St. Luke's Blogs

Oklahoma! Is one of the most exciting and long-lasting shows on Broadway. Oklahoma! First opened on Broadway, March 13, 1943. It is hard to believe that it remains so popular now 78 years later. Written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! captured people’s imagination with a love story from the farm in the brand-new state of Oklahoma. It is a musical filled with exciting songs and amazing dancing. To this day, when the song, “Oklahoma” is played, our state collectively stands and sings along. Oklahoma! is a powerful story that still captures our hearts today.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved,
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade
    on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and for evermore.

“Therefore, putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Maria Andrejczyk is an athlete from Poland. She has worked her entire life to become an Olympic athlete. She has competed in track and field most of her life. Maria earned an opportunity to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. She is one of the best javelin throwers in the world. In Tokyo, Maria proved she was one of the best when she won the silver medal. It was an amazing accomplishment for the 25-year-old.

It did not take Maria long to take on another challenge…

Much gratitude is owed to the Apostle Paul for his passionate commitment to God’s kingdom. His hard work helped to make the church what we’re a part of today. However, Paul did not work alone. In each destination, Paul made friends who became partners in the ministry. Two such friends were Aquila and Priscilla. Like Paul, they were Jews who were Roman citizens. They were pushed from their home in Rome and made a new life in Corinth.

I love the St. Luke’s on Broadway sermon series. It is one of the most exciting and fun times during the year. I love fun and uplifting worship. Over the past few weeks, the music has been thrilling, and the sermons have been powerful and challenging. St. Luke’s on Broadway is truly a joyful time…

Orion Jean was the winner of the 2020 National Kindness Speech.  The ten-year-old from Ft. Worth, Texas, has committed to doing good for so many. In Orion’s award-winning speech, he says, “Kindness is like giving the world a hug.” Orion is committed to giving as many people as possible a hug and making a difference in the world.

The prize for the winning speech was $500. Orion did not use the money for himself, but instead he used it to set up a project to help other kids.

When our family lived in Tecumseh, we experienced Oklahoma’s severe weather firsthand. One beautiful night, the weather suddenly changed. The programming on TV was interrupted by weather alerts and meteorologist. Soon, the maps on the TV showed the storms moving towards our community. There was enough excitement on the TV that we started to pay attention. Before long, the sirens began to sound. Aimee and I gathered up our daughters and quickly made our way to our neighbor’s cellar…

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. 

“Therefore, putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”