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Sunday Lectionary Readings
May 23, 2010
Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:25-35, 37b Romans 8:14-1 John 14:8-17 (25-27 |
O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. | |
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Conventional Wisdom
This sermon was preached by the Rev. Richmond Webster on Sunday, May 16, 2010 and is based on Acts 16:16-34.
But when they saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. Acts 16:19
For a moment I ask that we think about the term "Conventional Wisdom..." Conventional Wisdom. In the 1950's an economist coined this term to describe something he found to be true about human behavior and decision making, and it needs to be said that it wasn't a compliment.
Specifically, this economist recognized that most situations involving human interactions are complex and multi layered, so buried under external and internal factors that a sort of mental fatigue sets in. In short, he figured that life makes us tired. (Read more) |
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Bon Voyage to Lindsay!
This Sunday, May 23, following the 10:30 service, we will host a reception in thanksgiving for the ministry of Lindsay Joe, one of our faithful youth ministers and interim director for this past year. You might not know this, but Lindsay has played a key role in providing continuity for our youth program and has prepared the way for Lars Porter's service as our new Minister to Youth. Lindsay has completed her graduate studies in Family Studies and Child Life and will begin an internship that will take her away from Saint Luke's, but we hope that her eventual career will lead her back to Birmingham and to our church as a communicant! Many lives have been touched by this faithful Christian servant, and I will always be grateful for her time and service to Saint Luke's.
Please join us in thanking Lindsay!
Richmond Webster |
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We Still Need Swimsuits for Sawyerville Day Camp
Sawyerville Day Camp is a mission, sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, located in Hale County in the heart of Alabama's Black Belt. This year the camp has expanded to two weeks meaning that over 400 children in this underprivileged region will be served.
In the past, Saint Luke's has collected art supplies and goggles for the summer camp. This year, we are charged with collecting NEW swimsuits for the kids to wear during their favorite part of the day. Since there are specific needs with respect to sizes, we are approaching our collection with an "Angel-tree" philosophy. Look for the table in Claypool Commons where you will select a specific size of swimsuit to purchase. Once you purchase the swimsuit, please bring it to the bin located in the Commons no later than June 1st. Swimsuits may also be purchased in your honor if you would rather make a monetary donation. A warm thank you to all who have already donated a swimsuit! |
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Partake of Some Mid Week Spiritual Refreshment This Summer!
Even though our Wednesday Night Supper & Programs are taking a summer break, please come for Wednesday Night Eucharist at 6:30 pm in the Chapel. This service is informal, contemplative, and offers an invitation to come into God's presence through the service of Holy Eucharist. All are welcome!
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Parents Of Graduating Seniors,
Share Your News With Us!
 As a parish family, we would like to recognize your son or daughter and make note in the Dialogue of where they will attend college in the fall. Thank you to those of you who have all ready given this information to Lars Porter, our youth director. If you have not given your child's information to Lars, please contact Sandy Porter (sporter@saint-lukes.com or 802-6210) before Monday, May 24. We don't want to have your child's name and information left off the list! Thank you! |
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Tour St. John's in Montgomery!
Tuesday, June 15
Looking for a day trip or something different with your lunch friends? Senior Adult Ministry is sponsoring a visit to St. John's Episcopal Church in Montgomery for ALL Ages of Adults. We will travel comfortably in a chartered Adventure Tour bus on Tuesday, June 15, departing at 9:30 am from Saint Luke's and return @ 3:30 pm. A tour of the historic church and a devotion will be led by the Rev. Richmond Webster, followed by lunch at the Capitol City Club. All inclusive cost is $50. A deposit of $25 is needed by May 14th. Checks should be made payable to Saint Luke's and sent to the attention of Jeanna Speegle. |
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Sign Up to Host Our Guests
Saint Luke's will host Birmingham Hospitality Network families from May 30 through June 6. We need volunteers to help set-up and take down rooms, wash linens, prepare meals, serve meals, spend the night and more. Look for the sign-up board in the Commons, or contact Kim Kimberlin
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Saint Luke's Medical Equipment Loaner Closet
Due to lack of adequate storage we will no longer be able to accept used medical equipment. However, we now have an opportunity to work with Mountain Brook Baptist Church to meet used equipment needs. Our current equipment inventory will be donated to their church, and I will stay in touch with their program coordinator to identify opportunities for Saint Luke's to assist them in maintaining inventory. This is the type of project that works well for groups of churches. If you are in need of medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc.), please call 871 -0331( Mountain Brook Baptist Church).
Carol Pearce
Saint Luke's Health Ministries Coordinator |
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Humility
By the Rev. Stephen DeGweck
One day in 1953, a tall man with bushy white hair and a big mustache stepped off the train at the Chicago railroad station. He was in town to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. As the cameras flashed and city officials approached with hands outstretched to meet him, he thanked them politely, then asked to be excused for a minute. He walked through the crowd to the side of an elderly black woman struggling with two large suitcases. He picked them up, smiled, and escorted her to her bus, helped her get on, and wished her a safe journey. Only then, when the little woman had been seen safely off, did Albert Schweitzer turn back towards the crowd and apologize that he had kept them waiting. It is reported that one member of the reception committee told a reporter, "That's the first time I ever saw a sermon walking." Schweitzer was one of the great men of recent history. By mid-life he was one of the world's most recognized and distinguished New Testament scholars, along with being one of the most celebrated concert organists in Europe. Few people ever achieve greatness in even one endeavor. Schweitzer was world-class in two! More astounding still, at the height of his fame Schweitzer abandoned both his scholarship and his music and shocked the world by enter
ng medical school, becoming a doctor and establishing a medical clinic in the jungles of Africa, where he spent the remainder of his life. To see such a man lugging the suitcases of an elderly stranger, while reporters and photographers waited, must have been a sight to remember. Albert Schweitzer was a picture of humility.
This month as we continue our exploration of spiritual wellness issues, we do well to ask: "Am I living in humility before God, my family, friends, and co-workers?" Of all the virtues, humility seems to come the hardest. We are raised to feel "special." We strive to inculcate self-esteem in our children. We associate mental and emotional well-being with feeling "good about ourselves."
None of that is bad, up to a point. Each of is deeply loved by God. Christ's death on the cross was for me (and all of us). The bible never calls me "special," but it does tell me I am precious to the Creator of all things. Such knowledge should undergird and reinforce my positive sense of self.
I fear we badly misunderstand humility. We see it as a kind of enforced lowliness, a negative self-image, even self-loathing. We associate humility with meekness, timidity, and submission. Again, when we seek to understand any Christian virtue, including this one, we need to turn to the one surest source - Jesus himself. Jesus describes himself as "humble and lowly of heart." Yet he was a strong man, confident, bold, and unafraid. Debating with the religious leaders of his day, and having no position of official status, he nevertheless stands his ground. Bound and dragged before the Roman governor, who holds Jesus' very life in his hands, still he is calm, articulate, and unafraid. Humility is no coward.
Far from self-loathing, Christian humility is true self-awareness. It is realizing that, while I am full of possibilities for good, still I am an imperfect creature. Compared with the greatness of God, I am small. Compared with the righteousness of Jesus, I am a struggling sinner. All around me are persons whose gifts exceed mine by great measure. Comparing myself with others will lead only to envy, frustration, and insecurity. There is always someone more gifted than I am, stronger, smarter, more talented, etc., etc. What matters is not that I be the best, but that I be the best God has given it to me to be. If I would compare myself with anyone, let me look to Jesus and learn from him, and strive after his example, knowing I will never attain it but knowing further that his love for me is not conditioned on my success. His love for me is not a reward I receive at the end of the journey, but a joy that enriches me day by day.
Above all, Christian humility enables me to live in harmony and fellowship, not only with the God who accepts and treasures me, but with you, my brother or sister. Accepting one another's flaws and graces, we can love one another without pretense or manipulation. "Counting others better than ourselves," as Paul urges us, we can be open to each other, listening, caring, loving, and sharing. If pride separates us into camps of competitors, humility draws us together into communities of love. Loving relationships depend at least in part in my being willing to put aside my own agendas and goals, and let the needs of others take center stage. Such willingness is not self-deprecation, but love in action.
We are small indeed. Recent events - volcanoes, floods, storms, oil spills - ought to remind us just how small we are, and how vulnerable in the face of nature's fury. Yet we are precious, as every page of the bible tells us. We've been given a great task - to live in harmony, to weep with the mournful, to laugh with the joyful, to avoid conceit, to be righteous -- but not self-righteous! As Paul says, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) If we let that wonderful example lead us in our discipleship, we'll be far more effective instruments in his service. |
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Did You Know . . .
Electronic waste accounts for more than 40% of the lead & 70% of metals found within landfills, it is the fastest growing component of the municipal waste stream worldwide. 1 CRT monitor contains 4-5 pounds of lead! |
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Instructional Eucharist for Children
Sunday May 30 9:15 am to 10:15 am Nave
All children (4K through 2nd-grade) and their parents are invited to an instructional Eucharist!
For more information, please contact the Rev. Rebecca DeBow (rdebow@saint-lukes.com or 802-6202). |
June 1st is the deadline for Appalachia Service Project volunteers. This Senior High Mission trip is for rising sophomores through graduated seniors. The dates are July 3rd-11th. There are still spots available for male and female adult chaperons.
For more information, contact Lars Porter (802-6212 or lporter@saint-lukes.com).
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Brother Bryan Mission
Changing Lives
The staff and residents at the Brother Bryan Mission are indeed extremely grateful for the $2000 grant awarded to us, for the 2010 calendar year, by Saint Luke's Episcopal Church. It is through prayers and supporters like you that this mission is strengthened. We share a great privilege and blessing in helping the homeless and less fortunate in the Birmingham area.
Brother James A. Bryan, an ordained minister, had a heart for God and the desire to see the poor and homeless men taken off the streets of Birmingham and provided with the basic necessities, food and shelter. From his faith and prayers, the Brother Bryan's Mission was established in 1940, shortly after his death, and is the oldest homeless shelter, for men, in Birmingham.
Presently Brother Bryan Mission located at 1616 - 2nd Avenue, North in downtown Birmingham, houses 80 men providing them with shelter, food, and clothing through public contributions. Additionally, the men are taught about the grace of God, second chances, and life skills through the many Bible Studies, chapel services, and classes that are available.
Our plan is to use the $2000 grant money to landscape an area that will be a place of solitude for the men as they reflect and talk to God. It is our desire to assist the men in planting flowers, vegetables, and other landscaping items. We need volunteers to offer their services in this endeavor.
Volunteers are always welcomed and needed at the mission. They are teaching, cooking, painting, and helping in many ways. Or maybe you would just like to come and sit with the men and share the love of God through talking with them and listening to their stories. We believe God's Word as He said, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40)
Again, we thank you for sharing in the legacy of Brother Bryan Mission and we pray that God will continue to bless you.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Stephen Brown, LLC
Executive Director
Go to www.brotherbryanmissions.com to learn more.
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Subscribe to our Podcast!!
You can now subscribe to the Saint Luke's podcast! Enjoy listening to sermons and teachings from the clergy of Saint Luke's, updated every week. Search for "Saint Luke's" in iTunes, or click here to follow step-by-step instructions. |
New Email Address?
So you won't miss any of the Saint Luke's digital newsletters, be sure to let Nancy Cain in the office know if your email address changes. Contact her at (ncain@saint-lukes.com or 802-6200).
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