Pastor Cliff's Notes

The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall. 
-Nelson Mandela
​
As we look ahead to August, we will begin our sixth month of COVID-19 restrictions. It is hard to imagine that after six months, we are still struggling to control this virus. We have learned some things; we know that wearing masks helps to limit the spread, we know we must keep physical distance, we know we must disinfect.
But we do not know when we can safely gather again in our church, for Sunday School or for a fellowship meal? We want to do these things as soon as possible, but we want to protect our health and stop any community spread from occurring at our church.

Because of these real concerns, we will not be starting up our educational programs in August. We will delay any restart until October. At that time our COVID-19 Safety Task Force will advise us on best practices.

We will be looking at ways to have some educational programs by Zoom, or Google Meeting. We will continue to work with the YMCA as they develop and programs for students needing supervision for working parents. At this time we do not have details on what the fall YMCA programs will be at St. Luke.

Sunday Worship will continue to be provided on our church web site, stlukememphis.org. We have been prerecording the service, and uploading the video to our church website, usually by Saturday evening. We are currently having in person worship at 8 and 10 am in our church sanctuary. We ask all attending in person to wear a mask and to physically distance from other worshipers. We are currently offering Service of the Word.

These are difficult times. We are all being asked to make changes and sacrifices. As people of faith, we believe God is with us today, in this time. We are most grateful for your support and prayers.
One fine day, we will gather again as the people of God, until then, you are loved and you are missed,

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Cliff

On Pentecost Sunday, the church celebrates its birth and also its newfound
diversity. Jesus of course was Jewish and he said his first mission was to the lost
sheep of Israel. But on Pentecost the Holy Spirit spills out on everyone: both
Hebrews and Greeks, on Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of
Mesopotamia. The Holy Spirit goes worldwide. The message of Jesus is for all
people.
This new Christian church, these Christ followers were opening up to the world,
and to the people of the world. Jesus predicted this when he said, “my house shall
be a house of prayer for all people.” Indeed, the message of Christ has spread
across the globe. Christians can be found in every country, every tribe and every
nation of the earth.
In Europe in the 1940’s we witnessed the horrible “final solution” to the ideology
of race and Arian racial superiority, the dehumanization and murder of six million
Jews, and the displacement and suffering of millions more. Unfortunately in this
country, we also are still far short of being a color blind society. When our
founding leaders some 400 years ago decided that European or white skin would
rule and African or black skin would labor, a great sin was born in our land. This
sin is so deep, it led to slavery and a legal system that favored whites over and
above blacks. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution were
meant to change and correct our legal system, but it failed to protect people of
color from lynching and mass incarceration. Reforms of the civil rights
legislation of the 1960s helped, but here we are in 2020, where a black man in
Georgia jogging is seen as a threat. Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging
because someone who saw him as he passed by on his run and decided that
surely he must be a criminal. Just this week, George Floyd in Minneapolis, cries
for help while he suffocates under a policeman’s knee on his neck.
As Christians we must cry out for justice. Too many people have been sent to
their deaths because they were profiled of as Jews, Muslims or Africans. We
are called to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves. We are to
actively work to protect our neighbors. We cannot be silent when a person is
denied their personhood. God is the creator of all life. The church at Pentecost
welcomed people of all skin colors, all languages and all nationalities. We still
have much work to do to overcome our past sins. Redemption starts with you
and me. It starts when God convicts us of our sin. It is lived in genuine care and
concern for all of God’s people, as brothers and sisters. Together let us work
together to build an inclusive community of faith at St. Luke.
Grace and Peace to all,
Pastor Cliff

Dear St. Luke Saints,
 
Our work continues as we prepare for the possibility of an extended period of limited public gatherings due to COVID-19. Spirit-filled work continues to be done by your St. Luke staff in the face of adversity. We greatly appreciate the messages of support we receive from so many of you!
 
Your St. Luke Church Council has voted, in the interest of public health and for you, our Saints, that we will suspend in-person worship services until further notice. Each Sunday, the St. Luke worship service will be posted on our website, www.stlukememphis.org. We will also send you a link for the worship service in an email. We are committed to providing ongoing support for your spiritual needs. We can stay connected through on-line worship.
 
In the coming days and weeks, we will be calling by phone to check in with you, and to pray with you during these challenging times. If you do become sick or have a need, please contact me at cliff@stlukememphis.org or my cell # 901-268-7078.
 
The St. Luke food pantry will be open this Tuesday morning, March 24, from 10AM-12PM for the general public. The pantry is always open for St. Luke members who may need food assistance.
 
Just a couple of updates and reminders:
 
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you want to change or add email addresses or mobile phone numbers to ensure you receive messages in your preferred location, please email priscilla@stlukememphis.org. An updated directory can be found on our website.
 
FINANCIAL GIFTS AND OFFERING
Your generous support is needed now more than ever. We know there is much uncertainty right now, and in times of uncertainty and adversity, people need their church all the more. Your assistance in sharing your offering enables us to put our focus on ministry and support where it is most needed. Gifts can be made online at stlukememphis.org or click the link Giving, or mailed to the church office address below. Every step to be fiscally prudent is activated right now. Your gifts ensure we are able to bring the excellent ministry you've come to expect while supporting our church staff as they work in mission and ministry during this time.
 
These are challenging times.  This is the first time in the history of our congregation that we have been asked to change from in-person worship services to on-line worship services. During this pandemic, it is our Christian duty to keep one another safe and maintain social distancing. This is how we serve God and our neighbor. For the coming weeks, let your house, be a house of prayer, a place of worship and an outpost of St. Luke church. We are connected by our faith.

 
Thank you for your faithfulness,
And remember, God's Love Endures Forever.
 
Pastor Cliff


St. Luke Lutheran Church
2000 Germantown Pkwy. N
Cordova, TN 38016

From Bishop Strickland and the SE Synod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

19 March 2020
 
Dear ELCA Leaders,

We are in the midst of a generation defining event. The ELCA should not underestimate its ability to lead and change the course of coming events. What we do now may very well save lives and will shape the ELCA and the whole Church for decades to come. I write this to urge you to take swift action and to prepare churches in your care more fully for the new reality that is emerging in the United States due to COVID-19. I am a pediatrician, epidemiologist with training in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. I have also worked for 20 years in variety of capacities in low resourced settings, which is what we may soon be facing in the U.S. I am also a Christian and a member of an ELCA church. I do not make these recommendations lightly.


I want to give you the data that has made me come to this conclusion: 

* According to the CDC data, within 2 days the U.S. has doubled the number of cases of COVID-19 to >7,000. If this continues we will have >30,000 by Sunday March 22, 2020. 

* 10-30% of people who are infected require hospitalizations in Italy and China. 

* If rates of cases double in the U.S. every 4 days, based on CDC numbers from Friday March 13, the US may very well be out of ICU beds by the end of April and out of hospital beds by the end of May. 

* Italian hospitals started crumbling due to this surge when they hit 20,000 cases. 

* We are starting to see the impact. CDC has provided guidance that due to protective equipment shortage nurses should use bandanas and scarves if they do not have access to face masks. 

* CDC data now indicate that 12% infected in the U.S. are hospitalized and 55% of those are 20-65 year-olds. 

* There is report of a family in NJ who has had 3 family members die within the span of 1 week. 

* There are states/places that are not taking strong measures and bars/restaurants remain open. Mardi Gras parties continue in the New Orleans area.

I urge you to watch this video of the situation as of March 16, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZVLiEdWLm4&feature=youtu.be

I will be making an updated video by this weekend but I fear that may be too late to make enough impact. These are unprecedented times and call for unprecedented measures. We are in the beginning days of an event that will be remembered in history books for centuries to come. What happens next determines how that story is told. I urge the ELCA to make the following stances and preparations:

1) Cancel all worship services through the end of April. 

2) Plan for remote funerals, weddings, baptisms to occur for the next 3-6 months. 

3) Plan for how churches will function and support one another when pastors become ill, or worse die due to the higher mortality rates in older populations.

The strong stance of the church can save lives. How lucky are we that we have the technology to continue remote eworshipping. I am available to discuss my thoughts and ideas at any time.

Sincerely,

Erica C. Bjornstad, MD, PhD, MPH 
Birmingham, AL 
443-717-0065 
ericaecuador@yahoo.com



WORSHIP AT 
www.stlukememphis.org

Our Sunday, March 22nd worship service will be uploaded and available Sunday morning.




Sunday, March 22nd


  
 
St. Luke's Vision...

Seek God.  Serve Others.  Share Life.

 
Announcements


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cathy Dafoe
3/23
Lillie Mixon
3/25
Leif Karnuth
3/26
Kelvin Miskowiec
3/27
Ann Ludder
3/28
Bev McGhee3/30


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Keep checking your email for St. Luke news! If you know someone who is not on our emailing list and you know they would like to be added, please feel free to email Priscilla Hughes or Jennifer Wright. We will make sure to add them!

Priscilla Hughes
Church Administrator
priscilla@stlukememphis.org

Jennifer Wright
Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministries
jennifer@stlukememphis.org

Jacob Allen
Music Director
jacobgallen@gmail.com

Pastor Cliff Bahlinger
Pastor
cliff@stlukememphis.org



SEEK. SERVE. SHARE.


St. Luke's Website:

http://www.stlukememphis.org/



St. Luke's Calendar :


http://www.stlukememphis.org/calendar--events.html



St. Luke's SLY Website:

http://www.stlukememphis.org/st-luke-youth.html

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/stlukelutheranchurch 
and Twitter:  @stlukememphis
Instagram:  instagram.com/stlukememphis

or by clicking on the icons below:


 Follow us
@stlukememphis

St. Luke Lutheran Church | 756-8850 | stlukememphis.org


St. Luke Lutheran Church, 2000 Germantown Parkway N., Cordova, TN 38016
SafeUnsubscribe™ bridgette.decent@gmail.com
Forward This Email to a Friend | Update Profile | About our service provider
Sent by priscilla@stlukememphis.org in collaboration with
Try email marketing for free today!





ReplyForward

















































Skip to content
Using Gmail with screen readers






Search




















Compose
Labels
Inbox4,754


Snoozed


Important


Sent


Drafts77


Trash



Categories



[Gmail]



HOA



Notes



Personal



Unroll.me

More 

Hangouts


 
 
 








More
5 of 12,135









This Week Pastoral letter re: COVID-19

Inbox
x




St. Luke Lutheran Church via auth.ccsend.com Mar 19, 2020, 5:39 PM (14 hours ago)


to me










Seek God. 
Serve Others. 
Share Life.


This Week at St. Luke


Hello, St. Luke Saints!
Here is your weekly update.

This Sunday, March 22nd
Service of the Word on-line at stlukememphis.org
A Word from Pastor Cliff

Dear St. Luke Saints,
 
Our work continues as we prepare for the possibility of an extended period of limited public gatherings due to COVID-19. Spirit-filled work continues to be done by your St. Luke staff in the face of adversity. We greatly appreciate the messages of support we receive from so many of you!
 
Your St. Luke Church Council has voted, in the interest of public health and for you, our Saints, that we will suspend in-person worship services until further notice. Each Sunday, the St. Luke worship service will be posted on our website, www.stlukememphis.org. We will also send you a link for the worship service in an email. We are committed to providing ongoing support for your spiritual needs. We can stay connected through on-line worship.
 
In the coming days and weeks, we will be calling by phone to check in with you, and to pray with you during these challenging times. If you do become sick or have a need, please contact me at cliff@stlukememphis.org or my cell # 901-268-7078.
 
The St. Luke food pantry will be open this Tuesday morning, March 24, from 10AM-12PM for the general public. The pantry is always open for St. Luke members who may need food assistance.
 
Just a couple of updates and reminders:
 
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you want to change or add email addresses or mobile phone numbers to ensure you receive messages in your preferred location, please email priscilla@stlukememphis.org. An updated directory can be found on our website.
 
FINANCIAL GIFTS AND OFFERING
Your generous support is needed now more than ever. We know there is much uncertainty right now, and in times of uncertainty and adversity, people need their church all the more. Your assistance in sharing your offering enables us to put our focus on ministry and support where it is most needed. Gifts can be made online at stlukememphis.org or click the link Giving, or mailed to the church office address below. Every step to be fiscally prudent is activated right now. Your gifts ensure we are able to bring the excellent ministry you've come to expect while supporting our church staff as they work in mission and ministry during this time.
 
These are challenging times.  This is the first time in the history of our congregation that we have been asked to change from in-person worship services to on-line worship services. During this pandemic, it is our Christian duty to keep one another safe and maintain social distancing. This is how we serve God and our neighbor. For the coming weeks, let your house, be a house of prayer, a place of worship and an outpost of St. Luke church. We are connected by our faith.

 
Thank you for your faithfulness,
And remember, God's Love Endures Forever.
 
Pastor Cliff


St. Luke Lutheran Church
2000 Germantown Pkwy. N
Cordova, TN 38016

From Bishop Strickland and the SE Synod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

19 March 2020
 
Dear ELCA Leaders,

We are in the midst of a generation defining event. The ELCA should not underestimate its ability to lead and change the course of coming events. What we do now may very well save lives and will shape the ELCA and the whole Church for decades to come. I write this to urge you to take swift action and to prepare churches in your care more fully for the new reality that is emerging in the United States due to COVID-19. I am a pediatrician, epidemiologist with training in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. I have also worked for 20 years in variety of capacities in low resourced settings, which is what we may soon be facing in the U.S. I am also a Christian and a member of an ELCA church. I do not make these recommendations lightly.


I want to give you the data that has made me come to this conclusion: 

* According to the CDC data, within 2 days the U.S. has doubled the number of cases of COVID-19 to >7,000. If this continues we will have >30,000 by Sunday March 22, 2020. 

* 10-30% of people who are infected require hospitalizations in Italy and China. 

* If rates of cases double in the U.S. every 4 days, based on CDC numbers from Friday March 13, the US may very well be out of ICU beds by the end of April and out of hospital beds by the end of May. 

* Italian hospitals started crumbling due to this surge when they hit 20,000 cases. 

* We are starting to see the impact. CDC has provided guidance that due to protective equipment shortage nurses should use bandanas and scarves if they do not have access to face masks. 

* CDC data now indicate that 12% infected in the U.S. are hospitalized and 55% of those are 20-65 year-olds. 

* There is report of a family in NJ who has had 3 family members die within the span of 1 week. 

* There are states/places that are not taking strong measures and bars/restaurants remain open. Mardi Gras parties continue in the New Orleans area.

I urge you to watch this video of the situation as of March 16, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZVLiEdWLm4&feature=youtu.be

I will be making an updated video by this weekend but I fear that may be too late to make enough impact. These are unprecedented times and call for unprecedented measures. We are in the beginning days of an event that will be remembered in history books for centuries to come. What happens next determines how that story is told. I urge the ELCA to make the following stances and preparations:

1) Cancel all worship services through the end of April. 

2) Plan for remote funerals, weddings, baptisms to occur for the next 3-6 months. 

3) Plan for how churches will function and support one another when pastors become ill, or worse die due to the higher mortality rates in older populations.

The strong stance of the church can save lives. How lucky are we that we have the technology to continue remote eworshipping. I am available to discuss my thoughts and ideas at any time.

Sincerely,

Erica C. Bjornstad, MD, PhD, MPH 
Birmingham, AL 
443-717-0065 
ericaecuador@yahoo.com



WORSHIP AT 
www.stlukememphis.org

Our Sunday, March 22nd worship service will be uploaded and available Sunday morning.




Sunday, March 22nd


  
 
St. Luke's Vision...

Seek God.  Serve Others.  Share Life.

 
Announcements


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cathy Dafoe
3/23
Lillie Mixon
3/25
Leif Karnuth
3/26
Kelvin Miskowiec
3/27
Ann Ludder
3/28
Bev McGhee3/30


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Keep checking your email for St. Luke news! If you know someone who is not on our emailing list and you know they would like to be added, please feel free to email Priscilla Hughes or Jennifer Wright. We will make sure to add them!

Priscilla Hughes
Church Administrator
priscilla@stlukememphis.org

Jennifer Wright
Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministries
jennifer@stlukememphis.org

Jacob Allen
Music Director
jacobgallen@gmail.com

Pastor Cliff Bahlinger
Pastor
cliff@stlukememphis.org



SEEK. SERVE. SHARE.


St. Luke's Website:

http://www.stlukememphis.org/



St. Luke's Calendar :


http://www.stlukememphis.org/calendar--events.html



St. Luke's SLY Website:

http://www.stlukememphis.org/st-luke-youth.html

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/stlukelutheranchurch 
and Twitter:  @stlukememphis
Instagram:  instagram.com/stlukememphis

or by clicking on the icons below:


 Follow us
@stlukememphis

St. Luke Lutheran Church | 756-8850 | stlukememphis.org


St. Luke Lutheran Church, 2000 Germantown Parkway N., Cordova, TN 38016
SafeUnsubscribe™ bridgette.decent@gmail.com
Forward This Email to a Friend | Update Profile | About our service provider
Sent by priscilla@stlukememphis.org in collaboration with
Try email marketing for free today!





ReplyForward

God, things are changing.
The world is changing.
We feel uncertain and shaky.
We feel anxious.
Even in this time of pandemic,
Your Love endures forever.
 
Our world, nation, state and county have undergone massive changes in the past 24 hours. We are now all conscious of the spread of the coronavirus. Even in this time, we desire for St. Luke to be a place of healing and security.
 
Because worship is a group activity, we will need to exercise caution when we come to worship. If you are sick, please stay home and rest and recuperate. We will be making changes to how we clean our building, how we receive the offering, pass the peace, and receive Holy Communion starting this Sunday, March 15.
 
In the very near future we will be live streaming our worship services, so those who are at home can participate online. We will be updating you on this very soon.
 
If you do become sick, please inform us so we can support you in our prayers, provide visits, or run errands for you. By working together and supporting one another, we can all grow stronger in these troubled times.
 
You may make your tithes and offering on our website, simply use the giving tab at http://www.stlukememphis.org/  . We will be introducing on-line giving thru Venmo and Tithe.ly in the near future for those who want more on-line giving options. 
 
Thank you for your faithfulness,
And remember, God’s Love Endures Forever,
 
Pastor Cliff

​For the past couple of years your church leadership has talked about the possibility, that one day, we would focus on the goal of paying off the mortgage on our church buildings and property. The goal was a good one, the benefits would be real and immediate, but could we do it?

We just were not sure that we could raise the money ourselves? Many churches turn to outside consultants that run the capital campaign for the church. We decided that this was a project we wanted to run ourselves. We love St. Luke. We know God has called us to be a part of this church, and we would present the goal to the congregation and see what the response would be.

The goal was simple, pay off the remaining balance of the mortgage with a goal of burning the mortgage papers. That gave us our slogan, "PrAY IT Off, Burn the Mortgage." We would turn to God in prayer, and ask all of the Saint Luke Saints to give towards the goal that our congregation could be debt free.

As you may have heard, the response was immediate and encouraging. Once the campaign was announced, gifts big and small began to appear in the offering plate. We reached our $40,000 goal in a matter of weeks and the final payment has been sent to our mortgage company. In a few weeks, we expect to receive the final deed to our church property! A celebration party and mortgage burning is now scheduled for Sunday, February 23.

This has been an amazing experience! We have reached our goal, and now will begin to build a property reserve fund to insure maintenance and care for our facilities. We are in a much stronger position to fund ministries and create new ministry partners. The ministry of St. Luke is in good hands. Let us give thanks for the out pouring of generosity. Together we reached an important goal in the life of our congregation.

We will now continue to focus on our mission as we,

Seek God, Serve Others and Share Life.

Grace and Peace,
​Pastor Cliff

Matthew 2: 1-12. Epiphany: a new church year, a new beginning. We celebrate the arrival of 3 wise men or 3 kings from very different parts of the world (ergo, 3 very different cultures). The word "epiphany" means "a sudden understanding." This season is 7 weeks long, this year; a festival season that lasts through Fat Tuesday and ends on Ash Wednesday. This is the time when God reveals Himself to us. The 3 travelers were not Jewish: they represented the world at large. Christianity was expanding in the 2nd century; a religion for all people, the Word for the World. This certainly applies to our world today. If you look at all the countries in the world, immigrants abide there. We humans are a mix of people and churches are a sanctuary for those immigrants seeking a new life, even survival. We are one race, one community in the same body of believers. Paradoxically, we welcome diversity! Matthew says, "Make disciples of all nations." That means us - today, as it was in Matthew's day. 
Amen!
​

The very first time I was part of leading a Christmas Eve Service was over thirty years ago. I was not ordained, and I really had no idea what I was doing. Lisa and I were recently married and serving with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks. We worked and lived in National Parks and led Sunday worship services in the campgrounds or indoor meeting places. At this time we were living in Stove Pipe Wells, Death Valley, CA. We were living in an employee dorm in the park, and our housing was one room and a bath, which we shared with our cat. A very dark and dusty room as I remember! We had a hot plate, and our refrigerator was an ice chest. The nearest grocery store was more than an hour away in Nevada.  
 
Like most of the park employees, we were scheduled to work on all of the holidays, Christmas included. So Lisa and I organized a Christmas Eve Service after the work day for all the park employees and guests. To our great surprise the entire park staff came out for the Christmas Eve Service. From the hotel manager who played the piano, and the District Park Ranger who served as lector. The hostess of the restaurant sang a solo, and the bus boy in the restaurant helped to set up chairs. The room was full as we began. We had a piano and a few hymnals, but no choir, and to my surprise the singing of carols was loud and joyful. Though it was a Christmas Eve Service stripped clean of glitter, candles, banners or stars, Christ's Spirit was very much evident. A simple service, for simple people of faith, longing for God's presence. Christ came and met us where we were. 
 
I learned that Christmas does not need to be a fancy production. But then we knew that, didn't we, from the first Christmas, when a poor couple took refuge in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. They nestled their newborn son in a manger. Christ found his home on earth among us. 
​
And so, as we prepare this Advent, I am reminded to simply open my heart to the true gift of Christmas. God coming as a child, innocent and defenseless into the craziness of our world. Whether we celebrate Christmas grandly or simply is not the point. Our focus is directed to Christ, who comes to us where we are, as suburban or city dwellers, as nomads or kings. That Christmas in the desert was special, not for the gifts or celebration, but because Christ was present. I have no idea what I said that night, but I do remember it as a Christ centered celebration. I also remember walking back to our dorm after the Christmas Service, it was night time in the desert and the sky was a magnificent canvas of stars. As I looked at the stars, I was thankful that the God of the universe was with us, in that very moment.
 
Advent Blessings, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

It was not that many years ago when in many Lutheran churches,
     * the altar was up against the back wall

     * Holy Communion was only celebrated once a month, 

     * the service was spoken in German, Swedish, or Danish.


The way we worship in our ELCA congregations has changed over the years. Weekly celebration of Holy Communion is now the norm, the altar is now free standing, and the language spoken changes with the needs of the people. The description of Lutheran Worship in the time of Martin Luther was simple. "The assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel" (Augsburg Confession). 


Our Lutheran order of worship is simple, we seek to copy the order of first and second century Christians as found in the Bible and in the writings of Justin Martyr who wrote in A.D. 150. The essential components are; Gathering, Word, Table and Sending.


At St. Luke this is our basic order of worship. We gather to confess our sins, sing an opening hymn, and pray. We are people gathered to talk to God together. We worship as a community of faith, as a body of believers. 


Prayers and Scripture readings, sermons and testimonies, hymns and songs are each part of the Word of worship. Each Sunday we hear the words of scripture from a three year lectionary schedule that follows the liturgical calendar. We hear the words of both law and gospel. We are drawn to the grace of God, shown in words and life of Christ. 


Jesus said, "do this in remembrance of me." So we gather at the table for a meal of remembrance, believing that Jesus is present with us, and in, with and under the bread and wine. The word Eucharist means thanksgiving, so it is a meal of thanks, a meal of spiritual sustenance. 


The last part, the sending, reminds us to go out with Jesus to serve in word and deed. We are reminded of the words of Martin Luther, "God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does." We serve, because we live in a hurting world, a world in need of hope and healing. 


It is God who gathers us, speaks to us, feeds us in grace, and sends us into the world. We are a people of God called out to serve and love. We are diverse and inclusive, we are joyful and hopeful, we are marked with the water of baptism forever. 


I hope to see you soon in the worship service, we will be reviewing the 7 Marks of Ministry in the month of August. In September we will have a special Friendship Sunday on September 15, a day to invite friends and family to join us in worship and fellowship.


Your partner in ministry,
Pastor Cliff

​Soul Keeping, what does this mean to you? How do we care for our Souls?
This is the topic of our St Luke Lenten Study. You are invited to join us as we dive deep into the care of our souls. First, we may ask what is a soul? As Christians we are taught that we are a body, and our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we die, our body shall rise and be reformed in heaven just as Jesus rose with a new body. God created a human body at the creation story and said it is good. So, in our Christian theology, we are a divinely created body. But this body is made up of many parts. The body consists of a will, a mind and a soul. All four parts make a whole. The will is the ability to choose, for God gave us free will. The mind is a person’s thoughts and feelings. We are told in scripture to renew our minds, to use our minds, to grow in our thoughts. The body is what houses, or carries us around. Our body is fearfully and wonderfully made by God, but our body is flesh and bone. The soul is what integrates all of our different parts into a single person. It is the soul that integrates all of our different parts into a single person.
We want to spend some time learning about our Soul this lent. The first lesson of the soul is to “slow down and know that I am God.” Our soul needs time with God, in prayer, in quiet, in peace. So, my first request of you this lent is to schedule time to be with God. To stop and let God meet you where you are. God always comes to where we are. We do not need to try and reach God, let God come to you. Make some time, this is the first step. If possible join the Soul Keeping study, get the work book, and go deeper. Each Sunday and Wednesday in lent I will draw on these topics in our worship services. Make an effort to attend Sunday and Wednesday services.
Take some time this week to consider these words, “You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe” (Dallas Willard).
I look forward to growing with you, let us be keepers of our souls this lent,
​
Pastor Cliff