King of Kings

Prayer for the House on 04.19.21 I’m Ingrid Rasmussen. I serve as Lead Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis. I w...as raised on a family farm in Cottonwood, MN. Before I pray, I’d like to acknowledge that much of my life has been lived on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Dakota people. Let us join our hearts. Attentive One, we come to you as weary people, laid low by unpredictability and unemployment, virtual learning and Zoom fatigue, isolation and ICUs. We are weary from unattended grief the virus has claimed our elders, our neighbors, our friends, our spouses, our children. If we’re honest, some days it feels as though all we are doing is holding our breath. We pine for the life we knew before words like quarantine and lockdown and aerosols became part of our communal lexicon. But if there is anything this time has shown us, it’s that normal had fault lines, too. Pandemics have a way of further revealing preexisting inequalitiesin healthcare, in wages, in technology, in housing, in hunger, in pocketbooks, in policing. If normal wasn’t right, and if returning isn’t an option, O God, where then are we to go? What are we to make of this moment? Could it be, Holy One, that something is waiting to be born like the moment when the seed, planted in fertile ground, is summoned forthby sun and water and grit to become something new? Could it be that this is the moment when compassion and courage empathy and wisdom understanding and LOOOOVVVVEEEE are finally given hospitable conditions to change, to grow, to live? Could it be that this is the moment when that tender green that brilliant green emerges from the earth as if to signal that nothing not partisanship, not self-interest, not anything, not *even* money, will stand in the way of abundant life emerging? Renewing Spirit, we want to believe this *is* the moment that even as we mourn George Floyd and Daunte Wright, that even as we decry violence against another generation of Black and Brown bodies, that even as righteous anger and sacred lament are met with military force, [all as the world watches on] Dear God, we want to believe this *is* the moment. But we need you to fill in the spaces of our disbelief and doubt. We need you to bridge the chasms between peacekeeping and peacemaking. We need you to abolish the cynicism that quietly feeds brutality. And from gravel road to city street, we need you to bind a fragmented people together. Living Spirit, the truth is that you can already see a new world, one we have not yet known. May this be the moment, God of All, when we catch a glimpse of *that world* arising. AMEN.

A member of our beloved community entered into eternal life this morning, Apr. 16, 2021. Gail Stebbins died of cancer at a care facility in Palm Springs. She was 80 yrs old. No services are being held at this time. Knowing that their mom really liked the water, the sons intend on sprinkling the ashes in Chesapeake Bay. Please write a memory of Gail in the comments and post a picture if you have one. Eternal rest grant to her, O Lord. Light perpetual shine upon her. Amen.

Easter worship on zoom at 9:30am. Email [email protected] for the link. Drive-by the church at 11am for so much Easter joy (and free treats!).

Is your congregation holding online Holy Week and Easter services? Link to them below so that others may join. Looking for an online service? Just check the comments below!

As we approach Holy Week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that Jesus is present in all of our suffering. The lives lost to gun violence and the suffering caused by the pandemic - Christ has journeyed this path and continues to journey with us.

We haven't seen anyone with hats like her but we can remember some snappy dressers over the years!

How long, O Lord?

We pray for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Chiefs came out ahead at King of Kings. But we know that the real winners are at Interfaith Community Services. Chris Hall filled his trunk, Jan Hall filled her truck!

This week, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares some of the rich contributions of Black Lutheran history. #BlackHistoryMonth

I was seeing hail outside my window! Praise God for all creation.

This looks to be an interesting presentation.

What a terrible scene is unfolding in our nation’s capitol at this time. Please join me in prayer now. Remembering our baptism promise to strive for justice and peace in all the earth, let us pray: O God, our refuge and strength, you have bound us together in a common life. In all our conflicts, help us to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, to listen for your voice amid competing claims, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jes...us Christ our Lord. We pray to you almighty God, in this time of protest and conflict at the Capitol in Washington DC. You are our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Do not let us fail in the face of these events. Uphold us with your love, and give us the strength we need. Help us in our confusion, and guide our actions. Heal the hurt, console the bereaved and afflicted, protect the innocent and helpless, and deliver any who are still in peril; for the sake of your great mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Wednesday Evening Prayer this week we continue with the theme "Created for Community" in community with those on the margins. zoom in for service at 7pm.

Today is the ninth day of Christmas. Let our gladness have no end, Hallelujah!

A Christmas Eve tradition...holding candles and singing Silent Night. Even when in the sanctuary of our own homes, it brings joy and peace.

San Diego County Public Health is opening a vaccination location in Oceanside beginning Sunday, January 24, 2021 at the North County Coastal facility in Ocean R...anch, located at 3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd. The site will be open from Sunday - Thursday from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. They are currently only vaccinating healthcare workers and people ages 65 and older. Appointments are necessary and can be made through the San Diego County website beginning Saturday, January 23, 2021. Check back frequently as they open more appointments on a regular basis.https://www.sandiegocounty.gov//va/COVID-19-VaxEvents.html _________________________________________ El Departamento de Salud Pública del Condado de San Diego abrirá un lugar de vacunación en Oceanside a partir del domingo 24 de enero de 2021 en el North County Coastal facility en Ocean Ranch, ubicado en 3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd. El sitio estará abierto de domingo a jueves de 9:30 a.m. a 3:30 p.m. Actualmente, solo están vacunando a los trabajadores de la salud y a las personas mayores de 65 años. Las citas son necesarias y se pueden hacer a través del sitio web del condado de San Diego a partir del sábado 23 de enero de 2021. Consulte con frecuencia al sitio web, ya que abrirán más citas de manera regular: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov//va/COVID-19-VaxEvents.html _ #oceansideca #oceanside #covidvacccine

Longest Night/Blue Christmas service tonight at 7pm. Use Midweek worship zoom link. Email me if you need the link.

Be well, dear church.

Our congregation received one of these grants last spring. Your contributions have helped us continue our outreach ministries. Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/KingofKingsOceanside/videos/341802466860738/

All the cool kids are doing it and I'm curious: what are my preaching go-tos?

This is St Francis day and here is a quote from another Francis.

Jesus said, Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. Join us as Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton addresses what this call means for our church and for our nation.

A Congregation Meeting for the purpose of electing a call committee will be held on October 4, 2020. The meeting will be on zoom at 10:45am. Members of the congregation are invited to either phone in or log in. Contact the church office if you didn't get the link.

Today, September 29th, we celebrate the feast of St. Michael and the Archangels. I want to share with you my SAINT MICHAEL AND THE ARCHANGELS (serigraph, 2006).... St. Michael is our symbol of the Divine Presence, generosity, harmony, justice and compassion. This angel comforts us and gives us the resolve to know that no matter what we struggle with, we are not alone. Together, we are stronger than the demons of hate, confusion, despair, exploitation, poverty, and war. "We may not aspire to emulate these holy beings in the same way we do other saints. But we may invoke their aid and invite their assistance in resisting evil, in bearing witness to the good news, in navigating our way through the challenges that beset us, and in finding our way to those we are intended to meet." --Robert Ellsberg, Blessed Among Us (Liturgical Press, 2016)

Our prayers and sympathy for Lew Harley and his family on the death of his wife, Yo on Sept 25th. A stroke a couple of months ago led to hospitalization, then rehab and finally, a few short weeks ago, hospice care. I was blessed to be able to pray the Commendation for the Dying for Yo earlier this month. It was indeed Holy Ground as we gathered around Yo's bed. Lew, his daughter Mary, grandson Skyler and his new wife, Rachel all participated in this prayer and anointing. A small funeral service will be held at the mortuary in the coming weeks.

Clean up around your neighborhood and report what you find. Stay safe with a mask and gloves, try to recycle what you can and report what you find. Thank you to everyone who participates!

I’m baptized. You’re baptized. We are in this together. By any measure, this has been a tough week. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that the Spirit has forged us together in a bond that’s unbreakable in the body of Christ.

World Hunger gala on Thursday night. I am attending...can you join me?

What are the two concepts that Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton feels Lutherans "just don't get?" Find out in this week's message!