God Revealed: The Lord of Time
We begin our short journey through the Chi’s (pronounced kai’s) of the New Testament. Chi looks like an “X.” In the Greek language it is the first letter in the title, Christ. We are using the letter X to remind us to look for God in hidden experiences of our lives. Usually, God is hiding in plain sight. This Sunday we will look at the Greek word “Chronos.” Our words “Chronograph” and “Chronology” are derived from this Greek word. Chronos refers to specific periods of time. Our concepts of generations, seasons, and time periods come from the ancient Greek and Old Testament belief that the world moved in periods. Each period of time had unique characteristics. For the Old Testament believers, the periods of time were distinct in God’s interactions with humanity. For example, there was the period of the patriarchs. It was a time that God spoke directly to humanity. There was a time of the prophets, when God spoke through the prophets of old. There was a period of captivity, when God sent His people into exile to discover once again the value of being God’s people. The New Testament also had periods. Jesus’ ministry is often divided into three periods, the gathering, the revealing, and the sending. There was the birth and rise of the Jewish Christian church, followed by the birth and rise of Gentile Christian church.Our lives have periods or phases of time. We had times when we were children and times when we were adults. For some there were times when they were single; times when they were a couple; times they were a family with children, and times when the nest was empty. God’s people often struggle to experience God’s presence when they move from one time period to the next. Our emotions can blind us to God’s presence. We can struggle with fear of an uncertain future. We can grieve over the loss of the past period. In our grief we miss the blessing of a new beginning in the Lord. While many times we are dragged, unwillingly, from one period to the next. We can renew our sense of discovery and wonder by seeking God’s presence in our new normal. God is the Lord of time, Chronos. The seasons are in His hands. He is our key to experience joy no matter to season in which we find ourselves.Please join us this Sunday as we experience God’s presence for the Chronos’ of our lives.
Advent Sermon Series, Merry Xmas!
It wasn’t that many years ago that many Christians fought battles with local retailers over the store’s use of “Xmas” in Christmas advertisements. Uninformed people had gotten their anger up because they assumed a slight on Christians; an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. It is possible that in some cases, the use of Xmas might have been an attempt to remove potential offensive religious language. It might be possible that the use of Xmas was simply an attempt to save space. Yet, it also is to be noted that the early Christians often used the letter “X” to represent Christ. X was used to represent Christ because it was the first letter in the title, “Christ” or the Messiah. It was used because it reminded the early church of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that paid for their sins. There is a chance that if we were to dig-up advertising from the late first or second centuries, we might see Christmas spelled out “Xmas.”Whether it was a shop owner’s intent or not, when they use “Xmas” in their displays, they are reminding the world that Jesus came as God’s anointed, that’s what Christ means, and that he gave his life on the cross and rose in victory for the sins of the world.Some have speculated that the “X” used by pirates had its roots in the Christian tradition of marking the secrete places of worship with an “X.” The “X” helped people to find gatherings of God’s people where fellowship and grace could be found. The gatherings were like precious treasure to those who gathered. Each week we will use Greek words that begin with X (chi) to experience God’s hidden provision for our faith journey.
Wednesday Night Advent Worship and Soup Suppers
Join us on December 6th, 13th, and 20th for Wednesday Night Advent Worship and Soup Suppers. Dinner will take place in the West Wing each week at 6pm, followed by worship in the West Wing at 7pm. This annual tradition is a great way to grow relationships and prepare your heart for Christmas. We’re asking you to help out by bringing soup, bread, salad, or a dessert. If you are providing food please drop it off no later than 6 PM. We hope to see you there! Click here to sign up.
Christmas Day Lunch
You are invited to join us for Christmas Day Lunch. Our faith family gathering will include people who are not able to gather with family this year and people who may not have family with which to gather. Christmas is a wonderful day in which we remember the most precious gift God has given to us, Christ our Savior. We know that celebrations are best when shared in community. Lunch will start at noon. If you would like to join us for our Christmas Lunch, please sign-up using the form found here: sign-up or call the church office. We need to determine the amount of food to prepare. While not necessary, if you would like to contribute an item to the meal, let us know through the form sign-up form.
Elections
St. Luke Church is continuing its annual process of nominating and affirming our church leaders. Our bylaws require that congregational officers, the SLC, and the Elders stand for affirmation by the congregation each year. The four congregational officers are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The SLC consists of the four congregational officers, three at-large members, and the senior pastor (a non-voting member). The SLC oversees the general ministry of the congregation. The Board of Elders oversees the pastoral care of congregational members.Here are all the nominated candidates:SLC:
President: Chad Woltemath
Vice President: Julie Dunmire
Secretary: Libby Fink
Treasurer: Allen Morgan
At-Large: Ellen Davis
At-Large: Chad Hayes
At-Large: Johnnie JacksonBoard of Elders:
Andy Smith
Jim Putz
John Nees
Fred Himebaugh
Ron McCarty
Ken Pingel
O’Neill Young
Don Kuck
Emeka Egwim
The election will occur Sunday, December 10 and Sunday, December 17, both between services and after the late service. Tables will be set up in the lobby outside of the sanctuary. Candidate bios will be available to review at the tables and can also be reviewed online here. We look forward to all current voting-age (18+) members stopping by the tables to cast their ballots!
Please also continue to pray for discernment and wisdom for all our current leaders and for those up for election for lay leadership positions at St. Luke.
If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Jones or any of the members of the Nominating Committee: Andy VanEgmond, Karla Chapman, Sherrill Derksen, and John Nees. Since this is an annual process, please feel free to reach out to any
Staff Christmas Gift
Every year the congregation gathers donations from the members to distribute to the staff in the form of a Christmas gift. The expression of support and encouragement are always welcomed. This year, the donations are going to be gathered through the online giving portal. If you wish to make a contribution to the Christmas gift for the staff, please use this link, giving, to sign-in to the online giving portal. Choose the Staff Gift option from the drop-down menu and enter the amount of your gift. Thank you for your support of St. Luke and those called to serve on our staff.
One Year Bible Challenge
2024 is the year for you to join me in reading through the Bible. Reading through the Bible seems like an impossible challenge, yet only takes an average of 20 minutes a day. St. Luke wants to partner with you to make this amazing New Year’s challenge a reality. We have prepared a webpage on our website with special tools that take the work out of a daily Bible reading program. When you go to www.stlukeaa.org/bible you will have access to an amazing collection of resources. You will find:
A tutorial walking you through Bible reading community page that will be activated January 1.
A link to the YouVersion Bible app for your phone. The YouVersion app is free. It will allow you to access the reading list without needing a computer.
A link to sign-up for the Bible reading plan from YouVersion. To keep in synch with all of us, you will not want to sign-up until January 1.
A link to download the daily reading plan that you can slip in your Bible.
When the Bible Reading Community page goes live, it will contain the readings assigned for each day, as well as a button to listen to the assigned readings. Most importantly, the page provides an anonymous form to submit questions for discussion during the Sunday morning Discipleship hour. God’s Word is powerful and effective. Please join us on January 1 as we start our one-year journey through the Bible.
Life Light Bible Study
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth O that we were there!Imagine if you could place yourself at the very beginning. It's not humanly possible of course. But, we hope you'll consider starting this New Year with a journey through the beginning of Holy Scripture i.e. the Book of Genesis.Starting Monday February 5, 2024 St. Luke will offer an in depth and intentional study of the Word of God through a program called Life Light. For those who desire a deeper study of the Scriptures, Life Light will offer a broader time frame than is available in the typical Sunday morning adult Bible class. The LifeLight program assumes a level of commitment that will bring participants to each of the nine weekly assemblies having read the assigned readings and attempted to
answer the daily study questions. These daily readings and study will require from 15 to 30 minutes for the five days preceding the LifeLight small group gathering. The day following the gathering will be spent reviewing the previous week’s study by going over the completed study questions and the enrichment magazine.This new group will be meeting on Monday evenings, from 7-8:30PM from Feb. 5th through June 10th at St. Luke. This winter and spring we will be covering the book of Genesis. Register here.
Rotating Homeless Shelter Program Update
St. Luke will once again be hosting the rotating homeless shelter program ran by the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County. Our weeks begin December 25, 2023 and January 15, 2024.We will need volunteers for the following areas:
Meals for the men each night
Overnight hosts - Sign up here to be an overnight host
Towel laundry
Allen and Sharon Morgan have coordinated/managed St. Luke’s participation with the rotating homeless shelter for many years and are looking for a person, couple, or group who would be willing to shadow them this year and then take the reins for the 2024/2025 season.
See here for more information. Please contact Allen with any questions or to volunteer for meals, towel laundry, or if you are interested in coordinating the rotating homeless shelter next season.
LWML Epiphany Brunch
The 2024 LWML Epiphany Brunch will take place on Saturday, January 13 at St. Luke, Ann Arbor..Many of you attended our last Epiphany Brunch and we look forward to welcoming you back for food, fellowship, and a presentation that you will not soon forget. Our special guest musician and speaker is Wendysue Fluegge, who will present “Reflections of Mary,” featuring the music and monologues of Christmas. You can look forward to an inspiring experience during a less stressful time of year…Epiphany!Please use the attached flyer to make your reservation by using the QR code or contact Debby Stinehelfer to make a reservation via email. You are very welcome to invite a friend to attend this event. Just make sure to reserve his/her place once they accept your invitation.
Seeking Communication’s Team Members
Do you love to write, take pictures, or produce graphic art? If you do, we value your participation in the communications team that we are forming in January. Depending on the number of people and the skill set, the team will help with the production of enews articles, social media posts, and website content. Don’t let technology intimidate you. Most of what the team will do is take pictures and write stories. No special equipment is needed. If you are interested send an email to pastor Jones at .
TIME FOR OUR “US”
Future St. Luke Married People events coming soon. . .
Mark your 2024 calendar now!
Pick up your “DATE NIGHT KIT”
Saturday, January 13th from 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Sunday, January 14th & Sunday, January 21st from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm.
MARRIED PEOPLE SPRING EVENT!
An evening of food and fun with other married people.
Saturday, March 9th, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Comedy Night SAVE THE DATE: Looking for a girl's night out? Date night? Or just need a night of laughter? We've got you covered! Saturday, January 27 at 7:30pm St. Luke will be hosting comedian Andy Beningo! Check out one of his bits here. Tickets are $10.Click here to Purchase Tickets.
Peace Light
The Peace Light will arrive in United States, JFK International Airport, Jamaica Queens, NY on Friday, December 3th, 2023. Ceremony to distribute peace flame will commence soon after arrival and greeting of Peace light couriers, via Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna, Austria. Scouts and Scouters associated with the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts will be transferring the light across the United States and sharing it in their communities after its arrival in the U.S.The Peace Light from Bethlehem campaign was originally organized in 1986 by the Austrian Broadcasting Company - ORF (Linz) - and was part of a large charitable relief mission -Light into Darkness, for children in need in Austria and abroad. Since 1989, there has been a great deal of co-operation between Scouts and Guides in many countries, which has allowed the light to travel throughout Europe.Each year, a child from Upper Austria fetches the light from the grotto in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. The light is then flown to Austria from where it is distributed at a Service of Dedication to delegations from across Europe who take it back, with a message of Peace, to their own countries for use at ecumenical services throughout the Continent. Scouts and Guides can then take the light on to houses of worship, hospitals, homeless shelters, old people homes, prisons, and places of public, cultural and political importance - to anybody who appreciates the significance of the "gift".BSA Troop 446 from Saline Michigan will be hosting and distributing the Peace Light throughout the Saline and Ann Arbor Area. St Luke Lutheran Church at 4205 Washtenaw Ave. will host the light and have it available on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings from December 10th through the 25th. If you would like to make other arrangements, please reach out to @Troop 446 Saline on Facebook.
55 ALIVE December Meeting
Musical Christmas with Nate Zuellig
Date: Monday, December 18th
Time: 11:30a - 2:00p
Location: St Luke Ann Arbor, West Wing55 Alive is the senior ministry for St. Luke and area churches. Though mainly comprised of folks 55 and older, anyone is welcome! For our December meeting we are celebrating a musical Christmas with ULC's Artist-in-Residence and musician Nate Zuellig. We will share a Christmas feast featuring a turkey and would love for each of you to bring a potluck dish to share. Let Arthur know you're coming and what you're bringing .
Office Hours
The office doors will be monitored by the staff from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday. If you wish to enter the building during that window, ring the doorbell to the left of the door and wait for a response. Alternatively, you can call the office and make an appointment with someone on staff.
You can connect with Pastor Todd either by email or cell phone 734-213-4256.
Livestream Worship
There are two different methods for watching our worship livestream. Services are simultaneously streaming on Facebook and YouTube
Sunday Morning Worship Times
8:30 a.m. Living Heritage Service
9:45 a.m. Bible Study / Sunday School Hour
11:00 a.m. Living Praise Service
Church Office
Monday-Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Advent Sermon Series, Merry Xmas!
Wednesday Night Advent Worship and Soup Suppers
Christmas Day Lunch
One Year Bible Challenge
Pick up your
Comedy Night
Peace Light
55 ALIVE December Meeting
