St. Luke’s United Methodist Church - Memphis, TN - News

Dear Friends,
Be with us this coming Sunday, July 20. As
part of our gradual effort to highlight our rebuilt
sanctuary organ, we have a surprise organist with
us for the 10:50 a.m. worship service. We are so
happy that this grand musical instrument will
continue helping praise God for decades to come.

Then on the following Sunday, the 27th, I’m
going to have to work on not bursting — with pride,
that is — as Rev. S. Claire Matheny preaches in
both services. She departs August 4 for Baltimore,
and this month marks her first sermons as an official
United Methodist “Reverend” following commissioning
at Annual Conference on June 2.

Meanwhile, summer at St. Luke’s, in spite
of the heat, is being anything but a “vacation from
God.” As your pastor, I feel like we’re almost having
“Advent in July” because of the sense of expectancy
and hope we are sharing. During a time of uncertainty,
we yet await the coming of the sure and
certain Love of Christ in new ways. We need to be
like Mary and Joseph, persevering in the journey.
We should trust God as surely as those shepherds
who followed the angels to Bethlehem. Like the
Magi, we need to give Christ our finest gifts.

If we share this kind of spirit in the unlikely
time of summer, God’s promise is that new growth
will happen, new ventures will flourish and St. Luke’s
shall be renewed as God’s faithful people.

In service, …Pastor Mark

Click here to download the July 15th, 2008, Epistle (PDF file; requires Adobe Reader):

http://www.stlukesumc.org/epistle/20080715_epistle.pdf