Maundy Thursday "Dinner Church" and Prayer Center

Today is Maundy Thursday. The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum, which means "to command" - Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment on this night of his Last Supper - that they love one another as he loved them.

Tonight, after our worship in the social hall during a simple, family-style meal (dinner is provided by the CtK Fellowship Team - just come and enjoy CtK’s first experiment with “Dinner Church”) we will be moving to the sanctuary for a time of prayer.
Here are the prayer stations we are using (with a hat tip to Rev. Marci Glass):

1. The Journey

As Jesus journeys to the Cross, we, too, are on a journey. The labyrinth is a path to walk (or in this case, to trace with your finger) that is about a journey, too. You are invited to trace the path of the labyrinth and pray about your journey. Breathe deeply. Relax. Don’t rush. As you move toward the center, confess and let go of things that hinder your relationship with God. Shed images of yourself, so that you can be real with God. Let go of what you don’t need to take with you on the journey. Often we journey on the open road. Sometimes we have to navigate crossroads and difficult paths. Sometimes we have companions on the journey. Sometimes we seem to be alone. Who are your traveling companions? Who stops to help you when the road gets tough? Whom do you help when you see them in distress on the side of the road? And here is the paradox of our faith: We seek God. We travel toward God as pilgrims. But God is with us, to guide us, to be our companion. So, as you journey toward the Cross, remember that you are not alone. God is your companion on the journey.

2. The Last Supper

Maundy Thursday is the night we remember Jesus’ last meal with his friends and disciples. What is a meal you remember? What made it special? This plate will become a communion plate. (There will be a ceramic plate and some ceramic markers on the table). You are invited to write a word or draw a picture that signifies that meal you remember. You may write a longer story or a bigger picture on the table cloth. Offer a prayer that you will have eyes open to remember those special moments as they happen. While Jesus may have known what was to come, it seems unlikely that the disciples fully grasped that it would be their last meal together with Jesus. Give thanks for the gifts of those meals to remember.

3. Footwashing/Handwashing

At the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He instructed them to love one another as he had loved them—sacrificially and with a servant’s heart. You are invited to wash someone’s hands or feet. If nobody else is near this station, feel free to go and ask someone if you can wash their feet or hands. Is it uncomfortable to put yourself in that position? Possibly so. That’s okay. Live with that discomfort for a few minutes. And then go wash someone’s feet. Jesus showed us how to do it. (Note—realize that someone might ask you if they can wash your hands or feet too. Think of what it would mean to them for you to accept that gift.) Susan Briehl describes tonight this way: “Setting aside our shoes, our reluctance to serve, and our objections to being served, we take up the towel and fill the basin. Washing and being washed, we enact the love we pray to embody every day.” (Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days [Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2009], 93).

4. Anointing

Before Jesus headed to Jerusalem, a woman washed his feet with her hair and then anointed him with costly perfume. After his burial, the women head to the tomb to anoint his body as well. This was a sign of love and extravagance. You are invited to anoint your own hands or feet, or the feet or hands of someone else. There is spikenard available. It is quite fragrant, you’ll want to use it sparingly. Should the scent be too much for you, you are welcome to use the lotion. How often do you allow others to do something generous for you? How often do you allow yourself to be generous for you? While there are many good reasons to be generous to others, it is equally important to allow people to be generous to you and to care for yourself. Is that hard for you to do? Why? Offer a prayer that you will live generously and allow others to be generous to you as well.

5.Offering

Judas betrayed Jesus. According to some traditions, it was for a bag of 30 pieces of silver. According to some traditions, it was with a kiss. To redeem those 30 pieces of silver, you are invited to offer your own pieces of silver (or other coins, cash, or checks) to be offered to victims of betrayal in our community. Unless marked as “general offering,” or with some other designation, this offering will be given to HAVEN, Bozeman’s support and referral nonprofit for survivors of domestic violence in the Bozeman area. HAVEN services include a 24-hour confidential crisis line, 15-bed emergency shelter, legal advocacy, support groups, individual counseling, referrals and community education. All services are free of charge and confidential. HAVEN also engages in prevention education by teaching local middle and high school children about dating, healthy relationships and respect. If you do not have coins to offer tonight, there are also slips of paper on the table. You are invited to write down how you will share your gifts and talents to help people who have been broken by betrayal. You could also write a prayer for a victim of betrayal, and place that in the offering plate.

6. Pulpit

The Holy Week scriptures are printed out and are on the pulpit. You are invited to read one or more of those scriptures. You may read them silently to yourself. Or you can speak into the microphone, and offer a phrase or section of scripture to the rest of the people gathered. There is a Bible on the pulpit, too. You may also read and share your favorite passage, even if it isn’t a Holy Week text. As you read, trust that God has some-thing to say to you. Be listening for what God has to offer you tonight from God’s word.

7. Hurts and Betrayals
The world is broken in so many ways—our relationships with others, God, the planet, and ourselves. As Paul said in Romans 7, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Peter denied Jesus, even though he tried not to. Judas betrayed Jesus. How have you been betrayed? What hurtful things have been said to you? How have you betrayed someone? What hurtful things have you done? Write some words or a symbol to describe some of those hurts and betrayals. Look at your symbols. Do you want to take them with you? Or do you want to let them go? Jesus said if you let go of the hurtful things people do to you, so God will also let go of the hurtful things you do. This is forgiveness. Are you willing to “let go”? If so, throw them into the trashcan. Let go of them as God lets go of your betrayals and hurts. You are loved. You are free. You are forgiven.

8. Death

Death is a part of life. And as we remember Jesus’ death, who else are you mourning? On the butcher paper, you are invited to add the names of people who have died in the past year. It’s okay if a name is written more than once. As we pause to mourn their deaths, we also celebrate the sure and certain hope of their resurrection. You are invited to light a candle, signifying your remembrance of one who has died, and your trust in God’s promise of new life.

9. New Life

You are invited to take a seed and hold it in your hand. This little seed contains all of the information needed to reproduce. Plant the seed in the soil. As you do, feel the moist earthiness of the soil. Think of the darkness the seed experiences before it can spring to life—on the brink of creation, there is darkness. The seed has to die for the plant to be born. The Cross event is darkness and death as well. But new life emerges from the darkness of the tomb on Easter. As you prepare for Easter, consider new life. What part of your life could use some new life now? How could you be a part of bringing new life to your community? What might need to “die” in you in order for something new to spring forth? 

At the conclusion of our service, all will be invited to help strip the altar and remove prayer station items. Paraments, hanging fabric, altar furnishings will be removed to the sacristy. Prayer station items will be removed to the big table in the narthex. We move slowly and purposefully, reflecting on the humiliation of our Lord.

10. Altar, Chancel, Sanctuary

It is a tradition in many Christian communities to strip the table on Maundy Thursday. The practice dates from the seventh century and originally served the practical purpose of cleaning the sanctuary in preparation for Easter. In time, however, the practice became ceremonial in its own right. In silence and in shadows, communion vessels, table cloths, pulpit and lectern hangings, banners, candles, and all other decorative and liturgical objects are sensitively removed, thus dramatizing the desolation, abandonment, and darkness of the passion and death of our Lord. The sanctuary remains bare until the beginnings of the Easter celebration. Symbolically, Christ, stripped of his power and glory, is now in the hands of his captors. During a musical solo, you will be invited to remove something from the Communion table or sanctuary and to carry it out to the sacristy or the table in the narthex. It is the work of the people to prepare for Easter. By carrying something out, you join with others, making big tasks manageable. When else have you experienced the relief that comes from having other people working with you, instead of having to work alone?

Psalm 22

We will read Psalm 22 together, and depart in silence, gathering again tomorrow evening at 7:00pm for Good Friday, and on Saturday at 7:00pm for the Easter Vigil.

Guest Post - Fasting for Hunger

This Lent, CtK joins thousands of other ELCA congregations in ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving. A daily devotional booklet, a piggy bank, and the challenge from CtK's 40 Days of Giving Team to give $0.25/day will help us learn about hunger issues, and make a difference in our world. Look for occasional guest posts from team members during this season!

Fasting for Hunger

February 29, 2016 - LEAP DAY!

by Barb Benson

Are you giving up something and fasting for Lent? …how about on February 29^th?

I sort of grimaced when Pastor Lindean asked me to write up something about fasting for our CtK blog. Given I am a registered dietitian, I would be expected to know something about fasting…and I do. Unfortunately, I did too much of it as a teenager in angst that it imprisoned me into an unhealthy binge/purge cycle.  After individual and group counseling and regular visits with a dietitian in my early college years, I am thankful that I learned to like my body and take better care of it. I also changed my major to nutrition and have not had the desire to fast or restrict my eating since then.

The word “fast” from the Unger’s Bible Dictionary means, in Hebrew, “to cover” (the mouth) and in Greek “to abstain.” Yet the purpose of “fasting” described in the Bible also has a spiritual component connected to it that goes far beyond restriction and dieting for the sake of self-sacrifice or the hope of cleansed living or temporary weight reduction.  Many of the Bible’s Greats like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Paul, and even Jesus, fasted as a way to draw closer to God, as it seems to be combined with prayer and often repentance. I’m told that fasting can help remind us of our dependence on God and his provisions- help fine-tune the senses to be more like-minded with our Creator.

We are given an extra day this year on February 29^th. The ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving is challenging us to consider fasting and instead of eating a meal or drinking a fancy coffee to spend that time with God and pass the money “saved” to someone in need. Collectively this could be a big “drop” into our piggy banks and not only make a difference in our World Hunger giving but time alone with God promises to have an even more profound impact on our living. That’s exciting!

Jeff and I have seen first-hand what “piggy bank” donations can do. Early in our marriage we returned to Jeff’s home in Tanzania and were Associates in Mission with ELCA Global Mission. Jeff worked for MSAADA that helped church-related projects design and build buildings such as hospitals, colleges, and churches. They designed a rural hospital cooking structure for families to use for providing food to sick family members. Actually- CtK's Sunday School donations helped fund that project! CtK also was a part of starting the “nutrition program” at that same hospital, to provide local and nutritious foods to malnourished children and microloans in the surrounding community. For under $1/day, “piggy bank” donations helped treat a malnourished toddler for a day in that hospital. God really does miraculous things with little offerings.

Will you join me in some sort of “fast” this leap year? Your fast will look different than mine. Could be you will fast from the technological feast we devour each day or the extra hours you spend at the office. Whatever you “give up”…may God and the amazing things he can do through us be our focus as we entrust our time, talent, and treasure back to him.

Lent begins - Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10th

Lent, the season lasting 40 days leading up to Easter, begins tomorrow. CtK will gather for a simple supper of soup and bread at 6:00pm, and for worship, with the imposition of ashes, at 7:00pm.
Let us pray for a holy Lent.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All are welcome to CtK's Thanksgiving Eve Worship & Pie-Luck tonight at 7:00pm. Come sing (hymns by request at the beginning of the service!), listen, share, pray, and give thanks to God for all good gifts. Then enjoy great company and some yummy desserts!

Blessed Advent

Blessed Advent! And Happy New Year!
Today is the first Wednesday in Advent (the 4th day of Advent this year, which started this past Sunday), and here at CtK folks will gather for a simple supper of soup and bread, and then for a service of evening prayer. Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the church calendar, and begins four Sundays before Christmas. During this season, we are invited to prepare our hearts and homes not only for the celebration of Jesus' birth, but also for all the ways Christ comes to us, and for the day he comes again in glory. There's rather a lot going on - and that's before we factor in parties, Christmas cards, shopping, etc.
So, come and take some time to celebrate the season and God's work in and through you this Advent. Take some time to ponder what (or who) it is you're waiting for; what you hope and long for; what is yearning to be born in your life.
On Wednesday evenings this year, we'll think about the four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All. Since we only have 3 Wednesday services of Holden Evening Prayer, the second and third themes will be combined.
The service is beautiful - piano, flute, guitar, voice, candlelight, quiet.
Come.

TRUNK OR TREAT 2014 - Oct. 26th, 4:30-6:00pm

THIS SUNDAY, October 26th, is CtK's annual TRUNK OR TREAT!!
This fall festival is a great opportunity to get to know each other, and get to know the folks who live in our neighborhood!
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
Members and friends of CtK are needed to park their cars in "Treat Alley" (the CtK parking lot) and hand out treats as kids "trick or treat." Dressing up in costume and decorating your car are encouraged, but not required. :)
Folks are also needed to help run carnival games on the lawn (weather permitting) and in the social hall. There will be a beanbag toss, "Pin the hat on the witch," possibly outdoor twister, and more.

Sign up in the social hall, or just show up!
Set up will begin at 4:00pm. The event runs 4:30-6:00pm. It takes folks of ALL AGES to make this a success!

Family Art Nights!

This year's Vacation Bible School isn't just for children, but for whole households - parents, grandparents, kids, teens, young adults, adults without children, pretty much everyone!

Each evening, Sunday, July 27th - Thursday, July 31st, folks will gather for dinner at 5:30pm ($2/person each evening will cover costs), and the program will start at 6:00pm. If you want to eat dinner at your house, no problem!

The program will begin with some fun and silly songs, a story or psalm from the Bible, and a creative prayer time. Then the ART begins, with three projects to choose from each night. Maybe you'll do one, maybe you'll do all three!

There is no set ending time. Families who need to get home for early bedtimes can leave when they need to. Kids who "just need 2 more minutes!" to get something done can have those 2 minutes. We expect that most folks will be heading out by 8pm or so.

These evenings of messy fun are designed for parents and other caring adults to create side-by-side with children, building relationships in family units, and across the congregation and community. ALL ARE WELCOME to participate! Invite friends!

And if you're able, please get a registration form turned in ahead of time, so organizers will have the right amount of food and supplies. You can find the registration form on the CtK website: www.ctkbozeman.org

Thanks!

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

Five Things You Don't Know About the Big Game

Here's an eye-opening consideration of some numbers associated with the Super Bowl - and how they stack up to some other things going on in the US.

Annual Meeting of the Congregation THIS Sunday

Sometimes I wonder what percentage of this blog's readers are members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bozeman, Montana. It's hard to know.

If YOU are a member of the congregation, or a regular visitor and participant in the worship life of the community, please plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Congregation, this Sunday, January 26th. After worship, a light lunch will be served instead of the usual coffee hour fare. At 12:00pm, folks will return to the sanctuary to review the ministry of the congregation over the past year, to pray, to dream, to hear from the elected leaders of the community - and to elect new leaders and representatives/ambassadors, to approve a spending plan to fund our ministry in the year ahead.

Your participation is needed. There is no "Them" in the life of the church. We are all in this together. TOGETHER we are the body of Christ, and your voice, gifts, faith and participation ARE the church. Part of a life of discipleship is joining with brothers and sisters in faith to be and do the work of community.

Please pray for God's Spirit to guide the congregation in conversation and discernment as we move forward in faith together.

PS - There will be a second gathering to discuss the spending plan, prior to the meeting, on Sunday during the Education Hour - anyone interested is encouraged to attend, in the social hall beginning at 9:00am.

Happy Thanksgiving! And Thanksgiving Eve!

All are invited to join in a service of Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 27th, at 7:00pm. Come for Scripture, song, and stories of Thanksgiving, and then be sure to stay for the Pie-Luck!

PB&A = Success! Thank You!

The first annual PB&A (Potato Bar & Auction) is in the history books, and was a great success.
The CtK Family & Youth Team (and all the youth and their families) want to say THANKS to the donors, the helpers, the eaters, the bidders... anyone and everyone who helped make the event not just a success ($2750 raised!) but also a ton of fun.

Thank you!!

The Beginning of a Great Tradition

It's gonna be great!!

The Family & Youth Ministry Team is launching what is hoped to be the "first annual" PB&A - a baked potato bar and silent auction. Come and eat all you want (suggested donation is $5/person)
and bid on some great items - lots of handmade and homemade gifts (perfect for Christmas gift-giving - things you can't find at the mall!), gift baskets, service items, gift certificates (weekend in a Big Sky condo, anyone?) and MORE!

All funds raised will support the Family & Youth Ministry of the congregation, especially summer 2014 camps for middle and high school youth.

Please invite your friends and neighbors to join you - this promises to be a great event!

A BIG Week!

This is a big week in the life of our community of faith.

The Adult Choir resumes its rehearsals tonight (9/4) and will meet weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30pm. We welcome new Choir Director, Laurie Jo Howard, to the congregation, and look forward to the blessing of great choral music during worship!

Youth Group for 6th-12th grade students (AND THEIR PARENTS) kicks-off tonight as well, with dinner at 6pm and conversation about the year's goals and activities. Bring your family calendar as there will be several dates you'll want to get down!

This Sunday, September 8th, marks the beginning of "regular" age-group Sunday School classes. It's going to be a great year, with classes for children who are 3 years old on up. Preschool through Elementary age children will start off with a time of music in the big classroom. Middle school youth will meet in the church library. High school youth will meet in the upper room. Adults will meet in the social hall - the topic of adult forum for September is World Religions. Come learn more about the variety of faiths practiced here in Bozeman and around the world.

This Sunday is also God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday - we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ELCA with a presentation by the high school youth who went on the summer mission trip to the Blackfeet Reservation, a potluck and a Day of Service. The breakdown for potluck items is: last names A-H = main dish; I-Q: salad/side; R-Z = dessert. Service opportunities include volunteering at the Bozeman Marathon to help Family Promise, trail maintenance with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, joining a hymn sing-along at the Bozeman Lodge, working with the Interfaith Quilters at Hope Lutheran, and potluck clean-up here at CtK. Interested in serving? Call the church office 587-4131 for more information or to sign up.

Thanks for the HELP!

Ian and Courtney playing some Beatles: "Help."

Many thanks to the musicians, volunteers, and concert-goers who made the Help! Concert last Saturday night a success. Over $1000 was raised for CtK's Good Samaritan Fund, and an absolutely gorgeous evening on the lawn was enjoyed by all. There's even been talk suggesting that this was the "first annual" such concert. Not a bad idea!

There was a little cotton candy left over after the concert...

HELP! Concert on the Lawn

Courtney Yovich, Ian Anderson and some of their musical friends will be performing on the lawn at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Saturday, June 15th at 7 pm to benefit the congregation's Good Samaritan fund.

Bring your blankets, bring your lawn chairs, and your friends. Food and beverage will be available for purchase beginning at 6pm. A great family idea for Father’s Day!   

 Tickets are $10 per person or $20 per family and are available at the door (or lawn, actually)or at Christ the King and other Bozeman locations. Call CTK at 587-4131 for further information and ticket locations. 

This is gonna be FUN! And there's going to be cotton candy...

NEW Small Group

A NEW small group of CtK members and friends begins THIS FRIDAY MORNING, May 31st, at 7am, and YOU are invited to participate!
The group will gather at Clark's Fork restaurant, at Oak & 19th. The hope is it's early enough that working folks can grab some breakfast (or just coffee or whatever) and join in on the way to work. The group will meet every other Friday, so in the near future, plan to come 5/31, 6/14 and 6/28.
The first topic/book/series has yet to be decided - it'll be up for discussion this week. Plan to be there and throw in your $0.02.
Questions? Contact Pastor Lindean in the church office, 406-587-4131.

Day of Pentecost

This Sunday we celebrate the Day of Pentecost - what many consider the "birthday" of the Christian Church. Many worshipers will wear red, or other colors of fire, calling to mind the "divided tongues, as of fire" that danced above the apostles' heads that day when they started telling the story of Jesus in a variety of languages (see Acts 2).
Additionally, this Sunday is the last day of "regular" Sunday School for this academic year, and we'll celebrate all that's been learned with a potluck BBQ and games after worship. Burgers, hot dogs and beverages will be provided. Participants are asked to bring something to share (last names beginning with A-E: salad or fruit; F-O: dessert; P-Z: chips). It's going to be fun!

Want to learn more about Pentecost? Check out this great video (from our Roman Catholic siblings in Christ at Busted Halo): 

BBQ and Campout

This is becoming an annual tradition you don't want to miss! And, this year the weather promises to be warmer and hopefully not quite as damp as last year!

Members and friends of CtK are invited to bring something to grill and a dish to share. The Family & Youth Team will provide fixin's for s'mores. There will be a fire pit for marshmallow roasting and to tell stories around.

Bring your lawn chair, tent, sleeping bag and overnight gear. In the morning there will be cereal for breakfast, and participants will be up in time to join in Family/Intergenerational Sunday School at 9am and worship at 10am.

See you on the lawn!

CtK Birthday Party, Potluck & Spring Clean-Up!

This post should have been published on Wednesday. Due to a glich it's finally getting posted today, and without the groovy picture...

This Sunday, June 10th, CtK will celebrate the anniversary of the building with gifts, a potluck and spring clean-up of the building and grounds!

The congregational "wish-list" includes: First Class Forever Stamps, Postcard Stamps, Copy Paper, white(22# at least) in following sizes: Letter (8.5x11), Legal (8.5x14), Ledger (11x17), Copy Paper, Buff (11x17), Garbage bags (drawstring, kitchen size), Garbage bags (large, leaf size), Disinfecting wipes (any brand), Paper towels (rolls/any brand), Kleenex (boxed/any brand), Toilet Paper (Kirkland brand), Coffee (Regular) (NOTE: Not Kirkland brand, it is too fine), Coffee (Decaf, any brand). And if you want to go BIG - a flat screen TV is on the wishlist, too!

Bring gifts with you on Sunday and place them in the social hall. Stay after worship for a potluck bbq (burgers and hot dogs will be provided). Bring a side dish or dessert to share! And stick around for spring clean-up, too. There's a varied task list, including jobs like weeding in the flower beds, dusting blinds, cleaning and organizing the pantry and trimming shrubs. Something for everyone!

Come join the celebration and fun, and help with the work of taking care of the building we share!