The Gospel Beyond Politics: A Call to Biblical Faithfulness

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:07:06] Good morning. Welcome to Hamlin Church. I am Mariah Tolgaard, one of the pastors here, and I know that we gather this morning with broken and weary hearts, with anger that's simmering within us, and with a deep, deep need for community and for being together.
[00:07:28] I am so glad that you are here. Welcome as well to friends who are joining us online this morning let us just begin by settling into this place and taking a deep breath you made it and directing our hearts to the presence of God among
[00:07:52] us we have been making a lot of changes in worship today as you might imagine we are as always our hearts are filled to be celebrating Hamlin Women's Sunday and the ministry of United Women in Faith here in our mix.
[00:08:11] In planning for this service, we've had to make a couple of alterations, and then yesterday came, and we had to make a lot more alterations.
[00:08:19] So the bulletin that you have is like 50% accurate.
[00:08:26] All the songs are different.
[00:08:28] So we're going to encourage you to just lean into the flow, and we will guide you along the way. The screens are accurate, so follow along there. And there's also an insert for some of the music. And we are still also celebrating the many, many ways that the ministry
[00:08:51] of Hamlin Women impacts this church and our community beyond. And we are very pleased also to welcome Commissioner Rena Moran, who will be bringing a message as well this morning.
[00:09:03] So, with all of that said, let us begin first in a moment of silence for Alex Preddy, for our city, for our state, and for our world. Amen. Please stand as you are

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:09:45] able for the call to worship. Come all who seek the wisdom of God, we open our hearts and pray. Come all who walk with compassion. Come all who plan and dream and labor for good.

[00:10:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:10:21] Let us gather in faith and hope, offering our hearts, minds, and hands to God. First,

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:15:22] let's start here. Even in this moment of anger, frustration, sadness, we seek to live in peace with God and with our neighbor. Let us show signs of peace and love to those around us and as a reminder of the peace Christ calls us to. If you are joining us online, please
[00:15:49] use the comment section to greet others as you will. The peace of Christ be with you and also with you.

[00:16:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:16:32] Okay, come on up, everyone.
[00:16:36] Friends, I would keep greeting your neighbor, keep sharing that love.
[00:16:39] And if there's any kids that wanna come up here with Tova, Jane, and me.

[00:16:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:16:43] Yeah, come on up.
[00:16:45] Your mic is right here.
[00:16:46] That's a really cool sweater.
[00:16:50] I'm so glad you all are here.
[00:16:52] I love it.
[00:16:53] All right.
[00:16:54] Hi, everyone, come on up.
[00:16:55] Do you wanna sit here?

[00:16:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:16:57] Do you wanna sit by me, Teddy?
[00:16:58] Okay, where's those kids?

[00:17:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:17:00] Yeah.
[00:17:02] Come on up, y'all.
[00:17:03] awesome come on up yeah all right you guys yeah come on up hello everyone i'm tova and i'm the director of student ministries i'll get us started while we wait for other folks to kind of meander
[00:17:18] all good take your time today we'll have child care for five and under in the frolic room which is down the hall over here and there are worship materials in the corner right over here and a sensory safe space in the chapel today after the children's message we'll be
[00:17:33] heading to sacred studio so the sacred studio groups are pre-k in godly play and first through second grade in room seven and third grade in the parlor for mini revolutions and then fourth and fifth grade will stay in worship until after the sermon and then go to the youth room to reflect on
[00:17:50] it thank you everyone so much for listening now i'm going to turn it over to heather so please

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:17:55] give her your attention hey guys kiddos I'm so happy you're here and I'm wondering I think you've probably noticed that there's some big things happening in our world there's some big things happening and some parents might
[00:18:10] feel a little stressed or you might be and you know what you also had breakfast this morning and I bet it was delicious there's so much happening in our world and we remember to be grounded in our bodies so will you take a big
[00:18:23] deep breath with me you can put your hands on your knees or on your belly and then let's breathe in and then breathe out do that one more time so even though we breathe automatically sometimes we need to remind ourselves that and we
[00:18:48] need to remind our parents and our people around us the grown-ups to breathe too there's also one other thing that we do when things are a little stressful or are a little chaotic. We look out at all the people who want to help. We look at the people
[00:19:02] who are doing good in this world. We look at the people who are trying to do God's work in the world and make it a better place. And some of those people are with us now. You might see Miss
[00:19:13] Jane up here all around church doing some stuff. Rita over here, Miss Moran is our Ramsey County Commissioner. There's lots of people in this, Mariah, there's lots of people in this room who are helpers. And so Jane is going to tell us a little bit more about the helpers out and around

[00:19:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:19:29] St. Paul as well. So let's listen to Ms. Jane. Okay, the mic is on. Hooray. Sometimes I don't get it right. So thank you for joining me today, you guys. I know a lot of you from coffee hour,
[00:19:40] I'm the lady who tells you you can't have a cookie until church is over.
[00:19:45] So, you know, today is Women's Sunday. We've got a lot going on in the world, but Today is Women's Sunday, and we honor the work of women in the church.
[00:19:58] And how many of you have ever helped with something at church and helped us with a project or come to our craft fair or maybe had some soup?
[00:20:08] Yeah.
[00:20:09] So today, we always have a theme on Women's Sunday, and today our theme is to talk about what we can do to help people who are less fortunate, because that's something we do as a church in good times and in bad. So we're going to talk about that, and I'm going to ask
[00:20:27] you guys, what do you think of when you think of something small? Anybody? Yeah, a peanut. Okay,

[00:20:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:20:38] anybody else? What's small? A mouse. How about you? Something that's small, something small you do, Or something small that you like, that actually is small.

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:20:53] Oh, you practiced.
[00:20:55] A raisin.
[00:20:59] Okay, very good.
[00:21:01] What do you think of when you think of something big?
[00:21:04] Big.
[00:21:07] An elephant.
[00:21:10] How about you?
[00:21:11] A watermelon.
[00:21:14] I don't know.
[00:21:14] Who hasn't talked?
[00:21:15] How about you?
[00:21:16] A big heart.
[00:21:18] Okay, you again.

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:21:19] a lion a lion a whale a dinosaur similar to the thing I said about small okay can be something big you do or something actually big oh he stole my mess that

[00:21:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:21:38] you stole my message this kid stole my myth I don't know I I don't know somebody's gonna get an extra cookie I think for that one so sometimes some

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:21:51] what one more they don't know that some animals eat grass but they're big okay that sounds good

[00:22:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:22:01] elephant oh another elephant so we have two votes for elephants so good job sometimes you know you guys sometimes something we think of is very small and we've all done small things at the church maybe we brought a can of food or a bar of soap or mittens or we filled a
[00:22:22] blessing bag. That can be a very big thing for someone who needs it. And we're Christians, and giving is part of our practice. That's what we do. When we give, we show love for God and others.
[00:22:38] And that's rooted in being good stewards. We're good stewards. We're keepers of shared blessings.
[00:22:44] We talk about being cheerful givers, and some days that's easier than others. We all know that. We have good days and bad days. But we are cheerful givers. We're led by the Spirit. And someday we
[00:22:56] see God's blessing in return. So let's pray together, you guys. Everybody? Okay. I'll keep it simple. So, dear God. Dear God. Thank you for acts. Thank you for acts. That are great and small.
[00:23:12] that are great and small, help us, help us, share our blessings, share our blessings with those who

[00:23:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:23:22] need them, with those who need them. Amen. Amen. Thank you. All right. All right. Let's go to

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:23:30] Sacred Studio. Thank you. And thanks again to the kids. That was a lot of fun. So I'm Jane McClure, Candice Osterkamp, Jean Thielman and I, we're the co-chairs of the Hamlin Church Women.
[00:24:12] Priscilla Lutgens, Shirley Wright, and Virginia Anderson are also part of our leadership. And again, welcome to Women's Sunday. Hamlin Church has had a women's group since the church was founded in 1880. And historically, women do a lot for the church. A lot of you may not know that
[00:24:28] women founded our dining hall at the state fair to pay for the 1900 church, which is not this church. This is the 1928 church. So women do a lot, and in these really difficult and trying times,
[00:24:45] we are called to action again. A lot of us, you might see us with our gray hair and not realize that many of us marched and got arrested and worked for social justice and equal rights years
[00:24:58] ago and protecting people and helping people and some of us thought we'd never be doing it again so in that spirit we want to worship today and now i'm very pleased to introduce my friend
[00:25:18] county commissioner reena moran is speaking today and if you've ever heard her speak she speaks truth to power and i'd like to invite her up she's our county commissioner for District 4, and she's a former six-term Minnesota House of Representatives member.
[00:25:35] And she was the first African American to represent St. Paul in the Minnesota legislature.
[00:25:40] She's led on economic growth, budgeting, health and human services, and racial equity issues.
[00:25:46] Her public service centers on children and families, early childhood education, affordable housing, and reducing disparities, a focus she has continued as a commissioner with a racial equity lens.
[00:25:58] She holds a B.S. in early childhood education.
[00:26:01] She was a Bush Foundation fellow, and she served in national leadership roles for black and women legislators.
[00:26:09] She's a proud mother and grandmother, and I got to know her through her membership at CAMFR, Memorial United Methodist Church.
[00:26:17] And she brings a lived commitment to justice shaped by her journey, overcoming homelessness and many challenges.
[00:26:24] So we're happy to introduce Commissioner Moran.

[00:26:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:26:26] Well, good morning, Hamlin. Good morning. I want to thank Jane McClure and Reverend Togar for the invitation to be here today. I am overwhelmed and excited to come before Hamlin United, Hamlin Church, and to be a part of Hamlin United Women of Faith. I am the past president
[00:26:55] of United Women of Faith at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church, located right here in St. Paul, all for Dale and Fuller, so on behalf of Comfort United Women of Faith, we send you greetings. As you know, the mission of United Women of Faith is to connect and nurture women so that
[00:27:15] they, we, can inspire, influence, and impact local and global communities. So again, my name is Rena Moran, and I am currently serving as Ramsey County Commissioner for District 4. If you don't know what that is, maybe you are a part of District 4. So I represent neighborhoods such
[00:27:35] as Union Park, Hamlin-Midway, Frogtown, Summit U, the North End, Downtown, Summit Hill, McAllister, Groveland, and parts of Highland Park. In this role, I work on local government issues like economic growth, community budgeting, transportation, housing and homelessness,
[00:27:55] racial equity, family stability, and community safety.
[00:28:01] Just a little bit about Ramsey County because the work we're seeing today plays out in so many ways in the work we do to bring and deliver services to the residents of Ramsey County.
[00:28:13] But we do our work through racial and health equity, community-centered justice, system transformation, and strengthening families through holistic services.
[00:28:24] The strategic plan that we emphasize on is sustainability, responsive government, and economic inclusion.
[00:28:32] The key initiative addressing fairness, climate resilience, affordable housing, and workforce development.
[00:28:40] So we talked a little bit, we just heard Jane introduce me that before becoming a Ramsey County Commissioner, I was in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.
[00:28:54] able to bring into practice what we see here happening in our community I had a difficult time like this morning you woke up and you wake up and you're like the speech that I have it's gone out the door I gotta do something different and
[00:29:08] speak from a different place and so I'm gonna share a little bit about my journey which was not a part of this but it came to get me to the place I am today of what you see before you is this little girl who was born and raised on
[00:29:23] on the south side of Chicago, in a community that was much a reflection of me.
[00:29:28] When I went to the local school, I saw the teachers and the principal pretty much that looked like me, the small business, the clinic, that was a reflection of me.
[00:29:37] In 2000, I heard a voice that came to me that said, move to Minnesota.
[00:29:46] And I thought, Minnesota?
[00:29:50] Who does that and why?
[00:29:54] So a mother of seven, I decided to relocate and bring my kids here to Minnesota with not much thinking, only that I was 100% that God, we was having a conversation.
[00:30:10] And he was speaking to me as I said, how do I get to Minnesota?
[00:30:15] And he said to me, call your nephew.
[00:30:19] Yeah, he's living in Minnesota and he has a van.
[00:30:24] asked him to come pick you up and I called him and I said hey I want to come to Minnesota he didn't say why what's going on what's the problem he said let me call you back and he called me back and said I would be there tomorrow so
[00:30:41] what we know is that God goes before us and set the plan field right and I came here had nowhere to stay and stayed in a shelter and it took me six months to find housing, let's say affordable housing.
[00:30:56] What is affordable?
[00:30:57] But it took me that long, right?
[00:30:59] But once I found housing, it was here in St. Paul.
[00:31:02] I connected to my community.
[00:31:04] I found the church.
[00:31:05] I found Camford United Methodist Church, and I have been a member there for 25 years now.
[00:31:12] God is so good, right?
[00:31:13] And so I did that and began to organize and find ways that we can find, you know, solve the issues and the problems of today, because there are many.
[00:31:24] And as I did that, and I was connecting to my neighbors and other people who were organizing, it came to me one day that we're always fighting this fight to create, to have a more fair
[00:31:37] and equitable society, where we're all our value, where the word of God is the message of the world, the message of the day, is how we engage.
[00:31:48] And at that moment, I said, hmm, I want to be a state representative.
[00:31:53] I had never ran for anything, but I said, because I want to create laws that are fair and just that represent all of us and not just some of us.
[00:32:06] I don't want to always be reacting to the laws.
[00:32:12] And I stepped out in faith again.
[00:32:15] I stepped out in faith and brought really good people around me who was willing to fight this fight to get me elected.
[00:32:24] Here I am standing before you, and that was like in 2010, and here I am before you, has spent, you know, 10 years in the Minnesota House, 12 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, led one of the most powerful chairs, the chairs of Ways and Means.
[00:32:42] This little girl, born and raised on the south side of Chicago, is now chairing the most powerful committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
[00:32:56] able to share the human health and human service right and that has driven me to fight this fight for a more just society and so I don't know where my notes are at right now but but the Bible consistently commands believers to be
[00:33:28] welcoming, to protect, and to love our immigrants and our refugees and our foreigners, because I know I felt like a foreigner coming from the south side of Chicago to Minnesota into a foreign land, but you all welcomed me.
[00:33:45] You all showed me what humanity looks like in a place I knew nothing about.
[00:33:53] I was able to build and keep and stay strong, loving relationships with individuals, all type of people, because we are all type of people.
[00:34:07] And that is the joy and the love of who we are and the work that we have to do and continue to do is to see the value of all.
[00:34:23] It was that same God that drove me out of my isolation, my need to conform to the world and not to conform to a higher God, a higher soul, a higher being.
[00:34:42] And once I said yes to that, it didn't matter what the world said to me.
[00:34:48] It did not matter the circumstances that we find ourselves in.
[00:34:53] It didn't matter about the impossibilities of tomorrow because I was standing on the word of God, standing on the word of God.
[00:35:06] And I must say to you, this little black girl born and raised on the south side of Chicago knows that God has given us a word.
[00:35:20] And yes, I am upset, I am frustrated.
[00:35:25] the moments that we're in right now. I am saddened about so much, but I choose to be okay.
[00:35:35] And I choose to be okay because I know the power of our Lord. I know it. I know it. And I know it in the midst of whatever. I know it. And so God takes up the cause of the vulnerable.
[00:35:57] The scriptures declare that those who oppress foreigners or deny them justice are cursed.
[00:36:04] Numbers 15, 15, 16 says that the law often mandates that the same fair laws apply to both the native-born and the immigrants. Farmers were instructed to leave portions of their harvests, such as grain and grapes, for the poor and the foreigners. In the New Testament,
[00:36:26] Matthew 25, 35, Jesus links welcoming the strangers directly to welcoming him, stating, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. So listen, we are in a moment in time where our constitutional rights are under attack. At this moment, we have individuals and people who want a dictatorship.
[00:37:05] They want you to live in fear, right? But we cannot sit still and allow this authoritarian government to lead us down this path of lawlessness and authoritarian. It is that administration, this federal, this ICE that has come and have forgotten the rules of law,
[00:37:25] have just said, we can just do whatever we want to do.
[00:37:31] Our constitution matters.
[00:37:33] Our words matter.
[00:37:35] Our laws matter.
[00:37:36] The human life matters.
[00:37:41] I send my condolences to Renee Good's family, the children, and those left behind.
[00:37:53] I also send my condolences to Alex.
[00:38:00] we are in a moment in time where the church, our faith, our belief is needed now more than ever to create a government that values all of us, that is not creating laws, that is pitting us
[00:38:30] one against the other. And as I look back to my ancestors, a part of me needs to say out loud that we will no longer live off of the civil rights movement of the 60s. But instead, you, we,
[00:38:59] are going to reject this authoritarian government and instead is going to fight to take on our state, our country and moving to the 21st century where we are creating and demanding more fair and equitable processes and protocol and procedures. That's our role. This is our moment
[00:39:27] in time. This is our moment in time. And we will lead. We will lead. We will stand in the word.
[00:39:37] We will stay in the word. I do not do my work as a government official, an elected official, without first going to my God and asking him, what do you have for me to do?
[00:39:52] How do I make people uncomfortable? How do I create a little tension? Right?
[00:40:00] And so I leave you with this, is that do not fear for God's words.
[00:40:16] It's the words.
[00:40:19] Do not fear, for our God is with you, is with us.
[00:40:27] And together, it will take time.
[00:40:33] We will, because we know we have that other thing called that little devil that lurks around, being destructive.
[00:40:40] It's always at work, too.
[00:40:43] But together, we can continue to create a world, a place that's more fair and just and I want you to know that you have a government official who is with you that is fighting this fight with you and however I can utilize my position
[00:41:03] my office to make sure that we're serving and doing doing the things that we need to do for the people of God which is all of us I want to be a part of that thank you so much Hamlin

[00:41:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:41:16] Thank you Commissioner Moran for that inspiring and uplifting and also hearing your life story. Thank you for sharing that with us. Friends, we come to the time in our service when we pray. We open our hearts and our ears to how God is
[00:41:58] calling us and what we need to speak with God right now. So I invite you to take a deep breath to settle in to your pews because God speaks to us in our bodies and our brains and everywhere in between. So let us pray. God of justice, we have learned
[00:42:24] in the life and ministry of Jesus and witnessed to by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King that peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice. And right now, God, in our communities, we have an abundance of tension and also an absence of justice. Two weeks

[00:42:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:42:46] Years ago, our neighbor, Renee Good, was killed by those who claimed to be enforcers of the law and keepers of the peace.
[00:42:55] Now another neighbor, Alex Prudy, was shot and killed by the same paramilitary force.
[00:43:04] In times of more ease, words of prayer may seek tranquility, but today, may our words be a fire in each of our hearts a rekindling not a resigning a rebuilding not a declining declining as we learn more deeply as we lean more deeply into the promises of our faith which are not
[00:43:29] about ease but about true peace not about calmness or an absence of rage but about grounding all that we feel and all that we are in you the true source of life and so God we plant

[00:43:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:43:48] ourselves in these words that Jesus spoke on the night before his own state sponsored murder peace I leave with you my peace I give you I do not give to you as the world gives do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid
[00:44:05] And so, with the courageous and transformative peace of Christ in our hearts, we say no to violence with iniquity terrorizing our neighbors, and we say yes to love.

[00:44:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:44:21] We say no to those who would lead with fear and intolerance, and say yes to love.

[00:44:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:44:29] We say no to apathy, to indifference, to dehumanization, and yes to love.

[00:44:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:44:38] We say no to the forces that would divide us, that would teach us to see enemies everywhere,

[00:44:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:44:46] and yes to love.
[00:44:48] We say no to cheap grace that seeks a return to ease without truth, justice, or safety

[00:44:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:44:54] for all, and yes to love.
[00:44:58] We say no to letting go of hope because it is easier to give in than to struggle on.

[00:45:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:45:08] And yes to love.
[00:45:10] Because God, your peace is always a yes to love, a yes to solidarity, a yes to justice, yes to self-sacrificing care.
[00:45:21] And so we stand in this breach, in this grief-laden moment, and these open wounds of our beloved communities and cities where tens of thousands of people from all walks of life has risked their safety, and for Renee and Alex who sacrificed their lives.
[00:45:40] And instead of shrinking back, we still and forever say no to this violence and injustice.
[00:45:47] Because as Christians and as people of faith, we are always saying yes to love.

[00:45:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:45:55] And the one that we call Jesus taught us how to say yes to love.
[00:46:01] He taught us through his actions and his words.
[00:46:07] So let us now pray together the words that he taught us, each using the translation that you're most comfortable with.
[00:46:16] The Lord's Prayer.
[00:46:18] Our God, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

[00:46:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:46:29] Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,

[00:46:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:46:34] as we forgive those who trespass against us.
[00:46:39] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:46:44] For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

[00:46:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:46:49] Amen.

[00:49:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]
[00:49:58] Scripture this morning is from the book of Matthew, and I think is especially apt for today.
[00:50:06] For I was hungry and you gave me food.
[00:50:08] I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
[00:50:12] I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
[00:50:15] I was naked and you gave me clothing.
[00:50:18] I was sick and you took care of me.
[00:50:21] I was in prison and you visited me.
[00:50:24] Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food thirsty and gave you something to drink and when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you
[00:50:36] or naked and gave you clothing and when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you and the king will answer them truly i tell you just as you did it to one of
[00:50:48] the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did it to me the word of god for the people

[00:50:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:50:55] of God. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Shirley. Thank you, Women's Choir. Oh, beautiful, powerful song. Thank you, Heather and Priscilla, for that prayer. And thank you, Commissioner Moran, for living out your faith as a public servant and providing a prophetic witness.
[00:51:21] Friends, we could about go home right now. We've had church. But it is a thing we know here in Minnesota is that when it's this cold, you really got to put on the layers, right?
[00:51:34] So we're doing some deep layering and insulating today because it is a hard world out there, right? And so we need to fortify. So we have to keep going. Jesus' words in Matthew 25 are simple and direct and impossible to ignore. Whatever you did for one of the
[00:51:59] least of these, you did for me. No caveats, no conditions. It's as if Jesus hands us a map for discipleship, and the map leads us straight to our neighbor, to the hungry, the strangers, the sick, the imprisoned.
[00:52:25] If we take him seriously, then faith means more than belief.
[00:52:31] It means solidarity.
[00:52:33] It means recognizing Christ not in places of comfort, but in faces pressed against the walls of detention centers, at airport terminals, in the lines of those waiting to be deported.
[00:52:50] Christ meets us not where things are safe and sanctioned, but where truth and compassion collide with power.
[00:53:02] Christ doesn't hide from suffering of this world.
[00:53:07] Christ lives there.
[00:53:09] And Christ is here in Minnesota.
[00:53:15] We're going to do a little time traveling today.
[00:53:18] I wonder if you remember way, way back to Friday.
[00:53:22] It feels like a lifetime ago, right?
[00:53:29] This week in the bitter cold, 40 below, the kind of Minnesota cold that slices straight through you, you showed up.
[00:53:42] We showed up.
[00:53:45] Thousands across the state said, ice out by participating in the day of truth and freedom.
[00:53:52] We stopped commerce and gathered in prayer, refusing to let fear freeze our hearts.
[00:53:59] We gathered not just to protest, but to resist—to resist an occupation, to resist cruelty framed as order, to resist the lie that compliance with evil is ever an option for people of faith.
[00:54:21] The streets were icy, but the spirit was alive.
[00:54:25] At the airport, faith leaders from every tradition locked arms, sang hymns, prayed, and cried out for truth and freedom.
[00:54:36] We went to the airport because it has been the pipeline of this occupation.
[00:54:43] Over two thousand Minnesota neighbors have been flown out of MSP since January 1, often within four hours of arrest to God-knows-where, where their families and their lawyers can't find them. Thirty airport workers, screened and background-checked legal workers, have
[00:55:05] been arrested on the job, all while the airport and major corporations stand by and profit.
[00:55:15] And that day, while a thousand were gathered there to protest, one hundred clergy were arrested, including myself and my partner in crime, Paul Wilcox.
[00:55:44] And I can tell you, as cold as my hands were when those zip-tie handcuffs closed around my wrists, my heart was burning with love—a John Wesley, heart-strangely-warmed kind of moment because I looked out and I saw the kingdom of God made visible in the hundreds
[00:56:04] of other protesters of all different faiths who were there, all there out of deep convictions of their souls.
[00:56:14] And even I saw the face of God in the local law enforcement who treated us with care.
[00:56:23] Then later that afternoon, some 50,000 gathered in downtown Minneapolis to march and rally.
[00:56:29] That evening, thousands more gathered for prayer vigils across the Strait and here in this sacred space where our bishop, Lynette Planbeck, spoke and called us to be salt and light.
[00:56:42] Friday felt holy—holy like resurrection morning, like Pentecost fire on the prairie wind, the unity, the singing, the prayers.
[00:56:56] It felt like we had put a crack in the ice.
[00:57:01] And I went home that night believing that January 23 would be remembered as a turning point.
[00:57:13] But then Saturday came.
[00:57:19] By morning, the news hit like a physical blow.
[00:57:24] Alex Preddy, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the VA hospital, shot and killed by ICE agents in broad daylight.
[00:57:40] He was trying to help his neighbors.
[00:57:44] He wasn't a protester.
[00:57:46] He was a protector.
[00:57:48] A woman was knocked down by ICE or Border Patrol, and he went to help.
[00:57:53] He did what any of us would pray to have the courage to do.
[00:57:58] He loved his neighbor as himself.
[00:58:02] And for that, he was executed on his own street.
[00:58:11] Our hearts and prayers are with Alex's family and friends and coworkers and neighbors.
[00:58:21] We know it didn't end there.
[00:58:24] For just moments later, the story was twisted almost beyond recognition.
[00:58:31] Lies filled the air like DHS had them ready at their fingertips, it seemed, huh?
[00:58:40] Alex, who spent his life saving others, was branded a domestic terrorist.
[00:58:46] Friends tell me, if poets like Renee Goode and nurses like Alex Preti are now terrorists, what does it make the rest of us?
[00:58:57] How quickly the warmth of Friday froze over.
[00:59:02] How quickly joy turned into grief and courage into despair.
[00:59:09] When truth itself, truth that we have seen with our own eyes, was flat out denied again by those in power.
[00:59:22] James Baldwin's words keep echoing in my mind.
[00:59:26] Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.
[00:59:36] They are trying to keep us ignorant, but we know the truth.
[00:59:44] But this is what we are up against.
[00:59:47] Not just the injustice of deportations or the cruelty of ICE raids, but the machinery of falsehood and fear that tries to convince us that we are powerless to stop it.
[00:59:59] But let me tell you something, and as we've heard here today, we are not powerless.
[01:00:06] We have never been.
[01:00:09] Many have said it plainly.
[01:00:11] This occupation isn't about enforcing immigration law, though clearly immigrants and BIPOC people of Minnesota have borne the brunt of this moment.
[01:00:23] This occupation is about controlling a people, subjugating a free state.
[01:00:32] Minnesota has become a testing ground because if Minnesota falls, then they continue on the path to consolidated control.
[01:00:42] But they underestimate us.
[01:00:46] They underestimate the people of this land.
[01:00:50] We the ones who know what it means to live through the deep freeze and never give up on spring.
[01:00:57] We who take chainsaws to ice and carve sculptures that we call art.
[01:01:05] We who celebrate when it gets to the coldest of the cold because it kills off invasive species, right?
[01:01:21] They forget that under all of this cold there is a beating heart of love that no federal agency can kill.
[01:01:31] Friends, the thing about ice, whether it's on our lakes or in our laws, is that it never lasts forever, right? The deep freeze can feel endless, but every year the warmth returns. Every year the
[01:01:53] ice begins to thin. At first you barely notice it, a trickle of melt water, a softening underfoot, but then one day you step and you hear that first crack. That's the sound of change beginning.
[01:02:14] That's the sound of God's promise breaking through. The ice always melts, always, because the warmth, the light, the love prevails. That is not naive optimism. That is gospel.
[01:02:32] that is resurrection truth written into creation itself. So how do we keep going when our hearts are this broken, when the world seems overtaken by powers that neither speak truth nor value life? We keep going because we know that to love one another is to love God.
[01:03:02] We keep going because we believe, as Jesus said in Matthew 25, that every act of mercy is an act of divine resistance.
[01:03:12] Every meal shared, every protest joined, every ride given, every child comforted, every truth spoken into the void is a declaration that Christ lives among us still.
[01:03:26] When the world says, comply we respond with we will not comply with cruelty when they say stay silent we say we cannot be silent about lies when they say let the ice agents do their jobs we answer the work of love is our job this is not about partisanship
[01:03:49] this is about discipleship this is about saying yes to Jesus and no to Empire there. There are not two sides to this issue. There is only the way of love and the way of fear.
[01:04:06] And we, church, have chosen love since we are time traveling today. I want you to remember way back, way, way back to Tuesday in the story of little Liam Ramos, five years old, abducted alongside
[01:04:30] his father on their way home from school in Columbia Heights and used as bait by ice to lure others from their home. A five-year-old. I can't get his image out of my head. His blue hat and plaid coat and his spider-man backpack. I used to
[01:04:56] work for Columbia Heights Public Schools, that's where Ryan and I met, and it was my job to help kids like Liam, to help newly arrived kids to this country register for school.
[01:05:10] I know what that backpack means.
[01:05:13] Because kids his age, they really don't need to carry much in a backpack.
[01:05:20] But they love having one because it makes them feel strong and ready and brave.
[01:05:32] That Spider-Man backpack has been sitting with me all week. Because here at Hamlin Church, we've got a Spiderman backpack of our own. Some of you recognize this. Youth, right? Right? Right, kids? We had this at family
[01:05:50] camp last week up in the bitter cold. It goes with us on mission trips. It goes with us out to community events. It goes everywhere and has every first aid item you could ever possibly
[01:06:00] imagine and some snacks. All those things you think you have at your house but you really don't you couldn't actually find in an emergency, we have them with us. And you know what? This backpack,
[01:06:13] it's not just for us. It's for anyone who needs it, wherever we are. And I have to believe that way, way back on Tuesday that Alex Preddy saw the picture of Liam and his Spiderman backpack
[01:06:37] and maybe recognized his story in it. Maybe when Alex stepped forward to protect his neighbor, he was carrying that same courage, that same faith that ordinary people—nurses and teachers and neighbors and children—can stand up to extraordinary cruelty. Maybe his backpack
[01:07:04] was packed not with his medical tools or school supplies, but with the superpowers compelling him to do what he did. So let's put on our Spiderman backpacks today, not because it will make us superheroes, but because it will remind us that we already have
[01:07:30] everything that we need love faith community courage resilience hope that's our gear for the journey that's what we carry together so where do we go from here first we do not lose hope we do not lose hope as we've said hope is not a passive thing it's not wishful thinking while
[01:08:01] While we wait for someone else to act, hope is what we do when we see the ice begin to crack and we step forward toward it, trusting that the sun will finish the work.
[01:08:17] And we keep showing up, again and again and again, for our neighbors for as long as it takes, going where Christ would go.
[01:08:28] It looks like filling the sanctuary for prayer vigils.
[01:08:31] It looks like clergy kneeling before police officers and linking arms.
[01:08:36] It looks like congregations feeding families who are scared to leave their homes.
[01:08:40] It looks like neighbors going to their street corners with candles and song.
[01:08:45] Because hope is faith with its sleeves rolled up.
[01:08:52] And we remember that though this is not the end of the story, it is how this story always goes.
[01:09:03] the powers of violence and fear, an authoritarian regime, they've always think that they've won, right up until resurrection morning, right up until the stone rolls away, right up until the ice melts.
[01:09:25] I believe, no, I know that January 23rd and January 24th and whatever Tuesday was, Liam's story, that this week, that these days will be remembered in Minnesota's history as a turning point. And I pray God in the history of this nation, the moment when something broke open, the moment when the
[01:09:49] frozen ground of fear began to thaw and a moment of love refused to die. So friends, in the coming days when the cold closes in, tend the fire for one another. When you can't see the light,
[01:10:10] borrow someone else's flame. When your hope feels thin as ice, reach into your Superman backpack and find the warmth of prayer, the nourishment of community, and the bandage of kindness.
[01:10:25] because we are the body of Christ. And when one part aches, we all ache. But together, through love, persistence, and the Spirit that will not give up, we keep healing.
[01:10:46] The thaw will come. Spring will come. But even now, before it does, we live as if it's already true, because that's what faith is—living resurrection before it happens. So keep going, beloveds of God. Keep going, Church. Keep standing. Keep feeding.
[01:11:17] Keep singing. Keep showing up. The ice will melt. The light is rising. Christ is alive in us, and we have work to do put on your superman backpacks and let's go let us sing together

[01:11:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:11:38] in joy in peace and in hope amen women's sunday at hamlin church united methodist is typically

[01:15:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:15:14] in late january it is always an inspiring service with the tradition of bringing in a guest speaker and having a theme tied to our United Women of Faith studies in our own mission work.
[01:15:28] This day also features our Women's Choir, readings by members, a soup and bread luncheon, and the kickoff of our annual paper products and personal care items drive for our friends at Emma Norton Services.
[01:15:43] A highlight of Women's Sunday is the award for mission service for those who advance the work of women in the church and in the greater community.
[01:15:54] Our honorees over the years have done many things for our church, for other Methodist churches in the region, and for our community as a whole.
[01:16:05] Kudos to all women of the church who serve.

[01:16:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[01:16:08] Our first award goes to Maureen, or Mo, Freeburg.
[01:16:26] Mo has been a member of Hamlin Church since 1999, joining when Pastor Greg was at the helm.
[01:16:34] Her two boys and two girls participated in all aspects of church life growing up, which meant Mo and her husband Scott were active participants as well.
[01:16:45] One of the first groups Mo became involved in was Parents' Night Out.
[01:16:51] This began her many years of involvement in the various activities and service opportunities that Hamlin Church offers its members. Mo has taught Sunday school, served on the education committee, gone on church field trips and work shifts at the dining hall.
[01:17:11] Her various service opportunities culminated in her actually being hired as office manager at Hamlin Church. This role, which she held for six years, was actually her favorite service performed at Hamlin in that she loved the knowledge she gained and the
[01:17:33] access she had to the goings-on and all of the amazing people that are a part of the church. The community of Hamlin Church is never to be taken for granted.
[01:17:45] granted. As experienced by many of us, including Mo, the women and men of the church have been there to provide support during challenging times. The love flows freely and genuinely, making it the perfect place to become a woman

[01:18:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]
[01:18:04] of faith. I think everyone at Hamlin Church knows Lisa Chen, but if you don't, Lisa Chen is everywhere. In the kitchen on the fourth Sunday of every month, preparing coffee hour treats, then mingling and chatting with new and familiar faces.
[01:18:27] Her smile is present at Women of Faith luncheons and events.
[01:18:32] She is always among those setting up for markets, then helping to clear out and clean up afterwards so the church is ready for the next day.
[01:18:41] During Bazaar season, you might meet her touring with Jane, looking for new ideas and better methods of promoting our market vendors.
[01:18:49] Perhaps the most fun way to get to know Lisa is in the kitchen at Dorothy Day or at the Hamlin Dining Hall.
[01:18:57] At Dorothy Day, Lisa recruits volunteers, then spends the afternoon directing tasks while creating homemade rolls to go with the meal.
[01:19:08] In the dining hall, you'll usually find Lisa at the steam table in the evening after she's finished her work at 3 M. Yes, she works full-time.
[01:19:18] Lisa is very enthusiastic about the dining hall because she loves serving and meeting people.
[01:19:25] She has dining hall earrings—one's a meatball dinner and the other a ham loaf meal discovered at the Crady of Arts at the fair.
[01:19:35] Lisa brings fun and energy to that steam table.
[01:19:39] Lucky for us, Lisa was part of Good Shepherd when our two churches merged.
[01:19:45] She and her husband, Greg Bloom, joined and were married at Good Shepherd, then came to Hamlin in the merge with their two daughters, Amanda and Nina.
[01:19:54] Lisa taught Sunday school here while the girls were little.
[01:19:58] Both girls took part in confirmation and were confirmed, and the family was involved in Feed My Starving Children and Mission Trip fundraising.
[01:20:07] And when the pandemic interrupted the youth group, Lisa required Nina to find another way to be in community.
[01:20:15] Lisa and Nina found Dorothy Day.
[01:20:18] Nina loved volunteering there, and so did Lisa, evidently.
[01:20:23] Lisa is very humble about all she does because she feels that volunteering is just part of what every woman does in the community and to support our family and friends.
[01:20:34] I am very happy to know the warmth of Lisa.
[01:20:37] Did I mention she is a charter member of the Plarn Players who crochet sleep mats for the homeless?
[01:20:43] Like I said, Lisa is everywhere.

[01:21:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[01:21:09] And we'd like to present this pin that all honorees are presented when they win the award.

[01:21:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_15]
[01:21:18] They don't want to see anything.

[01:21:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[01:21:41] We'll keep showing up.

[01:21:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:21:43] Amen.

[01:21:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[01:21:45] Thank you.

[01:21:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:21:47] All right.

[01:21:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:21:48] And now I have one more thing on behalf of the women, and actually two things.
[01:22:02] of all we would like to present uh the church and pastor mariah with a check for our about uh the barnabas fund at this time of the year we find it as really having a drain on it and
[01:22:16] we are giving a check of two thousand dollars to the barnabas fund and also because we've had a rough week Mariah's had a rougher week we would like to just brighten her a day a little bit thank you thank you what a joy to

[01:22:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:22:54] celebrate the ways that this community is doing so much good making such a big impact through Acts Big and Small, and honored, honored to be a part of a church where Mo and Lisa are in service and have brought so much good to this world. Thank you, Mo and Lisa.
[01:23:15] And I'm standing up here today with a little bit younger disciple who is also doing a lot of good and is helping us to kick off our Emma Norton personal toiletries, personal products drive.
[01:23:31] So do you want to tell us?
[01:23:32] This is my friend Maggie.
[01:23:34] Do you want to tell us a little bit about that, Maggie?

[01:23:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[01:23:36] Well.

[01:23:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:23:37] What are we collecting?

[01:23:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[01:23:38] We've been collecting, for example, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, scrunchies, just anything you need to use for your daily life to give to the homeless people whatever they'll need, like food.

[01:24:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:24:05] So all throughout this month, people can donate and bring personal items, right, and drop them off in the commons, where we'll be collecting them for our friends at Emma Norton.
[01:24:18] So, we're going to offer a blessing now for the drive this month and for all the ways that we give and serve in the church.
[01:24:29] And Maggie is going to lead us in that prayer.

[01:24:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[01:24:33] Please pray with me.
[01:24:35] Loving God, may these gifts reveal to us and others the light that is Jesus.
[01:24:45] and may this light lead us on into new and challenging ways of living and serving others.
[01:24:57] Amen.
[01:24:59] Great job, Maggie.

[01:25:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:25:00] Thank you very much.
[01:25:02] Thank you.
[01:25:09] Sure.
[01:25:12] She asked if she could go back to Sacred Studio now.
[01:25:14] I'm glad that she wants to be there, too.
[01:25:17] Friends, we are almost done, though.
[01:25:19] Don't worry.
[01:25:19] just a couple of more things. Again, huge thank you to Hamlin Women who helped lead our service today and were flexible with all the things that we needed to incorporate. Please join us downstairs after worship for a soup, for a free luncheon to celebrate and connect and be together at table
[01:25:37] because that is so important right now. I also want to invite you to a couple other things happening after worship. Deepening into community is so important right now. And so we invite you to a space that feels right for you. We have a Bible study today on the Gospel of John led by
[01:25:57] Reverend Kevin Schill that will be happening downstairs in the parlor. We also have our grief and loss support group meeting in the green room led by Reverend Sally Johnson. And boy, do we feel grief and loss right now. So whatever it is that is weighing on your heart, you're
[01:26:13] welcome to bring into that space. We also have our Isaiah group for Faith in Action. We'll be meeting in room 10. And just as a special note, if anyone feels like they need some extra time
[01:26:28] in prayer or support, we will have clergy available up front right after worship if you just want a word of prayer or a word of encouragement. And so grateful for the many additional clergy in this community who serve among us
[01:26:43] and the ways they are witnessing as well today.
[01:26:47] So now let's sing together.

[01:26:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:26:52] Please stand and join us in singing this final song by Holly Neer.
[01:26:56] Melody's pretty catchy.
[01:26:57] I think you'll be able to jump right in after hearing it a bit.

[01:27:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:27:00] Amen.

[01:29:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:29:35] Huge, huge thank you to all of the Hamlin Church staff and the musicians and the worship volunteers for also flexing with our 20% accurate bulletin and for putting together a prayer vigil this week, redoing this service.
[01:29:50] I am so grateful for this team of colleagues.
[01:29:54] And again, thank you, Commissioner Moran, for being with us today.
[01:29:57] We pray God's blessing upon you and the work that you do.
[01:30:01] And please bring greetings to our brothers and sisters at Camphor Memorial from us.
[01:30:06] Yes.
[01:30:08] The Spirit of God is upon you.
[01:30:11] We go forth proclaiming God's love and liberation The Spirit of Christ is upon you We go forth to live lives worth healing and joy The power of the Spirit is upon you We go forth as one body, one spirit
[01:30:32] One witness to the promises of our God One witness to the power of healing and joy don't forget your superman backpack you have everything that you need go forth and love and serve and stand for justice together go in peace amen