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Visitation from the Cortona Altarpiece (The Annunciation),1433-34, Museo Diocesano, Cortona, Italy.
From the Vicar
Christmas is near, and this Sunday is Rose or Mary Sunday. We will hear and sing the challenging and hopeful words of the Magnificat, with Mary’s vision for a world where the lowly, the hungry, and the forgotten are lifted up.
I’ve been thinking of all the “Marys” I’ve met on the streets this past year. The obvious one was the 7-months-pregnant woman from Whatcom County who had checked herself out of a rehab program and was stranded in Seattle with neither money nor clothing. Someone told her she would be safe on St. Luke’s property, which is where I found her sleeping when I arrived one morning. Through the church’s alms funds I was able to take her to Greyhound and get her on a bus home to her family and tribe.
I’ve met countless women who are separated from their children due to addiction, mental illness and/or criminal behavior. Their efforts to “mother” others while they find themselves homeless are heartbreaking. Sometimes all I can do is hold onto them while they sob or listen when they wail out their pain, anger, and shame.
At St. Luke’s we listen to the voice of Mary, bearer of the Christ. We lean into the alternative reality she sings of by lifting up those who are in desperate circumstances. Mary gives voice to the voiceless and the overlooked.
This Christmas the offering from our special Christmas services will be designated to helping those on life’s margins. Let us fill the hungry with good things, look with favor upon the lowly, and lift up those who are bowed down.
In the Name of Christ, the Savior,
Canon Britt
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Greening of the Church on December 17
We're having a party to decorate Bennett Hall and the historic chapel for Christmas. Join our friends from Pangea Church for fun, festivity, and food on Sunday, December 17 after church at 11:30 to prepare for the Feast of the Incarnation (Christmas!).
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Christmas Flower Dedications
December 17 is the deadline for submitting donations and dedications for Christmas flowers. If you'll be in church on Sunday, you can complete the form in your bulletin and put it in the offering plate, or you can make a donation online with PayPal or a credit/debit card. When donating online, click "Add a program designation" to enter the dedication you'd like to include in the Christmas bulletins.
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Christmas Pageant
Kids of all ages are invited to be part of the St. Luke's Christmas Pageant! The first known Christmas Pageant was organized around 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi as part of Greccio's Christmas Eve service. St. Francis' pageant, complete with live animals, brought the nativity story to life. Continuing in that tradition, St. Luke's will be offering our Christmas Pageant as part of the regular service at 10am on Christmas Eve, December 24. No memorization of lines or 'hitting the mark' (or live animals!)... just grab a costume and go. Come early to get decked out in a costume... or bring your own bathrobe and sandals! For more information contact Grace La Torra.
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Christmas Schedule for St. Luke’s and Pangea
December 24, Christmas Eve
10am Holy Eucharist and pop-up children’s pageant (Everyone has a part!)
11am St. Luke’s Christmas Carolers take to the streets of Ballard
5pm Pangea Christmas Eve service in the chapel
7pm Candlelight Eucharist and Christmas Eve service in the historic chapel
December 25, Christmas Day
10am Feast of the Incarnation with Christmas carols (Be prepared to show or tell about your favorite Christmas present.)
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Join in Service
For every worship service we hold, 19 (!) distinct roles need to be filled, from chalice bearers to children carers and prayer writers to scripture readers. Each of these roles is rotated among its worship team: groups of people committed to serve the community by facilitating an aspect of the worship service.
Perhaps you've thought about increasing your participation; perhaps you're looking to deepen or discover a spiritual practice. If you'd like to join any of the worship teams, a sheet summarizing all the teams is in the narthex. We are currently most in need of greeters (the person who hands you a bulletin on your way in), altar guild members (they set up and clean up the linens and silver for Eucharist), ushers (the people carrying the collection plates), and oblation bearers (they carry the bread and wine to the altar during the offering).
For more information, training, or to sign up, email Kate Davis.
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End-of-the-year Giving
Because most of us do the bulk of our charitable giving in the months of November and December, you’re surely hearing about a lot of worthy causes and organizations that can use your financial support. St. Luke's is incredibly grateful for the ongoing, year-round support of many of you who make a financial commitment through your pledge of regular support.
Would you also consider a special end-of-the-year gift to the Edible Hope Kitchen? This ministry at St. Luke's continues to save lives with hot meals and a warm and welcoming dining room five days each week. This is also a place for community, for people to be treated with dignity and respect, for compassion and, most of all for hope, Edible Hope.
Please consider a special gift to support the increasing costs of feeding up to 200 people each day. You can put a donation in the offering plate and mark it for Edible Hope, or you can contribute via PayPal. You can also purchase items from Edible Hope’s Amazon Wish List of needed items, or you can sign up to volunteer!
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The Diocese of Olympia is hosting a weekly series of conversations and dinners for young adults (“20s-30s-ish”), beginning in January. Presenters include Ivar Hillesland and former St. Luke’s vicar RC Laird, speaking on topics including atonement, ascension, sex, money, and prayer. A poster on the narthex bulletin board has more information, or you can register online.
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Family Ministry Planning Party
All families and anyone interested in children's and family ministry are invited to join us for a simple lunch and brainstorming session about the future of children's and family ministry at St. Luke's. We'll meet after worship on Sunday, Jan. 21 to create a vision for this ministry. Come share your ideas, your hopes, and your dreams. For more information, please contact Grace La Torra.
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'A Different Game of Thrones' Seminar with Pangea Church
Every Christian tradition struggles with the concept of “two-kingdom theology.” The Brethren in Christ Church, an Anabaptist denomination with roots in the Mennonite, Pietist, and Wesleyan traditions, has always had a unique wrestling match with how to live fully as citizens of God’s new reign through Christ, while still being part of the sin-broken creation that Christ came to redeem. “Two-kingdom theology” is, more often than not, a “two-kingdom dilemma.”
This seminar, held in the St. Luke's Undercroft on January 21 from noon to 3pm, will address the questions: How is Jesus a king? What does King Jesus expect of his citizens? What resources has King Jesus created for his citizens? What does King Jesus’ victory really look like?
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Spiritual Pilgrimage: Sundays at 5:30pm, Feb. 11 to Mary 20, 2018
You may be new to St. Luke’s. You may new to or returning to church. You may be interested in baptism for yourself or your child. It may be time for you to make an adult commitment of belonging through confirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church.
The Spiritual Pilgrimage will help you explore your faith in a deeper way with other pilgrims and spiritual companions on the journey.
We will gather at 5:30 for a simple meal, followed by a short devotion, small group discussion, and sharing of spiritual journeys. You will be paired with another person for the purpose of mutual support and encouragement.
If you are interested in being part of the next Spiritual Pilgrimage, please contact Canon Britt Olson or speak with any member of the team: Sara Bates, Kate Davis, Julia Hunter, Grace LaTorra, Kristen Mosier, Duke Vivian, and Barbara Wilson.
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The St. Luke's Weekly Lunch Is Back!
We hope you'll join us each Thursday at noon in the undercroft for Ballard's best lunch, offering hot food and warm fellowship.
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Audio files of sermons are online!
Away from St. Luke's? You can listen to sermons online. |
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Edible Hope is online!
Let all your friends know...
- We have an Amazon wishlist that will send much-needed supplies straight to our door
- You can sign up for a single shift or multiple shifts in the kitchen at signup.com
- And donate online via Paypal
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Ways to Give
Putting a check or cash into the offering basket isn’t the only way to make a donation to St. Luke’s. We’ve added new options that are especially well-suited for people who don’t often carry cash or a checkbook. If you have questions about any of these payment methods or you have another idea to suggest, contact Niki at office@stlukesseattle.org or 206.784.3119
Electronic auto-payments: Sign up with Vanco to have monthly or semi-monthly donations sent from your bank account. Registration forms are available on the table in the narthex or online.
PayPal: Click here to donate now, or click the ‘Donate’ button at stlukesseattle.org to make a donation with your PayPal account or with a debit/credit card. You can also donate from your smartphone by scanning the QR code on the back of your Sunday bulletin.
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