Dear St. Lukers,
As we near the end of our Lenten journey, there’s a certain shift happening. We’ve been walking through these weeks with intention—grounding ourselves in our callings, obedient to God’s invitation to be servants, and reminding ourselves of our capacity for resilience. Now, we prepare to step into Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday, the most bewildering week yet.
On Sunday, April 13, we’ll be looking at the paradox of Palm Sunday – a day where Jesus enters into Jerusalem with celebration – and yet we know what he is moving toward ultimately. The tension we find in this story is the kind of tension we often have to contend with in our own lives, too – simultaneous celebration and grief, anxiety and comfort.
We’ll have Contemporary worship at 9:30 a.m. and Traditional worship at 10:00 a.m.—in person and online. No matter where you gather, you’ll be met with a sacred space to reflect, worship, and enter the story with your whole heart as we begin the Holy Week journey together.
And don’t jump too quickly to Easter – the power of Easter is in the journey leading up to it, especially Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Go ahead and plan to be with us Thursday and Friday at 7:30 – as we move into the upper room and garden of Gethsemane, as we walk through arrest and trial and crucifixion, and as we enter into the darkness of Holy Saturday.
Don’t skip over the silence, the discomfort, the questions. Return to the spiritual disciplines you’ve practiced—those quiet moments, those acts of surrender. Revisit the “death cloths” you named on Ash Wednesday, and ask yourself: What still needs to be unbound so resurrection can take hold?
Holy Week invites us to carry the story differently. Not just to remember it, but to lead with it—to let it shape the way we live on the other side of the tomb.
And if someone comes to mind who needs a place to belong—a friend, a neighbor, a coworker—invite them to join you. This story is for all of us. Click here to check out our media kit with ready-to-share social media graphics and pre-written posts you can copy and paste to help spread the word in your circles. A simple invitation could be the start of someone’s journey toward belonging.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Melissa