December 2016 | St. Luke's United Methodist Church

25 12, 2016

God’s Re-Gifted Presence

Robert Elliott2017-03-28T14:55:31-05:00December 25th, 2016|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

by Laurie Noteboom God is with us – Emmanuel. Last night we celebrated the arrival of Emmanuel, the coming of God to earth in the form of an innocent child. God’s re-gifted presence. A baby who grew into a man who would teach, heal and love our world. God’s re-gifted presence. A promise, spoken by this man, that even after his death on a Friday, he would remain Emmanuel. He would be with us always. God’s re-gifted presence. Obedience to a direction, given to the most loyal disciple, that a church be built so God’s word could spread. [...]

23 12, 2016

A PERSONAL PRAYER

Robert Elliott2017-03-28T14:55:33-05:00December 23rd, 2016|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Loving God, Yes, it is Christmas or almost Christmas. I am going to see lots of people tomorrow. I will place into their hands the wafer and offer them the fruit of the grape. I will look them in the eyes and remind them that these “gifts” are the very presence of your son Jesus Christ, given out of your great love for them. I will tell them that you showed up for them. [...]

18 12, 2016

The Unfolding of Today’s Christmas Festival

Robert Elliott2017-03-28T14:55:34-05:00December 18th, 2016|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

by Sid Davis As I sat at the table on my annual January study trip to New York earlier this year, I learned the woman seated next to me was, among other things, an Irish fiddler. The power of that folk music has always moved me, and when combined with sacred text, it becomes even more of a force. Despite today’s festival being 11 months away, that’s all I needed for wheels to turn. What if the opening was centered around the art of fiddling? (How lucky could we be to find that Denise Tarrant, our concertmaster of [...]

18 12, 2016

Love Demonstrated: Inside-Out Habits with Dr. Tom Pace for December 18, 2016

Robert Elliott2017-03-28T14:55:36-05:00December 18th, 2016|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, Some people are easy to love. I feel love for them in my heart, and genuinely want them to know how much I love them. These are my wife, my parents and in-laws, my children and grandchildren, my friends and colleagues and partners in ministry. I feel so blessed to have these people in my life. Still, I don’t let them know how much I love them, at least not enough. I confess that I [...]

11 12, 2016

Joyful Expectation

Robert Elliott2017-03-28T14:55:37-05:00December 11th, 2016|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

by Suzi Pitts I’ve spent time behind the line at Kanakuk summer camp waiting to see our son after 26 days at camp. He’d never been away from us for anything close to a month and I am trying to be cool as I wait for the counselors to drop the rope and allow our entrance. How I have been waiting for this moment. We chat distractedly with the other parents, and finally, they drop the rope. We all walk in, then fast walk, and eventually stop caring about being cool and jog towards our kid. The hugs [...]

11 12, 2016

Rejoicing Today: Inside-Out Habits with Dr. Tom Pace for December 11, 2016

Robert Elliott2017-03-28T14:55:39-05:00December 11th, 2016|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, Today is your day. It is a wonderful and amazing day. You made it. You gave it to me as a gift. And what is most important – you are going to go through it with me. That, in and of itself, is the root of my joy. So I will rejoice, today. I bet we have some great stuff today, you and I – some laughter, some fun, some sharing of hearts, [...]

4 12, 2016

Let There Be Peace on Earth

St. Luke's Author Author2017-03-28T14:55:41-05:00December 4th, 2016|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

by Dr. Linda Christians When I was in the sixth grade the choir teacher, Mrs. Williams, taught us the song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” She said she had chosen this song because we were all God’s children and we had a part in making this world a place of peace and harmony. Though we were learning other songs for the upcoming concert, it seemed as though she couldn’t get enough of us singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” She emphasized that she wanted us to look into the eyes of the audience when we sang, [...]

4 12, 2016

The Things That Make Peace: Inside-Out Habits with Dr. Tom Pace for December 4, 2016

St. Luke's Author Author2017-03-28T14:55:42-05:00December 4th, 2016|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, I get along with most people. You know that, God. I like most folks, and I try to treat people well, with love and care, most of the time. Or so I like to think. I think I “pursue the things that make for peace.” (Romans 14:19) But now a conflict has arisen, and I am not sure what to do about it. I have tried to just ignore it, manage my life around [...]