Letter of Hope Living out God's Grace We Seek to Be Neighbors to All H O U S E O F H O P E L U T H E R a N C H U R C H N E W H O P E M N
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LETTER OF HOPE LIVING OUT GOD'S GRACE WE SEEK TO BE NEIGHBORS TO ALL H O U S E O F H O P E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H N E W H O P E M N Dear Friends of House of Hope, Pastor's Letter MARCH 2020 As Christians, we aim to love God with all that we are and As Spring peeks out before us in this week of 30 and 40 degree to love our neighbors as ourselves. In Lent, we remember weather, the church enters our own new season: Lent. Lent is together that we do not always do this well. And, we might the time, 40 days before Easter, where we remember Christ’s take on practices in this season of Lent to help us better life on Earth and consider our own lives. As we remember love God, ourselves, and our neighbors. Sometimes people God’s great love for us, God’s promise of Everlasting Life fast, from food or practices. Sometimes people add in made in Jesus’ death and resurrection at Easter, we also look prayer or worship. Sometimes people give in new ways: in for how to better align our own walk of life with the path of charitable giving or volunteering. This Lent, as we gather Christ. in worship to hear stories of women in the Bible who served their communities, I invite you to a specific practice: Over the past month, we’ve shared our walk of life here at listening. House of Hope with guest preachers and storytellers from the Black community as we celebrated African American History As we have this past month in worship, I invite us to Month. Listening to these preachers, you probably heard listen to our neighbors. Invite conversation with those you some things that you knew and some things that you didn’t know or don’t know, especially those of different races and know. You may have been uncomfortable, learning more cultures, and listen more than you talk. What is their deeply about the ways that our country and our churches story? What life experiences do you share? What is have lived out racism- in practices throughout history and in different about your opinions or experiences? What in your ways that are still present today. This discomfort is not conversation makes you uncomfortable? And, finally, how necessarily something to move away from, in fact discomfort do you hear God’s call as you listen to the stories of those is often a space from which we can learn and grow. During around you? Where is that discomfort urging you to learn these weeks, you may have reflected on your own race- how more, to act, to try something new? your whiteness may give you some advantages or how your color may make things more difficult for you. You may have As we journey in Lent, we remember that Christ walks started to consider what you can do and what we can do to be alongside us in love and care, always listening to the better allies as a church community to all our neighbors, deepest words of our own hearts and stories. especially our neighbors of color. May God bless you this Lent, with open hearts and curious minds, Pastor Gretchen LIVING OUT GOD'S GRACE... IN WORSHIP Music Director Notes As we start March we enter the season of Lent — a season of penitence and self renewal as we journey through the season with Jesus. As we journey with Jesus we encounter some of the most significant events of Jesus’ life and are reminded again of how he suffered for our redemption. We need to take care that we don’t just think of Lent as that time before Easter. It’s important that we regard Lent and Easter as a full journey that renews us for another year! During this Lenten journey our music groups provide music that helps to MARCH WORSHIP tell the stories that accompany our Lenten journey. Sunday, March 1, Sunday, March 1st, Worship 9:00am Hope Bells ring I Want Jesus to Walk with Me by Dan R. Edwards. March 8, Wednesday, March 4th the Hope Chorale sings I Will Lift Mine Eyes by Howard Helvey. On Story of Esther Sunday, March 15, we will hear The Lord Is a Mighty God by Felix Dinner 6:00pm, Worship 7:00pm Mendelssohn arranged by Olaf C. Christiansen sung by the Hope Chorale. March 22, the Hope Chorale sings The Good Shepherd by Helen Kemp, Sunday, March 8th, Worship 9:00am and Sunday, March 29, the Hope Chorale sings When I Survey the Wednesday, March 11th Wondrous Cross by Gilbert M. Martin based on the tune by Lowell Mason. Story of Abigail Dinner 6:00pm, Worship 7:00pm ~George Sunday, March 15th, Worship 9:00am Wednesday, March 18th Beautiful Easter Flowers Story of Mary Magdalene Dinner 6:00pm, Worship 7:00pm Help our Sanctuary look festive for Easter Sunday! We want our Sanctuary to reflect the beauty of spring as we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Sunday, March 22nd, Worship 9:00am Lord. You can help do this by purchasing spring flowers to decorate the Wednesday, March 25th Sanctuary. Beautiful spring flowers reflecting the rebirth of nature after a Story of Daughters of Zelophehad Minnesota winter symbolizing the new birth that is given to us in Jesus’ Dinner 6:00pm, Worship 7:00pm resurrection. There will be a member of the Worship Team in the narthex Sunday, March 29th, Worship 9:00am on March 15 and 22, so that you may order Easter flowers to decorate our Sanctuary. —The Worship Team WE SEEK TO BE NEIGHBORS TO ALL... IN WORSHIP Wildfire Lenten Worship- Organizing through a Biblical Lens As we enter a time of working together and launching our shared Faith-Based Community Organizer, perhaps you still have questions about what faith-based organizing is or why we as churches would work with an organizer. To explore these questions together, as Wildfire Churches, we will be exploring faith-based community organizing through our Lenten Midweek Worship Services. As Pastor Pam, Vicar Becca, Deacon Kirsten, Pastor Mark, and Pastor Gretchen rotate through our worship services, we’ll be looking at principals of faith-based community organizing through the lens of stories of women of the Bible, identified and described in the book Women’s Work; The Transformational Power of Faith-based Community Organizing by Susan L. Engh. Meet the Women of the Bible and Notice their Organizing Skills: Daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 26:33, 27:1-11, Joshua 17:3-4) As the Israelites wander through the wilderness and prepare to land in Canaa, each family is promised land for the men in their household. The 5 daughters of Zelophehad are without a male heir among them, so they attend the meeting of land decisions representing themselves and are given the land for their family. The daughters of Zelophehad show us the importance of Questioning the System. Pastor Gretchen will preach on these women. Abigail (1 Samuel 25:2-35) Abigail’s husband is in trouble with King David and the King is threatening to destroy their household. Abigail brings food to the King and apologizes which allows her to win over the King and save their land and livelihood. Abigail shows us the importance of Using Resources to Address Power Players. Pastor Pam of Faith-Lilac Way will preach on Abigail Esther (Esther 4:5-17, 8:1-8) Queen Esther risks her own life to address the King as she represents her people, the Jews, to stop their persecution. Esther shows us the importance of Stepping into Our Own Power for the sake of ourselves and others. Pastor Mark will preach on Esther. Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2-3, 24:1-10)- Mary Magdalene is cured of 7 spirits by Jesus, she then becomes one of his most dedicCataedp dtiuscripinlesg. Itth ise Mary Magdalene who first tells the disciples of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary Magdalene show us the impoCrtarnocse sofr Oowandinsg and Using your Own Story. Vicar Becca of Faith Lilac Way will preach on Mary Magdalene. Lydia (Acts 16:11-15) Lydia is the head of her own household and leads a small community of worshippers. When Paul goes to worship with them, on the outskirts of town by the river, Lydia encourages her whole household to be baptized. Lydia shows us the importance of Building Community. Deacon Kirsten of First Lutheran of Crystal will preach on Lydia. Come worship each Wednesday to be inspired by these women and their communities, and to dream together about where God is calling us as Wildfire churches to be together in service of our own shared community! Worship at 7:00 pm, following Supper at 6:00 pm LIVING OUT GOD'S GRACE... THROUGH FAITH FORMATION Stewardship Corner MARCH F ORUMS A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me Join us for coffee a drink.”… The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, and fellowship ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in 10:15-11:00 a.m common with Samaritans.)” John 4:7 and 9 March 1st - Speak er from NEAR Jesus was on his way from Judea to Galilee. John 4:4 states that “he had to go through Samaria”. At that time, Jews often went between March 8th - Pastor Mark will lead a Judea and Galilee by crossing the Jordan River and traveling on the discussion on the book "Dear east side of the river, thereby avoiding Samaria altogether.