Upcoming Sermon Series:
Already/Not Yet
"Already and not yet."
by Pastor Meta Herrick Carlson
Searching for God Knows What
It's one of my favorite ways to think about the Kingdom
of God. We are living in between what has already been
accomplished in Jesus and the full experience of life
everlasting. This is the thin space between baptism and
death, between hoping and knowing for certain. There are
glimmers of heaven's love and justice revealed on earth.
There are sips and morsels of the feast that has no end. There are promises and
rituals so ancient that they feel brand new. This concept shows up in my churchy
life, but also in my plain old mess-of-a-human being life.
My children often sneak into my bedroom early in the morning. If it's just a few
minutes before the alarm goes off, they know I won't send them back to bed.
They burrow into my covers while I keep my eyes closed, already awake...but not
yet.
The bananas on my kitchen counter are forming brown spots. No one will chose
them as a snack today, but they will all eat the banana
muffins I make later this week. In the meantime, they
wait to be changed.
I drive past the tent city on Hiawatha and Franklin
almost every day. This summer the donation requests
were hooded sweatshirts, but now they need insulated
tents. Red Lake Nation and the City of Minneapolis are
working together to build a shelter and navigation center
in time for winter, and mission partner Beacon Interfaith
is seeking to be involved in a more permanent solution.
Warm beds have been promised, but there are many
more cold nights outside before they are ready.
There are
promises
and rituals
so ancient
that they
feel brand
new.
This season's scripture stories bear more images of "already and not yet." We'll
hear stories about people searching for meaning, belonging, usefulness, dignity
and power. God's own son will be looking for a warm place to be born and then a
safe place to hide from Herod's wrath. Our lives will also bear images of "already
and not yet" when we remember the saints who have gone before us and grieve
their absence from this year's holiday traditions. We will navigate familial and
commercial expectations of Christmas the best we can.
The world already has plenty of subscribers to an either/or mentality. As a
disciple of Jesus, your life testifies to a both/and in which God's beloved find
shelter, promises are kept and heaven is revealed. May it be so! May the Kingdom
claim and call you in the thin spaces of these months, with glimmers of love and
justice born from heaven for the sake of the whole creation.
Emergency Response with Beacon Interfaith
Thursday, November 8, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Edina Community Lutheran Church
Members of Beacon Leadership Teams, clergy, and other congregational
leaders are encouraged to join us for this important meeting as we discern the
collaborative's response to the Franklin / Hiawatha Encampment. Questions?
Contact Pastor Meta. RSVP online at www.beaconinterfaith.org.
2
God is not at a distance, to be
discovered by the end of your story.
God is a presence from the very
beginning, calling you by name into
relationship through Jesus Christ.
Nov. 4:
Heaven on Earth
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44
Nov. 11:
Justice
Mark 12:38-44
Nov. 18:
Signs
Mark 13:1-8
Nov. 21:
Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25-33
Nov. 25:
A True Leader
Revelation 1: 4b-8
John 18:33-37
Let Ev’ry Heart Prepare
The season of Advent holds the
promise of Christmas. It’s a season of
waiting that calls us to stillness as we
prepare for the story of joy that is born.
Dec. 2:
Be on Guard
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Luke 21:25-26
Dec. 9:
Repent
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 3:1-6
Dec. 16:
Bear Fruit
Isaiah 12:2-6
Luke 3:7-18
Dec. 23:
A Servant's Song
Micah 5:2-5a
Luke 1:46-55
Dec. 24:
Luke 2
Dec. 25:
John 1:1-9
Dec. 30:
Colossians 3:12-17
John 1:10-14
Next CONNECT deadline for the
January/February issue:
December 10, 2018
The format is bi-monthly. Submissions
can be sent to Whitney Stofflet, wstofflet@
bethlehem-church.org.
CONNECT newsletter online
bethlehem-church.org