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Minneapolis, MN 55410
Phone: 612-926-7645
Email: church@lakeharrietumc.org
T H E C H U R C H
We are a church that believes all people are children of God, unconditionally loved by our Creator whatever their age, race, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, marital status, physical or mental ability.
W H A T W E D O
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Ash Wednesday worship is TONIGHT, February 26
Service at 6:30p
Ash Wednesday worship is Wednesday, February 26, at 6:30p in the Sanctuary.
Join us as we begin the journey of Lent in worship led by our Confirmation Students.
Ever wonder where we get the ashes for Ash Wednesday? We burn the saved palm branches from last Palm Sunday! This happened this morning at church:
THE GOSPEL IN ACTION
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Be the hands and feet of God in the world in and through Lake Harriet UMC. There are volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, interests, and abilities! And, you don’t need to be a member to volunteer!
A L L A R E W E L C O M E H E R E !
Welcome and thanks for visiting! Please take a few minutes to explore the site and get a sense of what the LHUMC community has to offer. We also hope you’ll come visit us for worship or an upcoming event. We look forward to connecting with you and going deeper in our faith together. You are welcome here!
Rev. Karen Bruins
Lead Pastor
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26
Feb '20
Running with Mark 60 – Ash Wednesday
26
Feb '20
Day Sixty – February 26, 2020
Read:
Mark 9:30-37 New Revised Standard Version
Today is Ash Wednesday. I encourage you to come to the Ash Wednesday worship service tonight at 6:30 pm.
“Here’s my image of Ash Wednesday: If our lives were a long piece of fabric with our baptism on one end and our funeral on another, and we don’t know the distance between the two, then Ash Wednesday is a time when that fabric is pinched in the middle and the ends are held up so that our baptism in the past and our funeral in the future meet. The water and words from our baptism plus the earth and words from our funerals have come from the past and future to meet us in the present. And in that meeting we are reminded of the promises of God: That we are God’s, that there is no sin, no darkness, and yes, no grave that God will not come to find us in and love us back to life.”
― Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People
Please watch this music video Beautiful Things by Gungor
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
For a quick overview of Ash Wednesday and its meaning check out this video
Chuck Knows Church: Ash Wednesday
Music:
Brokenness Aside – by Sons and Daughters
Prayer Focus:
Pray about being intentional to your spiritual practices during Lent.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Karen Bruins
Read more
25
Feb '20
Running with Mark 59
25
Feb '20
Day Fifty-Nine – February 25, 2020
Read:
Mark 9:38-41 New Revised Standard Version
The disciples are upset because someone else is casting out demons in the name of Jesus. He tells them not to be upset, and that anyone who is acting in his name will not be able to speak any evil about him.
Next comes a powerful statement “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:40)
I’ve long thought there is a place for people of faith to work side-by-side with those of a different faith or no faith at all. For example, if there is another group, or an NGO that is helping with clean, safe drinking water in a country, we should be cheering them on and supporting them.
There seems to be a feeling, especially among both conservative and progressive Christians, that if a group’s theology is not perfectly aligned with theirs, that they should not support them. What do you think?
There are Christians who won’t support an organization feeding hungry people who happen to be Muslim, unless the organization offering supports also tries to convert those who are Muslim. Other Christians won’t support an organization that does include sharing the Gospel with their mission efforts of feeding, housing etc. Are they both right? Both wrong? A combination of the two?
I have long supported a child through World Vision. I wanted to feed hungry children and make sure they received education. I did not know anything about World Vision’s hiring practices.
On March 24, 2014, Rich Stearns, CEO of World Vision made an historic announcement indicating that World Vision would hire LGBTQ Christian folks. I was very pleased with this development.
The church world blew up over it. Conservative Christians withdrew their sponsorship. Progressive Christians signed up to sponsor children. Two days later World Vision reversed their decision and the same flurry of activity happened in reverse. I was disappointed that the growing spirit of inclusion seemed to have been scared out of World Vision by conservative Christians.
I don’t know what the right answer is. I want to support organizations that align with my values. As each side of the World Vision controversy was voting with their wallets, children all over the world were still hungry and in need of clean water and education.
I read this article and would be curious to hear your thoughts. The author is pastor of a fully inclusive church, and has also worked on projects with World Vision. His perspective is interesting.
The Wreckage of World Visions’ LGBT Reversal Two Years Later – Huff Post
What do you think? “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:40). I strongly encourage you to listen to the song Us for Them. Click on the link below. Us for Them by Gungor
Music:
Prayer Focus:
Unity in serving
Grace and peace,
Pastor Karen Bruins
Read more
24
Feb '20
Running with Mark 58
24
Feb '20
Day Fifty-Eight – February 24, 2020
Read:
Psalm 27:1-4 New Revised Standard Version
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
For today, let’s do some Lectio Divina (holy reading) of this psalm.
As you read it through for the first time, what word, phrase or images catches your attention?
As you read the passage a second time, listen for a word or phrase that moves you. Why might God be inviting you to contemplate that word/phrase?
As you read one final time, listen for a word or phrase that calls you into doing or being.
What might God be inviting you into today through the message of the Bible passage?
Rest with God. Spend some time in silence.
Only light candle burning brightly in the black background
Music:
The Lord is My Light (Psalm 27) by Haugen and Haas
The Lord is My Light – gospel version
Prayer Focus:
Where do you most needs God’s light in your life right now?
Grace and peace,
Pastor Karen Bruins
Read more
W H A T ‘ S N E W
Lake Harriet News: February
Lake Harriet United Methodist Church is a vibrant, active, inclusive congregation whose mission is to welcome, inspire, and nourish its members and community to be the hands and feet of God in the world.
Lake Harriet News is our monthly print newsletter for sharing the church’s programs, services, and abundant opportunities to participate in community ministries. We invite you to click on the image, read the document, and explore the opportunities to live out our mission in your daily life in and through the church.
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