Working Together So That All Experience Gracious Invitation Into Life-giving Christian Community |
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Welcome to the Gethsemane Lutheran Church Newsletter. As 2022 unfolds, and we continue to bring you information virtually, we welcome all who are members of Gethsemane, as well as those who are discovering us for the first time, to join us in our mission journey. We hope to keep you up-to-date in these times of amazing change for our church community. Feel free to forward the newsletter to others and give us the emails of those you think my wish to connect with us and see what great things God is doing with our church each week! |
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To contact staff: Please click email links on names to the right! |
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Who's Who At Gethsemane
Minister of Music: Beverly Timpton-Hammond
Food Shelf Volunteer Coordinator: Jean Bailey
Children's Ministry: Brittany Schiebe
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Sam Docteur (they/them) is a 2021 graduate of Boston University where they received their Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a focus on race, class, and gender. Prior to coming to Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Sam worked as a Program Coordinator at Georgetown Ministry Center in Washington, DC. Sam draws on their experience in working with vulnerable populations including those experiencing homelessness to inform their work at Gethsemane. We are so excited to have Sam join our team and look forward to all the outreach we are able to do!
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The Camden Shop is now open! After a short prayer of blessing, we opened the doors and shoppers found clothing and housewares that they needed. We are so excited about how this place will help our friends in the Camden neighborhood! Spread the word, and come say hello!
We are open every Saturday of the month at Gethsemane from 12-3pm
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Editor's Corner: Yokes and Burdens |
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And Jesus said,“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)
A virtual Christian yoga class that I took a couple days ago started us out in “child’s pose” on our knees; laying our upper bodies over our legs, with arms stretched over head we rested. The teacher (in a quiet voice) read Matthew 11:30 to us as we settled, exhaled away the stress of the day, and prepared to move. As we went through many poses, pushing our hands to the floor. —supporting the weight of our bodies with our shoulders—she repeated the verse, again, and again, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Personally, I gained mental strength as my arms shook in tiredness. As I worked harder, she cued us to picture the taking up of God’s yoke and finding calm and rest with whatever burdened us in the moment.
It seemed like it would be a contradiction to carry a yoke—like an ox (or other work animal)—and the image of pulling a till behind it and plowing the field. That yoke being easy and its burden becoming lighter. And I learned that the yoke can be used by humans too; a single beam of wood that sits on the shoulders where the back meets the neck (I pictured Jesus carrying the cross over his shoulders as he walked through the crowd). Yet, the purpose of the yoke is to distribute the weight, and burden, evenly so as not to strain the muscles—providing greater strength and ability to pull more, to handle more than you would think. Like the image of the man who bore the cross for Christ when he could no longer physically carry it alone on his trudge to Mt. Calvary.
In one pose—where we supported ourselves with only one hand, and foot (the others lifted to the sky)—I wobbled to find my balance. In this moment, our yoga teacher gave us another image to think about; that of sharing the yoke of Jesus and others, not walking in front of God, or behind Jesus—not in front of others, or following; but walking side by side like a team of oxen— sharing the weight upon our shoulders. God promises in Matthew, that if we do this, the weight of God’s yoke is easy and the burden of this earthly life is light.
Last week, I received a phone call that a dear friend of mine had passed into the arms of Jesus. She had struggled, and fought valiantly, with early onset Alzheimer’s for nearly a decade. Her bravery and faithfulness (and that of her family who cared for her in their home), was truly God blessed. I remember the first day she came to me and shared the new, painful journey she was going to be on; the sadness and anger she felt at her inevitable future into the unknown, slowly disappearing. We’d walk the neighborhood and talk about our children, our dreams, our hopes and our prayers. I’d listen to her frustrations; we’d weep together. And those in her life took care of her, picked up the burdens, sacrificed their own livelihoods in her care. It was extremely difficult. It took a team, a village, and a strong faith, to manage. She could have never done it alone.
As I pushed my arms into my yoga mat in a final pose, I thought of my friend, and the amazing burden her illness had brought to her and her family. And then I thought of her life of faith, and how she was finally at rest in the arms of her Savior. I thought of all the yokes of burden that we each carry in life: illness, caring for others, work, fears, grief, worry, bullying, abuse, sadness, depression, sin, and so many other things that weigh heavy on our human shoulders every day. In my grief, at the loss of my friend; in my worry over caring for my daughter with special needs (my current pandemic exhaustion)—I pictured sharing my burdens with God, yoked side by side. I also pictured my helping others in my life with their part of the yoke. Together, sharing burdens.
And, as I lay on the floor in final expansive breaths—quieting myself into our last posture of rest—the instructor closed the session with a prayer for us and the reminder that God came to us in gentleness and a humble heart as Jesus. He bore our sins, and our grief, and continues to do that for our salvation. And because of this, we “will find rest for our souls.”
Now, for me, that rest is not an everyday all-da- long experience, because I still try to take back my burdens; I still try to handle things on my own. But in moments when I experience someone else reminding me of the Gospel (like in a yoga class) when I am grieving—or I let go of my worries and lay on the floor and deep breathe—I feel God’s sharing of my burdens in those moments. I might experience an ability to breathe deeper; I might find moments when I have a physical sensation of “lightness,” a respite from physical pain; sense the surprise of inner strength when I least expect it—have the ability to laugh in a random moment of joy. Or feel an undercurrent, like a cool stream of calm that allows me to plug along through a difficult situation, carrying me with little ripples of relief. A perception of patience, as I trust that God is holding me up.
Or it might simply be a timely song, finding me when I am crumpled over in tears—an instrumental version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow playing on my Alexa right after I learned my dear friend had passed. A mental picture of her finally happy in heaven. A rush of settling of my soul—the feeling that I know that I am not alone in my journey—just as my friend was never alone in hers.
Amen.
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The Camden Promise: Weekly Food shelf Schedule |
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Food Giveaway Schedule into 2022:
The Camden Promise Food Shelf feeds boxes of food to community families 6 days a week at noon: Monday through Saturday.
All are welcome!
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Gospel Reading: John 2:1-12 |
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1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so,
9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
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Weekly Message: Trust in God |
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So, here we are again. After saying we were so excited to get back to in person for worship, here we are on zoom, making sense of the latest version of the COVID contagion. As we had talked about last week, Epiphany is the season of light that follows Christmas and see how Jesus is the light of the world. With that light, God’s work cannot be overcome. When we talked about that light last week, we talked about it in different terms than we will this week, specifically with regards to the first miracle in John; the turning of water to wine.
The first miracle in John is not the story of Jesus healing of the blind man or helping the lame to walk. In this gospel message, the miracle is the turning of water to wine at a party. What an unusual thing to start off the ministry of Jesus Christ in the world. Why would John choose to talk about a party trick when we are celebrating the light overcoming the darkness?
Imagine you or someone you love is throwing a party or special event. These types of gatherings are so important because they help us as we sort out the things that happen in our lives. Examples of these are weddings, birthday parties, funerals, and even work parties. At these events, we connect with people and make interpersonal impacts. John would tell us about Jesus performing a miracle at an event because God shows up at the events in our lives. He shows up at our birthday parties, zoom calls, in our sickness, and even happiness. God shows up when things are good or bad. God is always showing up at events in our lives. We never have to wonder if God will be there because He will be. God is forever present.
In this text from John, Mary realizes that they were out of wine at the party. When she found out, she knew just who to ask to make it right. She trusted that Jesus would make it right, even though no one knew what Jesus would do. That is the second point of this miracle. God not only shows up but works out the things that are falling apart or uncertain in our lives.
Jesus looked to Mary and asked her what He has to do with this shortage in drink, but Mary just said to “fix it”. Right away, Jesus, listening to his mother, sprang into action. Once the water was in the jugs, it all turned to wine.
As we go through these days with COVID, and we manage our lives in this way, God will always show up. Even when we do not know how God will act, God will still show up. Even if it is unclear God will do anything at all, God will be there, and He will act.
Sometimes we must pray and be mindful. We must learn to trust God the way Mary did. We must believe that God will find a way.
The third point that makes this miracle extraordinary has to do with the new wine that was made. Apparently, this wine was the best wine at the party. This wine was not the reserve wine, but the best of the whole party. This was all Jesus’s doing. God shows up, and may even act, but what ends up happening is so much better than what we can imagine. God goes above and beyond what is needed, and He will do that which is possible to His almighty ability. God will bring the best to the party.
So here we are, back on zoom until February. How is it that we are trusting God to act even when we do not know, and it is unclear? How does God save the best for last in this situation? Reflect on these questions, and you will find that God is present, God is acting, and God will bring his best into the space we worship in, even when we do not know how. What an amazing miracle and an amazing way for God to show His love for us. Through Jesus Christ, we see the light that shines in this world, and through the message of John, we see a miracle that means more to us than we even know.
Amen
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Bless us with Love, O Merciful God; That we may Love as you Love! That we may show patience, tolerance, Kindness, caring and love to all!
Amen
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Please join us every Sunday for our Virtual Zoom Worship Service. Online "fellowship starts at 10:00 am and Worship Service Starts at 10:30 am. |
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Gethsemane Lutheran
Building Hope Together
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4656 Colfax Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55412
612-521-3575
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