Pentecost

After Jesus' crucifixion, the disciples were understandably afraid. They locked themselves into a room, not knowing what they should do or where they should turn. The resurrected Jesus appears to them, and his first words to them are what we all seek in our lives. “Peace be with you.” Then comes this strange statement. It says that “Jesus breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

That’s part of what Pentecost is about. First Jesus gave his disciples, who were feeling scared and betrayed, the gift of the peace of Holy Spirit. It’s a very personal gift that calms our souls with an amazing peace that, as Paul says, “surpasses all human understanding.” Even in the midst of life’s greatest losses and suffering, God’s peace is there for us.

And then, along with the peace of the Holy Spirit came an amazing second gift of the Holy Spirit. They were able to set their hurt and their disillusionment aside, and now it was the same Holy Spirit, that compelled them to bring the Good News of the Gospel out into a troubled world. They moved out of that locked room, and began sharing with others the peace and the hope that they had received from the Holy Spirit.

Because Easter was early this year, so Pentecost, (50 days after Easter) comes earlier than usual. We will celebrate Pentecost in worship on Sunday, May 11. It is also Mother’s Day, and we will be celebrating the baptism of Lillian Louise Gallagher (Jim & Gail Watson’s granddaughter).


Having been adopted …

In three of his letters, Paul talks about the powerful grace of God that adopts us as children, not because we are good, but because we are sinners in need of redemption and healing. God has “taken us on”, as if we were his own children, though we all too often are anything but godly. So having been adopted, here are three adoption challenges I would like to extend to you.

Adopt-A-Child in India through Reach Home: an orphanage our congregation has been sponsoring for the past 15 years or so. A gift of a dollar a day allows the orphanage to take on another child, in addition to the 200 children they presently educate, feed, and house.

Adopt-A-Window. Many of the windows of the church are over 50 years old. Soon, the four windows in the centrum will be replaced. Quite a few remain. We will install them as the money comes in. If you would like to adopt-a-window, an envelop has been enclosed in this issue.

Adopt-A-Garden. If your hobby, your gift is gardening; if you like digging in the ground, making things grow, and maybe creating a beautiful garden space, would you be willing to adopt one section of the church grounds? Most areas were mulched last year, so the weeding shouldn’t be too bad.

Incidentally, Saturday, May 17 is cleanup day at the church. Come when you can – the first usually arrive about 8:00, and stay as long as you are able. And if you have extra plants from your garden at home, bring them along and either trade with someone else, or find a place to plant them at church.

Peace,
Pastor Tim Rauk

The Angle of the Son

The fact that Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December is a pretty good indication that indigenous religions of northern Europe had an impact on the Christian church as it set a date for observing the birth of Jesus. No one knows what the date of Jesus’ birth might be. And because people around the world (northern hemisphere) mark the shortest day of the year, (usually December 21, the first day of winter) with a midwinter celebration, rejoicing in the fact that the days are getting longer, early Christians appropriated this event as a good date for celebrating Jesus’ birth.

The link between Easter and the vernal equinox, the day the sun is directly above the equator, (usually March 20, the first day of spring, where day and night are the same length) is not as readily apparent as the link between Christmas and the winter solstice, but the link is there none-the-less. Again, peoples everywhere observe the vernal equinox in some way or another. The Christian church calculates Easter, by starting at the vernal equinox, and then observing Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

The setting of significant religious dates by watching the movements of the sun and the moon and the stars is very biblical. Genesis 1:14 tells us that God created “lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Personally, I would find it more satisfying to calculate Easter as the first Sunday after Passover (as observed in Judaism), however, there is still something significant metaphorically speaking, to linking Easter with the sun as we do.

One of the things I love about spring, is that even though the air temperature can remain in the 20s and 30s, it’s amazing how powerful the sun‘s rays are this time of the year compared to earlier in the winter. As I write this article, I am looking out my window at 6 inches of snow that fell last night. It is absolutely beautiful outside, with pristine, white snow blanketing everything. But even with the air temperature below freezing, the snow is melting. Why is that? A sunny day in December seems just as bright, and the air temperature can be exactly what it is today, but the snow doesn’t melt. Why the difference?

It all has to do with the angle of the sun. In December, the angle of the sun is indirect enough that most of the sun’s heating rays are fairly ineffective. But now, even on cloudy days, the sun’s rays are able to melt snow because they are shining much more directly on us.

A common Biblical metaphor used to talk about our faith contrasts the difference between light and darkness. Jesus is “the light of the world” that illuminates the truth of God’s grace. It is the “light of Christ” that defeats the darkness of fear, sin and death that pervades our world. Most everyone appreciates the light that Jesus brought into the world. Churches are crowded on Easter Sunday with people who come to celebrate the light of the resurrection.

But many people are satisfied staying in the shadows, enjoying the light but never letting the warmth of Jesus’ love shine directly on them. As wonderful as the light is, it’s power is felt when we move out of the shadows and allow the rays of Jesus’ love to warm our skin, and surround and embrace us fully. Our goal, as Christians, is to allow the light of Jesus to shine on us as directly as possible. That’s what weekly worship, prayer, study and service does for us: it moves us more directly into the warming rays of Jesus’ light.

May the Peace of Easter warm your heart,

Study of Revelation

Interested in a study of the book of Revelation this spring. Join us for a 6 week study of the Revelation of John beginning March 31, and running up to Memorial Day. All are welcome. No charge. We meet Monday nights in the church library at 7:00 p.m.

Lent - 2008

Lent began on Ash Wednesday, February 6. Thus begins the 40 day journey (only weekdays counted) to Easter Sunday. The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word, “lencten” which means, “spring.” It is traditionally a period of fasting and penitence to prepare us for the celebration of EASTER.

Many traditions have arisen around the observance of Lent. In the 16th century, Wednesdays were declared fast days in all of England. A London woman was locked in a pillory (her head and hands secured in a wooden framework), subjected to public punishment and ridicule, for having meat in her tavern during Lent. In 17th century France, police had the right to search houses during Lent, confiscate any forbidden items of food, and give them to the hospitals. In Paris, in 1659, police raided a monastery and sent 12 monks to jail for eating meat and drinking wine during Lent.

I promise that the Wooddale Lenten police gave up all those practices several years ago. In fact, most all the traditions of special observance and self denial have gone the way of the public pillory and not eating meat on Friday. None the less, I would like to challenge you to find something special that you can do to observe Lent this year. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Contribute to the 30 Hour Famine. Once again this year, our young people are participating in “The 30 Hour Famine”, an international student movement that, since 1994, has raised over $100 million to help end hunger and poverty around the globe. Over the past two years, Wooddale has raised almost $5,000 - enough to feed nearly 14 children for an entire year. On February 22-23, Wooddale youth will again be part of this incredible experience. This year’s goal is to raise $2,500 - enough money to feed 2,500 children for one day or 7 children for an entire year. Look for the table on Sunday to make your contribution.

2. Participate in Wednesday Evening Midweek Worship. A longstanding Lutheran Lenten tradition is Wednesday night Lenten midweek worship. When I was a kid, I remember Wednesday night services being filled. It was something everybody did. Today, the crowds are not what they used to be, but we’ve enjoyed full churches during Lent because of something rather unique that we’ve been doing here in St. Louis Park for about 25 years now. We join together with other area churches in our Lenten journey. This year, Lenten worship will be held at
Lutheran Church of the Reformation (February 13);
Wooddale (February 20); St. George’s Episcopal (February 27),
Ascension Lutheran (March 5), and First Lutheran (March 12).
Worship begins at 7:00 p.m. followed by coffee and fellowship.
The theme will be: “Dwelling in the Word: Letters from Paul”

3. Attend a 6-week Bible Study – Monday nights – 7-8 p.m. studying the book of Amos. The prophet Amos had an amazing ability to look at his world and the culture he lived in, and SEE things in a different way. We will be exploring what Amos saw, and what it was that gave him a special insight into how God was speaking to the Jewish people through him. What might we SEE today in the tradition of Amos? You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to join this group. In fact, if you know nothing at all about the Bible, here’s a chance to enter into conversation with a Biblical writer, and discover that the Bible is accessible to everyone. All are welcome.

Make your Lent special this year. Find something new to participate in.
Peace,
Pastor Tim Rauk

A New Year

First of all, Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! for your faithful support of Wooddale’s ministry during this past year. The month of January is always a busy month of putting together the nuts and bolts of what the ministry of the church will look like in the coming year, 2008. And a big part of that is wrapped up in the business side of running an organization that has a budget of over $300,000.

Thank you number one: Financially, we had a very good December. We started the month needing $84,000 to make our projected budget. Your faithfulness, combined with some careful spending on the part of your church council meant that we are now close. Offerings in December were generous, and combining that with the fact that we came in $13,000 under budget has gotten us close. We’re within $10,000 of our goal.

Thank you number two: To date, 91 people have turned in their giving intentions for this coming year. That puts us 16 behind the number of pledges we got last year in 2007, and 29 behind our goal for 2008 of 120. Many of last year’s pledges came in during the month of January, so if you haven’t turned yours in, they are still welcome. The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian Christians urged them to “arrange in advance for your bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift.” The fact of the matter is that all giving in the church is “faith-giving.” We live, as people of hope, confident in God’s steadfast love and generosity in the future based on the steadfast love and generosity of God we have received in the past. Paul’s advice is not a command. “I do not say this as a command.” But Paul goes on to say “In this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year … to … finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.”

We have a few people who spend a great number hours each year volunteering their time to manage wisely the financial matters of the church. What Paul writes is just a suggestion, but each person in the congregation who follows Paul’s advise certainly makes the work of those volunteers easier.

Thank you number three: During this past year, the visioning committee submitted their report. They had been working through their visioning process for over a year. The congregation then gave some wonderful feedback to their report. Already a number of people have stepped forward to volunteer in the implementing of some of the recommendations. So, a thank you to the visioning committee and all who participated in this process. The visioning committee’s report, “Seeds for Our Future” will guide and challenge us for years go come. There is much there waiting to be done. I think it gives us a wonderful roadmap for our future. I’ve quoted this before, but it is worth repeating. A quote from Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you are going, any path will get you there.” The Seeds for Our Future Visioning Committee Report offers us a wonderful path into our future.

In all we do, past, present, and future, we are sustained by God’s promise that “I am the beginning and the end.” Please make every effort to participate in the annual meeting, which will be held on Sunday, January 27, at 12:00 noon.

Peace,

Christmas Eve / Christmas Day Worship

Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24
5:00 p.m., a family service that focuses on the telling of the Christmas story
and features our children’s Chapel Choir.
11:00 p.m., the beautiful Candlelight Communion Service featuring our
Senior Choir in the quiet beauty of the sanctuary, bathed in candlelight.
Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25, we worship at 10:00 a.m.,
welcoming the morning in worship, rejoicing in the birth of a Savior..

Come! Gather at the manger to worship, bringing to the Christ child, the gift of your heart.

The Gift of the Savior - Signs of Hope

Holding my new grandson is an amazing experience. You can’t hold a newborn baby without being very aware of how completely and totally helpless they are. They can’t eat unless you feed them. You have to literally put the food in their mouth. They can’t move unless you pick them up. If they are cold, they can’t pull the blanket around them for warmth. They move their arms, but aren’t aware that they are causing them to move, and have no idea how their legs and arms and fingers might be used. That’s all stuff they have to learn. When they are born, they are completely and totally helpless.

Yet, you can’t hold a newborn baby, helpless though they are, without being overcome with feelings of awe and hope. In the birth of a baby rests a symbol for the future. In the miracle of birth we see something of ourselves living far into the future, long beyond our own personal lifespan.

But the point of Christmas is not that Jesus, the baby, was completely and totally helpless and dependent on Mary and Joseph, his earthly parents; but that WE come before God, totally and completely dependent on God’s grace. We come before God, needing God to willingly embrace and save us – because we can’t do it ourselves. At Christmas we sing carols picturing the birth of Jesus as an event that took place in a silent, quiet night in the simplicity of a human birth. Yet, we see in Jesus, “The Word made flesh” and we are called to proclaim it to the world. We see in Jesus, “The Light”, shining into the darkness of sin. We see in Jesus, “The King of Kings” born into poverty. We see in Jesus, the “Prince of Peace”, crucified. We see in Jesus “The mystery of God” defeating death through the power of the Resurrection.

The angel of the Lord announces that this birth is “good news of great joy.” And the first people to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth were those living on the margins of society, the shepherds. Is their low social status the reason that they are the first people invited by God’s angel to meet the Savior? (Surely the inhabitants of the cozy inn are closer to the manger than are the shepherds in the fields.) Or is it simply that the shepherds, lacking shelter and exposed to the elements of night, tending their flock, are the only ones still awake?

The “good news of great joy” is the powerful truth that through the birth of Jesus, God dwells among us. In the gospel of Christ’s nativity, we learn that no space in our lives is too small or shabby for God to enter; that in fact, God seeks out the humble. And so, we join with the angels in celebration of Jesus’ tender presence on earth: “Glory to God in the highest heaven!” We join the wise men in bringing gifts to our Savior.

And so, together we worship, thankful for the amazing gift of love that the Christmas story proclaims. All the services are different:
Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24
5:00 p.m., a family service that focuses on the telling of the Christmas story
and features our children’s Chapel Choir.
11:00 p.m., the beautiful Candlelight Communion Service featuring our
Senior Choir in the quiet beauty of the sanctuary, bathed in candlelight.

Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25, we worship at 10:00 a.m.,
welcoming the morning in worship, rejoicing in the birth of a Savior..

Come! Gather at the manger to worship, bringing to the Christ child, the gift of your heart.

DECEMBER 16th – A DAY TO SHARE SO MANY GIFTS!!

Sunday, December 16th, promises to be a day that will get you into the Christmas
spirit - the spirit of joy, celebration, fellowship and fun.

The children and youth of Wooddale invite you to share the Christmas story during worship at 9:30 on December 16, a story that has been told and cherished for so many years, a story we have heard time and time again, and a story that gains more and more meaning for each of us as we get further along in our journey with Christ.

Over the last many weeks, our children and youth have been exploring how they are an important part of the Christmas story. They have tied-in the birth of Jesus as God’s greatest gift, with identifying their own personal gifts and how they can spread God’s love by sharing these gifts. They have looked at their own personal strengths and talents and decided what special part of themselves they can offer to Jesus, and have wrapped these written offerings to lay in front of the manger during the Christmas program. Join our children as they tell story of THE CHRISTMAS GIFT. Rejoice with them as they proclaim the gift of love and hope this story carries and celebrate as we all remember the gifts we can share to help our world experience the love, hope and peace of Jesus today.

Don’t hurry off after the worship service on December 16th because Wooddale’s Annual Holiday Potluck is happening in the upper fellowship hall. Bring your favorite dish, and enjoy the food, fellowship and festivities. And if you aren’t able to make a contribution to the potluck – COME ANYWAY - there is always plenty and we want you there!

And with your Christmas spirit still running high, you won’t want to stop now! Put on your warm clothes and come on back to Wooddale @ 6:00 pm that Sunday evening for caroling in the neighborhood. Don’t know the words to many songs? No problem, we’ve got the words and we sing the same ones over and over. You’ll know them by the end! Don’t have much of a voice? No problem – smiles and a spirit of fun count way more than voice quality!

WOODDALE WINNERS, our December event, is scheduled at Wooddale that same Sunday afternoon December 16 from 4:00 – 6:00. Fourth-sixth grade energizer bunnies are invited to come for games and fun, followed by dinner and then joining up for caroling with your families at 6:00. Look inside for more details.

So keep some of your day free on December 16th and join us as we continue on our journey of Christmas, a journey that shares the gifts we all bring in celebration of the greatest gift – Jesus.

God’s peace,

Jean and Kristina