PASTOR'S MESSAGE
If that's ever really happened to you, you know that having a child born to you changes everything. Your whole world is turned upside down. All your priorities shift. I suspect that's the kind of change God hopes for from us when Jesus comes into our lives. Sending prophets with radical messages didn't change God's people, so God sends this Baby to change everything.
We celebrate the Baby's birth on Christmas Day. And then suddenly, usually about December 26, Jesus becomes in our imagination a loving adult companion who cares for us. But that's not how it works with real babies; real babies stay with us and grow. And God sent us a real baby.
Imagine a new baby in your life. Many of us would feel like elderly Sarah and Abraham; we'd celebrate a miraculous event and wonder how we will ever manage to change so much at our age. And everything will change: some of you have seen how much even a new puppy has made me rearrange my life, and it's really uncomfortable to think that God expects me to change even more than that if I let Christ into my life.
Think about it: How different is your life as a Christian from the way it would be if you were not a Christian? Does this God-Child born for us make any real difference in how we live or arrange our priorities?
Yet, the change, the turn around (which is what repentance means), involved in having a baby come into our lives is really quite simple. The arrival of a new baby means putting someone else's needs before our own. Not neglecting our own needs, but considering another's needs first. It is from that kind of love that new life is born and grows.
"Unto us a child is born." A Child sent to turn our lives around. A Baby who taught us to love. This is news of great joy, that we, like Mary, can treasure and ponder in our hearts. And, as the Child grows in our lives, may our hearts be filled with delight in Him.
MEET OUR MINISTRY TEAM
Johanna Morrigan
Our Saviour's, Little Falls
Called to be a preacher
Greetings and the peace of God to all of you in the Spirit of the Heartland. I am excited and honored to be on our Ministry Team. Some of you know that I am fairly new to the Episcopal Church. I was confirmed and received by Bishop Putnam two and a half years ago. However, what I lack in longevity, I believe I make up for in enthusiasm and love for this remarkable church. My Scottish, Irish, and English heritage makes the Anglican tradition very familiar to me in many ways. For me it fits far better than the Presbyterian Church in which I was raised.
In these past few years, I have served as a lay reader, lay eucharistic minister, and clerk to the vestry of Our Saviour's. Recently I was licensed as a lay eucharistic visitor. I do some of the communication's work within our parish such as preparing the weekly Sunday bulletin, and writing press releases for the local paper. Education for Ministry (EFM) has been a challenging and delightful part of my life for the past several years. Last November, I attended mentor training at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and co-mentored our group in Sauk Centre. This year I am mentoring the EFM group in Little Falls. Two summers ago I went through Cursillo. It was an awesome mountain-top experience. Last summer I was privileged to present a rollo - another mountain-top. For those of you who aren't sure what cursillo and rollo mean, I would sure encourage you to check it out this summer. For the past year or so, I have been preaching - finding the experience both humbling and exhilarating.
I live with my life partner, Cedar, in the tiny village of St. Matthias, north of Little Falls. I am a clinical psychologist in Brainerd, and specialize in working with people who have been severely traumatized. In many ways it is the spiritual depth of this work which brought me back to the Church. Cedar (who is also on the Ministry Team) and I recently celebrated our 15th anniversary with a blessing of our union at Our Saviour's. The remarkable welcome and love which the people of the Episcopal Church have extended to us reminds us daily of God's abundance in our lives. I am eagerly looking forward to getting to know each one of you more fully, and to sharing with you in the ministry of Jesus, our Christ.
WHERE'S OUR TEAM?
The Spirit of the Heartland Ministry Team met on December 11 at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre. We gave thanks to God to have the wall up and to be back in the sanctuary. We began at 9 am with opening prayer . It was decided that two hours was too short a time for the preachers to meet, so we agreed to change the time for preachers to 9 to noon. Two gave sermons, Rob and Linda, which were very good and we critiqued the sermons to offer pointers.
We miss our snow birds in the South but wanted to keep you in touch with our meeting. All the team ministers gathered at 11 am and spoke on our favorite saints, while Cynthia retrieved her purse with car keys locked up tightly in her car. After several calls, Triple-A came to her rescue. We then broke for lunch. New team-only schedule will be from 12 to 2 pm.
During our check-in we caught up on each other's lives and continued to speak about our special saints. Cedar asked if there was a saint for humility and if so, let her know. We decided to bring brown bag lunches but Ann also brought chili for anyone who wanted some.
We continued with speaking on how we pray. We all had "different strokes for different folks," but as long as they work, that's the main thing; and that we all take time to pray. Formation time will be from 2-4 pm from now on. Prayer was offered and talks on Rules of Life, "Discipline & Delight," and Spiritual Direction. Lisa Kimball's Rule of Life was mentioned: "Show up, listen, and tell the truth."
Those in attendance at different times in the day were Randy, Rob, Linda, Cedar, Johanna, Cynthia, Lu, Ann, Pat+, and "Zippy" (Zipporah – our newest darling member).
Questions to keep in mind: A spiritual director for the team and also for individuals. A covenant with the spiritual director and an escape clause. Simmering for Lent: A community covenant to parallel our individual rules of life. Next meeting at Paynesville with Lu and Randy planning our worship time. High mass planned by Rob and Cynthia was postponed until next meeting at Sauk Centre. We adjourned at 3:35 and saw our first snowfall and covering, though most of it melted away. Go with God.
EVANGELISM
It's that dreaded "E word"--"evangelism." It makes most good Episcopalians uncomfortable. We'd really prefer to leave the "witnessing" to our Baptist brothers and sisters. Few of us have a burning desire to go door-to-door as other witnesses do.
And yet "evangelism" means spreading the Good News of God's love. In our discernment time our parishes agreed that one of the greatest gifts of the Episcopal Church is our liturgy. That's our kind of evangelism – we spread the good news through our worship. The problem seems to be that very few people know about our worship, or about us at all. Two of our churches are doing something about that.
Brave souls from the Church of Our Saviour in Little Falls went out Christmas caroling in the cold, announcing clearly to church neighbors "Merry Christmas from the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour!" There is even talk of going out caroling for "Christmas in July"spreading laughter as well as the Good News -- a surprise tactic perhaps not unlike God's choice to send a baby out with the Good News.
The people of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre, taking a less holy, but no less practical clue from politicians and realtors, have made a yard sign intended to go home with a different parishioner each week. It's an easy, non-threatening way to invite neighbors to church, to let folks know we're there, and to generate discussion.
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