and i don’t mean this in a flippant love like how i love my nook color, or i love my new boots, or i love any silly material item.

i love lent with all my soul.

i love this time of intense reflection, of attempting to improve your faith and your daily life, of being fully aware of how messed up life can be and yet always looking to God who is full of grace and mercy and love.

i love how this is the one time each church year when we openly acknowledge our sinfulness, our propensity to fail, our broken relationship with God.

and we do all this knowing full well that we are human and need God.
we know that we are going to die [eventually] and only God can give us new life.
we fall on our knees and confess all that we are, trusting that God loves us even when we are unable to love. especially when we are unable to love.

this time of reflecting about suffering, sin and death always brings me great joy.
yes, i know that this can sound a bit like schadenfreude (german word to describe how people feel joy at another’s sorrow).
but it’s so much more.

it’s the freedom that comes when we are open and honest about who we are and about our need for God.

i love lent because for a few weeks a year i know that i am not alone in thinking deep thoughts and remaining as honest as possible.

our entire community rallies together in this church season that is set apart from the rest of the year. lent is unlike any other time of our year, and i have always appreciated its uniqueness.

we are now at the beginning of the season of lent.
last night i marked foreheads with ashen crosses, reminding us of our human frailty and limitations.
it was humbling, but also uplifting.
because even though we may fall, God lifts us up.
even though the ashen cross represents human suffering and death, God brings life to us.

during lent i fall to my knees and i break open my heart to let God in.

oh how i love lent.

 These women had stories to tell.  We knew them from the scripture passages that introduced us to them; but, we also learned that as women of flesh and blood their stories held more than just what was in print.  And, as for Sophia, her story begins before time began. 

Some things that struck us were (just some things – there were so many I can’t list them all):

            Eve had to mourn the loss of a son to murder and another son to exile (because he was the murderer)

            Hagar is the only person in the Bible to give God a name.  (El-roi)

            Both Jael & Judith were women of strong character who delivered their people from the enemy.

            Phoebe was a deacon and Junia was an apostle.

            Sophia (Wisdom) was with God in the beginning.

Through these stories we learned that we have stories to tell as well.  That all who gather to learn about the people of the Bible and read their stories have the stories of his/her own in his/her journey with God.  Some of the women’s stories helped us to speak; some caused us to pause and look at our own lives; some will keep us wondering.

Maybe during this Lent season you may find yourself wanting to explore the women of the Bible and through them take your own journey of discovery.  Forty days of learning about them; forty days of learning more about yourself: who you are, and whose you are.

 Blessed Lent, Pastor Jessica

This morning at bible study in McVille, we completed reading through all 50 chapters of the book of Genesis.

We started this journey back in early October and officially finished on Feb 15. That is 4 months of reading the stories and hearing how God was always at work with imperfect people prone to making stupid mistakes, and yet in the midst of their brokenness God was always at work and accomplishing what God intended to happen.

Next week, on Ash Wednesday, we are going to start reading the gospel of Mark. For the church year, Mark is the gospel we focus on and read from. So we are going to sit down, read through it without jumping from story to story like in the lectionary, and take time to discuss what we are hearing and learning.

Please join us either in person or if you can’t be there, read the gospel on your own knowing that you are not alone.

And yes, I did give out certificates (although the pink did not print since I didn’t use a color printer).
Cause who doesn’t love having something simple to help celebrate the accomplishment?

But here are some things to update you on since we last chatted [aka last time I blogged]:

1. Christmas – we survived the chaos and the ridiculously nice weather. Sad face for a brown Christmas, happy face for being able to wear dresses with cute shoes instead of needing to layer and wear snow gear!
Numerous services meant for busy schedules but also amazing to be able to sing the classic hymns more than once.
Who knew that the best part of being a pastor at Christmas time would be that I got to sing silent night more than once?
This year in McVille I added on a second, late-night service at the request of my family (I hosted this year and was grateful for safe traveling conditions since my family traveled north from South Dakota). We sang a capella and it was a different way of doing Christmas Eve, but I kinda liked the change from the organ.
[No offense to all you organ players out there, but I love me some a capella singing...]

2. 2011 ended, 2012 began – last year was a time of great change and upheaval and accomplishments, at least in my life. And in the world of TCM. I graduated, was ordained and was installed as the new pastor within about 5 weeks.
Whew…and people wonder why I have no idea what goals to have for 2012? How can I top 2011?
I have a few ideas, but I’m not sure if they’re realistic or not…

3. Annual meetings are over and done with. I have to admit that meetings are my least favorite part of being a pastor, but I was excited to attend the annual meetings that I did. I like hearing about what went on last year and to get ideas of what we can look forward to trying this year.
Weird, I know.
But I really am looking forward to getting people involved in new ways (service projects, shared meals, etc).

4. I took a vacation. It was nice to be in old, familiar settings. But it was more of a work vacation since I did a wedding for a college friend
[no one warned me how awkward/awesome it would be to go back as a pastor to the chapel I worked at in college...]
and attended a conference at luther seminary.
I did manage some fun in the form of shopping: new boots, new purse, new dress, new chairs, stocked up on foods/drinks only found at specialty stores in the cities

5. Bible studies.
- Binford: Pastor Jessica has been leading a study about various women in the Bible at Binford on Tues afternoons. And Becky Goetz has a short series on Sunday mornings.
- McVille: WE ARE ALMOST DONE READING THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOK OF GENESIS!!!!!!
[yeah, i used caps lock to show how exciting this is...]
Next round (starting on Ash Wednesday) will be the gospel of Mark since that is the gospel our lectionary keeps reading from this year.

6. Lent…
- is just around the corner (Ash Wed is Feb 22)
- is going to be a time to think about the covenants on Sunday mornings and the characters [other than Jesus] in gospel stories on Wednesday evenings

7. Pastoral presence in your communities
Your pastors want to be visible (and physical) presences, so we will be setting up office hours in each community! Yay!
(although I do understand that some of you may not be as excited as others to know you must be on your best behavior…wink, wink)
Pastor Jessica will rotate through Hannaford, McHenry, Grace City and Cooperstown. More on the exact schedule to come…
And I’ll start spending my Friday afternoons at Trinity in Binford (next week, not two days from now). I will be found in the comfy chair in the nursery next to the office…possibly napping
Please know that you can stop by any of the locations and visit with either of us.

We are to the story of Jacob (he has just fled for his life and has ended up at his uncle Laban’s where he just met Rachel). We read about the fallout that Jacob and Esau had, and how their parents Isaac and Rebekah had picked their favorites from those twins. Taking the time to read the stories is enough to try patience at times, but is worth it. Some stories are easier to connect with than others. With the recent story of Jacob and Esau, the people who show up are unsettled to read how two brothers act around each other, but even more shocking is how the parents act. Each person reading the story finds something that fascinates or appalls.

Everyone one of us enters into the story of Genesis because we have different understandings of what life looks like, of how people ought to behave, of what we expect God to say and do. But when we read Genesis, we find that people are just people. We may want to disconnect ourselves since they lived in a very different time/place, but in reality they are much like us today. They are not perfect (far from it, as a matter of fact). We cannot shy away from the fact that we’ve read stories of murder, incest, lies and deceit. Each character in Genesis has tough lessons learned through constant mistakes. People are tested and usually fall short. But God is a God of promise who is faithful to the people he chose to create and bless.

We are taking next week off, but we will be resuming Jan 4 with Genesis 29:15. If you can’t get to McVille at 9 am, at least you know where we are in the story of a broken people who find that God is faithful.

This past week I (aka Pastor Kara) hosted two events at my house.
1. Youth Xmas Party
2. Open House

I love being around people, especially when there is fun conversation and food and friendship.
So I opened up my home for those who wanted to see where their pastor spends her free time (and of course, some time is working on sermons or Bible studies).
I cleaned up the house, even the bedrooms so people could see what I mean when I say that I have more than enough space in my 4-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath home.

I hope that everyone who came enjoyed the afternoon.

Here are some pictures from the day:

...cause who doesn't like an inflatable nativity?

best location for parties...the kitchen!

We drove around to tour the area, seeing some of the history of important buildings and the sacred locations (like where they celebrate the Sundance ceremony, partake in sweat lodge, and travel for a vision quest).

In the afternoon, Larry and his wife Darla shared stories with us: how the Dakota people came to be in this part of the country (since they originated in the Wisconsin area), what were some significant events in history that shaped their culture today, how they walk between two worlds as they try to remember who they are as Dakota and yet also as Christians, and what are some common myths that lead to a lot of fear and misunderstanding.

The following video is a compilation of 1.5 hrs of lecture and storytelling that I edited down to 25 min. The edit pulls together the themes of what was discussed to help give our confirmation students who missed the trip a chance to hear at least some of what we learned.

Disclaimer – It’s not the best quality for two main reasons: the background noise is the air conditioner running and I’m not good at holding a camcorder for that long of time, so there are times when I didn’t realize what I was filming…

Kara’s answer to such a silly question: Of course he didn’t melt! Solid peppermint doesn’t melt… (at least not to my knowledge)
In fact, Peppy’s still in his plastic shrinkwrap and looking as unhealthy as ever (I don’t think peppermint is necessarily healthy).

Peppy’s day of reckoning is coming soon…Dec 11, to be precise.
Sometime between 3 and 7 pm, to be even more precise.
Probably around 5, to be even more precise.
(question: is there a way to be even more precise than even more precise?!?)

However, I make a Peppy party update because of the following reasons:
1. The time and location were set for the Christmas party (3-7 pm at the parsonage in McVille)
2. The age limit was set for those expected to attend (ages 12-29, although I will welcome anyone brave enough to enter a party intended for youth). I suppose the “young at heart” could theoretically count as youth…
3. The means for choosing who gets to break Peppy were decided:
…Step A: show up at the party and enter your name in the drawing
…Step B: be really lucky and have your name drawn
…Step C: be entrusted with the felt bag and mini hammer
…Step D: hammer away!
4. The other events at the party were suggested (beyond playing games and eating food):
- make a Christmas card for someone
- watch Christmas movies
- listen to Christmas music
- decorate Christmas cookies (and of course enter the cookie decorating contest)
- and last but not least: attend the Christmas cantata next door at 7:30

I got lots of responses (THANK YOU!!!!!!!) that I then recorded. I typed up each and every answer into an excel document, then I sorted them A-Z. I’m including the massive list of the 153 at the bottom of the page (you’re welcome). But also included is the video that I put together that summarizes what I read and heard about. It was fascinating to read all of the answers provided.

I will start off by embedding a video that some of you saw in church as part of my reflections about stewardship.

And now for the gigantic list:

Act as 4-H leaders
Altar guild
Book keeper, scorers, and timers at school
Booster club
Bring food
Bring food to a family in need
Bring items to the food pantry
Bring meals when a member of the community is ill
Build relationships with youth
By reaching out to anyone in need
By visiting the ill, the lonely, those new to community
Care for my family
Care for my patients in the emergency room
Caring for the daily needs of my family and friends
Clean
Cleaning
Coffee fellowship
Committee member
Community café
Concern
Confirmation assistant
Cook
Cook and clean
Create a welcoming, family-oriented city celebration
Deacon
Do mission projects in flooded areas
Do volunteer work for the church
Donate food, money, etc to help others
Donate to worthy causes such as food pantry
Drive elderly to doctor appointments
Encourage people to participate
Faithfulness
Farm
Feed a friend’s pet
Feed animals
Fix and repair neighbors’ equipment
Follow the “golden rule”
Food pantry
Give blood
Give financially
Give monetarily
Give neighbors a ride home when they have flat tires
Give rides to those who can’t drive
Greeter
Help a neighbor in need
Help at funerals with serving
Help children with homework
Help each other
Help friends and neighbors
Help friends and one another when they are ill and need help
Help in church
Help in the church by serving for funerals, showers and other activities
Help lead worship
Help my mother
Help neighbor with yard work
Help out my brothers and sisters
Help out others when they need it
Help out Sunday School
Help people
Help someone who is sick
Help spouse in time of need
Help take care of the earth
Help with church supper
Help with church yardwork
Help with communion
Help with dishes
Helping and sticking up for a friend in a time when they need it
Helping the elderly
Hospitality
I care for people and people care for me
In my job
Keep a set of clean clothes for family to wear
Lawn care
Lay assistant
Listen
Look after children
Look for opportunities to help your neighbor
Love one another
Make church bulletins and inserts
Make meals for new moms, the sick, the grieving
Make quilts to give away
Make wholesome meals for the family
Mow church lawn
Mow park, cemetary and church yard
Not gossip about others
Open a door for someone
Paint a friend’s house
Parenting
Pay for someone’s meal
Pick up garbage in ditches
Play piano for Sunday School
Pray for each other
Pray for one another
Pray for others
Pray for others
Pray when asked to pray for someone and tell them you are praying for them
Prayer
Prepare communion
Provide all powerpoints
Provide part of crop for different functions
Quilt
Rake leaves
Remove snow from neighbors’ yard
School board
Secretary
Serve as EMTs
Serve at funerals
Serve in leadership roles when needed
Serve on church council
Serve on city council or township boards
Serve on community board for the betterment of our communities
Serve senior citizens
Serving in church and circle offices
Serving on WELCA
Share homemade quilts with those in need
Share the word of God in different ways (Stiches & Scripture)
Share your gravel pit
Sing at weddings and funerals
Study the lessons and better serve others
Sunday School
Sunday School teacher
Take care of children
Take food to families who have had a death in the family
Talking with people
Teach children to make good choices and to make the most of their lives
Teach Sunday School
Time and efforts above and beyond my duties
Treasure
Try to be compassionate and caring to others
Use my gift for different functions
Usher
Usher
Visit people in nursing homes
Visit the elderly
Visit the sick and do things for them
Volunteer
Volunteer on ambulance crew
Volunteer to serve on committees
Wave to neighbors
Welcome all
Welcome others
Work with hospice
Work with kids to make better choices
Worship leader

Peppy is a pig made of peppermint. (My mom found him in a catalog)
Peppy is going to be a main feature at the youth Christmas party in December. (Mark your calendars for the afternoon of Dec 11)
Peppy will be broken apart and savored by many (cause pigs are meant to be eaten, after all).

peppy the peppermint pig