Shalom
Have you noticed that I often sign notes and articles with "shalom?"  That's a word that is often translated to mean "peace."  But it is actually more than just “peace."  Shalom also means wholeness, well being, stability, safety, balance, equality, justice, and much more.  God's gift of shalom in Christ makes us new creations.  We are entrusted with sacred relationships with neighbors, spouse, family, church and in our vocation.  These relationships in Christ are gifts from God and are precious.  We are called to give high priority to attending to this gift and keeping it as God intends, to build up the body of Christ and restore God's creation.

February 7-9 of this year I attended a First Call Theological Conference at Camp Berachah in Auburn.  One of the optional classes I took was an introduction to Shalom Ministry and Congregational Transformation presented by the Rev. John Beck, PhD. Allow me to share some of what I learned.

We all know that conflict is normal.  Sometimes we allow grievances or hurts to affect current conflicts.  Sometimes we're stubborn, isolate ourselves, or place blame on others.  Matthew 18:15-20 shows us the steps Christians are called to follow to seek reconciliation during times of conflict.  When we practice taking these steps we claim God's promises.  We need to practice them in "good faith" and acting with immediacy.

The steps as found in Matthew 18: 15-20 are:

• Step 1—Go directly in “good faith” seeking to listen in order to understand the other person.  If shalom is restored, celebrate God’s blessing.
• Step 2—Get help from one or two wise, “righteous” ones who encourage you in your mutual conversation and guide you to maintain “good faith” in your work.  If shalom is restored, celebrate God’s blessings.
• Step 3—Get more help from the church whose resources are used to encourage your “good faith” work.  If shalom is restored, celebrate God’s blessings.
• Step 4—When the community recognizes that one or both of you are not acting in “good faith” (seeking after reconciliation) then and only then is church discipline  enforced.  (This discipline is always exercised in an attempt to bring the unwilling person(s) back into the “good faith” shalom-making process.)  If shalom is restored, celebrate God’s blessings.
• Step 5—At every step, receive the promise that Jesus is with you and God blesses the efforts that week to live out the kingdom values of forgiveness, reconciliation and love.

There is a whole course available and I would be delighted to facilitate a discussion of this topic with you and your small group.

Following are some additional key shalom scriptures:

Romans 6:3, 4

Romans 12: 9-18

Ephesians 4:25-27

Matthew 5:23,24

Romans 15: 5, 6

2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Colossians 3:12-15

Ash Wednesday

March 1st marks the beginning of the season of Lent this year with our Ash Wednesday Service, Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes.  Please join us at 7:00 p.m.

Mid-week Services

We continue our tradition of Wednesday soup and bread dinners at 6:15 p.m. with a half-hour worship experience at 7:00 p.m.  This will include a five-minute pastor devotion, as well as contemplative singing and a unique time of prayer when candles may be lit around the cross.  Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of this wonderful experience.

Sanctuary Configuration for Lent

You will find some changes to the sanctuary’s configuration that will look similar to last year’s Lenten season.  The altar will be moved off the chancel, closer to the congregation, and the pews and chairs will be arranged to embrace the altar.  The Worship and Music Board is excited to use this season of reflection as an opportunity to take advantage of the flexibility built into our sanctuary.  We pray that it will be a time of discovery and contemplation for everyone.

Lenten Worship Books

Over this last year, steps have been taken to reduce the amount of paper used to produce bulletins for each worship service.  Being good stewards of the resources with which God has blessed us, we continue to try new ways to minimize waste.  To that end, during Lent the bulletins you will receive at the doors to the sanctuary will contain only the information which changes from service to service.  The order of worship and liturgy will be contained in a newly developed Lenten Worship Book that will be located in the pews for use throughout the season.  This liturgy is identical to last year’s Lenten worship services.  You will find the worship book easy to follow as it will function much like our former tradition of using worship settings found in the front of the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) hymnals.

Bibles

During the reading of the Word, we are encouraging everyone to make use of the Bibles located in the pews.  Page numbers are given for both Old and New Testament readings as well as the Gospel reading each Sunday.  You will notice that time will be given to allow all who wish to open the Bibles to do so before the Word is read.

Devotion Books

A devotional book for the season will be gifted to each family.  This year we have chosen “The Little Black Book—Six-minute meditations on the Passion according to Luke”.  Plan on picking up your copy in the narthex.

As always, we encourage feedback from the entire congregation as worship is central to our life of faith.

~Amy Corsini, Worship Coordinator

There are still a few spaces available for the Ensenada 2006 house building mission trip.  Brochures are at the information stand in the narthex, or call Bruce Amundson (425) 827-0309 or Tim Hower (425) 427-1253.

 

The AUTHENTIC TACO FEED

This event is very big and very back...by popular demand — April 2nd following the second service in Pierson Hall.

As of January 31, 2006 , the 7^th month of our new fiscal year, our income, for program and ministry, is $18,424 under what we projected for this period of time.  Our program and ministry expenses, for the same period, are $1,697 under what we projected for this period of time. 

We thank you and ask for your continued support of these ministries and pray that God continues to bless the ministries that St. Luke’s has been called to provide. 

Funds for Tent City IV

Due to the generosity of our congregation and others, no funds have been used from our general fund.  All monies have come from our special fund for Tent City IV.  If you would like to donate, please mark your check “Tent City IV” and thank you all who have given.

We Are The Rich Of The World

by The Reverend Wm Chris Boerger, Bishop

David Swartling, in his Vice President's report to the synod assembly, used to ask, "Do you have a will and is your church mentioned in it?"

That may be a paraphrase of his question, but the meaning is there. It is a question that should be asked and will be asked in the coming years. Financial stewardship is about planning for our present and our future use of the gifts of wealth that God has entrusted to us.

The Stewardship Team of the synod applied for a Charitability Initiative Grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Under the guidance of Pastor Phil Reitz, the team proposed training 100 rostered leaders and 200 congregation leaders in financial stewardship and in planned giving. To our great joy, Thrivent has awarded us $100,000 for the two years of this project. You will intentionally be hearing David's question over the next two years, at least.

It is often noted that Jesus does address issues related to the use of wealth regularly in the gospels. The Bible is full of admonitions and admonishments to the rich. We are the rich of the world. Those words apply to us. We have moments of great generosity and we live in a culture where greed is portrayed as good and appropriate. We are called to witness to God’s call for justice and wise stewardship.

Lent has often been seen as a time for giving up some personal temptation as a means of learning to discipline our lives. May I suggest that this Lenten season we begin to discuss how we might share the blessings of God through the wise use of our wealth? This stewardship question will not be fully answered in these forty days. The conversation should go on beyond the two year time frame of the Thrivent Grant. This is a recurring question. How is your faith reflected in your will and in your use of the gift of wealth you have received from God?

(Rich = Having more than we need)

My grandmother told many stories about her life in Norway during WW II. One that she repeated often had to do with reciprocal giving, which just seemed to happen. She would say, “The amazing thing was that when I gave a bag of items to someone in need—the next day I would find something for our household from someone else outside our door!” She was in no doubt that this had a spiritual connotation.

The other day, the father of a struggling family in Bothell was sitting in his church with only $5 in his wallet. It was a difficult decision but he found he should give all he had during the offering. The next day he and his wife received an unexpected letter from a friend who said he felt he was to send them a check for several hundred dollars.  Another man, Walt (not his real name) found himself spending thousands of dollars for a drug-addicted woman he was trying to help. Later, he called himself stupid for using all that money; he felt guilty about the money he had “lost.” Then Walt’s sister died and in her will she bequeathed him exactly the same number of thousands he had used to help the woman in need.

In one of his books, Tony Campolo has a chapter called “How to Be Rich and Still Be a Christian.” He writes about John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Movement, who realized that people can be spiritually affected by being rich. This was his answer to

preventing Christians from being corrupted by wealth:

There is one way, and there is no other under heaven. If those who gain all they can, and save all they can, will likewise give all they can, then the more they gain, the more they will grow in grace, and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven.

Wesley talked about “middle-range Christians” whose lives aren’t extreme like St. Francis of Assisi, but who take their call seriously. They acknowledge they are on a journey in process. Campolo adds that giving is a response to God’s gift in Christ. It is a way of expressing gratitude. Giving can also be reciprocal in that it gives a sense of freedom and can even be fun.

(Quotations/adaptations from Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God, Dallas: Word Publishing, 1997)

February 2006

Life is Grim, but not Necessarily Serious

Remember how we do this? I use the word serious and you expand the meaning. Go!

The poet who penned the words, “Life is grim, but not necessarily serious” was dying of leukemia. His condition was not only serious, it was terminal. The cancer treatments ravaged his body. He moved back and forth between looking death in the face and trembling, at times laughing at his condition and at times wondering, “How Could I Not Be Among You?” which was the title of his poem.

Has anyone ever told you, “Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.” or “Get a Life!”?  The message is clear. Don’t take it all so seriously. Don’t take yourself so seriously!

If someone has said that to you, you might want to consider how much of your seriousness was really an intensity that was driven by fear or pain.  We snap at others who try to lighten the mood with humor. We criticize them for being “disrespectful.” Really, might we be saying, “Don’t you see my pain, fear or even my terror?”

Perhaps the problem is that we aren’t taking our own pain or fear seriously. The pain may be telling us how much we need to reach out to others, but the sting of it is so strong we believe that we dare not feel it, lest it overwhelm us. So we don’t reach out.

But what if it won’t overwhelm us? What if we are unnecessarily scaring ourselves? What if God was serious about being with us in our hour of darkness? Could it be that we could afford to lighten up, and reach out for comfort because things were grim?

Perhaps life is not necessarily serious after all. Maybe, just maybe, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,” was a serious invitation after all.

                                                                                  

  Lutheran Counseling Network

Eastside Office 425/455-2960

The Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,

You are the light of the world;

fill my mind with your peace,

my heart with your love,

my body with your healing.  Amen

The Last Word