St. Luke Lutheran Church

I was a young child when I first heard the phrase, “Stiff-Necked People.”  I was confused for some time.  I remembered my grandfather waking from a nap complaining that his neck was stiff.  I remembered my mother complaining one morning that her neck was stiff.  I was greatly concerned with the thought, “My family are stiff-necked people.  I must be a stiff-necked person too.”  I worried that God was angry at us because of our stiff necks. I frequently rotated my head in circles to make sure my neck wasn’t stiff.  My parents finally asked what was going on and let me in on the meaning of the expression “stiff-necked.”  What can I say, I was a weird kid. My simple mind misunderstood the figure of speech, but I wonder if too many miss the deeper truth hidden behind the figure of speech.

We understand that God used the figure of speech to call the people stubborn.  That is true, but there is more at work in this event than stubbornness.  The phrase “stiff-neck” was used by farmers to describe a beast of burden that refused to continue on a new path.  No matter how often an animal was directed in a new path, a new furrow to plow, as soon as the driver let of the pressure from the reins, the animal would revert to its previous row.  A stiff-necked animal was one that changed direction only with great reluctance and under great force.

The Lord is not only describing stubborn people, He was describing people who refuse to change, people who refuse to do things differently from the past.  With that understanding, I can say with complete transparency, often, I am a stiff-necked person.  I continue to stumble and fall into the same sinful traps.  I promise to change, to do better, to be better.  Unfortunately, too often my promise has scarce left me lips when I stumble and fall.

God’s response to the rebellion of the Israelites was the reason I was afraid of being a stiff-necked person. It is not the loving God of compassion we might expect who speaks, it is the God of justice.  In essence God response to the rebellion of the people with the promise of destruction.  God has made-up his mind.  There will be no second-chances for the people.

There would have been no second chance had Moses not spoken-up for the people.  Moses interceded for the people and God relented.  In our stiff-necked rebellion, we too would perish but for the intercession from Jesus, who is our advocate.  The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” Hebrews 10:19-22.  Christ is our advocate, our high priest.  Through Him we have the confidence that we will enter God’s heavenly peace.

Life Light Bible Study

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

You can connect with Pastor Todd either by email or cell phone 734-213-4256.