Lord of life lutheran
NOVEMBER 2020
C O M P A S S
A M P L I F I E D
H O P E
by Pastor Karen Greimel (ksgreimel@lordoflife.org)
The day started out like any other, prayer time, shower, breakfast, and off to work at church. A routine day . . . until Minnesota was called to shelter-in-place. Quickly the church building, schools, and restaurants closed—with those who could, working from home. Think about your pre-COVID-19 routine and acknowledge how it has impacted your life. Why is the loss of routine so upsetting? It’s because we don’t only feel attachments to other people—we also feel attachments to our routine. In May we witnessed the death of George Floyd and unrest that ensued. Next, hurricanes and wildfires. The word “amplified” comes to mind when describing the culmination of these events. Everything in life became more intense.
AMPLIFIED HOPE...............................................2-3 BIBLE 101: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18..........4-5 community life / first communion........6-7 Path in the WOODS.........................................8-9 STEWARDSHIP 2021 / contacts .................... 11 2
On my sabbatical this summer, I had the opportunity to research the impact of this pandemic on our mental health. The findings indicate we are all collectively grieving. At some level, each one of us is experiencing grief. These feelings associated with grief are amplified and directly affect our mental health. There is so much more that can be said about this, but for now I want to offer hope.
I believe that amplified grief calls for amplified hope! Psalm 46:1-4 reads, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. Our hope is God our refuge, strength, and an everpresent help. Let me suggest three ways to amplify this hope. 1. Acknowledge what has changed in your life. If we can name it, we can tame it. Name both the big traumas (T) and little traumas (t). Don’t compare your experiences with others. Transfer your focus to things you know to be true and you can control. Acknowledging and naming it will help your grieving lessen as you continue to adapt to a changing routine. Then acknowledge that God will never change. God is in control.
2. Amplified hope enables amplified appreciation. For example, we should all feel grateful for the caring people in our community. You might have an increased appreciation for your relationships. Prayer is also something that you can do at home. Tell God who and what you are thankful for. 3. Limit media exposure. We’re never more than a click away from seeing the latest headline. We read first-person accounts of injustice, loss from natural disasters, and COVID-19. Spending too much time with news media can cause you to
focus on what you’ve lost, amplifying grief and increasing anxiety. We should all substitute more uplifting activities. For example, there are plans that guide you to reading the Bible in a year.
And though this world still has trouble, God wants to help us and give us hope in whatever we are facing. Give all your worries and cares to God, for God cares about you. —1 Peter 5:7 I encourage you to acknowledge your grief experiences with grace and create a new routine to amplify hope.
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F I N D
E N C O U R A G E M E N
by Pastor Karen Geisendorfer-Lindgren (karengl@lordoflife.org)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. —I Thessalonians 5:16-18 November is the month of Thanksgiving. Just last year, I had the privilege of preaching Lord of Life’s Thanksgiving Eve sermon with my friend, Pat Smuda-Behr. This text from First Thessalonians was the focus of our message. Together, we pondered these words of encouragement written by the Apostle Paul to the young church at Thessalonica. Paul knew that these new Christians were facing persecution for their belief in Jesus Christ and yet they were holding strong to their faith and supporting one another with perseverance and hope.
Rejoice, pray, give thanks in all circumstances . . . Pat shared with us how this text had become so meaningful to her as she lived through the challenges of her own life. How could she be thankful for all of the hard times in her life? How could she be thankful for heartbreak and loss? Like the fact that her husband John had experienced a cardiac arrest while out for a bike ride with a friend and died less than three months before her daughter’s wedding. How can a person be thankful for such devastation? But as she read the text again and again, Pat realized that Paul was not telling us to be thankful for all circumstances, but to be thankful in all circumstances.
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N T
A N D
H O P E
We can be thankful in all circumstances, because no matter what happens, we never have to face what we are going through alone. Jesus is with us. He walks by our side, guiding us, comforting us, and giving us the strength for each new day. On Thanksgiving Eve 2019, little did we know what was in store for us in 2020. The imperatives from Paul to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances are more important than ever as we live out our lives in these challenging days. As Pat reflected on the difficulties in life, she said that as we face these trials, our faith doesn’t stay the same. Either we run to Jesus or we run away from Jesus. That observation is full of truth. In the most trying of times, God is there for us and with us. No matter what we face in life, Jesus has promised to never leave us. We can reject God’s eternal love or we can embrace it, rest in it, and trust God to see us through. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving 2020, my prayer for each of us is that we find encouragement and hope in these words of the Apostle Paul and that we will indeed, rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances.
Bible 101 reflections How will you rejoice this Thanksgiving?
For whom will you pray?
What does it mean for you to give thanks in all circumstances rather than for all circumstances?
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C O M M U N 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 1 Maxwell Isaac Guzman September 6 Makai Joseph Munn Teagan Esther Munn September 13 Kole Christopher Meyers Eloise Anne Unhjem September 19 Aiden Gene Ryan
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.
September 20 Leo Jay Bingham Theodore Joseph Ward
Anita Allen and family at the death of her brother, Errol Laube
September 26 Cora Hanson Brooks Robert Norman Petersen
Craig Doerrmann and family at the death of his father, Carl
September 27 Parker Jack Koval Ella Grace Thureson
Rachel Dodge and family at the death of her father Dawn Fowler and family at the death of her father Nora Houser and family at the death of her sister, Dinah Fulks Marlon Leischner and family at the death of his mother, Mildred Leischner Lynn Muesing and family at the death of her sister, Dianne Deanna Podratz and family at the death of her niece Arlene Provroznik and family at the death of her brother
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I T Y
L I F E
weddings
welcome new members
For details on having your wedding at Lord of Life, visit lordoflife.org/weddings. To schedule a wedding, contact Wedding Supervisor Michelle Tomlinson (michellet@lordoflife.org).
Pam McDaniel
September 19 Katy Klopfenstein & Eric Wirth Samantha Brecke & Tony Yaritz September 26: Chelsie Sobieck & Michael Kreklau Leah Krause & Chris Grillo
Simon & Alicia Verchota 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.
Over 100 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders received their First Communion during four outdoor worship services in Lord of Life’s backyard. See the beautiful stoles they created with symbols of their faith—God’s blessings to all of our youth and their families. Take a peek at Lord of Life’s social media pages for more photos!
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P A T H
I N
T H E
W O O D S
by Jan Elsberry (janetelsberry@aol.com)
Grief is defined as a deep and poignant distress caused by the death of a loved one or suffering due to an unfortunate outcome, such as a serious injury, illness, or disaster. This year began with a horrific worldwide pandemic that turned our lives upside down resulting in fear, uncertainty, isolation from family and friends, and the loss of jobs and normal routines. Sometimes all the news seems apocalyptic and I often question why a loving God would allow this to happen. All this has presented us with incredible challenges, “disaster fatigue,” and stress. It has forced us to adapt, live in a virtual world, and find other ways to maintain our mental health and human connections—no longer to thrive—but simply to maintain or survive. And so we grieve collectively for that which we have left behind. We all hope for a return to some type of normalcy soon! My coping solution to this period of grief has been to turn off the negative as much as possible by limiting exposure to the news and focusing on activities that are positive. I now “Zoom” with family and friends, attend online worship services and painting classes, read more books that allow me to escape to another place and time, share humorous tidbits via letters, email or Facebook, meet neighbors and friends at places where we can be outside and safely physically distance. However, what has helped me most is to focus on God’s wonderful gift of nature. I work in my flower gardens and try to walk every day. I discover new trails and have captured images, large and small, grand and humble, with my photos, sketches, and paintings. They bring joy to me and in turn, I share them with others to bring them joy as well. I saw a saying one day that I could relate to: Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. We may never know why God has allowed all this—but perhaps maybe you will find comfort, too, on a path in the woods.
Please join me in thanking Lord of Life member and “Love to Paint” ministry member, Jan Elsberry, for sharing her informal watercolor study (at left) and her story above. If you are gifted in the arts of writing or painting, poetry or photography, or other visual talents—I encourage you to connect with me about faith-focused expression. —Bev Mello (bevm@lordoflife.org)
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S T E W A R D S H I P
2 0 2 1
Using what God has placed in our care to support the ministry of Lord of Life by Pastor Chick Lane (chickl@lordoflife.org)
Your giving to Lord of Life has never been more important. Our congregation has been forced to “reinvent” itself in 2020. Your faithful giving has made this possible. Worship has been online and outdoors and has been attended by more people than ever before. Church school and C3 confirmation ministries are happening in ways that no one would ever have imagined. Word for Women has increased by over 50 participants. Our outreach to people in need through your regular giving and through the “I Can Help!” appeal is stronger than ever. As we look to the future, we all have many more questions than answers. We know with confidence that God’s love will continue to surround and empower us. We are confident that Lord of Life will emerge from the pandemic as a stronger, smarter congregation. God will use this experience to better prepare us to be God’s people in the future. We have developed new skills in being an online church. Online worship and small groups have become a part of our new reality. These will continue to be a part of our life together, even after we are able to be together again. Lord of Life will reach many more people in the future than we have in the past. Last spring a member said, “It is important to me to continue to support Lord of Life because I want the congregation to be stronger than ever when we can come together again.” Your giving over the past six months has contributed to the strength of Lord of Life. Now is the time to prayerfully consider your giving in 2021. Through the month of November you will have the opportunity to learn more about the ministry of Lord of Life, and to plan your giving for the coming year. Worship will include important stories of generosity. In the middle of the 10
month, you will receive a mailing that will include more information, a 2021 pledge card, and a return envelope. Also included in that mailing will be information about how to make your 2021 pledge online and how to sign up for electronic giving. Please watch for this mailing, and respond to it promptly when it arrives. Just as your giving in 2020 has enabled Lord of Life to expand our ministry, so your giving plan and your 2021 giving will make it possible for our congregation to continue to be strong in the new year. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul said,
“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” —2 Corinthians 8:1-2 Paul describes how the grace of God came to the Macedonian churches when they were in the midst of a time of severe affliction. God’s grace and their joy in the faith combined to produce a “wealth of generosity on their part.” Our hope is the same can be said of us as we are in our time of severe affliction.
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: Janet Elsberry, Lightstock, and 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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Happy Thanksgiving
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