Join us for an uplifting workshop designed for parents who want to approach the holiday season with energy and joy. Join us for an uplifting workshop designed parents who want to approach the holiday season with energy and joy.
For more information: email us at preschool@lordofgrace.org
Lord of Grace Preschool, Marana, Arizona
Our preschool kids were hard at work again getting ready for thanksgiving. May friendship and gratitude bloom in you. Happy Thanksgiving.
Lord of Grace Preschool. Marana, Arizona
In case you missed it, here’s the video of the Veteran’s Day Concert put on by Desert Chameleon, directed by Todd Martin.
It’s the last performance of the Desert Chameleon band before they disbanded. Enjoy.
To “pray continually” sounds difficult. J.B. Lightfoot, a theologian, wrote “ It is not in the moving of the lips, but in the elevaton of the heart to God that the essence of prayer consists.”
Let’s remember that God wants to hear about our day. First, thanks for the day and His life giving blessings. And then as the day goes on we can turn to God and Jesus to help with the challenges. Having Christ’s spirit in our hearts unites us to God, to His love as His children. From a suggestion heard from a friend, sometimes at night as I settle down, I review the day. I try to think with God in mind what could I have done better. Maybe to remember some blessings I received during the day. And to thank Him for being everpresent.
Please know that the Lord of Grace Prayer Team continues to pray over all prayer petitions sent our way, including the requests entered in the Prayer Journal in the Narthex. The Team will also continue to offer individual prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month. We strongly believe in the power of prayer and that a continual connection with our God will keep us all closer to Him. Remember, God can bring the peace you seek. Seek Him in prayer.
Outreach Team – November 2024
Outreach is excited to announce we have a new member, Gail Nicewander! Welcome Gail, we’re glad to have you on the Outreach Team. Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, and Gail Nicewander.
We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.
Continuing Events
Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect canned veggies (corn, peas, carrots), gravy, stuffing, evaporated milk, condensed milk, pumpkin puree, jelly, and canned cooked ham. Hygiene items are also always needed as well.
Let’s give Thanks to God for everything by helping our neighbors have a blessed Thanksgiving. Let’s help them to feel God’s love by sharing what we have with those who currently have less.
Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall. Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired. Also, please, no glass containers.
If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:
MFB-CRC
c/o Sahuarita Food Bank
PO Box 968
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.
You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.
Your monetary gift goes a long way.
Upcoming Events
Thanksgiving Boxes – Roadrunner Elementary
We are currently collecting food from October 13th to November 8th. On Sunday, November 15th, we’ll have a fun day organizing the food and decorating the boxes. We’ll organize the food collected after 1st service, then pack the boxes after 2nd service. The boxes will be delivered to Roadrunner the week of November 11th. We handed out handouts of what to collect on Nov. 18th, there will be additional handouts in the Narthex. Please let us know of any additional families that need help.
Adopt a Child – Roadrunner Elementary
We are having Adopt a Child again this year, partnering with Roadrunner Elementary School. We are waiting to hear from Roadrunner the names of the students and their families and their needs and wants for Christmas. The gifts will need to be returned to the church by Sunday, December 1st.
Lutheran World Relief – Baby Care Packs
We plan on holding a drive in the new year for baby care packs to send to Lutheran World Relief. In 2023, they provided baby care packs to Angola, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Tanzania, and Turkey. More information to come in 2025.
Feed My Starving Children
Feed My Starving Children will be coming up at the beginning of February, dates have not been set yet. The sign-up sheet will be available by December 31st. Stay tuned for information about this wonderful event.
Monthly Mobile Food Bank Distribution
Volunteers are needed for the Mobile Food Bank Distribution monthly events at Roadrunner Elementary School. They take place in the school parking lot and run from 8:00am-9:00am. It would be great to have 2-4 volunteers from Lord of Grace on November 19th and December 17th. We usually meet at church about 7:00 am and carpool out to the school. There is set up and assisting the neighbors with loading up the food. If you are interested in joining us for this important outreach please call or text Phyllis Teager 520-906-1837 or Chris Kollen 520-419-7475.
Roadrunner Butlers Pantry
We continue to support Butler’s Pantry at Roadrunner School. Our personal hygiene drive in the fall was very successful–thanks to all of you! We continue to have volunteers who work a couple days a month sorting donations and filling the food shelves with generous donations from many groups around the Roadrunner community. We also staff the Pantry one Saturday a month, when it is open to the Roadrunner neighbors. We are always looking for additional volunteers to help with this ongoing ministry. If this ministry is something that you would be interested in getting involved in, please contact an Outreach Team member.
One thing that always strikes me when I look at old (1950’s and earlier) photos is how well dressed everybody is. All the women in skirts; all the men in suits. Even in the warehouses, or on the ranch, it was still a button-down shirt and wool slacks. Nobody anywhere walked around in long underwear, pajamas, ripped clothes, etc. Those things were clearly for at-home, out of the public eye. The culture had a sense that we have a public face and a private face, and they were separate, and that’s ok. It isn’t “being inauthentic” to have to dress decently in public, and then be frumpy at home. But something changed.
Now, of course, you can see anything and everything at the local big box store. And if you say something, you’re “being judgmental” and “not accepting people for who they really are.” Long underwear in public is your identity? Pajamas in the store is your personality?
My take is that it started in the 1970’s with the emphasis on being “authentic” and “true to yourself”. We were going to sit in a circle, with a group of strangers, and they would poke and pry us emotionally until we opened up about our deepest secrets, and then everyone would spill all their personal beans, and we’d cry and sing kum-ba-ya and smoke some leafy stuff and break free of those social restraints that tell us to behave certain ways in public. From there came the idea that we should never worry about presentation in public, then vulgar language in public, then to dressing however we feel is “truly me”, then to the pajama party in aisle 5.
And you can call me a fuddy duddy or grumpy old man, but I don’t, honestly, want to see that much of you, or always know that much, or have to look at that much. Some things are ok to keep private. If you’re my friend, my lover, the rules are different. If you’re a stranger, some decorum is good.
But this is our culture, where we are told that any self-censoring is oppression and any public face is a form of lying.
Then came the internet.
Now everyone had the tools to “authentically” share their innermost everything with everyone. Shameless self-revelation met free public broadcasting, and the results have not always been pretty.
On the one hand are people who are isolated and bullied being able to find community that’s safe and affirming.
On the other hand is more bullying and attacking and some of darkest thoughts you never thought people could have.
What can work for good can work for evil.
I remember Facebook as a college pastor in the mid 2000’s. It was a way to catch up with your high school friends and get pictures of the grandkids, then it became a place for angry rants and lies generated by Russian hackers to spread hate and division.
The same has become true of all the other forums. 4Chan, said to be a bastion of free speech, has become the favorite of school shooters and terrorists to find other people with creepy, violent fantasies and plans to get validation. That crazy guy who used to rant at the hardware store used to just get the small town telling him to chill. Then he would go back to the basement, alone, to sit with his dark plans by himself. Now he has a computer in his basement, and can share with everyone his plans, and find people all around the globe to validate them and help him find the best way to commit a mass murder.
Some things, I will argue, should not get a public audience.
If you can’t say it in a group of people, to their faces, and have to sit and listen to their reactions, you maybe shouldn’t say it at all. Unless, again, you’re the kid being bullied and you’re looking for support, or the person with a unique disease and you need to find support with others for whom the bloody details are not Too Much Information but part of a constructive conversation.
It’s a good rule to keep: don’t say it online if you wouldn’t say it in person.
But when it’s me behind a keyboard, I don’t have to fear the response. I might get it in the comments, but it’s not the same. Easier to blow off hateful comments than see a reaction to my face. At least in the 1970’s “encounter group” I couldn’t bash everyone there and not have some kickback. I could be authentic, spill TMI, but I still had some accountability.
I have to admit that when I first got on Facebook in the mid 2000’s, it was kinda fun. I found old friends from high school and college and camp. I caught up with people I probably wouldn’t see in person because of distance. I enjoyed the debates about theology, Bible, politics. I even used to like to stir the pot, get things going. Now, I’ve pulled back. The longer it goes, the less I post, and the less I reveal, and the less I say, because I’m no longer feeling that it builds up. It just wears me out. It’s becoming less is more.
This all becomes an issue for us churches, too, as we try to figure out how to promote what we do on social media, while also dealing with the creeps and trolls and haters who want to bring you down. How do you stay positive in an ocean of negativity? How much do you talk about? What do you show?
As a general rule, I don’t post on church sites a lot of pictures of people. I never know how much people want to be posted. And when I do, the faces are often small or hard to see. I try hard to always project a good image, and keep church business off line. I don’t want to see how the sausage is made at my restaurant, nor do people want to see it at church. It’s the nature of public relations that you have to never show weakness, always make everyone think everything’s great – even when it isn’t. Curating an image and brand is a bit of a game in lying by omission. But if I was truly honest, nobody would ever come. They’d go to the place where everything looks perfect.
Martin Luther has a great line about bearing false witness in the small catechism:
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
We don’t do enough, in my opinion, of remembering the second parts of these explanations – the proactive parts. Christian ethics gets reduced to a list of don’ts, when in fact discipleship is supposed to be active – taking up your cross and following. Yes, don’t lie on the stand, don’t slander people, don’t bully and demean. But that’s passive. Not enough. We should be actively speaking positively of others, building them up, and defending their reputations.
I wish this was how everyone was online. But, alas, that’s for Magical Golden Unicorn Land. More and more it’s the opposite, the airing of too much private information, personal thoughts, and negativity about others. I never thought the Small Catechism would be so relevant. When you see bullying, slander, hate – call it out – then respond by building people up. When you have thoughts that aren’t terribly upbuilding of people, don’t put them online. Don’t participate in the pile-on.
Put on a good public face for Jesus and the church. When you speak up for justice, and build up those in need, and refuse to participate in evil, you do the work of the Gospel.
Peace,
Pastor Lars,
Dear Lord of Grace Members,
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for your incredible generosity and thoughtfulness in supporting our Preschool Supplies Drive last month. Your donations have not only provided essential supplies but have also filled our classrooms with joy, excitement, and the resources needed to nurture young minds.
Your kindness reminds me of the true meaning of community and the impact we can make when we come together. Because of you, our preschoolers are stepping into an environment where they feel supported, loved, and empowered to learn and grow.
With deepest gratitude and warm regards,
Laura Tanem-Hernandez
Interim Director
Lord of Grace Preschool is enrolling ages 2-5 (potty trained), with 3day and 5day a week classes. Our program offers kindergarten preparation, socialization, faith, and fun. Check out our modern classrooms, expanded new playground, and great staff. Voted the third best preschool in Marana in 2024.
To schedule a tour, or just to learn more, contact us at 520-744-7400, or email preschool@lordofgrace.org. More info is also on the preschool page.
This month at the Lord of Grace Preschool, one class has been making crafts showing the rainbow, the sign of God’s promise to us and covenant forever.
If you visit the sanctuary here you’ll see the back wall covered, from time to time, with art by our preschool kids. We like to show off their work as a church, and support the kids as a whole church.
Once a year, in the spring we do a preschool art show in the fellowship hall, as well. Encouraging creativity and imagination is part of our philosophy as a school.
To learn more, check out our preschool page, email us, or call 520-744-7400
Lord of Grace Preschool, Marana, Arizona
7250 N. Cortaro Rd (corner of Ina and Cortaro)
“Precious Lord take my hand”
Father God hear my prayer
Comforting Mother hold me
Heavenly Parent be my guide.
All of the above can easily start a prayer or even a hymn. The first one is the only one that is guaranteed not to lose listeners as you start your prayer. The other three may hit some raw nerves and lose people before you get any further not everyone grew up with a loving supporting family. So using father, mother or parent has the potential for sending minds into the scary past. Precious Lord, Prince of Peace, Heavenly Comforter, Lord of us all Leading Shepherd, Holy God will all take you where you want to go with out alienation. Care in Prayer is something that calms us all and peacefully leads us to be comforting prayer leaders. May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ guide you and sustain you now and in the future no matter what challenge or grief is trying to hold you down. Lift us up and guide us as we try to be more & more like Jesus. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray! Amen.
Outreach Team – September 2024 Newsletter Article
Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, and Janette Carollo.
We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.
Continuing Events
Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect canned tuna/chicken, soups, jelly, cereal, ready-to-eat meals (ravioli), canned veggies, and beans. Hygiene items are also always needed as well.
Let’s help all our neighbors have a wonderful Fall season and feel God’s love by sharing what we have with those who currently have less.
Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall. Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired. Also, please, no glass containers. If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:
MFB-CRC
c/o Sahuarita Food Bank
PO Box 968
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC. You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.
Your monetary gift goes a long way. Every $10 helps provide 50 meals.
Upcoming Events
Thanksgiving Boxes – Roadrunner Elementary
It’s already that time of year!! It’s October and time to start collecting food for Thanksgiving boxes this year! The food boxes will mainly go to families of students at Roadrunner Elementary. We will collect food from October 20th to November 8th. On Saturday, November 10th, we’ll have a fun day organizing the food and decorating the boxes. The boxes will need to be delivered to Roadrunner the week of November 11th. Look for a handout in this newsletter and we will also hand them out in person on Oct. 20th. Please let us know of any additional families that need help.
Adopt a Child – Roadrunner Elementary
We are having Adopt a Child again this year, partnering with Roadrunner Elementary School. We are waiting to hear from Roadrunner the names of the students and their needs and wants for Christmas and when they will need to be delivered to the school. There will be more information in the November newsletter.
Previous Events
God’s Work Our Hands
A Huge Thank You to all the members at Lord of Grace for your generosity! Butler’s Pantry is full because of our personal hygiene drive on Community Service Day September 8th. We surpassed our goal of collecting 100 tubes of toothpaste...the kids counted and we had 150 tubes!!! Thank you all so much. Our friends at Roadrunner are grateful.
Also a big thank you to all who were busy making over 200 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for Sister José Women's Shelter during our Community Service Day. It was truly a group effort with all ages involved!
9/11 National Day of Service on Saturday, September 14th
On Saturday September 14th, a group of volunteers from Lord of Grace participated in the National Day of Service project at Roadrunner Elementary. We arrived early before the heat of the day. Then we were armed with RED paint and rollers to brighten up the 8 foot pillars all over the school campus. We joined several other groups-Marana Middle School and Marana High School students along with members of another church and the school administrators, Kristina Brewer and Eddie Walker to tackle this project in record time–and with limited RED paint spills on the walkways!! Following our work, we stopped in at the Sky Rider Cafe at the Marana Regional Airport for a hearty breakfast and fellowship! It was an excellent morning doing God’s Work with Our Hands!
Original ABBA outfits
Last summer on sabbatical, when Kristie and I were in Stockholm, we made sure to visit the most quintessential Swedish thing ever: the ABBA Museum. Yes, there is a museum dedicated to the band. And it’s everything you think it is. There’s the histories of the musicians, a replica of the recording studio, complete with the original soundboard, a theater showing old concerts, and, of course, a whole room with the outfits – all blinged out and flared at the ankles. They were deep in a basement, with no natural light, so as not to destroy all the polyester with the ultraviolet light of the sun.
One exhibit caught my eye, and that was about a later work done by Benny and Bjorn, after the band broke up, called Chess. It’s a musical set during the cold war, a US vs. Soviet chess competition. The assistant to one falls in love with the other player and both love and chaos and politics and heartache ensue. It’s pure ABBA genius.
I’ve been nostalgically listening to some of its numbers on YouTube, and got stuck on a super-ear-worm song called “Nobody’s Side”. Here’s the refrain:
Never make a promise or plan
Take a little love where you can
Nobody's on nobody's side
Never stay too long in your bed
Never lose your heart, use your head
Nobody's on nobody's side
Never take a stranger's advice
Never let a friend fool you twice
Nobody's on nobody's side
Never be the first to believe
Never be the last to deceive
Nobody's on nobody's side
And never leave a moment too soon
Never waste a hot afternoon
Nobody's on nobody's side
Never stay a minute too long
Don't forget the best will go wrong
Nobody's on nobody's side
It's the ultimate personal philosophy of cynical realpolitik. Trust no one. Nothing lasts. No loyalty. Get what you can while you can. All set to ridiculously catchy music.
I see and hear this in the world, and my first question is the same one the kids ask: who hurt you? What horrible thing did people do to you to make you so untrusting and uncaring? In the musical, it was the Soviets who steamrolled her hometown. Of course, love will break through (it’s theater) and the cynicism will melt. It’s not a French noir movie; it’s a Swedish musical.
I imagine a life like this filled with endless chasing of pleasures, and glaring absence of friendship and love. Debauched and lonely, successful and empty, cold but charming. It is, in almost every way, the exact opposite of Jesus. It’s also a good way to succeed in politics.
When I interned in the House of Representatives for a semester, I came in thinking I would find lots of really intelligent and capable people. How else did they get so far? What I found, instead, was a mixed bag. Some really were trying to do good, and some were the most arrogant, rude, selfish, calloused people I’ve ever met. I had to listen to tapes of the guy I worked for because he felt it was beneath him to have to identify himself to staff (even though we rarely saw him). One representative yelled at me with a loud “do you know who I am?” on the phone. Ugh. It was obvious they could turn it on at the state fair, in front of the cameras, and then became monsters when dealing with people for whom there was no transactional gain.
Is this what life is? We’re just individuals in a sea of individuals trying to get what’s best for us?
Are relationships just transactions? Is there no real love? Kindness? Compassion? Common good? And what about higher ideals? Self-sacrifice? Service? What about that whole cross thing? Giving up everything?
If your view of things is a series of quid pro quos, then Jesus is the ultimate chump. He is the ultimate sucker who teaches us to let others walk all over us and get things from us without getting anything in return. What a wuss.
For those who are transactional, any giving without getting is not just frustrating; it’s humiliation. It’s getting played. It’s getting taken. And you’re convinced that, once the deal’s done, they’re snickering behind your back and laughing at you in disrespect. Giving is just letting people use you. Demand something for everything, then you can walk proudly.
We are in the midst of an election season, as we all know too well. I’ll admit I get tired of it, but I wouldn’t trade it for any other system. I may not always get the results I want, but no gain is worth having a dictator. And I’ll admit, too, that I feel such a deep grief at the total lack of thinking about the common good, the poor and the needy, the disadvantaged, the immigrants and refugees and homeless. The debates end up becoming a race between two people who have to win votes on selfishness: who will get me the most for me?
When did you hear a debate about whose policies will bring the most good to the most poor, and prevent or cure homelessness? They will argue, when pressed, that this or that policy they advocate will have that effect, but that’s ancillary. I don’t hear any “most good for the most people”. It’s always “are you better off than you were under this one?”
The Christian should be looking at the politicians the way Jesus did, through the eyes of the poor and powerless. We should be demanding that the government and corporations work for the betterment of the whole society, and world, to reduce suffering and poverty and environmental destruction. That should be the question. Not who will best satisfy my selfish desires with the least amount of personal sacrifice.
As you know, I’ve been leading a small discussion group on the proposed ELCA social statement Civic Life and Faith. Like all ELCA statements, it moves slowly, building a case with scripture and theology, and moving to specifics. It’s far from radical, but sure to irritate some. It has a lot of talk about the need for Christians to advocate for the “common good” – a phrase that some, mistakenly, think is a code for communism and collectivizing all private property. It’s a slippery-slope argument that makes it impossible to talk about our “collective” responsibility to our neighbors in need. An excerpt from the beginning:
So much here one could unpack, but I want to just highlight a couple ideas for consideration as we go into voting.
First, the idea that we are all in this together, the whole creation, and that peace and fullness exist only when we ALL are experiencing it. The good of all is the good for me. This is not a “if they get something I lose something” – a zero-sum philosophy (which is pointed out later in the statement), but a good for all. There is plenty for all, and one person’s winning is not me losing. It’s about wholeness, not transactional gain.
Second, the line about structures and systems. It’s not just about us, as individuals, minding our business and being nice to the clerk at the checkout counter (which you should be), but it’s about the whole system. Laws and policies can be rigged by the rich and powerful to their benefit, at others’ expense. Being ethical, as a Christian, is more than watching my own worst impulses, but about creating systems where some aren’t forced into poverty by laws and systems that give them no choice. We must seek a wholistic justice.
I could unpack this for ages, and I encourage you to take a look at the full statement again. Suffice it to say that we I believe we need to demand of our politicians a focus on the common good, and creating a wholeness with each other and the environment, a concern for the poor and disadvantaged, and not a transactional view of “what’s in it for me?” Transactional relationships are all about leveraging and using, not about loving and giving. They’re the opposite of Jesus.
Pastor Lars
This coming month a few big things will be happening in our church. The first is the Community Service and Family Fun Day on September 8th. You could also call it “Rally Day” or “God’s Work Our Hands” Sunday. It’s all those things. We’re trying to market it to people outside the church, who probably don’t know what Rally Day or God’s Work Sunday is. But we have food, community service projects, and some things for kids: the face painter and Willie the balloon maker are back. BUT…..you don’t have to have young children to participate!!!! It’s for the whole church, and intended to be an all-church, all-ages, all-community event.
In olden times it was Rally Day, which was the start of Sunday school. It was a kick-off to get kids back into Sunday school and the church program year. We haven’t had a traditional Sunday school for over 13 years; we do our lessons for kids during the sermon at the 10:30am service. Nonetheless, it’s still a fun time to get everyone back together.
And, unless you have been living under a rock, there’s an election coming up. And it’s big. And we will be asked to vote on candidates and a host of propositions and judges and various positions. We will have the opportunity to make change and participate in government, something a lot of the world does not get to do. As Christians, we have values that inform those decisions, but not uniform agreement on exactly what those values are, or what the role of the government is, or how involved the church should be in these matters. Unlike some pastors, I will not tell you which candidate is “appointed by God” and which propositions are “Biblical”, for many reasons. However, I do believe it’s good for us to do more with politics than just have church about personal problems and prayer, and leave the policies and justice discussions for someone else.
So, where does one begin?
The ELCA (The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), our denomination, puts out social statements from time to time. These are teaching documents, not binding on members (so you don’t have to agree with them to be an ELCA Lutheran). They are not policy documents for congregations. They don’t function with the weight of a Catholic encyclial, say. I’ve done videos on some of the old statements, giving my interpretation of them and introducing them to the people online who might not know that the ELCA exists, or that Christians exist who take social positions that are not reactionary.
Now a new statement is being proposed, and it’s still in the study phase, where people can view it and send back feedback to the committee crafting it. These are not concocted in smoke-filled rooms or in seminary salons. They’re open to the whole church to participate in. It’s called “Civic Life and Faith”. It delves into the issues of engaging issues as a church, faith and public life etc. It has not been ratified, which requires a 2/3 vote of a national assembly.
I decided to do a few study sessions on it to get us started in the conversation, and to be a part of the process. Feedback is open until the end of September. I will host four sessions, in-person, here at church, on September 11, 18, 25, and October 2nd at 6:30pm in the conference room. It’s just a read through and discussion, with no end goal; I’m not aiming to convert to a particular position, just to explore what the social statement committee has come up with.
Peter Muhlenberg. Lutheran Pastor, Revolutionary War hero.
Our history of engagement as Lutherans has been mostly about not-engaging, or selling out. The history is long and sometimes complicated. Lutheran churches in Europe are state churches, paid for by taxes and administered as branches of the government. This has changed in recent years, with the churches becoming moreindependent. It used to be in Sweden, and in England, that a new hymnal needed a vote of parliament. No longer. But with that history, we should not be surprised that bishops were not inclined to bite the hand that feeds them. As much as Martin Luther envisioned a dialectic with the church holding the state accountable, and the state keeping order, and them working back and forth simultaneously as “two kingdoms”, the reality became more one of political union and spiritual separation. Faith was about praying and worshiping and getting to heaven. Politics was the state. So most Lutherans who came to the US stayed out of active politics, with some important exceptions, such as Lutheran pastor Peter Muhlenberg who led troops at Valley Forge under George Washington.
So the history became what theologians now call “quietism” – Christians staying quiet about politics, keeping faith to personal matters and the interior and moral life. When I was in seminary it was a dirty word, and we were admonished constantly to not fall into it, but keep a prophetic witness. Speak the truth to power. Proclaim justice. Name names. It always worked better in principle than parish, where people can choose to leave, or try to run you out if they don’t like your prophecying.
But, and there’s always a but, one can’t forget the German church of the 1930’s. Hitler required an oath from all pastors, his oath, of course, and 98% took it. The Dietrich Bonhoeffers and Martin Niemoller’s were the exception. Yes, they had a prison camp waiting if they didn’t, but most were not doing it with gritting teeth, but with glee. The pastor in Eisleben, at Luther’s family church, where Luther was baptized, had swastikas on his boots under his robes. Because religion was so deeply internalized, it no longer had anything to say to the authorities. It was about making good citizens, with good morals, and not revolutionaries who cause chaos. We look back in such horror at their acquiescence and buy-in, but that’s hindsight. In the moment they were good patriots who loved their country and were proud their leader would make Germany powerful and respected again, the way they believed God wanted it. Their hearts were not initially in antisemitism, at least not openly, but in quietism and a theology that refused to see any contradiction between the Gospel and the desire for the greatness of the nation.
I keep that in the back of my mind, and always hope that we can take a critical view of our own political views, and not fall for the desires of ethno-nationalism and authoritarianism. But it’s hard, because we don’t like to think our views are on the table. It’s “those people” who are out to destroy us. Except Jesus died for them too.
So join me; I think it will be fun. We can model what the rest of the world struggles with: intelligent conversation about religion and public life.
Pastor Lars
Prayer Connection for September 2024:
Have a conversation with God!
This month, have a conversation with God -- let the Lord inspire and guide your prayer time through a Scripture reading. Begin by reading the passage actively and experientially: Where are you in the Bible passage? Who do you identify with? What is happening? As you reflect, calm your heart, and let the Lord speak to you. Then answer Him in your prayer.
Consider John 6:5-13:
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
Where are you in this passage? Who do you identify with? What is happening?
Are you part of the crowd sitting in the grass? Are you Philip, Andrew, one of the other disciples, or the little boy? Do you see Jesus give thanks for the loaves and the fish and begin to distribute them to the people? Do you hear Jesus say, “Let nothing be wasted”? Are you one of the people who gathers all the leftover pieces, so abundant that twelve baskets were filled?
Calm your heart, let the Lord speak to you. What is God saying to you in this passage, for your life today? Trust and rest in God’s grace, and have a dialog with God about this passage: Converse with God in prayer!
A member of our congregation shared a Sunday morning prayer inspired by this Bible passage, adapted from the Church of Scotland:
Gracious God,
Creator of all we perceive,
We join today in the abundance of Your love,
in community and in the joy that comes through love;
through the nourishment of Jesus,
our shepherd and our guide,
the one who feeds us in mind and in body;
through the sustenance of the Spirit,
and the knowledge that You are with us
as we face the highs and lows,
the struggles and joys of this life.
As we worship You this morning,
fill us with Your truth,
your wisdom,
your love and your mercy.
In the name of Jesus, I pray,
Amen.
Outreach Team – September 2024 Newsletter Article
Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, and Janette Carollo.
We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.
Continuing Events
Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect spaghetti sauce, canned tuna/chicken, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, ready-to-eat meals (ravioli), and mac and cheese.
Let’s help start the school year right and make sure all the students and families in our community have enough to eat.
Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall. Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired. Also, please no glass containers.
If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:
MFB-CRC
c/o Sahuarita Food Bank
PO Box 968
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC. You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.
Your monetary gift goes a long way. Every $10 helps provide 50 meals.
Previous Events
Roadrunner Backpack and School Supply Drive
We collected 20 backpacks, bags full of school supplies, Kleenex and ziplock baggies for the students at Roadrunner Elementary School.
Thank you! Thank you!
Roadrunner and the Outreach Team thank you for your generous support!
Upcoming Events
Hygiene Items Drive for Butler’s Pantry at Roadrunner Elementary School
As many of you know, we have partnered with Roadrunner over the last year to establish a clothing and food pantry, Butler’s Pantry. Our donations and volunteers have helped to provide a place for families to go when they are in need. As school has just started, there is a great need for personal hygiene items. In preparation for God’s Work, Our Hands, we’ll be collecting hygiene items for Butler’s Pantry. We’re collecting toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, bar soap, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products. A flyer on items needed and a collection box has been placed in the Narthex. The drive started on August 18th and runs through September 8th.
We have a goal! Collect 100 tubes of toothpaste! We know we can reach our goal and help the families at Roadrunner!
God’s Work Our Hands
Outreach will be offering two projects as part of God’s Work/Our Hands during Rally Day, September 8, 2024.
One of the projects is sorting hygiene items that were collected during the month of August for the Butler’s Pantry at Roadrunner Elementary.
The second project will be making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Sister José Women’s Center. Sister José aids and transforms the lives of women experiencing homelessness. Their low-barrier day center provides unaccompanied women who are unhoused with a stable and safe environment to recuperate from the daily struggle of homelessness and extreme poverty. This will be the fourth year we’ve provided sandwiches for Sister José they are very thankful for the help. Thank you!
Volunteer as part of the 9/11 National Day of Service on Saturday, September 14th
The 9/11 National Day of Service is a commemorative effort at http://911day.org and http://JustServe.org. One of the projects in our community is at Roadrunner Elementary School to paint the Amphitheater and pillars at the school. Several people from Outreach will be going and we’re looking for more volunteers! Let us know if you’re interested, we’ll also have a sign-up sheet.
August 6th was our first day of preschool is here at Lord of Grace. Our church is excited for the new year. We have a great program with experienced teachers and staff, ready to teach and build of young lives in Christ.
A big thank you to our Interim Director, and LOG member, Laura Tanem Hernandez, who got everything ready for us this year, working tirelessly through the summer to get the best program set.
Also a big thanks to our Preschool Advisory Board, who has helped with everything from handbook review to cleaning to interviewing. In case you didn't know, our PAB consists of:
We take registrations throughout the year. Some kids turn three later, or they take a little longer to be potty-trained (a requirement for enrollment). We still have openings, if you know someone interested just email our director Laura Tanem-Hernandez at preschool@lordofgrace.org.
Our new school year at the Lord of Grace Preschool is starting. First day is August 5th. There’s still some openings. If you’re interested contact us at preschool@lordofgrace.org.
Was fun to see all the faces at our open house, so many kids and families, getting to meet our staff. Looking forward to another fun year.
Growing in Faith: The Diakonia Program is a 40+ year old ministry within the ELCA committed to fostering learning environments for followers of Jesus to grow in faith. The program has recently added new course curriculum and more flexibility with a Foundation Year and optional subsequent Practical Year tracks.
There are currently two Growing in Faith Diakonia communities in the Grand Canyon Synod with the Online cohort and hybrid communities in Metro Phoenix (which meets both in-person and online) offering classes, retreats, and mutual care to equip followers of Jesus to live out their faith. Students from all over the country are now enrolling in courses offered through our online communities.
A two-year curriculum allows folks to progress through foundational and practical learning. The program welcomes people where they are in their faith understanding and challenges them to grow to a deeper level. There is a one time $25 Enrollment Fee and $70 Tuition Fee per class.
Classes meet in person at two locations: Peace Lutheran in Phoenix or Spirit of Hope Lutheran in Mesa. Or join online using the Zoom option.
Questions? Email admin@diakonia.education
Years ago, when I used to do an alternative “Gen X” worship service, I would scour the internet for interesting prayers and meditations to include. Most of them, interestingly, came from England. They had a burst of creativity in the 90’s. One in particular stuck out for me, and I’ve used it for years since.
Breathe in love - Breathe out hate
Breathe in life - Breathe out death
Breathe in peace - Breathe out anxiety
Breathe in gentleness - Breathe out tension
Breathe in God’s presence - Breathe out all that distracts you from God
It works best when you sit back and take a bunch of breaths between each section. We tend to have a lot of anxiety, for example, and it can take a bit to get that out.
You know the phrase, “garbage in, garbage out”? This is the reverse of that – it’s choosing to focus on the positive, on the Godly. It’s taking in the good to fill yourself with that, rather than just focusing on the negative. I believe that simply getting rid of the bad by trying to abstain or push away is less effective than replacing the bad with the good. So, rather than just trying to cut back drinking with will power, maybe look at your social calendar and find some social outlets without drinking, and find some hobbies and activities that bring you joy and are sober, and work on identifying and replacing the negativities that you may be trying to not deal with or hide with drinking.
It's the same philosophy I have with kids, that when we simply say, “don’t use drugs” or “don’t sleep around” it can often be counter-productive, making it tempting. But when you have positive things your kids are doing – active in church, serving the poor, connected to family, contributing to the world – then they’re too busy and the destructive behaviors just don’t seem as appealing.
It’s when your life is filled with God and service, the stuff that comes out is positive.
So when life is full of these things that are negative, it can be easy to start becoming negative. When you watch news shows that are full of angry rants and doom-and-gloom prophecies of the end of your way of life and family and apple pie if you don’t stand up and stop XYZ now, you will find that your attitude gets angry and fearful. You become sour and bitter and walk around with a chip on your shoulder. I’ve seen too many people become unhappy with grievances over listening to people who are just that. The process is never instant; we are rarely conscious of it. We’re not good at being self-aware of our emotions as people; they creep up on us. But after a while you meet someone you haven’t seen in a bit, and wonder what happened. Why so mad all the time? He used to be so much fun?
Getting back to kids, this is what we understand when we think of our kids’ peer groups. You know the phrase, “they got involved in the wrong crowd”. And it’s true that to be friends in certain circles you have to conform to things – whether that’s drugs or some other behavior – or face ridicule and ostracizing. We know this with teenagers, but how often do we think of this in our selves? Are the people I hang around with life-giving? Do they build me up? Do they make me more loving, kind, patient, calm, magnanimous? Or something else?
Someone did a study in Colorado a few years ago, where they took liberals from Boulder, and conservatives from Colorado Springs, and put them in a room together to talk politics. When together, and forced to listen to opposing views, they generally took more moderate positions. Nobody converted to the “other side”, but their stances were less strident. When they had them only among like-minded people, their positions became more and more extreme the longer they were together. It was as if just having the echo-chamber to complain to each other made everyone’s views harsher and less tolerant.
So many ways that our thinking is influenced by the voices outside our selves. Time to step back, again, and breath in love, breath out hate…..
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A couple weeks ago I preached on Ephesians 3:16-17, and said I’d come back to it
16I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
The words struck me when I read them, not because they were jarring, but because they were so profound. What’s in our inner being? What do we bring into our selves to dwell with? Is it hate? Anger? Resentment? Fear? Or is it the Holy Spirit, filling our hearts with Christ and his ways of love, slowness to anger, forgiveness, service, and justice? Spirituality is just that, it’s breathing in the Spirit, filling yourself with God, and becoming more Jesus-like. Breath in Jesus, breath out anger, hate, revenge, resentment, fear. Breath in Jesus and breath in patience, calm, forgiveness, and love. Surround yourself with things like Jesus and become more like him, when he dwells in your inner being, and your outer being will be more joyful and full of faith.
Peace,
Pastor Lars
Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, and Janette Carollo.
We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.
Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect mac and cheese, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, canned tuna/chicken, cereal, peanut butter and jelly.Summer is an especially difficult time for families since kids are out of school and missing some essential meals. Let’s help lighten their burden and make sure they all have enough to eat.
Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall. Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired. Also, please no glass containers. If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:
If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:
MFB-CRC
c/o Sahuarita Food Bank
PO Box 968
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC. You can also donate online at http://mfb-crc.org
Your monetary gift goes a long way. Every $10 helps provide 50 meals.
God’s Work Our Hands
Outreach will be offering two projects as part of God’s Work/Our Hands during Rally Day, September 8, 2024. All members of Outreach will be out of town on September 8th! We are looking for two people to take the lead for the service projects we do during God’s Work, Our Hands.
One of the projects is assembling hygiene bags for the homeless. During the month of August, we will be collecting hand wipes, hand sanitizer, socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, disposable razors, sunscreen, small Kleenex packs, band-aids, and lip balm. A collection box has been placed in the Narthex.
The second project will be making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Sister José Women’s Center. Sister José aids and transforms the lives of women experiencing homelessness. Their low-barrier day center provides unaccompanied women who are unhoused with a stable and safe environment to recuperate from the daily struggle of homelessness and extreme poverty. This will be the fourth year we’ve provided sandwiches for Sister José they are very thankful for the help.
If you’re interested in helping with either of these service projects, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or 520-419-7475.
