This Week at Humble Walk

Worship
4:30 on Sundays at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, St Paul

Sunday, Dec. 23
Humble Walk Office Party!! Potluck at Acme Scenic Arts. We are bustin’ out the Goodwill fine china and setting a place for you. 4:30PM.

Support Humble Walk Blitz Week: We give thanks for this generosity. It’s been a wild, amazing week. Read more about it here: www.humblewalkchurch.org/blog
Visit our site at: http://www.razoo.com/story/Humble-Walk-Lutheran-Church

Christmas Tea
Monday, December 24 at the Houge house. Drop in and have a cup of tea and a treat. 10-11:00AM. Take a deep breath before you venture into the land of extended family. (Email Jodi for directions jodihouge@gmail.com).

Sunday, Dec. 30
We baptize sweet baby Anita. Come and witness the promises God makes to this her. Acme Scenic Arts at 4:30PM.

Weight of the Word=small groups who gather to connect with one another and the Gospel text for the coming Sunday. You can show up at one that is already cooking OR form your own.

Weight of the Word-Mickey’s Diner. 6-7AM every other Wednesday. For more info: contact Jen jlh980@gmail.com

Weight of the Word-Now with more kids. 9:30AM-10:30AM every other Tuesday (kids welcomed and expected). For more info: contact Erin erindeboermoran@gmail.com 

Coming this Fall and Winter and Summer Next:

All ages winter retreat at Bay Lake Camp MLK weekend (Jan. 19-21)

All ages family camp at Bay Lake Camp, June 20-23, 2013

I am not sure if you know this, but Humble Walk doesn’t financially function like most churches (huge shock, I know). We rely on a wide web of generosity. That wide web looks like: the national Lutheran church, our local Saint Paul Area Synod (a network of all the ELCA churches in St Paul), partner congregations who walk along side us, offering gifts on Sundays, passing the hat at Beer and Hymns, grants…and as of this week…a week-long online giving blitz. Mush that all together and you get…one duct-taped-together mission church budget.

Our budget is about $65,000 and provides: one part-time pastor (me), a quarter-time art and music coordinator (Justin), a weekly worship artist, weekly worship, monthly Theology Pub, monthly Beer and Hymns, a Wild Summer coordinator, a summer of Wild events, ice cream socials, bike blessing events, summer camp for kids, retreats, Summer Homework…and about 200 trips to make copies at FedEx (which I still call “Kinko’s”). (I also still call Macy’s “Dayton’s”). (Not really).

Humble Walk is growing like crazy. A congregation of singers and sinners and saints and drinkers and servers assembles at each event at Shamrock’s Pub. Our summers in the park teem with kids and the adults who love them. We welcome new faces into worship every single week. (And none of this fits into that stewardship model you might be thinking of…)

Two weeks ago, I met with my director to talk about our financial future (not as bad as it sounds…there were latte’s involved). At that point, we were going to end the year $18K in the hole. Blah. So…

With gratitude,

Jodi

This Week at Humble Walk

Worship
4:30 on Sundays at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, St Paul

Sunday, Dec. 16 Advent 3
Prayers for the school shooting victims and a nation in mourning.
Gospel text: Luke 3: 7-18  John the Baptist arrives on the scene with playground rules for fair play.
Interactive sermon brought to you by Team Advent.

Support Humble Walk Blitz Week: $3720 has been shared from Humble folk in Holland, OH…Edmonds, WA…Tea, SD…Thunder Bay, Ontario…Moorhead, MN. We give thanks for this generosity. Visit our site at: http://www.razoo.com/story/Humble-Walk-Lutheran-Church

Beer and Carols at Shamock’s Pub
Monday, December 17 from 7-9PM.

Christmas Tea
Monday, December 24 at the Houge house. Drop in and have a cup of tea and a treat. 10-11:30AM. Take a deep breath before you venture into the land of extended family. (Email Jodi for directions jodihouge@gmail.com).
Weight of the Word=small groups who gather to connect with one another and the Gospel text for the coming Sunday. You can show up at one that is already cooking OR form your own.

Weight of the Word-Mickey’s Diner. 6-7AM every other Wednesday. For more info: contact Jen jlh980@gmail.com

Weight of the Word-Now with more kids. 9:30AM-10:30AM every other Tuesday (kids welcomed and expected). For more info: contact Erin erindeboermoran@gmail.com 

Coming this Fall and Winter and Summer Next:

All ages winter retreat at Bay Lake Camp MLK weekend (Jan. 19-21)

All ages family camp at Bay Lake Camp, June 20-23, 2013

This Week at Humble Walk

Worship
4:30 on Sundays at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, St Paul

Sunday, Dec. 9 Advent 2
Gospel text: Luke 3: 1-6
John the Baptist makes his way onto the scene—calling for us to prepare the way.
We listen. We make some noise. We wonder what it sounds like when valleys are filled and mountains are made low.
Pick up band (bring an instrument, should you feel so moved).

Beer and Carols at Shamock’s Pub
Monday, December 17 from 7-9PM.

Christmas Tea
Monday, December 24 at the Houge house. Drop in and have a cup of tea and a treat. 10-11:30AM. Take a deep breath before you venture into the land of extended family. (Email Jodi for directions jodihouge@gmail.com).

Weight of the Word=small groups who gather to connect with one another and the Gospel text for the coming Sunday. You can show up at one that is already cooking OR form your own.

Weight of the Word-Mickey’s Diner. 6-7AM every other Wednesday. For more info: contact Jen jlh980@gmail.com

Weight of the Word-Now with more kids. 9:30AM-10:30AM every other Tuesday (kids welcomed and expected). For more info: contact Erin erindeboermoran@gmail.com

Coming this Fall and Winter and Summer Next:

All ages winter retreat at Bay Lake Camp MLK weekend (Jan. 19-21)

All ages family camp at Bay Lake Camp, June 20-23, 2013

You know how when the shit hits the proverbial fan–or when folks are in a place where they have very little to lose (because it seems like they have lost everything already)–how during those times, people tend to tell the truth? The hard truth? That’s the sort of storytelling we had last night at Shamrock’s Pub.

Back up. Last night, we gathered for our regular monthly Theology Pub night–but it wasn’t normal. Mostly because Humble Walk doesn’t have a normal. But also because we did our first storytelling event. We gathered three storytellers with guitars and three storytellers without guitars–and they all shared pieces under the theme: Waiting in the Dark. It was good, friends. Better than good.

I’m grateful to our three storytellers without guitars who stood up at the mic and told us stories of waiting. Without scripts. Without notes. It was incredibly brave. And, I am grateful for our songwriters–and understand that the Humble Walk community is rich with music. It’s like we have a soundtrack being written for us (um, because we do).

So, Advent is here and we are waiting. And it is dark. But we have stories and honesty and music and by God’s grace, we have one another.

This Sunday, we begin Advent. To prime the pump, take a gander at this little story from local pastor, John Marboe. John is doing part time interim work at one of our partner congregations, Gustavus Adolphus in East St Paul. He is also a part time garbage man. This story comes from his work on the garbage circuit.  If you want to read more garbage spirituality, find it here: Rev.Dr. Garbage Man.

On a bitter-cold Thursday afternoon near
Christmastime last year, I pulled up to a
stop in Roseville; a modest rambler with a
yard full of Christmas lights and figurines.
I was training in my friend Mark, another
underemployed Lutheran pastor who, like
me, thought there was something oddly
fitting about “men of the cloth” hauling
trash.
I flipped the lid on that first can of the
wintery morning, and looking back at us
was the cherubic face of a plastic figure of
the baby Jesus. Mark and I looked at each
other and broke into laughter, wondering
at the odds that the first stop together of
two pastors in a garbage truck would
involve Jesus in the trash. We also mused
at what moved people to throw it out: Was
it broken? Light no longer worked? Faded
from exposure? Or just time for a new
cresh…perhaps one where Jesus does not
have pale skin and blue eyes?
Anyway, I showed Mark how to tip the can
with the hydraulic lift and we moved on.
By the end of the day we had all but
forgotten about baby Jesus until we got to
the dump. Because first in is last out, the
last item to fall atop the pile of garbage we
had collected that day was the figurine of
Jesus, only now smeared with the garbage
in which he had been compressed.
I simply had to snap the picture. And, like
so many of the images that present
themselves in trash, this got me thinking.
I thought about the extent to which it is a
startling image of our disposable culture.
Use it and toss it, the turning of natural
resources into mountains of trash, but also
the way in which people, workers, are
increasingly viewed as disposable. This
Jesus was disposable too.
Is not that the way the
story goes in the Gospel
as well? He is disposed
of at Golgatha, the site
where it is said garbage
from the city was tossed.
But it is Christmas, and
not time to contemplate
such unpleasantness,
right? A time for hearth
and home, warm
welcome and good
cheer, tidings of
comfort and joy,
except…
The story is that Jesus
was born into poverty
and dirt, his family was
homeless that cold
night. They took shelter
in a stable, most likely
a dank cave full of
animals and manure.
From birth to death, the
Gospels speak of Jesus
as a person of lowly
means and estate who
lived with the
“unwashed” and the
out-cast, whom the
powerful refused and
treated as refuse.
The more I think of it,
the more “The Little
Lord Jesus Asleep in
the Dump,” as my
daughter gleefully
sang when she saw the
picture, is a truer and
more powerful image
to contemplate at
Christmas than the
shiny, happy, pretty
ones we would rather
imagine and place in
our yards.
Blessed Christmas,
Pastor John

This Week at Humble Walk

Worship
4:30 on Sundays at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, St Paul

Sunday, Dec. 2  Advent 1
Homework assignment
Answer some or all of the following questions by way of images.

1. How do you know it’s winter?
2. What does redemption look like?
3. What does transition look like?
4. What are you afraid of?

Ways to collect images:

1. Cut out pictures from a magazine, newspaper, or print something out from the internet. If cutting up a magazine gives you guilt issues, keep in mind that print is dead.
2. Create a work of art on a piece of paper smaller than 8.5.x11. Paint, crayon, macaroni, whatever. In fact, I would love to see macaroni art that answers #4.
3. Go on a family scavenger hunt – bring your camera or smartphone and go around inside or outside, giving everyone a turn taking pictures that answer these questions. If you use a digital camera and you’re not averse to spending a little money, upload the images to your computer and you can send them to an evil chain store like Target or WalMart to print them out for cheap.

Bring these to church next week. We need them.

Theology Pub: Waiting in the Dark, a night of storytelling and music. Monday, December 3 at Shamrock’s Pub. 7-9PM.

Weight of the Word=small groups who gather to connect with one another and the Gospel text for the coming Sunday. You can show up at one that is already cooking OR form your own.

Weight of the Word-Mickey’s Diner. 6-7AM every other Wednesday. For more info: contact Jen jlh980@gmail.com

Weight of the Word-Now with more kids. 9:30AM-10:30AM every other Tuesday (kids welcomed and expected). For more info: contact Erin erindeboermoran@gmail.com 

Coming this Fall and Winter and Summer Next:
Beer and Hymns at Shamrock’s: Dec. 17
All ages winter retreat at Bay Lake Camp MLK weekend (Jan. 19-21)
All ages family camp at Bay Lake Camp, June 20-23, 2013

This Week at Humble Walk

Worship
4:30 on Sundays at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, St Paul

Sunday, Nov. 25 Our final installment of the Resonance liturgy with Holly Newsom (of Zoo Animal) AND seminarian Peter Clark preaches. Gospel John 18: 33-37.

Christmas Poll: Are you around? Interested in gathering for worship? Let us know so we can plan accordChristmasly.

Speaking of worship…we are entering into a discernment process around our worship life. Read about it here: http://humblewalkchurch.org/2012/11/13/tell-it-like-it-is/

Advent is coming. We tend to do this season well (so if you are wondering if you want to hang out in December…you do.) Read more about it here: http://humblewalkchurch.org/2012/11/15/come-on-its-time-to-look-up/

Theology Pub: Waiting in the Dark, a night of storytelling and music. Monday, December 3 at Shamrock’s Pub. 7-9PM.

Weight of the Word=small groups who gather to connect with one another and the Gospel text for the coming Sunday. You can show up at one that is already cooking OR form your own.

Weight of the Word-Mickey’s Diner. 6-7AM every other Wednesday. For more info: contact Jen jlh980@gmail.com

Weight of the Word-Now with more kids. 9:30AM-10:30AM every other Tuesday (kids welcomed and expected). For more info: contact Erin erindeboermoran@gmail.com 

Coming this Fall and Winter and Summer Next:
Beer and Hymns at Shamrock’s: Dec. 17
All ages winter retreat at Bay Lake Camp MLK weekend (Jan. 19-21)
All ages family camp at Bay Lake Camp, June 20-23, 2013

I’ve said for most of my adult life that Lent is my favorite season. But lately, advent seems to be winning me over. For 1000 reasons, I love advent–the hopeful waiting, the shelter from the cultural storm of Christmas (Happy birthday Baby Jesus, I hope you like crap!), huddling together in the cold and dark and lighting feisty candles, giving voice to our joy and grief around holiday gatherings. It’s just all so good.

Guess what? I’d love to control the world. Especially the little one I live in. I love to control things! But I find myself increasingly squeezed by this part time gig. Exhausted, even. And the thought of planning a creative advent season and preaching every week while working on all the other spinning plates led me to give up control. Nice perk, eh? I recently told someone that four years ago, I invited folks to gather as Humble Walk and I have been following them every since. Sometimes, you need to remind  me.

I asked Justin if he would gather folks and plan the season. And then that crew can just tell me what to do and where to be. You know what I love? That he said, “Heck ya!” and then put out the invite. Know who showed up to our awesome dive bar on a Monday night to plan a kickass advent season? Musicians, artists and theology students. What on earth, people. That’s just amazing to me.

It is going to be a trip. Here is a glimpse…
Advent 1: Images. Signs and wonders and fig tree.
Advent 2: Sounds. What does it sound like when valleys are made low?
Advent 3: Language. We get to re-translate John the Baptist’s rant. Brood of Vipers=Bunch of Assholes.
Advent 4: Action. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth naturally leads us to the Humble Walk Office Christmas Party.

Come on. It’s time to look up.

This Week at Humble Walk

 Worship
4:30 on Sundays at Acme Scenic Arts, 941 West 7th Street, St Paul

Sunday, Nov. 18  We hear stories from our Guatemala traveler, Jess Myhre. Holly Newsom (of Zoo Animal) leads an amazing and soulful original liturgy, Resonance. Take a listen http://www.nemercy.org/resonance/
Gospel Mark 13: 1-8.

Sunday, Nov. 25 Holly Newsom (of Zoo Animal) AND seminarian Peter Clark preaches. Gospel John 18: 33-37.

Christmas Poll: Are you around? Interested in gathering for worship?

Speaking of worship…we are entering into a discernment process around our worship life. Read about it here: http://humblewalkchurch.org/2012/11/13/tell-it-like-it-is/

Beer and Hymns is back and sing-i-er than ever. Monday, Nov. 19 from 7-9PM at Shamrock’s Pub. Bring your people over.

Weight of the Word=small groups who gather to connect with one another and the Gospel text for the coming Sunday. You can show up at one that is already cooking OR form your own.

Weight of the Word-Mickey’s Diner. 6-7AM every other Wednesday. For more info: contact Jen jlh980@gmail.com

Weight of the Word-Now with more kids. 9:30AM-10:30AM every other Tuesday (kids welcomed and expected). For more info: contact Erin erindeboermoran@gmail.com 

Coming this Fall and Winter and Summer Next:
Theology Pub at Shamrock’s:  Dec. 3
Beer and Hymns at Shamrock’s: Nov. 19, Dec. 17
All ages winter retreat at Bay Lake Camp MLK weekend (Jan. 19-21)
All ages family camp at Bay Lake Camp, June 20-23, 2013