St. Luke's Blogs

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself […]

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and […]

December 30, 2021 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. – Isaiah […]

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – 1 John 4:11 Even when the bright lights and cheerful music of […]

December 28, 2021 Christmas day was always a big deal at my childhood home. Christmas morning started early for us. We would gather in the […]

December 27, 2021 “And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to […]

Last Advent, we faced the season knowing we wouldn’t be able to gather for in-person worship. It seemed inconceivable to me to not meet for Christmas after having already experienced that at Easter earlier in the year.

We pre-recorded the Christmas Eve Worship Service to ensure that it would be ready for television broadcast on December 24. That meant we would all spend Christmas Eve at home worshiping via the television or online services. I found that Christmas Eve became a multitude of juxtapositions. Our small family of four joined the thousands worshiping through the broadcast service. We felt a sense of isolation due to the pandemic; yet the very same pandemic created a global connection because everyone around the world was facing the same struggles. I felt a twinge of sadness for missing the Traditional Service with the family of faith; but the intimate setting with my family was a special memory I’ll never forget.

An event from more than 2,000 years ago was also full of its own contrasts…

I’m sure many of you can agree with me in saying that the Christmas season is the happiest time of year. There just seems to be a little extra joy in the air around this time. People tend to be more cheerful throughout this season. I’m not suggesting that people aren’t cheerful all year round, but I think you get the picture. Here is a question I have been pondering – Why is there greater joy in this season? Perhaps more so than in other seasons? What is the true cause of our heightened cheer during Advent and Christmas?

The answers are varied. For some, it’s because we are getting ready for that homemade casserole at the family reunion that everybody loves. For others…

Within the last year, I’ve started listening to a podcast called The Lazy Genius with Kendra Adachi. Now bear with me, because I know that for most of us, the thought of being called “lazy” makes us shudder. The premise of her podcast is to help people, particularly moms of small children, “be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” In order to subscribe to her theory, you have to first understand that what matters to you and what matters to me very well may be different. For some of us, preparing a home cooked meal while hosting friends fills us with incredible joy, where for some, the idea of that sends them into a tailspin of anxiety. For some, maintaining a specific skincare routine keeps them ticking, while some have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about – and that’s okay!

Kendra often brings up the idea of “naming what matters.” This simply means identifying what is worth your time and energy and giving these things adequate space in your brain and schedule.

Last year’s Christmas season felt different in so many ways…

As a young child, I have fond memories of visiting relatives during the Christmas holidays in Southern Illinois. One of my aunts started a yearly tradition by taking me into town to see a miniature outdoor Christmas Village, each structure standing about four feet tall. The Village consisted of a couple of homes, a school, General Store, and a diner. But my favorite part of the village was the church. In the snow, the little white church warmly glowed from within; looking inviting and welcoming. Now these village buildings were too small to enter, but I remember so wanting to go into the church and sit and take in all of the Christmas splendor it had been adorned in…