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 2023 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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We have some exciting news to share with you all!
Firstly, the Camden Promise has received a $75,000 grant to purchase food for the Food Shelf in 2023 and in 2024. This grant will do a lot to make sure families on the north side will be fed and no go hungry.
Secondly, on Monday, March 13 the number of North Side leaders will meet at the Gethsemane for lunch to talk about a way forward for food security with the closing of the Aldi’s grocery store last month. Second Harvest heartland, a number of food shelves, as well as local government organizations will meet.
Lastly, we would like extend continued prayers for the Nehrbass family as they mourn the loss of Harry Lehew. Harry was a wise and gentle soul. He brought thoughtfulness and love to Gethsemane and all those he interacted with. He will be missed dearly.
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The Easter Basket Lady has made Easter baskets again! Carol Easter Basket Lady has made baskets for Easter Sunday again this year! She takes the Easter basket material that we collect after Easter from the food markets and put together lovely Easter baskets for the children on the north side of Minneapolis. We have a number of Easter baskets ready for our children in attendance on Easter morning, Carol has also made 200 Easter baskets for local churches in Minneapolis! Thank you for the Easter Basket Lady and all you do to bring cheer to the kids on the north side! |
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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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Gospel Reading: John 3:1-15 |
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1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e]
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
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Writer's Corner: Appreciating Sacred Creativity
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“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Seven years ago this month, I ventured to Paris and London with a long-time friend. I was so excited and felt so fortunate to see two cities on my bucket list (also two countries of my ancestry). It was a whirlwind adventure in ten days, and most of it was spent walking and eating and seeing every site we could fit into our itinerary. We bought the museum passes, and used them to the fullest. I even managed to find some consignment stores to get a couple of cool vintage scarves, purses and hats. I could have lived at the Louvre for months and still not see everything. But I must say, I confirmed something in myself during our brief stay in these cities—something that I’ve known since I studied art history in college as an elective. I’m obsessed with historical chapels and cathedrals; the architecture, the art, the acoustics, and sheer creative magnificence of these spaces.
Because we happened to be traveling during Lent, it was doubly special. Of course every Wednesday through Sunday there were several church services going on in many churches in each city. In Paris, I was able to attend mass at Notre Dame, and a couple Lenten services at “smaller” churches down the block from where we stayed. And although my French was poor, and it hadn’t been used since college, the services in Latin helped a bit.The rituals of when to sit and stand, although Catholic, were familiar enough as a Lutheran that I felt I could recite my own prayers and confessions in English at the same time, in my head. Otherwise, I just followed along in my bulletin, sounding out the words the best I could, knowing my heart would transcend all translation. God would understand my intentions despite my poor pronunciation. Kneeling next to people from all over the world in prayer was a most memorably powerful experience. And, being able to look around me at all the sacred art in every corner and square inch of the space I was worshiping in, was inspiring.
In England, I just had to go into the churches where the royal weddings happened. And, the afternoon I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, there was a final rehearsal going on for an upcoming service complete with choir, soloists and a fabulous orchestra. From the moment I walked through the door there was sacred music: violins, harp, brass, and beautiful vocal harmonies. There was sacred music while I walked around the basement crypt and small chapels, and saw where Princess Diana took her wedding communion. There was sacred music while I walked up 257 tiny stairs to the Whispering Gallery of the cathedral’s dome and sat listening to the angelic voices resonate off the frescos of saints and prophets. There was sacred music as I stood looking down at the rehearsal near the image of a huge compass on the floor. Although I was there by myself, supposedly you could whisper something on one side of the gallery and it could travel all around the circumference of the dome and be heard on the opposite side. It was magical.
As I sat there, nearly a hundred feet up toward the cathedral’s dome, reveling in this unique experience: to be surrounded by sacred art, sacred music and in a sacred worship space—but otherwise pretty much alone in a foreign country—I had time to reflect on the importance of combining the creative expressions of art and music into worship spaces. It wasn’t just for beauty, it wasn’t just for exalting God, it had a another purpose. And although some people could have felt it was to show power or wealth, it was also for very spiritual reasons. During the times when many historic houses of worship were built, the art and architecture taught the gospel to people when bibles were rare and many were unable to be read. Congregants could sit in the pew and look up at the stained glass windows or frescos on the walls, sculptures of angels or saints, the stations of the cross, and learn about God, and Christ’s sacrifice, simply by opening their eyes and looking around.
Now, I’ve always loved the stained glass of our church, and the new stained glass art within other places in our sanctuary. Having to be on Zoom it has been hard not to see the sun gleam through the different colors and images of the windows. Because of the pandemic, the last time I was in the church was to dance for my mother’s funeral. But we are so fortunate that most of us don’t need to have art in our sacred spaces to make sure that we learn about God, because we can read the Bible, and we can listen to the sermons, or the radio; we can even watch movies and TV shows depicting the life and Passion of the Christ during Lenten season. We can still learn something new each time we dive into scripture in a new way, or a way that reminds us of something we’ve learned before but forgotten. But sacred art and music are still very important parts of our worship lives because they connect us to the creative gifts of our humanity that are linked directly to our Creator. It is why I love to hear (and sing-along to) Handel’s Messiah at Christmas, and choreographed my Good Friday services to Mozart’s Requiem. It is why for so many decades I had to spend the holy days of the year dancing in church with my dear friends, or sang in church choirs.
Yes, in the end, a church building (even if it’s as grand as St. Paul’s in London) is just a building— and the church itself is really about its people. But how humans express and worship and create are so important to who we are as people of God. Every time we create something for the worship of our Lord, to honor Christ, to teach others about scripture, or to share the message of God’s love, we are fulfilling the gifts that our Creator gave us to use. And when we appreciate the gifts that others share with us (even from centuries past), we are honoring God, too. To live creatively and appreciate others’ creativity helps us to look at, and live in, the world through the lens of God, the Divine Creator. These things are more than just beautiful or moving, they are innately important to our connection with our Lord. So every time you find yourself humming your favorite hymn, hum loudly; if you get the need to pick up a paint brush and play with some color on the page, paint boldly; you feel the need to visit every church you can find to see what sacred each holds, visit them all; and especially coming from me: if you get the urge to move to a praise song during this Lenten season, please kick up your heels, twirl around, raise your arms up to God, and dance!
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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 3:16-21 |
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16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
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Sermon Notes: Why Does God Send Jesus? |
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We live in a crazy world. We have sent billions of dollars to fight a war in Ukraine and spent time and energy fighting off the invasion of drugs and illegal substances that terrorize our neighborhood and country. We look with puzzlement at those who are homeless and we stare at amazement as citizens beat up fellow citizens that loot and take what doesn’t belong to them. We have kids hurting kids in the street, and lives being lost. The time we live in feels like no other.
However, there have been times in our worlds history that felt just as bad as the time we live in now. In the book of John, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. Nicodemus was the leader of the Jews during one of the most repressive times in Jewish history. He came at night as not to be seen by Roman soldiers, as he would not dare travel during the day.
When Nicodemus met with Jesus, he inquired about why Jesus does what He does. Nicodemus said that a man like you that speaks the word of God and performs the miracles you do in a world like this, unsafe and dangerous, could only be sent from God. Somehow, in the craziness that is this world, You, the son of Christ, are here.
But why? In a world of violence, in a world of sadness and sin, the son of Christ is here. Why would Christ even come to such an undesirable place?
One of the most notable bible verses ever is John 3:16. Everyone knows this verse because it is so famous. You can find it on books, billboards, buildings, and even tattoos. We know it so well, and a lot of us can recite it. Within John 3:16, we sometimes miss the most important pieces of why God sent Jesus. We miss why Jesus was sent to such a place like our world.The answer is that God loved this world with love unparalleled to anything we can imagine. The world is crazy. Yet, in that craziness, God still loved this world. In spite of ourselves and the sinfulness we carry, God loves us. In spite of the terrible things we do to each other, God loves this world. God loves this world so much, He gave His son for us, even when we ourselves did not love the world. God’s love is a love like no other.
Born of the spirit and born as a free gift from God, Jesus was sent so that we would change our lives; so that we may not suffer the tortures of death, and learn to love just as God loves us. God is in love with this world. Every time you are ready to throw away the newspaper or you see that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, know that Jesus loves this world, and that he has not given up on us. God has not given up on this world, and neither should we.
Amen
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A Prayer for the Coming of Easter |
Dear Lord, may I realize afresh today what Your death and resurrection mean for me. Forgiveness, freedom, and the ability to walk with You through this fallen world into eternity. May I always find my satisfaction in You and Your willingness to offer Yourself to me. In Jesus' Name,
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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