Message from the Pastor

If Jesus sat down to read his Bible, what books would he turn to most often?

The answer is the prophet Isaiah and the Psalms. These are the books that Jesus most often quotes in his life and ministry. If Jesus had a highlighter, the prophetic callings of Isaiah and the prayerful yearnings of David would be brightly marked for emphasis.

Jesus prayed the Psalms, and he had his favorites memorized, as was common at the time. This became the standard practice of dedicated Christians, particularly the monks who lived in monastic communities or in desert hermitages.

Jesus’s mission was fueled by Isaiah, who preached a vision of a suffering servant being a light to all the various nations of the earth. Isaiah preached about social justice and treating the poor with fairness and respect. He preached an inclusive vision where formerly excluded, mistreated, and marginalized people would be welcomed into the House of God. Jesus was inspired by this vision and wanted to fulfill the vision with his life and ministry.

If we want to follow Jesus, we need to understand him. To understand him, we must read his Bible, especially the books he loved.

In January, I’ll be preaching four sermons from Isaiah and the Psalms, so that we can get into the scriptural spirit of Jesus our teacher. Read these texts, meditate on them, and pray with them. Imagine Jesus doing the same, both then and now.

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72 (“Arise, shine; for your light has come…”)
Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Matthew 3:13-17 (“Here is my servant, whom I uphold..”)
Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11 (“Listen to me, O coastlands… The Lord called me…”)
Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-14

If you’re brave, read both books in their entirety. Reading five Psalms a day would get you through the whole book in a month. (The desert monks of the fourth century would recite all one hundred and fifty psalms in one day, from memory!) These are two of the most important books in our bibles, and if we don’t know them, then we won’t fully understand the Mind of Christ.

The good news is that they are a portal into the spirit of our Master.

The New Year is a time for goal-setting and looking ahead, discerning our vision for the future and asking what God’s vision is for us. Part of God’s vision for all people is that we will embrace the gifts of Creation, Scripture, and Jesus Christ, and through these gifts, journey toward the presence of God.

Many of you received gifts on Christmas morning. What have you done with those gifts so far? Returned the clothes for a different size? Stored them in the closet? Put them to use? I pray you will re-consider the gifts that God has given, especially the gifts of prayerful thinking and the immersive reading of scripture (not for information, but for spiritual formation). These gifts have the power to change your life for the better, and they have the power to turn you into a gift in the lives of others.

Amen.
Pastor Brad

Lectionary Readings for January

The Mission of St. Luke UMC is to be a Place to Belong, Believe, & Become Disciples of Christ

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELONG

Message from Ms. Betty Hunter: I would like to thank everyone for the generous love offering given to me for my retirement. I will miss everyone – especially my babies! I love you all and promise to come back to visit as often as I can.

UMW Grace Circle will meet January 7 at 10:00 a.m. in the church library.

UMW Lunch Bunch will meet January 8 and 22 at noon in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring your own lunch and drink on January 8, dessert will be provided.

UMM will meet 6:00 January 14 at 1st UMC for dinner and a program.

Our first annual Crock Pot Cook-Off will be Sunday, January 26, at 5:00 in the Fellowship Hall. See Pastor Brad to register your team and for more information.

The list of Committee Members for 2020 is available in the church office. Please stop by and pick up a copy.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BELIEVE

Larry Lambert is offering Life After Loss sessions at 11:00 every Thursday through January 16 at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church. The sessions are free and open to the public. Please contact Larry for more information. If you have a friend or loved one who may be struggling, please let them know.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME DISCIPLES

We will need all hands on deck to take down and store the Christmas decorations after the morning worship service on January 5. Decorating the church together was fun, and this will be, too, so please plan on a late lunch that day and come help us!

Many thanks to all who shopped and contributed to our White Christmas project. Your generosity allowed us to provide Christmas cheer to 12 residents in two nursing homes, and to 10 families with 23 children. The UMYF also purchased 2 bikes for two children. We all have so much to be thankful for, and we are blessed to be able to share our good fortune with members of our community who have less.

Finance Committee will meet January 12 in the Fellowship Hall after the worship service.

If you would like to help deliver our “Second Sunday” mission project food items to Helping Hands, please contact Lisa in the church office, 843-2306.

The 2020 Flower Calendar is available on the bulletin board across from the choir room. Please sign up to provide altar arrangements throughout the year. You may choose to have a fresh arrangement from a florist, flowers from your garden, artificial flowers or greenery, or a potted plant. You may join with another person or family to help manage the expenses. Many arrangements will last for a week if stored in the "flower refrigerator" in the old kitchen, so please consider signing up for two Sundays in a row and plan to recycle! Please contact Sandi Melton, Flower Steward, for more information.

When you are cleaning out your closets (perhaps to make room for all those Christmas gifts you received), please remember that you have an opportunity to support your church. If you take unwanted items to Consign for a Cause, located on South Street next to South Street Pharmacy, you can designate that a portion of the proceeds from their sale go to St. Luke.

Eddie Daves Named UMM Man of the Year

At the December meeting of the United Methodist Men, held at 1st UMC, President Freddie Johnson announced the Man of the Year Award, saying, “The Man of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has been of great service to the club. Our recipient was an active member and a willing worker, especially at our cooking events. He is the first member from St. Luke to be selected for this award. Sadly his time with Methodist Men was cut short. It is my honor to present the Man of the Year Award to Eddie Daves.” Eddie’s widow Kay accepted the award for him.