Sunday, June 20, 2021
Dear St. Luke family:
This Sunday we’ll jump back into the Old Testament with one of the most famous stories in the Bible: David and Goliath. Even if you never went to Sunday school, you’ve heard of David and Goliath, because it’s become synonymous with an underdog victory over a bigger, stronger opponent. In just the last two weeks, I’ve heard “David and Goliath” referenced in two separate news stories, one having to do with the soaring prices of GameStop stocks last January, and the other having to do with a softball pitcher from a small Oklahoma college who took her team farther in the playoffs than anyone expected. We all love an underdog story: Rocky, The Rookie, Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, The Karate Kid, Remember the Titans, Moneyball, Pretty in Pink, The Mighty Ducks, even Cinderella – I could go on and on, and I’m sure you could, too. We’ll take a look at the dangers of a story like this, as well as the hope it gives us.
Don’t forget Eric Beene’s challenge to us last Sunday. Eric preached about Jesus’ parables describing the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God was Jesus’ primary metaphor for what God wants for God’s world, what this world would look like if we allowed God to be the ruler of our hearts and minds. Jesus used agricultural metaphors because he spoke to an agrarian culture. He compared the Kingdom of God to seeds scattered on various types of ground, where some seeds take root and others don’t. He compared it to a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds that spreads like, well, a weed. He used household metaphors as well, comparing it to a tiny bit of yeast that leavens a whole loaf, to coins that were lost and then found, to a pearl of great price, to a treasure buried in a field, to a son returned home to a welcoming father. Eric challenged us to look at our ordinary lives, and to come up with contemporary metaphors. My midweek video on Facebook expands on this, and you can find it here.
This Sunday, masks and social distancing are optional in worship in the sanctuary. If you are not vaccinated or just feel more comfortable doing so, please feel free to wear a mask. We will respect everyone’s needs for space and safety; we’ll continue to provide worship on Zoom; and we won’t start coffee hour for a few weeks. We’ll plan a celebratory welcome back when we do – stay tuned.
Please keep our Pastor Nominating Committee in your prayers as they begin their search.
Grace and peace,
Joanne Whitt
Interim Pastor