St. Luke Lutheran Church
February 11, 2024
Enews

Hitting the Wall
In virtually every worthy endeavor there is a wall that must be overcome.  It may be a wall that can only be overcome through endurance, it may be a wall that is overcome by brute force.  The book of Leviticus, and to a lesser degree, the book of Numbers represents that wall in our challenge to read through the Bible.  One way that I press through the sacrifices and ordinances of Leviticus is to consider the meta-messages of the text, the big picture implications of the sacrifices and rituals.  I consider the following questions:

  • What might this passage tell me about sin?
  • What might this passage tell me about grace?
  • What might this passage tell me about my relationship with God?
  • What does this sacrifice tell me about Jesus and His sacrifice once and for all sin?

I also try to imagine what it must have been like to make the sacrifices or participate in the rites and rituals. For example, what was it like to select a lamb from your flock to offer as a sacrifice so that you and your family may continue to live in the land of promise?  I would think that your relationship to the animals you raised would be formed by gratitude from the knowledge that the animals in your care were providing the ultimate sacrifice for your care.  They were not just meat for the stewpot, but gifts of grace, unmerited mercy.

The challenge passages of Leviticus and Numbers can provide deep experiences of God’s presence, but only as we actively seek to interact with them.  My prayer is that you will press-on.  We are more than a month into our Bible challenge.  God’s deep and abiding love is with us.

Lent Starts Next Week

Our Lenten Theme this year is titled “Be Gracious To Me.”  Each worship gathering will explore Christ’s sacrifice through the lens of Psalm 41.  God’s grace wells up in Psalm 41, where David exults in divine mercy amid his own weakness, powerful enemies, and treacherous friends. In this psalm, David tracks the flow of divine grace back to its source at the cross and, with prophetic vision, finds it springing forth in the lives of all baptized believers—including you. Because you are in Christ, you share in all things with Him, even the prophetic Word. David’s vision in Psalm 41 has become your reality in Christ. In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers you; the Lord protects you and keeps you alive; you are called blessed in the land (see Psalm 41:1–2). Press on to know the Lord’s suffering, death, and Word. As surely as the Lenten journey ascends to the victory of Easter, you shall be raised up.

Join us for one of the Ash Wednesday’s services either at noon of 7:00 p.m. Both services will include the imposition of ashes and holy communion. The noon service will be a very simple service that is designed to fit within a 30-minute time frame. So those who are participating during their lunch break have time to get back to work within their lunch hour. The remaining Lenten mid-week services that occur in the West Wing between Ash Wednesday and Holy week will take place at 7:00 p.m. A light dinner will take place at 6:30. The dinner is pot-luck style.  Please sign-up to contribute to the meal using this link.

Call Committee Update
Second interviews begin this coming week. Between services there will be binders in the library to view information on each pastor. Please continue to pray for discernment for us and for these pastors.
Through The Bible
It’s not too late to join us as we read through the Bible in 2024. Yes, we have started the challenge, but you can still hop on the Bible Reading Train. Just go to www.stlukeaa.org/bible and start reading the Bible reading for today. You can complete the challenge by circling back to the start of Genesis in 2025 and complete the week that was missed. Don’t forget, if you have a question you would like discussed in the Bible Class Hour, go to www.stlukeaa.org/bible and post a question using the web form.
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.

West Wing Bible Study: Join us in the West Wing for a discussion based on the previous week’s through the Bible readings. If you have a question, or a comment for further discussion, you can send it in for inclusion in the class by using the form located at https://www.stlukeaa.org/bible. God’s Word is powerful and effective. Please join us this Sunday as we continue our one-year journey through the Bible.This week. Rev. Dr. Rob Kasper will be leading the Bible class discussion.

Women’s Study: Lynn Corker and Libby Fink will be leading a study geared toward women, in room 104/105. This year, we’ll explore what it means that God is with us now, and we’ll trace this promise of His presence from the lost garden of Genesis to the garden city of Revelation, where we will dwell with the Lord forever. A $20 study guide is available for this class.

Parent’s Study: Andy VanEgmond will lead a study for all parents with children in the congregation, in room 101/102. We’ll discuss the Sheepfold lesson for the week and work to build a strong community of parents here at St. Luke, as we all navigate the tricky task of raising kids in the faith.

Nursery: 3-year-olds and younger
Sheepfold: 4-year-olds thru 5th Grade
Youth Group: 6th-12th Grade

Lenten Suppers
Join us for soup suppers prior to our Wednesday Night Lenten Services, beginning February 21st.  We're asking you to help out by bringing soup, sandwiches, bread, salad, or a dessert.  Dinner will begin at 6 PM in the West Wing with worship following at 7 PM also in the West Wing.  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.
SPRING is right around the corner and it’s the perfect time to “GROW YOUR US”!
What better place to learn more about how to do that than at a fun evening event where you’ll enjoy the company of other married couples, play some games with prizes, partake of a delightful dessert, and hear about how YOU can “GROW YOUR US” in YOUR marriage!
Come join us:

Married People Large Spring Event
St. Luke Lutheran Church
4205 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Saturday, March 9, 2024
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Babysitting partial reimbursement forms will be available upon Registration

All married couples – any ages, any number of years married, friends, family, co-workers – are invited to join the festivities! Look for the Registration QR code coming in the near future to sign-up for tickets.
If you have any questions, please contact Debbie@

Kids Hope USA
St. Luke's Kids Hope USA ministry celebrated National Mentoring Month in January. It was not only a time to celebrate and honor our mentors' commitment to their students at Estabrook Elementary, but also a time to reflect on the special moments shared with them. Here are some favorite  mentoring moments we would like to share with you.
Sunday Morning Donuts
We are in need of additional volunteers to provide donuts on Sunday mornings. If you would be interested in finding out more about this opportunity, please contact Susan Jones at  or call her at 734.971.0550
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 .
Woman of the Year - Nancy Reichenbach
LWML Daughters On Mission has selected Nancy Reichenbach as our 2024 Woman of the Year! Nancy has earned this recognition through her volunteer work at St. Luke, Living Water, and in the Whitmore Lake community. You are invited to celebrate with Nancy at the Council of Lutheran Women’s 60th Annual Luncheon on Tuesday, March 19 at The Mirage in Clinton Township. Festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. and tickets are $38. Please RSVP by sending a check made out to Linda Murdock by Friday, March 1. Please contact Linda for complete information.
40 Days for Life
Historic Trinity's Women's Retreat
Historic Trinity's Women’s Retreat on Saturday, April 13, 9:30am-3pm at
Historic Trinity Lutheran Church.1345 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207. 313.567.3100. Get more information here.
Submit a Prayer Request
Submit a Care Request
Submit Items for the Enews
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.

Phone: 734.971.0550
Email: