St. Luke's Weekly Update January 5, 2011

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In this Week's Update:

Upcoming Worship

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

Upcoming Growth Groups, Classes & Sign-ups

Daily Devotional

A Note from Pastor Beth Beth Farabee

Dear St. Lukers,

Well, its official the 12 days of Christmas are over and we find ourselves at the beginning of 2011. The staff will be pitching in this afternoon to put away the angel banners in the rotunda, pack up with the care the beautiful new Chrismons that graced our tree in the Sanctuary, and the Advent wreath candles will find their place to rest for another 11 months until we put them to work again next December. I'm sure many of you can relate to this transformation as I've seen more than one of my neighbors in Sand Lake Hills up on ladders taking down Christmas lights. Although I have yet to tackle that task, I did manage to get the mostly dead Christmas tree to the curb before the pine needles began taking over the corner of living room tile and all the other inside holiday accoutrements are in their storage bins. There's always a twinge of sadness as I engage in this yearly ritual, but there's also a sense of excitement as a new year brings with it the promise of freshness and hope that is unique to any other time on our calendar.

Because of this reality it is with a great sense of hope and a thankful heart that I return to full-time ministry among you, my beloved family of faith. There are no words to express how much the kindness and grace you poured out on me during my time away has meant over the past couple of months. I have been both humbled and inspired by the ways you have embodied the healing namesake of our congregation, St. Luke, and your love has helped sustain me on my continuing journey from a place of brokenness to wholeness. God has also blessed me with a wonderful counselor and spiritual director that I've been working with and will continue to see in the months ahead as I do my best to maintain healthy habits physically, emotionally and spiritually one day at a time.

This month's sermon series "Why Not?... Bridges Instead of Walls" resonates with me in very personal ways due to the bridges of love that have been built to my heart instead of walls of judgment and I hope it will resonate with you as well. Throughout the Gospel we see Jesus as the ultimate bridge builder especially to those who, until offered his outstretched hand, had been surrounded by walls of prejudice and poverty so high they couldn't see any other reality of life. I hope you will join me on Sunday for worship as we think about the bridges and walls we construct within our own biological families, what role the family of faith can play in this process, and the amazing power of forgiveness in the midst of it all.

With a New Year's heart filled with faith, hope and grace,

Beth

Thursday Thrive
To sign up for these offerings, please visit our Small Group & Class Sign-ups page.

Upcoming Worship

Sunday, January 9 - First Sunday after the Epiphany
Sermon Series: "Why Not... Bridges Instead of Walls"
Sermon: "The Bridge Over Family Divisions"
Scripture: Matthew 12:46-50
Traditional Worship: 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. Rev. Beth Farabee preaching in the Sanctuary
Contemporary Worship: Rev. Beth Farabee preaching in the Gymnasium at 9:30 a.m. & Attic at 5:30 p.m.

POWERHOUSE Intergenerational Worship for Children and Families 11:00 a.m. in the Gymnasium

View the Upcoming Worship Schedule or Listen to past sermons on our website: www.St.Lukes.org/Worship

Upcoming Events

You can see more Upcoming News & Events on our website: www.St.Lukes.org/Events

Martin Luther King Day Commemoration 2011

	Event Date & Time: 1/16/2011 6:00:00 PM
	Hosted by The City of Orlando Mayor's Martin Luther King Holiday Commission and The Interfaith Council of Central Florida (St. Luke's is a part of this Council). Join faith leaders from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and other religious communities in reaffirming Martin Luther King's vision of equal opportunity and equal justice for all and declaring, in Dr. King's words, that... "The Time is Always Right to Do What is Right" Sunday, January 16, 2011 6:00 p.m. - Candlelight Vigil and March, Orlando City Hall, 400 S Orange, 6:45 p.m. - Interfaith Celebration, Shiloh Baptist Church, 604 West Jackson, Orlando (For a full schedule of activities from the Mayor's Martin Luther King Holiday Commission, visit: www.MLKOrlando.com). This is a great opportunity to "build bridges" this month!
	More Information about this Event

Kingdom Building Now Serving: Volunteer Opportunities

You can see more Volunteer Opportunites on the St. Luke's Kingdom Building website: www.St.Lukes.org/KingdomBuilding/NowServing

MLK Weekend (Jan. 2011) Family Mission Trip to Florida City

	Deploy: Missions: Florida City Mission Trips
	Description: Family Mission Experience to Florida City, Fl. Great fun and adventure for the whole family. Cost estimated to be $200 for family of four. Mission experience will include a weekend of light construction and beautification projects, as well as hosting the youth from Branches United Methodist Church on a field trip. Anyone interested should contact ... View and Sign-up for this Opportunity

Family Promise/IHN - January

	Deploy: Missions: Interfaith Hospitality Network
	Description: Make a commitment in the new year to open your hearts to families in need by supporting our homeless ministry on church grounds. St. Luke’s will be hosting four families on our campus the week of January 16. We need volunteers to host during the week both evenings and overnight, set up the rooms, tear down the rooms, and donate meals. Please sig... View and Sign-up for this Opportunity

Coalition JAN. COOKS

	Deploy: Missions: Coalition for the Homeless
	Description: The cooking team meets at the Fellowship Hall at 12:00 noon for position assignment and loading food. View and Sign-up for this Opportunity

Coalition JAN. SERVERS

	Deploy: Missions: Coalition for the Homeless
	Description: Meet at the Fellowship Hall at St. Luke's at 5pm to car pool or meet the Coalition at 5:30pm promptly. View and Sign-up for this Opportunity

Gleaning

	Deploy: Citrust Harvest - Gleaning: Citrust Harvest - Gleaning
	Description: St. Luke's will be joining others in Central Florida on Sat, Jan 22 from 9:00 to 1:00 to pick and pack citrus that is going to waste in backyards and groves. The collected fruit will then go to area food pantries. You can participate in the following ways: 1) Pick your fruit and bring it to St. Luke's campus that day, 2) Donate the fruit on your tr... View and Sign-up for this Opportunity

Disciple Building Growth Groups, Classes & Sign-Ups

You can see more Growth Groups, Classes & Sign-ups on the St. Luke's Kingdom Building website: www.St.Lukes.org/KingdomBuilding/SmallGroups

Exploring Membership-Sunday 01/09/2011

	Guide: Spiritual Formation: Small Group Ministry
	Description: For those who wish to explore membership at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. View and Sign-up for this Class/Small Group

Financial Peace - Sunday

	Guide: Spiritual Formation: Guide
	Description: This 13-week study is designed to teach you and your family how to get out of debt, stay out of debt and become better managers of your financial resources. View and Sign-up for this Class/Small Group

Faith Club - Sunday Afternoons

	Guide: Spiritual Formation: Guide
	Description: learn more about your own faith as you share with people from other faith traditions. This five week conversation will include Christians, Muslims, and Jews from our community and will begin to explore questions about God, religion, faith, death, prejudice, and eternity. The topics include: examining your religion, putting your stereotypes on the t... View and Sign-up for this Class/Small Group

Financial Peace University-Tuesday

	Guide: Spiritual Formation: Small Group Ministry
	Description: This 13 week study is designed to teach you and your family how to get out of debt, stay out of debt and become better managers of your financial resources. View and Sign-up for this Class/Small Group

Financial Peace University-Wednesday

	Guide: Spiritual Formation: Small Group Ministry
	Description: This 13-week study is designed to teach you and your family how to get out of debt, stay out of debt and become better managers of your financial resources. View and Sign-up for this Class/Small Group

The APP I Want to Be!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Read: I, Paul, am under God's plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful Christians in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. The God of Glory. How blessed is God!... Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ... Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:1-12 The Message

Think About: Paul makes sure his readers know his credentials. He is an "apostle". We think of that as a unique and singular position, a holy anointment far beyond our reach.

The Encarta on-line dictionary defines apostle:

"A promoter of an idea or cause; somebody who tries to persuade others to share an idea or cause."

And what a cause Paul promotes: God's reconciling power in Christ. But when we think of apostle as someone who tries to persuade others for a cause, suddenly we see that apostles are not just in the Bible, but apostles are needed here and now.

And Paul calls himself something else. "A special agent!" Not on a TV police drama, or the IRS investigator, but a different kind of special agent. God's special agent. With a special mission, spreading the word of reconciliation.

Just like Paul, we have all been appointed SPECIAL agents. We didn't get a shiny tin badge from a crackerjack box. We got the universal commission, the gift of reconciliation and the power from God to do our part to help carry out that plan that Paul describes.

Sure, some preach, or write, or go to Belfast. But there is amazing work of reconciliation, and living out the Good News of that reconciliation throughout St. Luke's. We work to reconcile the prisoner to society, to reclaim the promise of hope and life abundant; to end the physical prison and the prison of the soul. We work to reconcile the economic dislocations of joblessness and hunger in the society of affluence. We work to reconcile people of different faiths, so that a few extremists do not define who we are - and who they are. We work to build bridges, to find that common ground, to find that way to talk with those we were taught to fear. To get to the other side, together.

As we begin the New Year, perhaps our question is: Am I a special agent for God's reconciliation?

Pray this Prayer: Dear God, we accept your commission as your new apostle and most recent special agent. Now send us forth in your Holy plan. Amen.

Written by the St. Luke's Writing Team

You are invited and encouraged to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with the spiritual practices at the Devotional Blog. We are on this journey together and your words may help another along the way.

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4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando FL, 32819
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