The Weekly View

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Dear St. Luke Community,

We’ve been told to shelter in place for another month. We all have our own reactions to this news, but I will say that I’m noticing a kind of weariness among many of you as we get ready for another month of living differently. Someone asked me this morning how I am. I don’t know about you, but there’s no simple answer these days. Mostly, my heart is heavy: heavy for those who have lost their lives, those grieving, those sick and alone without family. My heart is also grateful for the small and simple blessings of life before me including our ability to be together virtually.

Our Scripture (Acts 2:42-47) has this one part of one verse that seems quite fitting…..they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts. That’s what we’ll do this Sunday. And while we won’t all be in one home or one house of worship together, we will still be one body, united in Christ. Some of us may roll our eyes at the silliness of lifting whatever you have in the house to your mouths; stale bread, crackers, banana bread. Others will take it more seriously. But isn’t that the beauty of this communion with Christ and one another? There is no one way of being required to receive what we are given in that moment. Our circumstances and our personalities vary greatly, and we come to the table for different reasons throughout our lives: a desire, a need, in search of love, to be saved, to be given second chances, searching for forgiveness, for strength, to find peace. Christ gives us all of that in the breaking, blessing and the offering of the bread, the offering of himself. More simply put, He is the bread of life.

See you Sunday,
Nicole

Sunday, April 26, 2020

THIS SUNDAY

Dear St. Luke Community,

This Sunday's Worship ~ Luke 24:13-35 ~ The Road to Emmaus

Jesus goes for a walk and meets two people on the road to Emmaus. They talk for what seems like a long time on that road while Jesus interprets the scriptures along the way.

By now we’re all familiar with the old Irish blessing that begins “May the road rise up to meet you…” In reading about the Irish blessing, I learned that the more accurate meaning is “may you succeed in life" -  the road being your life, and the rising up meaning success. As Christ followers, we know by now that success doesn’t mean monetary wealth and status. Success is more aligned with justice in the Bible. Living a just life means living a life for Christ, expressed with kindness, generosity, humility, and our ability to love others as self.

The disciples were on that kind of road. The road rose to meet them with the presence of Christ. How often does the road rise up to meet us? How often are we met with prophecy, wisdom and grace, only to miss it? It’s easy to meet the gaze of others these days on any road or path we walk. Most have their eyes averted. Masks cover up smiles, and we’re left with waving. Some wave back, others don’t. Children seem unsure. But that’s only one part of this story. The other part happens in the breaking of the bread and the disciples eyes are opened to perceiving Christ with them, who had been with them all along, on the road even when the road seemed cold, quiet and empty. That's the Good News, and that's the beauty of this God.  Never abandoned, partially felt at times, but fully present always.  Thanks be to God.

See you Sunday,
Nicole

Upcoming Events & Announcements

All are welcome to attend / participate.

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 10:00 AM via ZOOM
Join us and invite your friends and family for this Sunday's worship service.   We will send a reminder on Saturday.

ZOOM MEETINGS
We continue to have recurring meetings via Zoom throughout the week.  Details for the meetings will be sent on Monday.

Wednesday Morning Bible Study
We gather weekly from 10:00 to 11:00 am to look at upcoming scripture focus for Sunday. We ponder, reflect, investigate, compare and go deeper into scripture as we relate how it works in our lives. All are welcome.

Women's Meditation Group
Join Rev. Nicole for a Women’s Spirituality Group meeting on Thursday mornings from 9:30-10:30 am. Each week, Nicole leads us with scripture or some other meaningful piece of writing as a jumping off point followed by a time of meditation. It is through practice we deepen our faith. The “what we do, see, feel” matters.. The “how we listen, look, and communicate” becomes the stuff life and faith is made of.

Pizza and Theology via Zoom - Thursday, April 30th, 6:00PM
Order your pizza and join us for a lively session of “True or False." This will be less in depth and more fun as we navigate discussion together over Zoom. Nicole will make a statement and others can discuss whether or not they feel it’s a true statement or a false one. 

Sunday, April 19, 2020

THIS SUNDAY

Dear St. Luke Community,

We’re in the season of Easter now. Last Sunday we celebrated what is the apex of our faith and this season continues for many weeks as Jesus Christ makes his presence known through what we call resurrection appearances.

For Thomas (and I would suggest for any of us) the presence of Christ begins with desire. The disciples come to Thomas and tell him he missed Jesus’s appearance. And Thomas says “Unless I put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20: 24-30.) Reverend Dan White will be preaching on this text, but I will be with you all as well.

Thomas, we can imagine, is heartbroken on having missed out. He doesn’t want to celebrate, he wants to see for himself. He desires Jesus so much that Jesus comes again and offers Thomas what he needs. 

Desire seems to be key, on this path and in this life. The more we desire for God to show God’s self to us to more we will naturally begin paying attention to all the ways God is already there. The more we desire to go deeper in communion with God and one another, the more God finds ways to offer just that. Resurrection experiences happen individually and collectively. Our world is need now of resurrection experiences and beginnings. 

Remember the end of the Praise Song for the Pandemic we watched last Sunday?  The last lines…..

And when this has passed, may we say that love spread more quickly than any virus ever could. May we say this was not just an ending, but a place to begin.

If we can begin again from a place of desire, and succeed in having spread love more quickly, then when this is over, we will witness together resurrection experiences for all who received love. As we revaluate what is most important in our lives, which is life and love itself, let us be able to say that our lives changed, that the world changed, and that beginnings are resurrection appearances of their own when love brings new life born from the ashes of pain and suffering.

Yours in Christ,
Nicole

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 10:00 AM via ZOOM

Join us and invite your friends and family for this Sunday's worship service.   We will send a reminder on Saturday.

ZOOM MEETINGS

We continue to have recurring meetings via Zoom throughout the week, including Bible Study, Women's Meditation and Choir.  Details for the meetings will be sent on Monday.