This Sunday

Annual Congregational Meeting & Potluck Lunch

Sunday, May 20th 10:15am We will be reviewing the annual report, voting on the budget, electing a treasurer and 3 at-large members, and taking a final vote on the revised

Constitution. Potluck lunch after the meeting.

AND

End of the Year Celebration for Education Hour

There will be games, activities and snacks for the youth during the annual meeting.

Sunday, June 3rd at 10:15am

Interested in hearing more about St.

Olaf? If you’d like to renew or become a member of St. Olaf’s we have a simple gathering to share more about the church and to get to know you.

Please join us in the Fellowship Hall.

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Pastor’s Note

A weekly letter from Pr. Tom Pietz

St. Olaf Lutheran Church

May 14 – 20, 2018

Let’s say you are having a conversation with someone and right on the spot that person said, “Tell me about Jesus”, what would you say? Turn to someone near you. Share just a few sentences. Did you lean on the Apostle’s Creed, what did you say? How did you describe Jesus? How do we understand this man, who is

God, who came down to us to show us the Way, the Truth, and the life?

He was kind of like a superhero right? He could heal people, raise people from the dead, people followed him and were amazed by him, right? But he was different than a superhero wasn’t he. Superheroes come to the rescue, as Jesus does too, but he does so in a way that is humble, compassionate and full of love.

We understand that God is love. And Jesus is God’s love in the flesh, love in human form. Thanks to Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown.

GOD IS LOVE, so now replace the word LOVE with GOD and Jesus. Let’s say it together using God.

Now let’s turn to Paul’s incredible hymn in Philippians:

Let’s sing it!

Verse 3 3 Do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. This is so very ingrained in our culture of competition, winning, & seeking recognition.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In a “me first” culture, Jesus’

Philippians 2:8 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!

So, based on this scripture reading, how would you describe Jesus? Shout out some words. It’s difficult to put ourselves into the shoes of another person, but if we were to walk in Jesus’ shoes, what do you think his mindset was? What was he thinking to himself as he walked through the towns and villages and saw people harassed and helpless like a sheep without a shepherd. What did he feel in his gut? What was his immediate response? A gut response is COMPASSION, which Henri Nouwen defines compassion as “to suffer with” someone. So, Jesus was thinking of people’s needs, asking good relevant questions and listening to their story, and then he loved and served them…even forgave and healed them. And even more, he felt their pain, even wept like those weeping at the death of Lazarus. That’s our Jesus, that’s our God, and that’s our God’s desire for us to be like as well. WHAT IF we are unified in mission, seeing eye to eye, being like-minded, one in the Spirit, having tenderness and compassion, we love one another and love all of our neighbors? That could start a movement…oh, this IS a movement…this IS the Way of Christ, it’s what we call the Christian faith. And rather than satisfy his own needs and look to himself first, Jesus emptied himself, taking the very form of a slave or servant, giving his life away in service to any brother or sister who had need. Let me share but a few examples of this loving compassion and people giving their lives away from this past week that I experienced:

(1) I led a Shorehaven chapel service on Tuesday and I ran into our own Sandy St. George who volunteers there multiple days a week wheeling residents to their exercise class, chapel and other things. She just loves on them, listens, and genuinely cares for these precious people. Wow, what a blessing to have a steady face and friend in their lives at that age when family may not be able to get there so often. Thanks Sandy!

(2) At our Wine & Beer Tasting Event in March I met the parents of Cade. Cade was killed tragically in a car accident in Rubicon. And so he was celebrated this weekend for his love of baseball and his gift of extending the lives of others through his donation of organs to four people, one child who threw out the first pitch. The Guenther family, Dave & Kathy Johnston, Roger and Lyn Johnson, Kurt Ludwig and others are serving at the event or playing softball. Way to go! To participate in such an event so encourages families and communities that have gone through a tragic loss. (3) Here’s the Tuesday men’s group that just started and welcomes any others to come any Tuesday to join us. What I heard from the hearts of these men is a desire to learn more about Jesus by looking deeper at the scriptures and talking about them together. To share their lives, highs and lows, to pray for one another, and do life together. From a 20 something, a 40 something, a few 50 somethings, and a few 60 somethings, we are learning the way of Jesus together…this will continue to be a highlight of my week! And I’m sure many of you lived this self-less, humble, compassionate way of Jesus this week too. There are many ways we live out our faith in Christ. Here’s one to inspire you, from this past Wednesday’s CBS news. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-austin-getting-a-lot-of-love-for-his-crusade-to-help-the-homeless/ Let’s continue to live in the mindset of Jesus, caring for the needs of others like Jesus did.

And “don’t forget to show love” 😊. Amen.

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Sell OurSyrup

We have an ample supply of maple syrup available for sale.

$20/quart; $10/pint; $5/half-pint You can participate in this effort to support your church by helping to sell it. Great gift for Mother's/Father's Day, Birthdays, or a Thank You gesture. You may even think ahead and buy a Christmas gift!

Help the general fund of St. Olaf!

HELP US RAISE MONEY AND ENJOY THIS WELL KNOWN, LOCALLY MADE PRODUCT. Order forms due by May 20

th to Diane Dowling. Pick up orders

at church on May 30th

6pm.

VBS Service Project

Donations Needed

* 70-sheet notebooks * 30-centimeter rulers * pencil sharpeners * blunt scissors * unsharpened #2 pencils w/ erasers * ballpoint pens * box of 16 or 24 crayons * erasers * sturdy drawstring bags, backpack style, cloth