Working Together So That All Experience Gracious Invitation Into Life-giving Christian Community |
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Happy New Year, and 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
Camden Kids Program Manager: Shevon Darrough
Food Shelf Volunteer Coordinator: Jean Bailey
Children's Ministry: Brittany Schiebe
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In Loving Memory of Delmer "Del" R. Schnaidt |
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Dear Friends of Gethsemane
The Rev. Delmer "Del" R. Schnaidt died on December 11, 2021, at the age of 81. We entrust our brother to the never-ending love of God with thankfulness for his many years of service to the church of Jesus Christ.
Del was born on September 15, 1940, in Beulah, North Dakota, to Rudolph and Anna Schnaidt. He received a BA from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, in 1964, and an MDiv from Luther Northwestern Seminary in 1989. He was ordained on November 4, 1990. He married Janet Reiser in May, 1985.
Prior to his ordination, Del worked as a business owner, teacher, and executive director of Camp of the Cross in Garrison, North Dakota, and Christian education minister at Jehovah Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon his ordination he served as associate pastor, Christ, Blaine, Minnesota from 1990 to 1993, senior pastor, Gethsemane, Minneapolis from 1993 to 1997, senior pastor, First, Columbia Heights, from 1997 to 1998; associate pastor, Westwood, St. Louis Park, from 2000 to 2003; and Siloa, Braham, Minnesota, from 2011 to 2013. He retired in 2014.
Pastor Schnaidt was preceded in death by his parents, brother Marvin, and daughter Robyn. He is survived by his wife, Janet; sons Jordan and Wes (Marcia); granddaughters Jackie (Todd) Keller, and Sara; great-grandchildren Brayden, Ethan, and Brooklynn Keller; brother Reuben (Marilyn); sisters Arlene Orth and Janet Richau.
A Celebration of Life will take place in Summer 2022.
God, in Christ's rising from the dead, you conquered death and opened the gates to everlasting life. Renew our trust in you that by the power of your love we shall one day be brought together again with all your saints. Amen.
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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: God's Peace: Our Free Carry-On |
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John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Well everyone, here we are in 2022! Blow the horns and throw the confetti. Hopefully, you are feeling relieved that 2021 is under your belt. But if you are like me, you might be a bit wary about this new year ahead, because of the pandemic’s latest surge that seems to already be chipping away at some dreams, or at least some plans. Maybe you’ve adopted, like me, a habit of weighing prayerful hopefulness against exhaustive fear moment by moment. And, in any given day, you hold space for last minute changes to what you want to do or decisions you’ve made. The world is changing again, different protocols in place. More uncertainty. Each day, I hear others comment that they will “have to see what next week brings,” or next month, or they need to push plans out until the summer—even to 2023. Then there are the blanket “we will just have to see when the time comes” resolves. The perception that future commitments are a fluid thing.
Personally, I am praying that the long awaited vacation (to a warmer place) with my whole family will still be able to happen at the end of the month; although we just had our “what if” conversation. What if: the airlines cancel our flights; someone catches Covid before we leave; what if it happens when we are away and can’t get back? We’ve done all our preparations: travel insurance, vaccinations and boosters, mask wearing, curbing unneeded activities now; our goal being some much needed time together. Time to play, time to bond. Of course the worry, and absolute uncertainty (as a planner), is making me a little unsettled and even grumpy.
But Matthew reminds us of the peace that Jesus left for us—for you and for me. A peace without room for fear; where our hearts can rest free of trouble. And, yes, despite my worry, I do believe Matthew’s words. I believe that Jesus left us with a promise of peace that passes all understanding. A peace that cannot be found in the world, or is in anything that the world can provide. Not some peace from a CDC medical advisor reassuring our vaccinations are helpful, no promising email from the president of the airlines (telling they are doing their best to make sure everyone will get where they need to go), no advertisement for new masks (touting fabulous five layers of multiple filtration will keep Covid out during travel). Yes, we must do what we need to do as far as what is in our human ability to give ourselves some sense of reassurance, and protect others, but the peace of God is far different than any of that.
The peace that Jesus promised can only be felt if you actually lean into it. If you speak of it, pray into it, peel away your worldly fear and grab hold of it. Even let go of burdens and rest in it.
Ironically, when I went to copy and paste Matthew’s verse from the internet onto this page, the website it was on had multiple pop-ups of so many different pandemic mask ads. One mask supposedly better than the next. A strange juxtaposition of God’s promise, and man’s temporary solutions. It was like the webpage was acknowledging we have to actively protect ourselves and others, yet, in the end we must also layer ourselves with a good dose of God’s peace as well. God’s peace is really what will sustain us through it all.
This past Wednesday, at Gethsemane, we were fortunate to have walk-in Covid vaccinations available to anyone who still needed them. And, thankfully, we will be continuing this ever Wednesday this month (at least). Praise God! What a wonderful way to continue to work to keep the community safe. We are doing God’s work in this world, and in this way providing a sense of peace-of-mind. But the real peace comes from knowing that God is watching over our community, providing such opportunities to assist, aiding in the health of others; so we can be proactive in the current world of worry— do something tangible to help. For those receiving the vaccinations, they are also receiving the knowledge that others care about their safety, their lives. And in this way they are getting a dose of peace-of-mind. Or should we say “peace-of-God.” Because loving and serving our neighbors is one of the ways we get and give the “peace of God” (or should I also say a “piece of God”).
So, how will I now plan for our upcoming family vacation— and really anything else that I hope to come in 2022? I will continue to be vigilant in my family’s safety, and also pray for that “peace of God” that will pass all my understanding of the world’s current and ever-changing situation. I will hold onto the knowledge that packing God’s peace for this earthly journey is the only real way to travel. The good news? God’s peace is our free carry-on—for life. Alleluia!
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The Camden Promise: Weekly Food shelf Schedule |
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Food Giveaway Schedule into 2021:
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 1:1-18 |
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1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it
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6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
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Weekly Message: Skenoo: To Pitch a Tent |
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During Christmas time, we celebrate that God is with us and is our Immanuel, but what does Immanuel mean? What Immanuel means is to say God is with us. One might normally think that God being with us is an easy concept to get ones head around. However, to say that phrase and truly understand is not as clear as we think.
Typically, in this age of interconnectivity, we spend time on social media like Facebook trying to connect to the world around us. We go to see how many people like what we post and we use that as a means to know who is “with” us.
Sometimes we think that people who think the same way as we do are the only ones with us. If one thinks differently, we automatically assume they are not with us because of that difference. Truly, what is means for one to be "with us" is not as easy or clear cut as we make it out to be.
So how do we know what is means for one to be truly with something? The author of John 1 uses a special word so it would be clear to those who were contemplating how God is with them. The word that is used is a Greek word. This Greek word is Skenoo, meaning to pitch a tent, specifically, it means to pitch a tent in one's back yard.
What does John mean when he says God is with us? It means God has pitched a tent in our backyard. God is not in some Facebook post or in some ideas and beliefs that we have. God has parked in our backyard. He has pitched a tent where we live, right in the front lawn, driveway, or in the middle of where we live. God is right next to where we are, right in our faces, and in a place we can take notice.
That is not bad news, and it is good to know where God lives. The things that affect us affect God as well. This is also a good thing because God has come away from where God has come and is now right where we are and where we can see and touch and feel Him.
There are other things that help us know what it means for us to say Skenoo. The language of pitching a tent gives the image of where a tent would be. You can imagine a Boy Scout pitching a tent. Sometimes what it means to pitch a tent is to have someone you don’t normally know in your tent; a stranger.
Sometimes that is the case with God’s presence. His presence can make us feel a bit uncomfortable or on edge. The image of all those who are homeless and are literally pitching up tents in our community are also a reflection of what is means for God to pitch a tent. God does not set up his tent in some palace, not in the White House or a fancy space, but with a cow and animals and hay. That is where Jesus was born.
In a world where we struggle to make connection, we have a God that helps us understand and know how to be with someone. To be where the poor and those who have nothing are, that is what it means to say God is with us. This may seem like an unflattering message. However, until we get to the moment where we really are reaching out to God and are really struggling to know peace and love and have a sense of wellbeing in our souls, it is hard to understand this message.
You cannot go to social media to fuel that longing or surround yourself with the things that are superficial. Only the things that are pitched right where you are have a sense to connect with you in a way that is real and truly with you. That is what it means for us to say Jesus is our Immanuel, and we choose the way in which we relate to Him. We relate to Him as He pitches hit tent right next to us. May God be with you.
Amen
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Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. They lift me up in ways that keep my eyes focused on you and make my spirit soar. Also, thank you, Lord, for keeping me safe.
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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