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Contemplative Eucharist Returns with Bible Study to Follow
The lovely tradition of simple, contemplative Eucharist resumes this Lent on March 13 at 6 pm in the Church. After the Eucharist concludes and choir members head to practice, Jarrett will offer a 45-minute bible study on the Gospel read at the service. This week will be "Jesus' Last Week according to Luke"
All ages welcome! If you cannot make Sunday, try this Eucharist instead!
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Farewell Prayers for the Tiffany Windows next Sunday at 8 am and 10 am
In preparation for the removal of the Tiffany Windows for repair in New Jersey and auction in New York, we will say a set of prayers of thanksgiving and farewell next Sunday during the 8 am and 10 am. When an object which was devoted to a sacred purpose is retired to secular use, the custom of the church is to formally 'secularize' or 'desacralize' the object to mark the transition. The prayers will honor the window, the family that donated the windows, and the feelings of the current congregation as we let them go.
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During the COVID lockdown I gained a new appreciation for the way scripture encourages us to develop endurance and persistence as virtues that come with faith. In times of rapid change and struggle, in challenging times, we need to have resilience so we can stand firm in our faith and values while the world swirls around us.
Saint Paul writes eloquently about these traits of Christian character. Paul endured beatings, riots, jail, shipwreck and martyrdom to spread the Good News of Jesus. Ever the realist and very much like Jesus, he cautioned early followers of Jesus to expect persecution and struggle. As my wife says, “when you stand up for what is right, you put a target on your back.”
On Sunday, we will hear one of these passages from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. With real brilliance, Paul holds in tension two goals and two ideas that might be at odds with each other. Pastorally, he is admonishing and correcting while also loving and cherishing. Pedagogically, Paul holds together the Cross of Christ and freedom from shame, bondage and judgment.
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| | Looking Ahead to Lent: “Becoming Beloved Community” and “Loved into Clarity” | | |
Becoming Beloved Community: Sacred Conversation on Race
An Anti-Racism training for Spiritual Growth and the building up of an Inclusive Community
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Our theme for Lent, “Loved into Clarity” includes, for those who are ready, the opportunity to seek clarity about racial justice and all the ways that the racism prevalent in our culture has affected our souls. This 5 session training will be offered after church on Sundays in Lent starting this Sunday, March 9th. The course objectives include:
- To provide a spiritual growth opportunity based on the mission of the church and our baptismal vows that brings us closer to the Beloved Community of Jesus Christ.
- To educate members at St. Luke’s in the skills and awareness necessary to become a community that welcomes all people across race and other forms of difference.
- To develop the lens of anti-racism to help us to see and acknowledge racism in our church and our world.
- To build up our capacity to be present and committed to each other through difficult and painful conversations.
The future of the Episcopal Church is diverse and we will either prepare to embrace that fact or continue to wither on the vine. Racism is not yet healed in our country and the church is called to play a role in that healing and restoring work.
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Our theme, Loved into Clarity has two spiritual practices attached to it:
1. The Prayer of Examen
2. Becoming Beloved Community.
During Lent we take on an intentional spiritual practice to prepare to follow Jesus through the “Crucify Him!” on Good Friday to “Hallelujah, Christ is Risen!” on Easter.
For Lent 2025, I am offering the Prayer of Examen as a spiritual practice because it goes with our Lenten theme, “Loved into Clarity.” We have a Day-by-Day Lenten Guide in the atrium available for all members to take home.
Why “Loved into Clarity”? This theme is based on John 9:1-7. Jesus heals our blindness and gives us the gift of clarity. We grow that gift in many ways. One is the Prayer of Examen.
| | Newcomers Wine & Cheese: Cancelled | | We wanted to let you know that the Newcomers Wine & Cheese Reception scheduled for this Sunday has been postponed due to low registration. We look forward to welcoming new members at a future date, and we will share the rescheduled event details soon. Thank you for your understanding! | | 3 More Donors Still Needed! | | |
Upcoming Blood Drive – March 16
As part of our Lenten journey, we are hosting a blood drive on March 16 (this Sunday) to help those in need. This is a meaningful way to give back during this season of reflection and service. Donating blood only takes a small amount of your time but can save lives in our community. Our goal is to reach 25 appointment sign-ups. We currently need 3 more sign-ups to reach our goal! Together, let's save lives and reflect the love of Christ through action.
Sign up today and be a part of this important mission!
Use Sponsor Code: 2270
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Running through April 20th (Easter)
In what has become a tradition at St. Luke's, parishioners are invited to read, reflect, and write on daily readings.
Interested in writing a Lenten blog? Contact Betsy efornal@aol.com
Click on the button below to subscribe for automatic email notifications when new blogs have been posted! Previous blog subscribers are automatically signed up.
| | | Easter Flower & Music Memorials | | | | |
We are now accepting donations for flower and music memorials in honor of Easter. The deadline for submissions is April 6, 2025. Please make checks payable to St. Luke's Church, indicating "flower memorials" or "music memorials." Checks can be placed in the Sunday offertory, brought to the church office, or mailed to: St. Luke's Church, 99 Peirce Street, East Greenwich, RI 02818. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Recommended donation per name: $10
| | Partner Diocese in South Sudan Needs Funding to Save Lives | | The Diocese of Rhode Island has a long-term partner relationship with the Diocese of Morobo in South Sudan. The desperate situation in South Sudan was made even more deadly by the recent chaotic dismantling of USAID. While individual giving will never match the scale of federal funding supplied by USAID, it is still good and right to give from our abundance to children of God who are facing starvation and disease. Major international charities such as World Vision, Save the Children and Catholic Relief are reeling from the loss of grant support from USAID. We can give directly to the Diocese of Morobo through the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island and be sure that our funds will go directly to that Diocese and used for the stated purpose. Please write checks to St. Luke's and put South Sudan in the memo line. We will collect the funds during Lent and Easter and transfer them to Sudan through our Bishop's office. | | Action Alert: Support the American Dream and Promise Act | | | | |
On February 26, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 was reintroduced in Congress with bipartisan support. This crucial legislation, championed by both Democrats and Republicans, aims to provide a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients who have long been integral members of our communities.
The Episcopal Church has consistently advocated for such reform, aligning with the principles embodied in this legislation. The bipartisan support for the American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 reflects a growing consensus on the importance of addressing the status of long-term residents who contribute significantly to our nation's fabric.
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Monday, March 24th at 6:30 PM
We have an exciting meeting lined up for this month, featuring a special talk from Mark Cordle, our Master Gardener, on "Gardening for the Birds: What Homeowners Can Do to Bring Our Birds Back." If you're passionate about nature or looking for ways to make your garden more bird-friendly, you won’t want to miss this!
We'll also be reflecting on the great work done at the ECC during our October Retreat, and discussing upcoming opportunities, including the St. Luke’s Work Party at the ECC on Saturday, April 5th. Come ready to sign up and make a difference!
Plus, we’ll be talking about organizing a meal prep evening to support a local group in need. And don’t miss an update from the recent “Christian Nationalism” conference, attended by several of our TOT members and St. Luke’s Clergy.
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Women of Grace will be meeting Monday, April 7th, 7:00pm in the dining room at St. Luke’s. We will be discussing the book, American Jezebel, by Eve LaPlante. “Considered one of the earliest American feminists, Anne Hutchinson was a spiritual leader in colonial Massachusetts who challenged male authority—and, indirectly, acceptable gender roles—by preaching to both women and men and by questioning Puritan teachings about salvation.” (https://www.womenshistory..org)
In exile from MA, she settled RI (which later merged with Roger William’s Providence Plantation) becoming the only woman to co-found an American colony. One wonders if women face similar challenges today. This is sure to be a fascinating discussion.
Please feel free to bring a savory or sweet to share. Kindly RSVP deblukens73@gmail.com, (908) 500-4573.
| | Exciting News: St. Luke’s Partners with Neighborhood Forest! | | | | |
We are thrilled to announce that St. Luke’s is partnering with Neighborhood Forest to provide free trees to families in our community! This Earth Week, we will be giving away trees at our Easter service.
Anyone can register, whether you have kids or not! Simply register before March 15th to secure your free tree.
Please note, the registration form asks for a child's name, but that doesn’t mean you need to have children to participate. As long as we meet the minimum order, your tree will be delivered to the church and available for pick-up at Easter. If we don't reach the required number of registrations, the order will be canceled.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate Earth Week and contribute to a greener future!
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The early church in Philippi was full of retired Roman soldiers. Philippi was a Roman colony in Asia Minor populated by former legionnaires. Invariably, these former soldiers knew more about crucifixion than most people. Rome crucified with wild abandon as a way to terrorize and pacify restive locals. Mangled bodies were left on crosses next to major thoroughfares as billboards of Roman power and warnings to rebels.
These soldiers struggled with the Cross of Christ. How could the Son of God die such a shameful death? Paul writes “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears.” Like those soldiers we often follow a partial Gospel, and incomplete Good News, because we avoid the Cross of Christ and what it has to teach us about God and ourselves.
The cross shows us the cost of rejecting God. By rejecting Jesus humanity rejects God and the reconciliation God offers us and the restored humanity God offers us. Jesus was the one fully human person who ever lived and we tortured and killed him. What is the lesson? When we reject God we mutilate our humanity personally and collectively. The mangled image of Jesus is there to remind us of what humanity without God does to humanity.
The cross is also a clue to how we participate in God’s ongoing redemption of the world. We take on faithful, often painful, struggle for the sake of the true humanity redeemed by God in the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus pioneered the struggle, broke through all of the barriers of sin, suffering and death and blazed a path for us to follow. Endurance, perseverance, and resilience are necessary to follow Jesus in the path of the cross.
Paul ends this section of his letter this way, “Therefore, my siblings, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.” After admonishing us to face the Cross of Christ head on, Paul sticks the landing by loving and validating his listeners and readers. This is how we gain endurance, perseverance and resilience, through the love and validation of God we experience through word, sacrament and community.
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99 Peirce Street
East Greenwich, RI 02818
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