By Pastor Sonja Hagander
Recently, I have been drawn to the word COURAGE. More on that in a moment. When I was a very young child, my Dad had a 3-sided mirrored paperweight. I recall putting that heavy paperweight up to my forehead and somehow, because of the mirrors, I could see the ceiling of our hallways and rooms. I would hold the paperweight up to my forehead, walk around, and pretend to stumble over, or step over, the doorway mantels of our home. Ok, you may be wondering why; we had access to plenty of other games:). Silly kid. I also recall visiting Norway with my grandparents; the older homes in Setesdal had significant 6-inch thresholds. I would stand on the threshold and rock: back and forth, back and forth. Sometimes I would almost fall on my back; other times I would almost fall forward onto my face. It was a risky game. I had to have COURAGE. We are entering a significant phase of our transition time. It is a liminal time: that time of crossing and transitioning across borders and boundaries. Did you know that the word “limen” comes from the Latin word for threshold. This faith community is standing on a threshold; in the midst of this good transition work, we will be rocking back and forth. Sometimes rocking back, exploring and celebrating important moments in the life of the congregation. Other times rocking forward, drawn into the future by the Holy Spirit. It takes COURAGE! I forgot to mention one important detail from my rocking on those Setesdal thresholds: there were always people around ready to catch me. And this faith community, too, is full of people ready to pray, hold, release, catch, call, care, listen, worship, sing, speak, give, lead, confess, forgive, wonder, pause, nudge, notice, pray some more, as we rock on this threshold call transition. It is holy work, grounded in the promise that Christ is risen and makes all things new. Christ the King Lutheran Church/Cristo Rey Transition Task Force launches on Sunday, May 1 with 31 members on 5 teams. We will spend time Dwelling in the Word with our scripture texts; I will overview the Transition Task Force process; Cindy Halvorson, consultant with LeaderWise will lead the Task Force into the 8 Pillars of Trust. And, during the month of May I will orient each team: Mission & Vision, Self-Study, Staffing, Ctk/Cristo Rey and Prayer Group into the detail and fabric of their work. The arc of this Transition Task Force is typically 4-7 months. Each of you will have the opportunity to engage in this intentional Task Force process. Watch and listen for the particular ways in the coming weeks and months. And please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns or joys. And, on Sunday, May 22, the 31 member Transition Task Force will be commissioned during worship at both 9:30 a.m. and 12 noon. Please hold them in your prayers. Be COURAGEous!
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By Zach Johnson
Friday, April 22 is Earth Day, a global celebration of our common home held since 1970. People take the time this week to reflect on the beauty of the Earth and to think of ways they can better serve it. At Christ the King we gather together to serve the Lord and our environment in many ways. As you know, we’re currently raising money to help install solar panels at the church, which will provide clean, renewable energy for decades, helping our church and community together. We also have a dedicated group of community gardeners who work hard all summer to grow local produce for our community food shelf, providing fresh, delicious food for those in need. As a congregation, these are positive forward steps that we are taking to better care for the Earth. One thing I would like us to think about is what other steps might we take? This week, for our SALT presentation following worship, the Care for Creation team is hosting a discussion about changes we can make at our church property to better care for the Earth. One proposal we have is to convert some areas of our property covered in turf grass into native rain gardens. This can help reduce costs, lower our collective carbon footprints, and provide food and habitat for threatened and endangered species. I hope you’ll join us in our discussion as we imagine new ways to help care for creation here at Christ the King Lutheran Church. By Nate Crary
Waiting can be the worst. We waited exactly 40 days after our daughter, Olive, was born before we could bring her home from the hospital. Each day had its ups and downs, while the tiny organs in her tiny body slowly began to fire up and learn their function. Some days felt like forever. Not knowing exactly when the waiting would stop did not help. And then, all of the sudden, the doctor told us, “We think Olive can go home tomorrow.” Relief washed over us and, in an instant, the waiting came to an end. What was it like for all those who loved Jesus to watch him suffer and die on the cross and then wait for his resurrection? The passion story unfolds so quickly, turning from celebration with palms to Jesus’ last breath in what feels like a matter of moments. And, I wonder if that same amount of time felt like an eternity to all those who witnessed it in person. In an instant, we find ourselves with the women at the empty tomb. Jesus is risen, the waiting is over. This, of course, is not the only story of waiting we find in the Bible. God’s people have found themselves waiting in boats, in the belly of big fish, in the desert, and in quiet rooms behind locked doors. While this Easter day might bring waiting to an end for some, still we wait for God’s whole creation to be restored in the midst of global disease and climate disaster, still we wait for God’s justice and healing to be delivered for all who suffer from police brutality and domestic violence, and still we wait for God’s peace to bring an end to senseless war. The good news is this: whether or not we’re ready, Jesus is risen, indeed. The waiting is over. Alleluia. Right now I am filled with gratitude. I am loudly singing “Hosanna" on this Palm Sunday. I am grateful for the words of encouragement and support I have received as I serve in the role of Church Council President. I am grateful that the congregation has a building with no debt. I am grateful that this congregation has supported the work of the Community Partners for Youth Program for 25 years reaching over 600 youth in 2021. I am grateful for the 30 people who have agreed to serve on the five Transition Task Force Teams. I am grateful for the financial generosity of the congregation in regards to the solar panel project. As of March 30, $75,634 has been donated by congregational members towards this project in just six months! That is an astounding expression of generosity and enthusiasm. Let’s all sing “Hosanna.” I am sure that you can also list signs of abundance in this congregation for which you are grateful.
But...I need to challenge your generosity again. I challenge all of us to donate additional funds to support the ministries at CtK. Can we donate an additional $50,000 above and beyond our budgeted income for 2022? We can do this! We could cut our budgeted deficit in half. Think of ministries and staff that we could support. At the Church Council retreat, we established some goals for the year focused on outreach to new members in the community, connecting CtK members through service and fellowship, and tending to the pastoral transition process. You will be hearing more about specific plans and strategies in the next two months. Let’s move forward financially supporting these goals. This congregation has been blessed so we can be a blessing to others. “Hosanna!” Your partner in ministry, Diane E. Shallue, Church Council President By Pastor Sarah Anderson
Throughout the month of March, Christ the King gathered food, cleaning supplies, money and prayers for the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf. Located just a few miles from the church building, this service to the community has been open since the early 1980s. If it’s been awhile since you’ve visited Ralph Reeder’s website to read their mission and familiarize yourself with their programs, you are encouraged to go to: https://www.moundsviewschools.org/foodshelf Because 2021 marked the 11th consecutive year with over 3 million food shelf visits in Minnesota, Christ the King’s commitment and support to help reduce food insecurity is critical. Your recent food donations totaled 481 pounds! Gracias Merci Danke Mam’noon Dhanyavaad Ahéhee’ Thank You. Every March is MN Food Share month, yet our year-round support is needed as 1 in 10 Minnesotans face hunger each month. Part of CtK's mission is to serve God and God's people by giving of ourselves and our resources, and the donations this month are one way we continue to live out our mission. Some years ago ELCA World Hunger gave out magnets which added a phrase to a common table prayer. The entire prayer reads: Come, Lord Jesus be our guest and let this food to us be blessed. Blessed be God, who is our Bread, may all the world be clothed and fed. May we continue to be instruments of God's hope in our community to help our neighbors be clothed and fed. By Freya Hanson
“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 3:11 In 1866, schisms threatened the church in South Africa and affected the Anglican Church worldwide. In response to these divisions and to refocus the church on what binds rather than divides, Samuel Stone, a British Curate at Windsor, England, wrote an enduring hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation.” Although schisms continue to stalk our fallen world, dividing churches, nations, and the world, they were never God’s intentions for us. “Where do we align? Where is the Foundation? Where is the Truth?” This old hymn, based on 1 Corinthians 3:11, gives us the answer: “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” and it is from that one sure foundation, Jesus Christ, that we as the CTK Foundation work our purpose in a schism-riddled world --to help heal the sick, --bind up the broken hearted, -- free the captives, -- care for the distressed, -- promote the teaching of God’s Word, -- and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Since 1989, the Christ the King Foundation has supported educational, charitable, missionary and religious causes in three primary areas in which the foundation strives for equal distributions:
The Christ the King Foundation Website has examples of grants awarded in the past, grant guidelines, and an application form. The Foundation is pleased to be able to award about $100,000 in grants in 2022; with typical grants running between $5,000 - $8,000. We thank God for the many generous donors who have and continue to make this Foundation a solid ministry of Christ the King. To quote from a verse in “The Church’s One Foundation:” Though with a scornful wonder this world sees her oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed Yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up: “How Long?” And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song. As a Foundation it is our prayer to be instruments of God’s peace in a schism-rent world, and in some small way turn nights of weeping into mornings of song. Freya Hanson, CTK Foundation President from Luther Seminary [This Lent, Luther Seminary invites you to use the devotional "My Song Is Love Unknown." Today's blog is the offering for March 5. You can access the full devotional by clicking the button below.] Our theme hymn for Lent this year is “My Song Is Love Unknown.”
This hymn tells two stories. The story of Jesus’ ministry and passion intermingles with our story as humans. The hymn lifts up the mystery of God’s deep unknowable love that Jesus reveals. The hymn also shares the puzzling response of humans to the Good News of Jesus. How could Jesus love us so deeply and persistently when we are so messed up? Humans never completely understand God. We trust that God continues to love, teach, heal, forgive, and work to transform our lives. Through Christ Jesus and the cross, we can comprehend what we need to know about God. Jesus takes our place even when we try to destroy him. Jesus loves us when we reject the Good News that God is for us. Dear God, you know the ways we resist your will. We trust and praise you for your gracious love that we know most deeply in your Son, Jesus, and his cross. Amen. By Pastor Sarah Anderson
How would you fill in the blank: “Cloudy with a chance of ________?” Maybe you think of puffy cumulus clouds and a bright bright blue sky. Or perhaps you picture dark, cumulonimbus storm clouds saturated with rain, thunder and lightning. Or maybe it’s as the popular children’s book suggests that it can be “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.” This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday. It happens every year right before the start of Lent and the narrative of Jesus' countenance being altered is in all the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke.) The witnesses of this change, Peter, James and John, but particularly Peter, didn’t know what to make of an encounter where Jesus shone so brightly. As Peter begins to formulate a verbal response, each of the gospel writers paint the picture of an ominous and overshadowing cloud which fills the sky. Could it be a menacing storm cloud bringing bad news? “And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’” (Luke 9:35). It turns out the cloud is not menacing at all, but rather the same voice heard on the day Jesus was baptized with almost the exact same words. The cloud of transfiguration brings good news of Jesus’ identity, the same identity that we share in our baptism. A 15th century hymn, “Oh, Wondrous Image, Vision Fair” penned words to help us encounter the transfiguration of Christ. I invite you to read over the verses and spend time with the questions - pondering how and where you are gifted with glimpses of God and the good news that you, as a child of God, are one of God’s chosen. Oh, wondrous image, vision fair of glory that the church may share, which Christ upon the mountain shows, where brighter than the sun he glows! With Moses and Elijah nigh the incarnate Lord holds converse high, and from the cloud, the Holy One says, "This is my beloved Son."
Christ deigns to manifest today what glory shall be theirs above who joy in God with perfect love. And faithful hearts are raised on high by this great vision's mystery; for which in joyful song we raise the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.
and Holy Spirit, ever one, we pray you, bring us by your grace to see your glory face to face. As we gather to celebrate the Transfiguration and also look ahead to the start of Lent on Wednesday, we are given many opportunities to live into our baptismal identity as God’s children. God’s activity in our lives and in our world is abundant, which is this year’s Lenten theme, “Open to God’s Abundance.” At times this abundance is hard to comprehend (kind of like Jesus being transfigured is a little bit mind-boggling), yet the presence of abundance permeates and pours out even in the most challenging times. By Pr Sonja Hagander
Humans have a wondrous ability to hold two or more seemingly contradictory emotions or notions simultaneously. Psychologists call this “cognitive dissonance.” Today, I am concerned about potential war in Europe, how the pandemics are affecting our mental health, gun violence in our cities and homes, how I can be a better ally to my Bipoc family members, friends and colleagues…That list is plenty to keep me from leaving my doorstep. I am also struck by the abundance that is present at Christ the King Lutheran Church and Cristo Rey. Much can be named, but I note a few: -the energy of Elders in Action -gathering for worship in person -the kids in the lower level of our building filled with talent and accompanied by wonderful teachers -a stunning physical property, both outside and inside -rabbit tracks in the snow, leading into the dormant garden that in a couple short months will spring with life and feed our neighbors -the commitment, courage and wisdom of the Ctk Church Council -the birth of Olive Ruth Crary -people who care deeply about this faith community -Pastor Kisten Thompson as she completes her intentional pastoring here -new staff arrivals of Pastor Sarah Anderson and Jean Stocker -a pizza/bread oven that is calling my name! And brings people together! -a wildly faithful God who does renew, heal, encourage -dwelling in the Word with Ctk leaders And this list is plenty to send me forth to wonder what the day will bring! Dear ones, take a breath and ask yourself, “What concerns you most today?” and “What are the signs of abundance you notice?” Scientists remind us that to be able to live with cognitive dissonance is healthy; it gives us energy to find new ways of living, healing and creating. One might even venture to say that “out of the old comes new life,” is cognitive dissonance….a wholly, holy one indeed. by Deb Wolterstorff
I will have to admit, writing a blog is not my favorite thing to do. I am not a very good writer. I have trouble putting my thoughts into words and on top of that, I am all over the place trying to figure out what I should write about. First, I was thinking something about love (with Valentine's Day coming up), then I was thinking maybe something about hope. Then it was “how to handle plan B” and then...wait for it...maybe I should write something about being focused. As I left the house this morning, I saw the sticky note that I had on my door, “God is in Control.” After a very hard time in my life, I had placed sticky notes all over the house with “God is in Control” on them to remind me that God has my back, to remind me that even though things are tough right now and my life had taken a drastic turn, I could rely and lean on my Savior, AND it gave me some peace. I had done this many years ago and there are only a few that are still up. Because they have been up for so long, sometimes I just don’t see them anymore, but this morning...I did! And again, I am reminded that amidst all that is going on in the world, amidst all the changes going on at church, amidst all the worry (and joy) I have for my kids – God Is in Control! I need to trust in Gods’ love and infinite wisdom. I need to trust that God can work changes in our world, our church, and in those that I love beyond anything I can ask or imagine. I need to let go of my anxiety and worry and know that I/we are in the amazing, loving arms of God. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21 Deb |
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Christ the King Lutheran Church
1900 7th Street NW New Brighton, MN 55112 Phone: 651-633-4674 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: 9 am - 2 pm Mon - Thurs or by appointment Sunday Schedule Morning Worship at 9:30 am |