Grace and Peace beloved St. Lukers,
In these past few weeks, we have been overwhelmed by news of violence, hatred, and division in our nation and world. With multiple school shootings, the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, bomb threats to eight historically black colleges – including our own Bethune-Cookman University – and now two men, a black college student named Trey Reed, and a white homeless man named Cory Zukatis, found dead hanging from trees, it seems our reality is that trauma and fear, in the midst of heartbreak and uncertainty, feel overwhelming to all of us. AND as disciples of Jesus, called to be change makers, we remember that the church is called to be a place of healing, hope, and prayer. We want to offer a place where people can come and find space with one another and place their prayers before God.
Starting this Sunday, the Prayer Chapel in Building C (just off the Rotunda) will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. You are invited to stop by for a moment of quiet reflection. There will be a guided liturgy and prayers to support you, as well as candles to light as a sign of hope, healing, and peace. This is a sacred space to lay down your burdens, lift your prayers, and rest in God’s presence.
This week we also find ourselves halfway through our sermon series, Love Boldly, where we are leaning into Jesus’ command: “Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:34–35)
In a world that often confuses love with sentiment or self-interest, we, the church, are called to something deeper, riskier, and more powerful, as Pastor Jenn says, bold love.
This week, my friend Liz Vasquez, our Senior Director of Grow & Connect Ministries, will preach on Church Rule #2: Offer Up the REAL Jesus. The texts are John 15:12–13, and Acts 2:42–47 and if you haven’t listened to the podcast this week, I highly recommend you do. Pastor Jenn does an amazing job looking deeply into the John 15 text.
To love boldly means offering not a Jesus shaped by fear, shame, or cultural battles, but the Jesus who brings radical relationship, revolutionary love, and a vision of God’s kingdom that upends the world’s divisions.
We are not the gatekeepers of Jesus—we are witnesses to his goodness and grace. So this Sunday we will be challenged to reflect: What kind of Jesus are we offering to the world? Is it a Jesus people would want to follow—the one who brings liberation, peace, and abundant love? Or is it a distorted version shaped by human fear and exclusion?
Come and be encouraged, challenged, and reminded that our mission as the church is clear: to embody and offer the Real Jesus—boldly, generously, and without exception.
I hope you will come to the chapel for prayer. I hope you will come to worship. I hope you will come and be a part of this beloved community, with all our flaws and all our blessings to worship the living God and follow Christ Jesus our Lord.
Grace and Peace Beloved Friends,
Pastor Jad
