The Weekly View

Sunday, May 10, 2020

 Dear St. Luke Community,

I’ve been doing a lot of jogging and walking lately, which means I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts and music. Each week I look for guidance from God in sermon writing, and this week, the theme that keeps coming up is about finding one’s voice and speaking your truth, even when it means risking loss: loss of friends, community and belonging, especially in the context of faith. So many churches require followers to hold certain beliefs or risk no longer being a part of the community they once belonged to. 

In the song I listened to this morning there’s this lyric… “So put your voice up to the test, Sing Lord, come soon.” What does it mean to put your voice up to the test? Stephen, the church’s first martyr, put his voice up to the test and it cost him his life (Acts 7:55-60). And while most of us will never have to face the decision Stephen did, what convictions of your own are you willing to speak up for and risk some kind of loss in the process? 

In our second scripture we’re told to let our selves be made into spiritual houses (1Peter 2:2-5). Houses are built upon foundations. In the context of faith, this is like our voices being built upon our convictions. When we find what it true in faith, we build everything else in our life upon that foundation. We speak from there, make choices from there and at times, it can ostracize us from our own community, political party, family, club and even church.

What are you willing to speak up for? What are you willing to risk? What are the foundations of your spiritual house that your own voice speaks out from?

See you Sunday,
Nicole

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.