Sunday, March 1, 2020
This Sunday
Dear St. Luke Community,
This Sunday is the 34th Annual Mariners Sunday. The worship service is attended by over 200 people from across the Bay Area, belonging to various yacht clubs and representing multiple faiths.
This Sunday is also the first Sunday of Lent, a time to attend to a kind of internal spring cleaning. Peter W. Marty, the publisher of Christian Century Magazine and Senior Pastor of St Paul Lutheran in Iowa, talks about Ash Wednesday in a recent article.
Peter talks about being behind a truck so covered with grime that on the back is written the words “wash me.” He then goes on to draw a beautiful metaphor to the grime of our lives that accumulate over time, subtly.
He writes;
The salt spray on the SUV I tailed that day was accumulated grunge, just like most of the messes in my life. For the record, my house is pretty neat. It’s the sordid pieces of my personal life that accumulate without fanfare—the capacity to judge, the unforgiving spirit, the self-centered ways, the distracted me. This is why I need Ash Wednesday and that gray smudge. Yes, it adds grime on top of grime. But that ash functions like a milestone or signpost because it’s in the shape of a cross.
As we travel towards the cross over 40 days of Lent, we have the opportunity to take a moral inventory of our lives. It’s a time to experience our dependency on a God who forgives and redeems. If you think you don’t have anything to be sorry for, then you’re probably keeping the door to your messy closet closed, denying that there’s any mess to clean up. Redemption means to begin again. It’s what we mean when we say “born again.” We start over, we vow to do better, to be better, to love more, forgive more, and enact change through the ways we choose to live our lives.
Yesterday, because of that article, I went and got my car washed. I thought it would be a good way to begin my Lenten journey. By the end of the day I had accumulated dust on the windshield, reminding me that like everything else in our faith, it’s a practice. It’s getting up and vowing to let more love into your heart while letting go of all things that separate you from a love that is freely given if only we would clean out our closets and wipe away the layers of grime that accumulates over time.
See you Sunday,
Nicole
Outreach and Deacon Ministry
All are welcome to participate
Manna Bags ~
Thank you to all who contributed to and participated in this outreach mission! We assembled lots of bags to distribute to the unsheltered population in Marin.
Mill Street Meal Providers ~ Monday, March 2nd, Group A
Upcoming Events & Announcements
All are welcome to attend
Sunday School Substitutes needed ~
Our Sunday School coordinator, Deb Bennet, is doing a great job of preparing lessons for our teacher, Devon. We need folks who are willing to occasionally step in to teach a lesson. The lesson will be prepared for you. Please email Nicole at
if you’d like to have some fun one Sunday and support our Children’s ministry.
The Universal Christ Lenten Book Study ~
During the Season of Lent, you are invited to join Nicole in a Lenten book study of Richard Rohr’s The Universal Christ. We will meet the following Wednesdays from 6-7 in the conference room. Please purchase a copy of the book on your own and let Nicole if you plan on attending. You do not need to attend all discussions to participate.
March 4th - Chapters 1-4
Mariner’s Sunday ~ This Sunday, March 1st, 10:00 AM
We gather in worship with the men and women who have shown their dedication in service to the ships and safety that preside over our cherished sea. The St. Francis Yacht Club’s, Sons of the Sea Men’s Chorus will bring the gift of music for this special occasion. Please make your reservation today for the annual brunch ($15 per person) at the Loch Lomond Yacht Club by emailing Deb Bennett at
.
GODSPELL ~
Three Performances supporting the Street Chaplaincy. They are Friday 3/20 7:30, Sat. 3/21 2:00pm & Sun. 3/22 2:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church in San Anselmo, 72 Kensington Rd. Don't miss your chance to see wonderful local singers present GODSPELL in concert! Admission is free, but donations will be gladly accepted to support the Street Chaplaincy. St. Luke and other local congregations partner with the Street Chaplaincy to host Tuesday night Wellness Gatherings where we join the street community in worship and share a meal together. Reserve your spot for free at www.theatreatlarge.org.
Acoustic Sunday ~ Sunday, March 15th, 10:00 AM
A relaxed service with guitars, piano, and percussion where we blend secular popular songs and hymns.
Pizza & Theology ~ Tuesday, April 21st, 7:00 PM
Join us at Creekside Pizza & Taproom, 638 San Anselmo Ave. S.A., for pizza, beverages and engaging theological discussion.
There will be no Pizza & Theology in March.
Progressive Dinner ~ NOTE DATE CHANGE to April 25th
There is still space available if you would like to attend. The evening will begin at 6:00 pm for appetizers at the home of Faye Blatt. Then at 7:00 pm is the dinner entrée at the home of Michael and Leigh Ann Antieri and the home of Deb and Bruce Bennett (Max 20 people at each home). At 8:00 pm dessert will be at Andy’s Market in the Deli Cafe - hosted by Troy and Andy. Cost per person $50 – signup with Laura Hislop after service or stop by the church office during the week to sign up.
Men’s Cursillo Weekend ~ April 23rd-26th
This is a weekend that will deepen your spiritual journey, deepen relationships and lead you into new friendships that could last a lifetime. For more info, please email John Bischoff at
St. Luke Men's Group 2020 ~ First Tuesday Every Other Month 6 PM
March 3rd - John Bischoff
May 5th - Michael Baranowski
July 7th - John Lenser
Sept. 1st - Terri Mech
Nov. 3rd - Michael Antieri
Please email John at
if you’d like to offer assistance to the hosts.
Ongoing Events
All are welcome to attend
Bible Study - Wednesdays at 9:30 AM
St. Luke Choir Rehearsal - Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
Women's Spirituality Group - Thursdays at 9:00 AM
St. Luke Women’s Bridge - 4th Tuesday, March 24th, 10:30 AM
Session Meeting - 4th Tuesday, March 24th, 7:00 PM
Deacons Meeting - 2nd Tuesday, March 10th, 6:00 PM
St. Luke’s mission: To practice love by following Jesus.
Learn more at www.stlukepres.org
Facebook ~ St. Luke Presbyterian San Rafael
Reverend Nicole Trotter ~
Office Admin., Joanne Trifoso ~
Office Phone: 415-454-2705, Office hours: M, W & Th: 10-1 & Tues: 1-4
Sexton, Carlos Araujo ~ Sunday 8:00 AM-Noon