The Weekly View

Sunday, November 11, 2018

This Sunday 

Dear St. Luke Community, 

Last Sunday will go down as one of the loveliest and most meaningful worships I’ve experienced since I started attending churches over 20 years ago. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making it such a special All Saints Sunday. We will do it again next year for those who missed it.

This Sunday Rev Dan White, Pastor Emeritus of St Luke, will be with you leading worship and we will have a candidate guest preacher in the pulpit. The scripture is Mark 12:38-44. Traditionally this scripture has been used for Stewardship campaigns, but when read closely, you begin to understand it much more complexly. I suggest you read it and read it again and imagine this woman as real rather than an illustration of how we should be giving. I invite you to imagine her status in society, her fear of being alone, her house having been devoured, and giving everything she had. 

Debie Thomas puts it this way… 

St. Mark prefaces the story of the widow with an account of Jesus blasting the religious leaders of his day for their greed, pomposity, and crass exploitation of the poor.  "Beware of the scribes," Jesus tells his followers.  "They devour widow's houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers."  

Their piety, in other words, is a sham, and the religious institution they govern is corrupt — not in any way reflective of the God the Psalmist calls a "Father of orphans and protector of widows.”

When the rest of the world was blind to this woman and her struggles, Jesus sees her, God sees her, and we as the church, are to see her. Our true stewardship as the church is not only to take care of the needs of the church but to take care of those needs in order to take care of others, especially those who are struggling most.

That said, if you’d like to learn more about the financial shape of our church and stewardship goals, please click here to view the Stewardship Presentation that Elder John Bischoff, our Stewardship and Finance Chair, gave a few Sunday’s ago. 

Yours in Christ,
Nicole 

P.S. Rev Dan White will be on Emergency Pastoral Care call and can be reached at 415.272.4207. I’ll be back on Tuesday morning.

Continuing Events

All are welcome to attend

Deacons and Committees Meeting ~ Tuesday, November 13th, 5:00 PM 
Note new time.

Bible Study Series ~ Wednesday, Nov 14th, 9:30 AM  

Committee Meetings ~ Tuesday, November 13th, 6:30 PM

Morning Women's Spirituality Group ~ Thursday. Nov 15th, 9:00 AM

St. Luke Women’s Bridge Group ~ Monday, Nov 19th,& Tuesday, Nov 27th 10:30 AM
(3rd Monday & 4th Tuesday, Sept. to May). 

Pizza and Theology ~ Tuesday, November 20th, 6:30 PM
Creekside, San Anselmo. 

Session ~ Tuesday, November 27th, 6:30 PM

Sunday November 4, 2018

Dear St Luke Community, 

Last Sunday

On Monday I received this in an email from a parishioner and I have his permission to quote;

“I’ve heard a lifetime of sermons and the sermon you gave yesterday was, without doubt, one of the very best I have heard. I was inspired by your message and the passion in which you gave it.” 

When I asked him to reflect on what particularly inspired him, he wrote back to me the following inspiring words of his own; 

“One thing that I really liked about your sermon last Sunday was how you seamlessly wove a number of important themes together: The faith of Bartimaeus led him to sight and to follow Jesus. Our faith is vital for us to invest in with our time, souls, and finances (Stewardship Sunday). St. Luke is vital to invest in. The Christian Church, in general, isn’t perfect but has done far more good than evil. And the best response to tragedies, such as the mass killings at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, is to be constructive and to let our faith show us the way to work for changes in the world. You also gave us a good insight into what it is like to be a pastor at a party! I came to church very upset about the killing in Pittsburgh but left inspired to do my best in being constructive. Life presents many opportunities to help on an everyday basis and I want to do better.” 

I encourage all those who were not at worship last Sunday to please listen as you consider your pledge for 2019.

Click Here For Recording

This Sunday 

All Saints Sunday & Communion Sunday 
Set your clocks back

Please bring a photo of your loved ones for the communion table. There will be special music and a ritual of remembrance as we honor saints past and present, those who we miss but who are still with us. This is one of our more meaningful Sunday’s at St Luke and I do hope you will come and worship together.

We Remember Them
At the rising of the sun and at its going down
We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter
We remember them.

 At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring
We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
We remember them.

At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn
We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends
We remember them. 

As long as we live, they too will live;
|for they are now a part of us
as we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength
We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart
We remember them. 

When we have joy we crave to share
We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make
We remember them.

When we have achievements that are based on theirs
We remember them.

As long as we live, they too will live;
for they are now a part of us
as we remember them. 

Rabbis Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer

Continuing Events

All are welcome to attend

Bible Study Series ~ Wednesday, Nov 7th, 9:30 AM  

Morning Women's Spirituality Group ~ Thursday. Nov 8th, 9:00 AM

St. Luke Women’s Association ~ Thursday. Nov. 8th, 1:00 PM
SAVE THE DATE~ Friday, December 7th 1:00-3:00, Christmas Tea & Program. 

Deacons and Committees Meeting ~ Tuesday, November 13th, 5:00 PM 
Note new time.

Committee Meetings ~ Tuesday, November 13th, 6:30 PM

St. Luke Women’s Bridge Group ~ Monday, Nov 19th,& Tuesday, Nov 27th 10:30 AM
(3rd Monday & 4th Tuesday, Sept. to May). 

Pizza and Theology ~ Tuesday, November 20th, 6:30 PM
Creekside, San Anselmo. 

Session ~ Tuesday, November 27th, 6:30 PM

Sunday October 28, 2018

This Sunday

Dear St Luke Community, 

What makes you well? What do you turn to when things are falling apart? If we went around the room, each of us would have a different list of answers.

In this Sunday’s scripture, Jesus turns to the blind man tells him his faith has made him well, and the man’s vision is restored. Is our faith making us well? 

At St. Luke we understand faith as a verb. That “in the doing” of our faith we practice loving and serving others as we understand Christ to have loved and served others; through compassion, inclusion, acceptance, and understanding.

Is that what makes us well? Can we practice loving others as a way of making all well with our soul? Expressing love as a faith-based community is a wonderful place to grow firm foundations for the shaky ground and challenges life brings.

Our two greatest commandments go hand in hand. Love God, love others. In an uncertain world filled with people taking sides, we celebrate the one place in our lives where party lines are erased and the political divide takes a back seat to what unites us. For one hour each Sunday, we worship a God who calls for us to love above all else.

They tell me churches all over the world are declining, but I tell you that never before in my lifetime, have I witnessed a greater need for what the church has to offer through the unity of all God’s children in love. 

See you Sunday,
Nicole

P.S. Please click here to see the important letter from John Bischoff regarding Stewardship.

Continuing Events

All are welcome to attend

Session ~ Tuesday, October 30th, 6:30 PM

Bible Study Series ~ Wednesday, Oct 31st, 9:30 AM  

Morning Women's Spirituality Group ~ Thursday. Nov 1st, 9:00 AM

St. Luke Men's Group ~ Tuesday, Nov. 6th, Location TBD

St. Luke Women’s Association ~ Thursday. Nov. 8th, 1:00 PM
SAVE THE DATE~ Friday, December 7th 1:00-3:00, Christmas Tea & Program. 

Deacons and Committees Meeting ~ Tuesday, November 13th, 5:00 PM 

Committee Meetings ~ Tuesday, November 13th, 6:30 PM

St. Luke Women’s Bridge Group ~ Monday, Nov 19th,& Tuesday, Nov 27th 10:30 AM
(3rd Monday & 4th Tuesday, Sept. to May). 

Pizza and Theology ~ Tuesday, November 20th, 6:30 PM
Creekside, San Anselmo.