Jon Cook; Millie Mutka, Barb Zima, Zima family friends Stefan Sladek, Dave Butschli, Mick, Steven and Marilyn Hummel; Gregory Bowens; Laurie Nelson; Amber Ross’s daughter Linda; Randy & Diane Niemczyk’s daughter Julia VanAvery, niece Sarah Joda, and their dear friend Denise Hazel; Karen Stanton’s sister Sioux Vasarella; Dick Volland; Valeria Hesselberg; Chris Markussen; Anne Verona’s sister/brother-in-law Pat & Woody Woodworth; Dawn Gonitzke’s brother Scott Premo; Pastor Grant’s friends Jane Trasosech and Wendie Libert; the Eberts friends Patricia Kulzick and John Oliver; the Waggoner’s sister-in-law Cheryl Busse; Karen Engels’ niece Lisa and friends Bob and Dawn and Gail Wogsland; Ann Carlson’s people Stacy, Enid, Carolina, Curt, and Troy; and the people of Israel, Russia, Palestine and Ukraine. Prayers for California and all of those impacted by the wildfires.
PRAYER LIST PROCEDURE – Submit your prayer requests to the office in writing, by phone, by email or in person. If requesting prayers for someone other than yourself or an immediate family member, please obtain permission – unless the circumstances are public in nature.
WORSHIP ON FACEBOOK – Live on Facebook on Sundays at 9:00 & posted later for viewing.
GUESTS – if you are visiting us today, please sign our book at the entrance to the sanctuary.
QUILTERS UNTIE! – I mean unite to tie. Tie one on with the quilting group as they assemble quilts. Meet every first and third Wed of the month 9:30 to 11:30 am. (Designated driver optional).
DISASTER RELIEF – several people have asked about donating for the various disasters that have been occurring in the world and in our country. The best way to donate is via the Lutheran Disaster Fund https://give.elca.org/page/730…. That way you can designate where your funds are going and you can be assured the dollars are being spent wisely.
FLAT LUTHER – Flat Luther has been traveling! Check out his adventures on the window to the Fellowship Hall! More adventures have been documented. AND we now have several Flat Luthers available to go out in the world.
FUN FACTS: Some days I cheat for my fun facts and go to the hymnal and research a hymn that we are singing. This week I took a look at “Let Streams of Living Justice”, Text: William Whitla (b.1934) Tune: THAXTED, Gustav Holst (1874-1934). This ended up taking me down more than one rabbit hole
The following information was swiped from Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church in Arlington, VA. William Whitla wrote this hymn text in 1989. It was published in Sing Justice! Do Justice! (1998), a collection of hymns that “grew out of a formal search for hymns on justice sponsored by the organizations Alternative for Simple Living and The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. It had four stanzas. (I also found it referenced as a poem first – then a hymn).
Evangelical Lutheran Worship, not the only hymnal to do so, prints three of the four by omitting the second. Whitla is “not very keen” on this move, which he views as “cutting out both the too incarnational and the too feminine images.” Here is what he says about the hymn:
“I wrote the hymn in 1989 just after the events in Tiananmen Square, and when the Mothers of the Disappeared in Argentina were bringing their campaign to the conscience of the world. At the same time, the religious and racial disputes in Ireland, Israel-Palestine, the Congo and other parts of Africa, and in Canada and many other countries over First Nation or Aboriginal rights all seemed impossible to solve. Unfortunately, similar events are still replayed, and only too-similar images in the Near East, Irag, Afghanistan, and now Somalia- not to mention the school shootings at home-recur and are now extended well beyond those earlier sad happenings. So I used some images from those events, especially in verse two, seen through echoes of the holocaust, to tell of the bad news before the Good News of verses three and four. Subsequent events only sharpened those images, alas. To me all of these parts are needed for a full expression of the biblical promises of hope and justice so long awaited, including the too-common images of both the child with the gun and the old ones dreaming for peace.”
Here is stanza 2 that has been removed.
The dreaded disappearance of family and friend; the torture and the silence- the fear that knows no end; the mother with her candle, the child who holds a gun, the old one nursing hatred- all seek release to come. Each candle burns for freedom; each lights a tyrant’s fall; each flower placed for martyrs gives tongue to silenced call.
The tune, THAXTED*, was originally set to the text “I vow to thee, my country” and then used for others. That it is a splendid melody is clear. Whether it is a congregational one is less clear.
The next bit is from Wikipedia. Apparently, people named William Whitla do great things. I had to add his information because he too – has a connection to religion. Has absolutely nothing to do with the hymn.
Sir William Whitla (15 September 1851 – 11 December 1933) was an Irish physician and politician.
Born and raised at The Diamond in Monaghan Town, Educated at the town’s Model School, he was articled at fifteen to his brother James, a local pharmacist who had a chemist shop on Dublin Street in Monaghan Town, William completing his apprenticeship with Wheeler and Whitaker, Belfast’s leading pharmaceutical firm. Although born and raised as a Presbyterian, William and his wife converted to Methodisim shortly after their marriage. With his qualifications he obtained a post as resident medical officer at the Belfast General Hospital. He next spent some time in London, at St Thomas’s Hospital, where he met his future wife, Ada Bourne (1846–1932). She was a ward sister and friend of Florence Nightingale, and a member of the Salvation Army. He had a very successful career in medicine and education and also had a career in politics. A strong unionist, he was elected to Parliament in 1918, serving until 1923 as representative of the Queen’s University at Westminster. Professor Sir William and Lady Whitla were childless, and they were wealthy. As a biblical scholar he contributed an introductory study of the nature and the cause of unbelief, of miracles, and prophecy to an edition of Sir Isaac Newton’s Daniel and the Apocalypse published by John Murray in 1922.
In the twentieth century, *Thaxted – a town in a town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of north-west Essex, England – developed a musical tradition that can be traced back to the influence of the composer, Gustav Holst, and Conrad Noel, the vicar of Thaxted. In 1913, while on a walking holiday, Holst discovered the town and remained associated with it for the rest of his life. Encouraged by the vicar, Conrad Noel, a medievalist and folk-dancing and church music enthusiast, Holst had the idea of organizing a Whitsun festival there, bringing singers and players from St Paul’s Girls’ School and Morley College in London to join with local people in a weekend of musical festivities. In 1916, once he had finished The Planets, he devoted time to writing and arranging music especially for Thaxted. The carols Bring us in good ale (dedicated to Conrad Noel), Lullay my liking, Of one that is so fair and bright and Terly, terlow were specifically written for Thaxted. His most outstanding achievement was This have I done for my true love (also dedicated to Noel), “an evocation of the medieval notion of dancing and religious worship being closely intertwined”. Although the Whitsun Festival was discontinued in 1918, the idea was revived in 1980 and flourishes as the Thaxted Festival.
Thaxted is the name given to a hymn tune, a setting for “I Vow to Thee, My Country”, which Holst composed, based on the theme of “Jupiter” in his orchestral Planets suite. Holst wrote the Planets whilst living in a cottage in Monks Street outside Thaxted. (This whole bit wants me to research some more – but I have run out of room for the week).
NOTES FROM ANN: I’m still not sure how to pronounce “Thaxted” – tho it does remind me of ‘texted’.
Per·spec·tive
/pərˈspektiv/
noun
1.the art of drawing solid objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point:”a perspective drawing”
2.a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view:
Burt and I had to deal with an incident at home this week. Nothing I’m ready to share yet. My friend Julie found out about it and was a bit concerned because I hadn’t talked to her about it. We share practically everything with one another and have been known to overshare. (Again – really hope everyone reading is lucky enough to have a “Julie”. )
Anyway – she has been going through a lot. And is currently serving as the ‘gatekeeper’ for her family as they deal with a variety of serious health issues.
Of course, life doesn’t just throw her one curveball at a time – she is currently serving as the dude driving the ‘ball pick up truck’ on the driving range. Life/Everyone at the tee is taking bets and lobbing golf balls/problems at her and she is dealing with taking hits from golf balls left and right and straight up the exhaust pipe and her windshield is cracked. (Is it lawful to mix so many metaphors?) There isn’t ‘only’ the health issues – there are automobile repairs, sick dogs, keeping two households in order, managing decades long familial communication issues – you know – the usual … life.
So I didn’t tell her about our situation. I didn’t want to add one more thing to her list. Tho I was concerned about her reaction when I would tell her later. She found out sooner rather than later. She wasn’t hurt – she didn’t feel betrayed – she wasn’t angry – she said this, “Life doesn’t get to happen to one person at a time”.
How brilliant is that?
What makes that even better – is today’s message from the Gather magazine. Timely? Coincidence? God Wink? Perspective? Dunno.
When you are burning out Jan 23, 2025 01:00 am
Gazing at a struggling candle, I asked myself, “How many people seem fine on the outside but are actually on the edge of burnout?” My mind flooded with the names of those whom I knew to be caring for aging relatives or young children – or both. I remembered those who were living with chronic illness, depression, anxiety or grief. I thought about students grappling with challenging material, heavy homework and difficult exams. I thought about those who felt overwhelmed by their lists of tasks or piles of unpaid bills.
In Matthew’s gospel, just before the charge to “let your light shine before others (5:16), Jesus proclaims, “You are the light of the world” (5:14). In both verses, the “you” is plural. We are not alone. God gives us communities of support where we can shine together, drawing strength from one another. As the church, we are called to pray for one another, for the world and for all who are in need.
This message is excerpted from “The light bearers” by Julie A. Kanarr in the January/February 2020 Gather magazine.
So truly thankful for the light that all of you shine – as a congregation and as individuals. Pastor Grant and I were talking about one such person today – Benjamin Braunel. A young man who is involved in his church, his community – participating and learning and growing. He IS a light bearer.
And for fun – I have included some neat words that crossed the interwebs today for your edification. (See picture at the top)
And for even more fun – I share with you – Burt and Milo. We used to have our couch by the window. Milo had easy access for his viewing pleasure. Now we have two swivel chairs by the window. Milo will not get into the chair by himself. He is approaching the 70lb mark and has made it known that he does need help to get into the chair. Burt is his support. Burt appreciates the effort, but not necessarily the result. The things we do out of love.
