Meet the Larson Family

The Larson Family, Eric, Liz, Zeke, and Eli

Eric and I have the joy of living at Jubilee Village with our sons, Zeke (age 4) and Eli (age 2). Jubilee Village (“JV”) is a residential program run by Outreach, which provides affordable housing for young moms, as well as wraparound case management services. We serve as “houseparents” at JV, which means we build community, offer relational support, and crisis intervention a few nights a week. During our weekly “community meal,” the entire building gathers for dinner, conversation, games, and life skills activities. Our family has happened to live in a series of different “communal living” situations over the last five years, and these experiences have deeply enriched our family’s relational structure, sense of communal belonging, and faith in the Triune God of love. Our strong value for community is one of the many reasons why we love living at JV. 

When I came into JV, I anticipated the relationships with the women to feel similar to past “client relationships” I’ve had in other social services jobs over the last decade. However, I realized quickly that these relationships are quite different. My client relationships were (rightly and healthily) guarded by clear professional boundaries, where activities like talking about my personal life or cooking food for someone simply did not happen. The women at Jubilee Village, however, are not my “clients.” We do share life together in many ways: our kids play together, they come by to borrow band-aids or eggs, we take each other’s laundry out of the dryer, they see how our marriage works. Though there will always be some power dynamic between myself and the residents, this shared life and, specifically, my shared motherhood with these women, does help to “level the playing field.” There is no pretense of superiority to hide behind when we both know we share the same struggles of how to mother while also taking care of ourselves, when we have shared the gruesome details of childbirth, and when the walls are just thin enough that I know anyone can hear when one of my kids is having a meltdown, or when I myself have lost my patience. 

That being said, I felt so moved and encouraged by Fr. Kevin’s sermon on November 11 on the New and Improved Earth, I realized it helped put words to my experience of living at Jubilee Village. I believe Jubilee Village is a place where “heaven is coming to earth” (the main theme of Fr. Kevin’s sermon), and I feel this most acutely during community meal. I do not say that in a romantic or idyllic way–lots of people (including myself) can show up to community meal feeling worn out, not willing or able to participate or contribute to “community building” with much energy or joy. Sometimes there are awkward conversations and lingering pauses in conversations. Nonetheless there is a deeply humanizing, mysteriously sacred, and distinctly vulnerable element to this liturgy of community meal: of cooking for a crowd, taking your seat around the giant table to eat together and share our imperfect lives together.

Many of the women that come to JV are escaping hardships of various kinds: abusive relationships, domestic violence, homelessness, addiction, or exploitation. But at community meal, none of these past experiences are stamped upon the women. In social services, there can be a tendency or an inclination to “pathologize” those whom you are working with–to see them primarily through their weaknesses. At JV, I have noticed time and again that houseparents and staff relate to the residents from a fundamentally different starting point than pathology. The joy of living at JV is the privilege of bearing witness to the journeys these mothers are on, these journeys that are inherently marked by their daily choice to sacrifice in order to build a life where they and their child can flourish, where their inherent worth and dignity can be recognized first by themselves and secondly in the new relationships they form in hope. It is our prayer that the beauty, goodness, and love of God may be known and felt by all the women and children who call Jubilee Village their home. We so appreciate Savior's regular prayers for the ministry of JV - thank you!

p.s. Jubilee Village is regularly looking for volunteers and donations to the resource room; please let me know if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity!

Jan Bruesch: How I Met Jesus, and How I Live with Pain

How DID YOU MEET JESUS?

Jan Bruesch is a long time Savior Member.

There have been 2 guiding factors in my life that Jesus has used to draw me in closer to him. The first is ALPHA. I have worked with ALPHA for decades. Those years were times that I was most in touch with my faith. I have worked with ALPHA Chicago, and ALPHA National. I attended conferences, talks, and conventions which even led me to see the Pope! Over those decades God grew me in my faith through the powerful witness of ALPHA. 

I ran the ALPHA course at Calvary Episcopal Church in Lombard, my second church home, and my faith and knowledge of Jesus grew immensely. When I started to participate in ALPHA, I realized that I had never really known Jesus. I had been a church goer all my life, but it was my involvement with ALPHA where I saw other people’s lives transformed, and in turn my life was transformed. I remember vividly, it was the Sunday of the Transfiguration in February, and I went up to the priest and said, “Donald, I am on the mountain top, and I don’t want to come down!” It felt as if I was being Transfigured up on the mountain with Jesus. 

It was during the second ALPHA course that I helped lead at church that a man named John attended and shared that he was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was told that he only had 12 weeks to live, which wouldn’t have even been long enough for him to finish the course. Fr. Donald assured him that “we” would journey with him. I knew in my heart that I was the one that would journey with John since it was my responsibility to lead the lay ministry. John kept coming back week after week, and I got to know him very well. The doctors gave John 12 weeks to live, and God gave him 12 months. He attended 3 more ALPHA courses with us. His presence was important and during his illness he served the group so diligently. He even helped to start a prayer blanket ministry, of which he was the first recipient. On his deathbed, John expressed his life had been changed and he attributed this change to his participation on ALPHA. I personally saw that change happen. I saw Jesus minister through my dying friend. It was one of the strongest times in my life that I encountered Our Lord. I look at John’s photo often when I am struggling, and I remember John’s final months. I think “Lord, you were there. I see you at work.”  It has been 20 years since those first days at ALPHA. Things have changed. I have changed. I know that Jesus is here for me, and I feel His presence. 

How DO YOU LIVE WITH PAIN?

2 years ago, in August 2021 I had an accident. I fell and found myself in a rehabilitation center called Belmont. Just like John I encountered Jesus during my suffering. The most prominent way was in other people ministering to me. Especially my dear friend, Ada. She visited me 2-3 times a week and called every day. She even did my laundry, even though the facility would do it there for me. Many others gathered around me as well and their prayers for me were answered so vividly. I believe that I would still be at Belmont if not for the prayers of the faithful. The first time I was able to return to Church of the Savior, people came up to me that I didn’t even know, and they said they were praying for me. The power of their prayer was very apparent. I could see God’s work in my life…and in their lives!

Now, I am permanently disabled from my accident, and I am learning to cope with the body that God has given me. I am learning to live with the restrictions that I have, although I grieve the loss of the things that I used to be able to do. This leads me to the second influential tool that God has used to draw me into Himself. It is the National Order of Daughters of the King. I have been a Daughter since 1987.They have a motto which states, 

For His Sake…

I am but one, but I am one.

I cannot do everything,

But I can do something.

What I can do, I ought to do.

What I ought to do,

By the grace of God, I will do. 

Lord, what will you have me do?

 I often find that I say this motto now. “What would you have me do? I can’t do everything, but I can do something.” I know that God has something for me to do. The Daughters of the King is not a social club, but a lifetime vow. A vow of prayer, service, and evangelism. I will continue to follow the voice of the Lord diligently in the face of suffering, just as my friend John.

Resource List: Living in God’s Family as a Gay Person

Resource List

By Fr. Kevin

Following my sermon on Living in God’s Family as a Gay Person, some people asked for more resources.

 On reading the Bible

· If you want a quick overview of the biblical verses in question, see What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?

· If you’ve wondered or heard, “Christians ignore so many commands in the Bible, like executing people for breaking the Sabbath, but still condemn gay sex. Aren’t you just picking what you want?” see Tim Keller’s blogpost, “Making Sense of Scripture’s ‘Inconsistency’.”

·If you’ve wondered, “But the church has moved on overturning slavery and in freeing women to serve as leaders, why shouldn’t we move on homosexual behavior for believers?” see William Webb’s book, Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals.

· If you’ve wondered, “But what about same-sex marriage?” see Preston Sprinkle’s book, Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage?

On making the church a welcoming place

· 2 celibate gay Christians talked about their experiences on the C4SO podcast: Wesley Hill on Human Sexuality and the Church; and Pieter Valk on a Traditional Sexual Ethic. 

· Costly Obedience: What We Can Learn from the Celibate Gay Christian Community by Mark Yarhouse and Olya Zaporozhets

· The websites Spiritual Friendship; Equip; Revoice; and The Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender.

The Holy Trinity: Bible Verses, Quotations, and Prayers

The Holy Trinity: Bible Verses, Quotations, and Prayers

5 Key Bible Verses on the Trinity

Matthew 3:16-17: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

John 14:16-17, 23, 26: [Jesus said to his disciples:] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. … Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Acts 2:38-39: Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Romans 8:9-11: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Many others could be listed. A few: 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 * 2 Corinthians 13:14 * Galatians 4:6 * 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 * Titus 3:4-6 * Hebrews 2:3-4 * 1 Peter 1:2 * 1 John 3:21-24 * Jude 20, 21 * Revelation 2:26-29 * Revelation 22:16-18

Prayers to the Trinity

O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. … —Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, early 20th century; entire prayer at https://ocarm.org/en/item/3270

You, O eternal Trinity, are a deep Sea, into which the deeper I enter the more I find, and the more I find the more I seek. —Catherine of Siena, 14th century

Quotations on the Trinity

God the Father is fully God. God the Son is fully God. God the Holy Spirit is fully God. The Bible presents this as fact. It does not explain it. —Billy Graham 

It is commonly said that the Trinity is a mystery. … It is not a mystery that keeps us in the dark, but a mystery in which we are taken by the hand and gradually led into the light. —Eugene Peterson 

Where Jesus appears, the Blessed Trinity is understood. —Lady Julian of Norwich

If Christianity were something we were making up, of course we would make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete in simplicity with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he doesn't have any facts to bother about. —C. S. Lewis 

What does it profit you to enter into deep discussions concerning the Holy Trinity, if you lack humility, and are thus displeasing to the Trinity? —Thomas à Kempis

The Trinity is the life of God. It is in and through Christ that we enter into that divine life.    —Eirik Olsen                                                                 

To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. —Thomas Merton

Confirmation

Confirmation

By Savior Youth

Leif:

I and five other youth went through confirmation class this past winter. The classes focused on the central message of the Bible, liturgy, church history, sacraments, ethics, personal calling, and prayer. Having been raised in the Church, I knew a lot of the information imparted, but I still feel like I got something important from the class.  I think that I, like many of my fellow youth, went into our group listening prayer session (the last class) with somewhat low expectations. The past autumn, our youth group had focused on listening prayer, but many of us were skeptical, thinking that confirmation bias (heh) and the desire to seem spiritually gifted would cause younger youth to latch onto meaningless mental images. When we had our group listening prayer session, though, we were surprised by how profound each other’s insights were, and how connected we felt with each other and God.  We’re now meeting once per month to pray. I decided to go into confirmation class to  have some concrete event to point to where my faith became what I believed because I believed it rather than because of my upbringing. I deconstructed my faith, and came pretty close to losing it. I had made up my mind to not get confirmed because (quoting from my journal) “I hesitate[d] to call myself Christian due to that hesitance itself, but that being said, Christian practices are enormously helpful to me.” There was no real religious or ideological label that I felt comfortable applying to myself, but I was more Deist than Christian. I never rejected the faith, and I always believed in a God and always knew that Christianity helped me in my life, but I was more drawn to secular philosophy and political theory than I was to theology. It wasn’t until I stopped viewing philosophy and faith as opposed to each other and started incorporating philosophy into my faith that both the philosophy and my faith started to click much more. Now that I’ve delved (and am delving) deeper into that overlap between faith and philosophy, I really feel like my faith has deepened and I have more of a sense of purpose. To paraphrase author John Green, it’s much easier for me to believe around God than in him- to see creation, scripture, and humanity as reflective of God’s love than as everything you need to know about Him. Another line that’s stuck with me is from “Harmony Parking Lot Song” by folk punk band Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains: “Here’s to our lives being meaningless / and how beautiful it is / because freedom doesn’t have a purpose”. Or, if you prefer Paul the Apostle to Pat the Bunny, Galatians 5:1. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery.” Ultimately that’s the crux of my personal theology. Even when it’s hard for me to have faith in Christ, my faith in love, and my belief in the necessity of liberation never falter. God is love, and it’s when I am most loving, and most loved, that my faith in Christ is strongest. I don’t see a specific moment where my faith went from my surroundings to my own, but I think that’s a good thing.  Faith is an ongoing journey that I’ve always been and always will be on- but it’s only now that I feel like I’m far enough on that journey to justify marking my progress through getting confirmed. 

Amanda:

If I’m being honest, I didn’t want to take the confirmation class but now looking back, it was one of the best things I could have done for my faith. When I first heard that there were confirmation classes available, I was hesitant. Unsure of who would sign up, I was concerned about the level of depth the time would offer. And quite frankly I was straying away from Christianity at the time, not being in a stable place spiritually and afraid of not getting much from the classes, I was against going. My parents finally convinced me to go (in return I wouldn’t have to go to the youth group for the rest of the year) and I started the classes. After the first class, I was hooked. With such a small group who I knew well, I felt comfortable and when learning more, I found others had the same questions as me. The teachings were interesting and informative, and they allowed me to grow spiritually in ways I didn’t know I needed. I slowly remembered how important faith was to me and why it was important not just in me but in others as well. While the teachings were great, what really impacted me was the last day when we tried listening prayer for the first time in the group. Listening prayer always seemed like a superpower, something only people with great faith and a strong connection with God could accomplish. It also seemed like a super easy way to spread confusion and misinformation due to your own subconscious. But when we tried listening prayer, everyone was surprised at the revelations. Not only did we have meaningful thoughts that were profound in their very nature, but they also almost always related to something deeply personal or monumental in the person's life. We all seemed to leave the church that day with a sense of awe at the power of the Holy Spirit. I certainly was deeply moved by this, and it inspired me to invest more time and interest into spiritual matters and to work to deepen my faith. Because of that experience, I feel that my faith is strengthened, and I feel more comfortable when praying for others. Looking back, taking this class has greatly helped me to grow spiritually into someone who is proud of my faith, and it has helped me learn how to connect with God in new ways. 

Elijah:

From Ellen: Elijah tried attending the regular confirmation class but quickly realized that wasn’t a good fit for him. After consulting with Mary, we decided on a more individual approach for Elijah. Mary and Father Kevin helped us find a beautifully illustrated book written at a level Elijah can understand called, “The Illustrated Westminster Shorter Catechism.” Each evening before dinner Elijah read a simple Psalm, a section of the catechism book, and the weekly collect. Then he would ask us a question about something that stood out to him and we'd briefly discuss that concept. Mary has also been meeting with Elijah and they've gone over what to expect during the service and rehearsed a bit in the hopes that he will feel more comfortable during the service. We're grateful for the ways the church has been willing to accept Elijah as he is and to adapt the confirmation process to be meaningful for him. 

Ash:

Hello. My name is Asher McNiel and I am one of the people getting confirmed. Confirmation is really important to me because I love the Anglican church and the liturgy. My family normally goes to Wheaton Bible Church, but I was baptized at the Church of the Great Shepherd as a child. I had my first real experience with the Anglican church when my friend Leif brought me to youth group. I have learned so much during this time of confirmation, and have met so many amazing people. I am really looking forward to growing in my faith as well as in this church community.

Meiying:

Above are some sets of colors that were provided by both Amanda and myself. As we went through the process of listening prayer, some of the things we saw for each other were colors. All of these were ways we connected to God and to each other, to help ourselves grow in our faith.

Zach:

In Confirmation, I got a better understanding of myself in listening prayer, and of how and why the philosophy of what I believe is based on. This stabilized my philosophical wanderings, and I came to understand myself and my relations to others and the world better.