When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Luke 2:22
Dear Friends and Members of Lake of the Isles, it is always a discussion in our house when the Christmas decorations must be put away. The Christmas tree is easy. It must be standing through the 12 days of Christmas to the day of Epiphany on January 6th. Some years that’s a little risky when the needles begin to rain down when you walk by. In Scandinavia, Christmas trees are allowed to stand until January 13th, a day that is called the 20th Day of Knut. As the tree is carted away the last cookies and sweets are eaten. The Swedes even have a name for this ritual, “Julgransplundring,” which roughly translates as “the Christmas tree plundering.”
There is one other traditional date for marking the end of the Christmas season and that is Candlemas, February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord. According to St. Luke’s gospel, the infant Jesus was brought by Mary and Joseph to the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the law of Moses, this was the fortieth day since Jesus’ birth. . It was during this visit that the old prophet Simeon, who had been assured that he was to see the Messiah before his death, saw the couple and their infant son Jesus walking across the Temple courtyard. According to St. Luke gospel, Simeon took the child in his arms and announced, “Now, oh God, I can leave this world in peace- for I have seen my salvation.” He then spoke the prophecy that Jesus would be the light for all the world.
Martin Luther himself felt that the story of Candlemas captured the fullness of God’s love and grace. In a sermon for Candlemas he wrote Simeon’s prophetic word, “God has ‘prepared salvation,’ which fact clearly indicates that He is merciful and does not desire our death; yea, He has prepared this salvation for “all the people,” that everyone might enjoy his blessing.”
Candlemas is a natural day to put away the last Christmas decorations. And so our worship service on Candlemas will feature candlelight, the Sunday School children singing, and a hint of a Christmas carol or two. But there will also be a clear sense that we are moving away from the nativity toward the cross of Calvary. It is there, like Simeon, that we are given the assurance that we need not fear death. It is there that we will see our salvation.
The stars will keep guiding through this Epiphany season to remind us that the good news of salvation is for all the world to see.
Peace, Pastor Arden Haug
On Sunday, January 12th, The Festival of the Baptism of Our Lord, our new organist Kenneth Vigne will lead the congregation in song. Kenneth is a 2004 graduate of Como Park High School, a 2008 St. Olaf College graduate in church music (where he met his wife Emily) and a 2010 Master of Music Graduate in organ performance from the University of Oklahoma School of Music. For the past three years, Kenneth has been the organist at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville. In the weeks and months ahead he will take on the role as our Director of Music. In addition to his work in music, Kenneth, a Geek Squad veteran, works full-time in IT at General Mills. Join us on January 12th in welcoming Kenneth Vigne and his family.
When Janna and I were serving as missionaries in the newly independent nation of Latvia following the break-up of the Soviet Union, we were quite surprised to discover the difference and the confusion in New Year’s Eve traditions. In the textbooks of the Soviet Union, students had read about the New Year’s Eve traditions celebrated around the world. Regardless of their geographic differences, according to the textbooks, people sang “New Year’s songs,” and they decorated their “New Year’s trees.” They even gave one another “New Year’s presents.” In the Soviet textbooks, the festival of Christmas was not even mentioned except for an a footnote where it stated the British had a rich tradition of music called “carols.” These songs were reportedly sung a few days earlier than December 31st for a lesser known English festival called Christmas.Over the course of the past 20 years, many of the “former” Christmas traditions have returned to their proper place on December 24th, but there are still some unique New Year’s Eve traditions for December 31st. In Latvia you must still eat a bowl of gray peas with bacon bits before the stroke of midnight, otherwise, the remaining peas will foreshadow your tears in the new year. In Germany and Austria, families melt tin or lead and pour the molten mass into cool water. They then spend the rest of the evening interpreting the meaning of the new forms. In other parts of the world, churches gather in prayer in the hours before midnight. Perhaps the most common traditions are the ringing of church bells and the explosions of fireworks at midnight, and of course, the obligatory sipping of champagne. It seems, all people want a little preview of what the new year will bring.
In Slovakia, we experienced a mixture of the sacred and secular. As the church bells began to peel, it seemed as if the bells were singing an old Slovak hymn, called Rok Novy- or New Year. The text of the song was translated by the late Slovak-American hymn writer Jaroslava Vajda into the hymn “Greet Now the Swiftly Changing Year.”
This Jesus came to end sin’s war; This name of names for us he bore.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace Another year of grace.
His love abundant far exceeds The volume of a whole world’s needs.
Rejoice! Rejoice! With thanks embrace Another year of grace.
I meditate upon that simple text every New Year’s Eve. In spite of the gray peas, the molten tin, and the bubbles in the champagne, we really don’t know what the new year will bring. But we do have the assurance that “God’s love abundant far exceeds The volume of a whole world’s needs.” For me, that is good news. I can look at the new year ahead and rejoice. Indeed, God has given another year of grace.
Happy New Year! Pastor Arden Haug
The following infant received the sacrament of Holy Baptism at LOTI in December:
Stefan Mikael Sandberg
Born: November 27, 2010
Baptized: December 29, 2013
Parents: Svetlana and Mikael Sandberg
Please keep Stefan and his family in your prayers.
The Lord’s Prayer: Featuring Tot
This Sparkhouse Animated film was filmed in our sanctuary.
Be careful Arden, it looks like Tot wants your job!
The Sunday School pageant, under the direction of Diane LaMere, was the highlight of the day. The children put on a great program that was enjoyed by everyone. Below are some photos of the pageant and Lauren Rondestvedt who was Santa Lucia.
Isla Mae Tropple
Born: September 16, 2013
Baptized: November 17, 2013
Parents: Anne and Erik Tropple
Amelie Varenna Ducuns
Born: June 18, 2013
Baptized: November 27, 2013
Parents: Meredith and Christophe Ducuns
Tess Leona Wolke
Born: June 20, 2013
Baptized: November 30, 2013
Parents: Mary Jane and Joshua Wolke
Please keep our new little members and their families in your prayers.
LOTI volunteers have served dinner the first Friday of every month for years! This local outreach is a great way to get together with someone at church to help others in our neighborhood. We serve about 40 people once a month at Our Saviour’s Housing, 2219 Chicago Ave. S. If you have questions or want to join a group to cook and serve, please contact Susan Melbye at 952-239-0379. We have openings for several of the months in 2014.