, to think that there is not enough and will not be enough, so we need to take care of ourselves and squirrel things away. The Israelites in Exodus 16 saw immediately what a scarcity mindset brings: worms and rot. The same goes for us. Figuratively, at least. It’s what I hear in Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. Paul encourages an abundance mindset where we trust that there is enough, that God will provide what we need, and that in our sharing and in our gratitude, we experience joy together. God loves a cheerful giver, after all. Instead of the clenched fists of scarcity, the biblical witness encourages us time and again to have the open hands of abundance because all we have and all we are comes from God. Showing our gratitude for God’s gracious provision by letting go is an act of trust and an entryway to the abundant life God wants each of us to experience.
dig deeper 1. Read Exodus 16. The Israelites are renowned grumblers. Would you have joined their grumbling or been frustrated as Moses was? 2. The double provision of food on the day before Sabbath (Exodus 16:2226) was a way to allow the people to rest on the Sabbath. Does the idea of Sabbath fill you with gratitude or anxiety? Why? 3. Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” Are you a cheerful giver? Why or why not?
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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). September 7 September 15 September 22 September 28
Boaz Zechariah Mainquist Grady James DeClercq Lucas James Ollinger Mackenzie Leigh Peck Avery Ann Rohlf Brielle Marie Smith Elliot Arthur Smith Rhett JJ Anderson Bailey Rose Scheidnes
September 29
Harper Irene Holmstrom
bereavements Prayers of sympathy for those grieving the loss of a loved one; may they be comforted in the promise of the resurrection. Karen Forslund and family at the death of her father Brenda McDougall and family at the death of her mother Emily Nolan and family at the death of her mother Paul Sarratori and family at the death of his father Carol and Erik Schefers and family at the death of their husband and father Deb and Bridget Taylor and family at the death of their husband and father Connie Wilder Willis and family at the death of her mother
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C O M M U N
weddings For details on having your wedding at Lord of Life, visit lordoflife.org/weddings. To schedule a wedding, contact Wedding Supervisor Michelle Tomlinson at 763.420.5015 x118. September 20 Kathryn Gustafson & Timothy Verastegui September 21 Brenda Rolando & Eric Hanson Cate Cavanagh & Keith Brown
welcome new members
Craig & Michelle Bartlett with Grace and Luke Henriette Gbeve Jason & Susan Harens with Logan and Lauren Mollie Loechler with Nicholas Nick & Andrea Moen with Kimmy and Mike Justin & Alissa Partee with Carter, Reese and Charlotte Paul & Spencer Pelowski with Elsie and Evan Matthew & Erin Schmidt with Lucas Christian Wolfe & Kate Garon Membership at Lord of Life means you make a commitment to be an active participant in congregational life. The expectation of not only
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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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by Bev Mello (bevm@lordoflife.org)
Plant a seed and watch it grow. Gather the harvest then give it away. This generosity happens in the northeast corner of the Lord of Life campus within LifeGARDEN. Half of about two acres is devoted to a community garden, with all produce being donated to CROSS (Christians Reaching Out in Social Service), a local foodshelf. In the spring, LifeGARDEN gardeners gather to prep the field, prepare rows, sow the seeds or plant seedlings for beets, cabbage, carrots, corn, green beans, melons, onions, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, watermelon, and several varieties of winter/summer squash. “When signing up for an individual 10' x 10' garden plot, all 78 gardeners are committing their hard work all season to help in the community garden for planting, weeding, watering, harvesting,” shares LifeGARDEN Manager Bob Zappa. These devoted gardeners’ gifts of generosity are in giving their energies to plan, prepare, and plant the crops. During the summer there is a commitment for gardeners with weeding, of course, and an early harvest for some specific crops such as radishes —with harvesting up until the first frost for tomatoes and peppers. Bob explains, “Our partnership with CROSS really begins when they start picking up bins and bins of produce from our Service Center. Weekly pickups—and sometimes if crops are thriving, there is a biweekly pickup—ensure CROSS clients enjoy fresh produce all summer long.” Many of their clients are immigrants; for instance, the beet crop
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G E N E R O S I T Y is a favorite for those of Eastern European/Russian background. (Think fresh borscht?!) Brenda Snell, warehouse manager with CROSS, shares “We are so thankful to be the recipient of garden goods. Multiple times I have heard shoppers make comments on ‘how nice the produce looked.’ ” She is thrilled that CROSS always has an abundance of fresh beautiful produce from Lord of Life. In fact, the stats on produce have averaged over 14,000 pounds per year since 2010! LifeGARDEN gardeners have given their time and toil; the fruits of their labor have yielded a harvest of generosity. For more details about LifeGARDEN, visit lordoflife.org/lifegarden.
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A R E
W E
R I C H ?
by Heidi Hustoft
My fourth grade daughter Joanna has asked lots of questions over the years (and the hard ones are yet to come!). But the one I still grapple with is this—“Mommy, are we rich?” I can’t even remember if we were in a store or at home at the time. It’s a dreaded question. For people who know me and my family, we are financially frugal. I lived at home for college and graduated with no student loan debt. My 81-year-old mother has lived with us since Joanna was 9 months old—both to see her granddaughter every day and to share expenses. I drove the same car for 12 years and only upgraded to an SUV recently. We turn off the lights when we exit a room and keep the house at 77° in the summer and 67° in the winter. But while those activities help our bank account, they don’t define the word ‘rich.’ As I reflect on it now, I consulted the dictionary, and there are no less than eight entries in Merriam-Webster’s version. But those options don’t get to the heart of why this question is hard for me. ‘Having abundant possessions’—in whose eyes? So I look to the Bible and am struck by James 1:17 which says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” God has given all and I am a steward over what has been allotted to me. I am navigating my way through the discipleship path and practices, guiding Joanna as I go. The next time Joanna asks me if we are rich, I will answer confidently “Yes, we are. Because we have so much to give.”
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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. Compass is a monthly ministry by Lord of Life Lutheran Church (ELCA) printed by Wallace Carlson Printing using ecofriendly inks. To receive Compass in the mail or electronically—call 763.420.5015 or email office@lordoflife.org. Copyright 2019 Lord of Life Lutheran Church
PASTORAL STAFF 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 Rev. Donna Rohrer, donnar@lordoflife.org
Saturdays at 5:30pm includes holy communion and music led by David Frank. Sundays at 8:30, 9:45, and 11am with holy communion on the first and third with music leaders David Frank at 8:30/9:45am and Brian Schroeder at 11am.
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office@lordoflife.org
www.lordoflife.org
WORSHIP/MUSIC SCHEDULE
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/lordoflifeluth
Photo credits include Lightstock, David Orwall, and Pexels.
november Calendar of events
To connect with an adult ministry representative, contact Karen Nelson at 763.420.5015 x138 or karenn@lordoflife.org. To connect with a children, youth, and family representative, contact Chelsey Grandstand at 763.420.5015 x128 or chelseyg@lordoflife.org. As event details are subject to change—for the most current dates, times, details, event locations, and registrations—please visit lordoflife.org. 11/3
Service of Remembrance Worship
11/18
First Communion Festival
C3 Choir
11/4
Cancer Support Groups
11/18
Nourishing Our Neighbors Volunteering
High School Dinner Groups
11/4
Nourishing our Neighbors Volunteering
11/18
The Food Group Volunteering
11/4
Refresh: Intentional Parenting
11/19
Fellowship with the Fellas
SUNDAYS/MONDAYS:
11/5
Connect Life
11/19
Job Transition Group
11/5
Fellowship with the Fellas
11/19
Pause for Prayer
11/5
Pause for Prayer
11/20
First Communion Festival
11/7
OWLs Faith, Food, and Fellowship
11/21
FreedomWorks Meal Volunteering
11/8
Kidpack for CROSS Volunteering
11/21
MOMsnext
TUESDAYS:
11/9-10 Military Medley sung at all four services
11/23
First Communion
Celebrate Recovery
11/9
Sharing and Caring Hands Volunteering
11/24
First Communion
Grief Share
11/10
Baptism Class
11/24
Learn with Pastor Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren,
Love to Paint
11/10
Learn with Pastor Karen Geisendorfer-Lindgren,
“Differences between Lutheran and Catholic”
WEDNESDAYS: Bel Canto Rehearsal
Crossways Bible Study
SUNDAYS/WEDNESDAYS: C3 Confirmation C3 Family Meal
“Living Lives of Simplicity and Thanks”
11/25
Hope Lodge Volunteering
11/11
Hope Lodge Volunteering
11/27
Thanksgiving Eve Worship including pie after
11/11
NAMI Support Group
11/13
345 @ LOL
11/14
Divorce Support Group
11/14
MOMsnext
ONGOING SATURDAYS/SUNDAYS:
11/14
Prayer Shawl Ministry Volunteering
Church School
Ring and Sing
11/15
Military Family Veterans Dinner
Worship
VARIOUS:
11/16
First Communion Festival
SUNDAYS:
Men’s Bible Studies, various days/location
Canticle Choir Rehearsal Word for Women
THURSDAYS: Alleluia! and Joyful Noise Rehearsals
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Lord of Life Lutheran Church
Loved by God. Sent to Serve.
7401 County Road 101 Maple Grove, MN 55311-4313
NonProfit Org. U. S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 4665
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED TIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL
Name Address City, ST 00000
On Pages 2-3, learn what “living generous lives” means as a Christian.
lordoflife.org/give 12