Friends,

It is an incredibly good and interesting time to be a Christian, especially here at St. Luke’s.

The twenty-four-hour news cycle and doom scrolling social media lends itself to outrage. Outrage keeps you watching through the commercial break to see what happens next, as if we were constantly living on the cusp of life’s cliff hanger. Well don’t you know it, increasingly every day there seems to be an actual cliff hanger that threatens to suddenly end the world that we rely on, and it is often juxtaposed with something bizarre and seemingly written by a freshmen creative writing student. The bizarre bits would be funny and genuinely controversial, but before you have time to google what they are talking about, something truly scary happens, and then you put down your phone and go fold laundry. Your kids need clean clothes, this is something you can control, so you put everything into the chore.

This is such a good time to be a Christian, because we are not afforded the luxuries of numbing out through cynicism, or of having enemies. We are called to care. Yes, occasionally dip into cynicism if you must, but don’t stay there too long or you’ll get stuck. When you have the strength, know that God is calling you to engage and listen. Engaging doesn’t mean scrolling social media or watching the news for hours on end. Let your research be focused. Read the Associated Press or Reuters. Have conversations with people you respect, or people that disagree with you. Better yet, try to find people who fit both categories.

When you find your enemies, love them, because your salvation is intertwined with theirs’. Be honest and always err on the side of compassion and always be ready to meet hate with love. Not heart emojis. Real love. We’ll likely not be gifted with many opportunities to show genuine love to our enemies, so make it count. And please, do not mistake loving and engaging with those you think are your enemies with nagging. If you make them feel small, they will run further away.

Keep in mind, I am writing this not because I am an expert, but because this is what I am actively working on. I try, and I fail, and I am trying to be done with seeing this as a burden. This is very much what we are called to do as followers of Jesus, and as the whole world is trying to rediscover what it is to be in community, we are right here on the corner of Wellington and Fort Hunt getting ready for life.

When I feel down, I fold laundry, mow the lawn or play with my kids. In the midst of a shifting world order, we still go about the business of doing life, because we have no other choice.

So, here is the life that is happening at St. Luke’s:

When you read this Sue Bentley will officially be retired as our parish administrator. She has been doing this work for eleven years and has been so much to so many people on the best and worst days of their lives. She is going to begin her retirement by joining us for the annual BBQ which will be this Saturday at 11:00 and by going to all morning worship with us on Sunday. We’ll have a food truck and a reception for Sue after the 10:00 am service. I encourage you to come.

Rachel DeMarco is our new parish administer! While she has hit the ground running and is knocking out tasks left and right, keep in mind she is still being on boarded. If you can wait on that one thing until a couple of weeks from now, please do so. We’ll send out a bio and more about her position in the future.

LeighAnn Kephart will be joining us for the next six months as our “New Ministry Coordinator”! I asked for funds from the endowment to seed new ministries, and LeighAnn will be leading the charge on these new ministries. The most ambitious new ministry will be a parents’ morning out program which we plan to debut in the fall. She will also be working with other members of the Church with getting any new ministry off the ground such as a supper club, lady’s mahjong, and the running club.

It is an incredibly interesting and exciting time to be a Christian, especially at St. Luke’s. Every day we are called to not have our souls be dominated by the legion of voices in the world that lead us away from that deep well of life and love that God has granted us, and sometimes that can be a challenge. Take a beat and come and be with us. Embrace the sadness of saying goodbye, and the excitement of welcoming new leaders in the Church. Take a risk and trust that grace and mercy abound.

Blessings,

Nick