March 7th, 2024

GREETINGS TO GOD’S

IMAGE BEARERS,

In this season of Lent, we are getting to know our neighbors a bit better as we invite local social service agencies to share with us what they are doing and how they are engaging with our neighbors who are struggling with life. 

Although it is a very small organization, Sarah Ross from Compeer helps to bring people with mental health challenges together with others to form friendships to combat loneliness which I’ve heard is on the rise across the nation.  Jennie Schmidt from Free Medical and Dental Clinic told us about how helpful it was to have a dentist on staff with immigrants coming who have never had dental care and I am grateful we have neighbors like free clinic to be that first place, that entry point for our newest neighbors to get help and access to care for their bodies.

Ally Tippe, Volunteer Coordinator and In-Kind Donations Manager spoke of how Domestic Violence Intervention Program helps our neighbors who live in the most intimate relationships suffering abuse to have a way out.  She said on average it takes 7 times of contact with DVIP before our neighbor can break the cycle of violence and abuse to move toward more life sustaining relationships.  They also offer foster care for animals because so often a person will not leave their pet in danger.  DVIP is also seeing an increase in neighbors who have experienced human trafficking. 

Getting to know our neighbors this season of Lent expands our idea, our definition of neighbor.  Jesus does that too when he tell the story of the Good Samaritan where we are reminded to help anyone, any neighbor in need.  You have done that as we have listened to our neighbors and a variety of needs.  You have given of your time, attention, and money to help our neighbors. Thank you.  Thank you to our Thrivent Action teams supporting Compeer, DVIP and Inside Out Reentry Program. 

Some of you have been praying in our neighborhood which I am very grateful for.  I wonder what God will do through us as we continue to talk and listen to God as we broaden our ideas about our neighbors as we get to know them in a variety of ways.

I think about the neighbors of the bible. In John’s gospel, the writer introduces us to neighbors like Nicodemus and the Woman at the well, using very contrasting people to teach us about God’s abiding presence with us and how God pitches a tent among us through Jesus.  I think about the Moabite neighbor, Ruth clinging to Naomi.  I think about Jonah and his great reluctance to go to his Ninevite neighbors and his shipmate neighbors and I smile as I wonder what God will do with us, through us, as we think about our neighbors and what it means to be a neighbor.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

P.S. Remember to Walk & Pray in our neighborhood.

February 29th, 2024

GREETINGS TO GOD’S IMAGE BEARERS,

Right after Ash Wednesday, I drove to Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin for a couple of days of personal retreat, “Deep Breath”, a self-guided retreat for pastors. My spirit was filled as I entered into religious community life with centering prayer and worship three times a day besides reading and resting. It was a wonderful way to begin the season of Lent. This prayer from Thomas Keating was the pray that I began my retreat with:

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

I welcome everything that comes to me today, because I know it is for my healing.

I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions.

I let go of my desire for power and control.

I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval and pleasure.

I let go of my desire for survival

and security.

I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself.

I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within.  Amen.

And God’s good timing placed me there at the same time of the Retreat on Two Feet which focused on walking meditation.  In this time of retreat and renewal, I felt that God was affirming our community discipline to walk and pray in our neighborhood.  For me it was a God coincidence.

Walking and praying in our neighborhood is something that I have wanted to do for a long time.  Inviting you to participate as a Lenten discipline is a bonus.  I’m trying to walk and pray once a week in the Wonderful Westside.  The first time I greeted a couple of people as they walked or waited for the bus.  I saw all the apartments and condos.  There are many people who live close together.  I remembered my own days of apartment living and I prayed for all the people who live close together and for good relationships among neighbors.  I saw lots of vehicles and prayed for them to run well as they provide transportation.

The next time I walked, I saw cats sunning themselves in the window and heard a barking dog and I gave thanks to God for the gift of good company and companionship of pets. 

When it came time to purchase in-kind offering for the Free Medical & Dental Clinic, I shopped at Hartig Drug in our neighborhood and discovered some treats for myself.  This helped me to see God’s abundance through the time of walking and what I was moved to do.  Had I not been walking and praying in the neighborhood, I think I would have shopped at my usual places.  It was good to shop there and talk with a clerk who was very friendly and inviting.

I hope these reflections will encourage you to walk and pray in our neighborhood.  Give me a call if you want a walking partner.  If walking isn’t for you, drive, park and pray or slowly run your finger over the map, praying for our neighbors.  Listen for God’s whisperings and share your reflections on the paper hanging in the alcove near the kitchen.  There you will also find some walking practices and prompts for contemplative walking practices that were given to me on the retreat on 2 feet.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

February 16th, 2024

CTKGREETINGS TO GOD’S IMAGE BEARERS,

Welcome to Lent.  Our theme this year is getting to know our neighbors.  Each Wednesday we will have the opportunity to meet our neighbors from organizations that directly serve our neighbors, like Sarah Ross who works for Compeer facilitating friendships with the hope of mental wellness.

Another opportunity for all of us at Christ the King is to walk in prayer through the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood.  You can do this at any time you desire.  If you travel a distance, you may want to walk and pray on Sunday morning before or after worship or Wednesdays.

I walked and prayed the perimeter in about 30 minutes (see map).  I walked and talked with God, asking for God’s blessings on our neighbors, giving thanks for the nature I encountered and greeting those I met along the way.  After I finished the prayer walk, I felt refreshed and blessed by God.

In the alcove you will find a place to share your reflections or impressions or what God shared with you as you walked.  If walking is not for you, try driving, parking and praying.

Consider this part of our community Lenten discipline.  Together as a worshipping community we refrain from that word of praise that we buried on Sunday on the Transfiguration of our Lord and will spring forth again when we come to worship to celebrate Easter in 40 days.  This is another opportunity for us to journey with God in our immediate neighborhood, listening for what God may want us to do with our neighbors and us as we walk together.

There are no hard and fast rules for this, just an invitation to try it.  It may be awkward at first.  That’s ok. Trust Jesus to walk with you.  He’s really good at walking with us. You may want to invite a friend with you or do this as a family.  Take a favorite scripture with you.  Mine is Proverbs 3:5-6 – trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge the Lord and he will make straight your paths.   From this I can draw easily into conversation with Jesus as I walk and explore our neighborhood.  Or let music accompany you as you walk and pray.  Experiment and trust God to walk with us.  God is faithful.

This is such a lovely time to be walking and praying in our neighborhood.  If you do this weekly, I’m sure you will see the signs of Spring and I wonder what God will work through us and what insight the Holy Spirit will breath into us.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

February 9th, 2023

GREETINGS TO GOD’S IMAGE BEARERS,

It was such a delight to have Bishop Current with us last Sunday.  There is a joy that exudes from her that is from the Holy Spirit.  Thank you all for the warm welcome you gave her.  Hold her and our church in your prayers as Bishop Current serves on our behalf connecting us to other churches within the synod as well as the larger church.  And if you feel called to serve in synod leadership, please let me know and I will make necessary connections.  I will also let you know what positions the synod nominating committee is seeking.

I am grateful for the image of threshold places that Bishop Current offered to us with the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law.  It lingers for Carolyn Laxson as you will read in her article reflecting on her epiphany word, RITUAL and for me too as I think about the Transfiguration of Our Lord for this Sunday.

Not only are doorways places of threshold, places of movement where we are nurtured with the promises of our baptism and the food of Jesus’ table so that we are energized to go out into the world but so are mountain tops.  Mountain tops and those mountain top like experiences are moments of transfiguration, where we get a glimpse of God that we may not fully understand immediately but yet touch us and leave us speechless or stammering for something to do.

We may long to stay in those mountain top moments, like Peter desired but these places are places of movement.  Places to go to and from.  They are threshold places that help us to move as we get a little glimpse of what God is up to.  God pulls back the veil and we can see a bit more.

Jon Bengtson shared at adult forum a mountain top experience from his time attending a national youth gathering and the impression it left.  Amy Frank attended the Extravaganza which is an event that prepares youth directors for the national youth gathering in July.  She brought to our attention that due to the covid cancellations, this will be the first time that there are no youth that have attended the gathering before.  It is a brand-new event for all, except our adult leaders.  So for those of you who have attended a national youth gathering, please share about your experience and your hopes for our gathered youth. We hope and pray for our youth to have a mountain top experience at our youth gathering this summer and at that place away, Ewalu near Strawberry Point for summer camp, including Confirmation Camp. 

In this coming week we will be experiencing a couple of threshold events with the Transfiguration of Our Lord and Ash Wednesday.  We will give God glory and praise and then tuck away our alleluias, fasting from them as we move to the valley of Ash Wednesday, reminding ourselves that we dust and to dust we shall return.  These are threshold places.  Places we visit for a time and then move through.  We don’t build a dwelling here but move through bidding farewell to the season of Epiphany and into the season of Lent.  We move from God being revealed to us and to where God’s revelation takes us.

Approach these mountain top and valley times with a keen ear for the whisperings of the Holy Spirit that just might tell us to listen to Jesus and hearing Jesus say keep quiet until even more has been revealed.  Trust Jesus to be with us as we move through these times together.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack

February 1st, 2024

GREETINGS TO GOD’S IMAGE BEARERS,

 Now is the time to stir your creativity and begin thinking about making an ALLELUIA (Greek) or if you prefer Halleluia (Hebrew) to add to our Transfiguration of Our Lord Sunday (Feb. 11) where we feast on the alleluias before we fast during the 40 days of Lent.  The rhythm of moving from feast to fast to feast helps us to engage fully in our relationship with God as we move from celebrating the goodness of God to a time of great desire and need for God.  This rhythm keeps us in step with Jesus and Jesus’ journey with humanity as we move back and forth between feasting and fasting.

When I was in Israel we visited Mt. Tabor, one of the possible sites of Jesus’ transfiguration (the other is Mount Hermon) as the Bible does not name the high place Jesus took Peter, James and John.  We visited this high place.  Our guide pointed out that the architecture of the church reflected Peter’s question to Jesus of his desire to build 3 booths for them.  The structure reminded us that we would like to stay in the feasting place as long as we can and experience the glory of God, the parts of us that want to shout out allulia.

Inside the main worship area there are two levels of worship beside the many little chapel areas.  I like that idea of high and low worship areas mingling together with the idea of the movement between high places and low places and the worship in both with different tones and rhythms. At times we feel close to God and at other times the distance seems far and yet God is here and it is good to be here.

In our chapel time at this church, we were asked to reflect on transfiguration experiences and to briefly share. I shared that the Sunday of Transfiguration was the Sunday I was installed at Christ the King.  I remember saying like Peter, “It is good to be here.”  How true that statement is even after all these years.  How good it is to be here to worship God with you in the high place and the valley times. 

Sit with God, the God who loves you and wants good things for you.  Give God praise with your alleluias in whatever shape they take, with your desire to want to stay with God, to be in God’s presence with joy and delight.  And even though you would like to stay here in this good place, begin your preparations of going down into the valley again for the journey of Lent, asking God to show you where your life needs examination, to show you your blind spots, the places you cannot see on your own but need God’s help to see.

It is good to be here with you and with God, to move between these high and low places, the places of feasting and the fasting and feasting again.

Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack