Henry Mitchell, a noted preacher, teacher, and historian of African American preaching, once said something in a lecture that has stayed with me ever since: “Over time, communities become what they celebrate.” Linger with that thought for a moment. What are the things we celebrate as a country, or community, or family, and how do those things that most receive our attention and adoration shape who we are?
I think that’s a good question to ponder with regard to our congregation as well, particularly as we lift up the 100th anniversary of Mount Olivet. Sunday, January 12, will be our Anniversary Sunday, one hundred years and one day after nineteen adults and fourteen children first gathered together to worship as the community that would soon become Mount Olivet Lutheran Church. But what, exactly, are we celebrating?
Is it the indomitable spirit of those who first gathered? Is it the many buildings – and capital campaigns that made those buildings possible – that have been home to this congregation? Is it the impact this congregation has had – and continues to have – through its many affiliated ministries? Is it the visionary pastoral and lay leadership that has guided the congregation for a century? Is it the multitudes of people who have called this church home and given generously of their time, talents, and money to make it what it is? Is it the lives changed through participation in the worship, learning, fellowship, and service opportunities to which this congregation is committed?
I would answer “yes!” to all of these possibilities and more. But I would also suggest one more, and even go so far as to say this is the central element of our celebration and thanksgiving:
God’s presence in, promises to, and work through Mount Olivet Lutheran Church
. God is present in this church and has been from the beginning. If that were not true, we would not have flourished and grown. Before, above, and beyond all else, Mount Olivet is a place where people encounter – and are encountered by – the God of love and grace we know through Jesus Christ. Similarly, we gather each week grateful for, and trusting in, the promises that God makes to us in Christ: that we are accepted and loved as we are and that God will hold us close and bring us through all things, even death into new life. Finally, we give thanks for and celebrate God’s intention to use all of who we are and what we have to serve God’s children and world. The Church never exists for itself, but rather reflects God’s love for the world by making that love tangible through care, compassion, and service.
We have much to celebrate at Mount Olivet. And I think it’s vital that we keep God’s presence and promises at the center of our celebrations because this is what enables and empowers everything else and shapes who we are as a people. I suspect that the folks who first gathered at the Iverson farmhouse on that cold Sunday in January of 1920 to form Mount Olivet Church could never have imagined what we are today: a church of more than 15,000 Christians worshipping at two campuses; the owner and operator of a conference and retreat center to the south and beloved camp to the north; a sponsor of ministries that care for the elderly, for the young, for those with disabilities, for those struggling with mental illness, and for those who are dying; a gathering space for budding musicians and seasoned teachers; the host to lutefisk suppers and holiday boutiques, car aficionados, circles, and quilters; a partner with social service groups throughout the Twin Cities; and so much more.
At the same time, they also could not have imagined that by the close of the decade the nation would be plunged into an economic depression the likes of which had never been seen. Nor could they have imagined that “the war to end all wars” that had just recently ended would prove to be only the prelude to a second, and more devastating, world war. They could not have imagined any number of other challenges that would come their way, and yet they persevered and eventually flourished. Why? Because God was in the midst, making and keeping promises and using them to serve their community.
Just so, we cannot predict what opportunities and challenges will come our way. But we move into the future confident that God is still with us, that God is still making and keeping promises, and that God is still at work in and through us for the sake of the world God loves so much. And that, my beloved people of Mount Olivet, is cause for celebration!
Pastor Lose
David J. Lose, Senior Pastor
