The Weekly View - March 10, 2022
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In This Issue
- Weekly Message from Pastor Andrew
- Announcements & Upcoming Events
- Outreach Opportunities & Updates
Weekly message from pastor andrew
Dear St. Luke Presbyterian Community:
Thank you to all who were able to attend the Ordination/Installation service last Sunday afternoon. A big thank you to all the volunteers who help plan, set up, lead worship, serve and host. What a great opportunity to share the St. Luke church with many of my friends, family, and mentors. Thank you!
While I sit here reflecting on the joyful celebration this weekend, I am aware that, like Jesus in the desert, the Spirit is calling us to go into the world live the path of peace. Reading the newspaper about what is happening in Ukraine reminds me that the peaceful kingdom of God is far from reality. It is overwhelming and difficult. I find myself lacking the words to pray for peace and so I would like to share this prayer written by Rev. Emily Brewer, Executive Director of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship:
We sigh. We sigh because words cannot express our anguish, our hurt, our despair, knowing that siblings in Ukraine are fleeing their homes for their lives, that the cities and towns that hold memories and culture and history may be destroyed.
Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And so we sigh. Let us breathe together.
(take a deep breath)
May our sighs remind us
that we all share the same air;
that what impacts one of us impacts all of us;
that life is precious to God and war is never necessary.
May our sighs be a prayer
for every Ukrainian who worries about surviving today;
for those who will not survive this invasion;
for those who will survive and be forever changed by the trauma of war;
for those Russian soldiers who question their orders and refuse to use their weapons.
May our sighs be a prayer
for nuclear deproliferation;
for an end to the sin of imperialism and colonization.
May our sighs be a prayer for truth, peace, and solidarity to guide each of us;
May our sighs be a prayer for Ukraine and the whole world.
May our sighs fill our bodies with air
to breathe through grief and fear and
fill us with courage and connection,
so that we are ready to act in solidarity with Ukraine,
for an end to this war
and all war.
Friends, let us join together on Sunday to sigh, sing, and reflect on the healing power of Jesus. As always, please reach out to me via email at:
or via phone at: 831.207.7356.
Peace be with you all,
Andrew Quick