Sunday, August 25, 2019
This Sunday
Dear St. Luke Community,
This Sunday Jesus calls the people in front of him hypocrites again. That happened in our scripture last Sunday too. Jesus is on a roll, calling it as he sees it, in an attempt to wake up those who are criticizing him for healing on the Sabbath. (Luke 13:10-17) Who did Jesus heal? A bent-over woman. That’s all we know about her, except for what Jesus adds; that she is a daughter of Abraham, which places her in the holiest of families. He heals on the sabbath, the holiest of days. He heals in the synagogue, the holiest of places. What better time and place for Jesus to free this woman from bondage? But for the people who protested, it was wrong based on their cultural and religious traditions deeply embedded in their identity. Jesus calls them hypocrites for it, and it would be very easy for us, as readers, to join sides with Jesus and say, “See? Jesus is right again and the synagogue leaders were wrong. End of story.” How good it feels to be right. But as Rev Dr. Elizabeth Palmer points out,
“Yeah! You tell ’em, Jesus!” easily slips into “Yeah! Let’s see ’em suffer!” People we disagree with become enemies to be vanquished. Our vindication requires the punishment of those we deem to be wrong about God, or about how we worship, or about politics. If the elevation of the losers requires the demotion of the winners, we find ourselves on a constantly shifting seesaw of glory and shame. We seek always to be on the side that is rising, with our enemies relegated to the sinking side. This roots relationships in judgment rather than grace.”
Perhaps this story has another lesson for us and it lives with this nameless woman who can see the world now. I imagine she saw the beauty, but she also saw what’s broken. I imagine she saw others in need of the same kind of healing she just so freely received. After being bound she is free and praises God for it. Perhaps if we all stood up straight, we would see that the world around us is in need of more grace than judgment and our job is to find ways to heal and repair rather than condemn and demonize those who disagree. I’m not saying we shouldn’t stand up and speak for what we understand to be just and true. I’m saying that sometimes we get so fixated on having to make enemies out of those who disagree, we forget we are called to love them too. And that becomes a kind of bondage of our own.
See you Sunday,
Nicole
Outreach and Deacon Ministry
All are welcome to attend
KIVA.ORG ~ St. Luke’s Women’s Association has supported KIVA for many years and they will be a Deacon’s Ministry in the Fall. KIVA is a San Francisco based non-profit that offers individuals or groups the opportunity to make a $25 or larger loan in many countries.
Fall Speaker Series ~ September 8th, 15th, 22nd after worship
Professor Greg Love returns for a Fall Speaker series on ‘The Change Towards Wholeness.” Looking at opposing views of how we change.
Mill Street Meal Providers ~ Monday, September 9th, Group A
The first Monday of each month Group A or Group B is assigned a meal item to provide (fruit, milk & bread, main, salad, vegetable, dessert). The volunteers bring a different food item every other month. Please contact Stacy Bischoff at
for information.
6th Annual Pedal for Protein ~ September 22nd – 28th, Let's ride!
Supports food bank pantries & projects to help feed hungry people in Northern California. Organized by The Hunger Task Force of the Presbytery of the Redwoods, 100% of all donations go to food projects. PEDALFORPROTEIN.COM. for information.
Grateful Gatherings ~ Date to be Announced
GG Mission: To bring hope to families in need. We help furnish homes when a family transitions from homelessness or crisis into a new home. Use the green pew envelope (write GG) to donate today.
Upcoming Events & Announcements
All are welcome to attend
Memorial Gathering ~ Date to be Announced
Dear St Luke Community, Samantha, and George Tuttle would like to invite you to a memorial gathering for Samantha’s father Ebb on Saturday, Sept 7th at Paula and George Tuttle’s home at 1:00 PM. If you’d like to attend, please email Samantha
or George
.
Summer Book Club ~ August 25th, 11:30 AM
Rev. Trotter will be reading Holy Envy, Finding God in the Faith of Others, by Barbara Brown Taylor. She invites others to purchase the book and join her for a discussion and social time over brunch, location to be determined. If interested please email Nicole,
.
St. Luke 's Men's Group ~ Tuesday, September 17th, 6:00-8:30 PM
John Bischoff will host, 1 Bracken Ct., San Rafael, 94903. We socialize and dine. Bring friends, it’s a great opportunity to introduce them to St. Luke and the Men’s Group. Upcoming on Tues., Nov. 5th, Michael Antieri will host. If you have any questions or would like to assist the above hosts, contact John Lenser at H-415.485.4333, C-415.446.8418 or email
Acoustic Sundays ~ September 22nd
A relaxed service with guitars, drums, and keyboard where we blend secular popular songs and modern easy to sing hymns.
St Luke’s Annual Fundraiser Dinner & Auction ~ October 6th, 6:00 PM
“Go Italian”! Piazza bites and meatballs for appetizers. Lots of Chianti wine and “three tenors” to serenade during a dinner of focaccia, caprese tomato mozzarella salad, pasta bowls with linguini, scampi, filet mignon steak, tomato sauce with mushrooms, & asparagus. Finish with Italian ice cream!
Ongoing Events
All are welcome to attend
St. Luke Groups ~ The following ongoing groups will resume in September: Bible Study, St Luke Choir Rehearsal, St. Luke Women’s Bridge, Morning Women's Spirituality Group, Pizza and Theology, Session and Deacons.
Save The Date
All are welcome to attend
St Luke’s Christmas Concert ~ December 8th, 4:00 PM
St Luke’s Christmas Concert followed by a reception in the Bayview room.