Living in God’s Abundance

First, I want to join the participants of the Adult Forum and the children in Sunday School to come together for a brief opening worship in Henderson Hall at 8:30. It will be a great blessing to “Connect in Christ,” across the generations. The children all wear Name Necklaces so that we can greet them by name and get to know them. So let’s join them at 8:30 for prayers, a brief lesson based on the Gospel for the day, and joyful songs. This invitation is to any adult at St. Luke’s, whether you attend the adult forum or share conversation around a cup of coffee. Let me repeat the invitation. Adult Forum will join Sunday School for opening worship at 8:30, then begin the Bible study in the conference room at 8:45

Connecting in Christ

Can I still say that I am a somewhat new pair of eyes? I have been amazed and grateful to observe you conduct a listening season and a Strategic Vision Planning Process with great energy and faithfulness. This vision to Connect again with one another coming out of the pandemic, to connect to our community and world through the Gospel has given us spiritual energy and holy imagination.

Spending Time with Luke

Beginning this coming Sunday at 8:45, and for the next four Sundays, we will be spending time in the Gospel of Luke. We are in Series C of the lectionary, “the year of Luke,” and most of the Gospel readings are from that gospel. I am hoping that our deep dive into the Gospel together will help enrich our hearing God’s word when we worship.

A View From the Ground

September 11 has been commodified, interpreted, and cited to support going to war, fearing and blaming immigrants, jingoistic “America First” rhetoric. It has been buried in the history which followed it. We bombed Kabul 21 years ago in the name of 9/11. And today we cringe and grieve as suicide bombs go off in Kabul, and bombs burst on civilians in Ukraine. But for me the true feelings of that day are not buried or papered over, but are as vivid and searing as ever.

All Hands on Deck

I hope to name an Implementation Team for our Strategic Plan by the end of this week or the beginning of next. They will plan, with the staff, for a public and joyful launch of the Strategic Plan and all its recommendations this fall. When the plan has been launched, we will live into it, with the help of the Implementation Team. When we have evaluated the first hundred days of the launch, we will evaluate and begin to think and pray about the formation of a Call Committee for the next Lead Pastor of St. Luke’s. We need all of you to make our bold recommendations for mission a reality. It’s “all hands-on deck” time. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is leading us into the next season of God’s mission among us in church and community.

Next Big Thing

We have sent out invitations to the Implementation Team, who will guide and coordinate the implementation of our Strategic Plan coming out of the Vision Process and unanimously adopted by the Church Council. This team will plan to roll out the entire plan and recommendations with a big launch this fall. The theme will center in what we heard from you in the Listening Season: Reconnecting in Christ. We have already shared a couple of Recommendations. . .

Opportunity for Renewal

My deepest prayerful hope for us as we live into this plan for mission and ministry is that we would have a revival of our faith and a re-focus on Christ as the cornerstone of our church. As we reconnect may we also reshape our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Digs In

In the place of intimations of divinity and immortality, this apprentice priest experienced the all-too-human emotions of vanity, vulnerability, and insecurity. Yet we have a parable here about the Call process and the ministry to which all of us have been called by our baptism. Ever since the Word became flesh, it is in the very vanity, vulnerability, and insecurity of human life that Call processes and ministry take place. The stuff of our humanity is where the Holy Spirit digs in, with wisdom and direction.

Strategic Plan

At the next Church Council Meeting a major item on the agenda will be receiving, discussing and adopting a final draft of the Strategic Plan, Implementation Process, and Implementation Team. We will then share this plan and implementation process with the entire congregation in a variety of communication platforms and opportunities for in-person and zoom discussion.

Ministry to Older Adults

The pastoral message this week will be a video which I made for both of the Saint Luke\St. Luke’s congregations together. As most of you know I am the interim pastor at both Saint Luke, Chicago and St. Luke’s, Park Ridge. We share common holy space every Thursday at noon when we have our online Bible Study. I want to share holy space about outreach to and with older adults (like me!) in my video to both beloved St. Luke communities.