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 the end of this year 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
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This holiday season, we have many exciting events and news to share with all you readers. Below are just some of the amazing things Gethsemane is doing within it's walls and out in the community.
Christmas Basket Distribution
Ben Rasmussen, owner of Northeast Bank, as well as A Mothers Love and FreedomWorks Ave, North Minneapolis, are teaming up to do a Christmas turkey day on December 17 from 12 until 2 PM. This year we will be giving turkeys, as well as sets of hats, mittens, and scarves to the first 200 families who attend. We are so grateful for the partnership of Northeast Bank, FreedomWorks, and A Mothers Love, and we hope that this ministry work will be of benefit and blessing to our North Side community.
Come Hungry, Leave Happy
Here is a gentle reminder that we will continue to serve lunches Monday through Friday 12-2pm in the fellowship hall. This food is hot, free, and tasty. All are welcome into the Lord's house to eat, stay warm, and break bread.
Upcoming Christmas Service
Lastly as we talk about the Christmas season, there will be no Christmas Eve service. Instead, there will be a Christmas Day service for the first time in 7 years. Sunday 12/25 at 10:30 will be our church service. We hope to see you there in celebration of the the birth of the Christ child.
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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 the 1st & 3rd Saturday’s at Gethsemane from 12-3pm
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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 of the Week: Isaiah 9:6-7 |
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For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. |
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Writer's Corner: Remembering Our Family Traditions |
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Christmas is a time of traditions for many families. Some people see the Nutcracker Ballet, or make day trips into the forest to chop down a tree; others spend days baking cookies for friends or make Christmas shoe boxes to donate overseas. And some of us celebrate traditions from our personal heritage. Those of us with Swedish ancestry, like on my mom’s side of my family, bring out our red painted horses and Traditional Swedish Angel Chimes with candles whose heat spins a carousel of trumpeted angels round and round in a gentle bell song. We might even find ourselves trying to make dairy-free Lefse or bringing out the fondue pot and skewers.
Rumor has it that my grandpa, a full-blooded Swede through and through, used to wake up early Christmas morning and sing a traditional Swedish Christmas song (whether he pronounced the words correct, no one really knew or cared). When I was a child (and before becoming gluten-free), my mom used to make Rosette cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar. In our home now, we decorate every room with multiple trees, hundreds of ornaments and a giant Santa that guards our front porch. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going to a Handel’s Sing-a-long Messiah with my dad to—belt out the Halleluiah chorus until I can no longer speak. Ever since CoVid, I’ve not had the chance to do this so I’ve started to sing-a-long with our Alexa’s favorite version.
Traditions are fun and meaningful ways to bond together with others in common interest and celebration. But they are also reminders of who we are, our connection in faith and what we believe.
When the Wisemen presented baby Jesus with precious gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, they were implementing a common tradition of gifting a newborn’s family with items they might need (something we do even today). But they also started a new family tradition: that of following their hearts, and the signs from God, to seek and find the one true Messiah. This year, during our family Christmas, traditions I hope we not only remember our personal heritage, and the little things that make the holiday special (like our matching Christmas Eve pajamas), but also remember the very first Christmas when determined travelers followed a star, and the voices of angels, to meet their savior.
Yes, now we may only see Christmas stars atop our trees and hear choirs on radios singing choruses of Alleluias; but we can still recreate the Magis’ journey to the newly born Christ child. We can try to reconnect to our God with their same spirit of faith in this advent season, continuing to seek and to meet Christ in our lives every day. We can pledge to offer ourselves, and our time, as gifts to Christ in honor of His birth and the salvation He so generously gave through suffering and sacrifice. And we can remember that, regardless of our personal family heritage, the unique ways we celebrate Christmas, that we are all part of God’s original Christmas tradition. We were all adopted into God’s family through grace and Jesus’ birth. May we continue to stand like the Wisemen that night, in reverent awe over the tiny baby in the manger, giving profound thanks for God’s generous gift to our world both.
Amen
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A Prayer During Christmas |
Almighty God, who has poured upon us the new light of your Incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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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