Last Thursday, June 20th – on the longest day of the year – members of St. Luke’s church, other inclusive congregations and community organizations, and residents gathered to celebrate the inaugural Pride in Park Ridge event. Hundreds of people gathered in the pursuit of affirming that love is greater than hate.
This past Sunday, Pastor Julie Grafe (like grace but with an F), who recently joined the congregation with her husband and two adult children, preached a sermon that reminded us that there are seeds of faith growing, often mysteriously, often mysteriously and inconspicuously, until all of a sudden, they grow like weeds!
This year’s assembly was a delight…in some ways because I had nothing to do with planning it! And also, because these are always occasions of reunion with siblings in Christ, powerful worship, and thought-provoking conversation around important topics in the life of our church and world.
Pastor Kyle: Hi Cindy and Clare! Thank you for sharing your experience from the recent Climate Action Lobby Day on May 9th. Can you tell us a bit about the event and what motivated you to participate?
Cindy: Absolutely! The Climate Action Lobby Day was an incredible opportunity organized by the Illinois Environmental Council. Over 300 people gathered in Springfield to advocate for equitable climate policies. I reached out to a number of folks and was so glad that Clare was interesting in joining me.
This Sunday is the church festival when we focus on the mystery of the Holy Trinity—God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One traditional source we trust to help us understand the Trinity is the Athanasian Creed, an ancient statement of Christian belief.
It seems a bit soon to draw any conclusions. As I write it is less than three weeks since I officially concluded my interim pastoral role at St. Luke’s. But people are asking about my experience of “re-retirement” (despite the fact I – and the ELCA Board of Pensions – believe I never “un-retired.” I was just “helping out”).
On May 19th, we will light a fire in celebration of Pentecost, reminding us of the fire of the Holy Spirit that rested on the heads of the early believers and continues to light a fire of guidance and passion for each of us.
But more historically, fire is associated with the Easter Vigil service, which continues to grow in importance for our own practice in the Lutheran church. Again…a good opportunity for mystagogical reflection.
Dear church,
A couple of weeks ago I attended our Spirit Matters group for the first time, faithfully led by member Diane Barounis. It was a powerful experience – the space so carefully prepared to make us comfortable in the physical body, so that we might be able to go to another level, sharing as each felt comfortable about our experience with holy mystery – about the ways in which we have experienced and embraced and felt God, but often not able to “think our way to God.” (The Cloud of Unknowing)
Are you a Thrivent member? Did you know that members may be eligible for thousands of dollars to contribute to special projects here at St. Luke’s?
There are two ways you can make a difference requesting Thrivent funds: Through Thrivent Action Teams Grants and Thrivent Choice Dollars.
Thrivent Action teams are simply a small group who wishes to put on a fundraiser, educational event or service activity. Thrivent provides up to $250 in seed money. Then you and your team can get busy bringing your project to life.
Dear church,
Anne and I had the opportunity to attend the Institute of Liturgical Studies this past week as part of our continuing education and we left with so many things to talk about … our minds were stimulated, and our souls refreshed.
In one of the sessions, I was reminded of the context of the foot-washing in John’s Gospel, which we heard on Maundy Thursday.
And so, we enter a moment of mystagogy about that experience … I spoke with a parishioner who chose not to participate in the foot washing.
Let’s see where the framework leads us …