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by Pastor Paul Werger
I don’t suppose there is a greater source of joy and comfort in life that to know you are baptized into Jesus Christ and “belong to the people of God.” To be perfectly candid, sacrifice, self-denial, and self-giving have been the methods by which Christ has built His church and created the people of God. You and I enjoy the blessings and benefits of our faith simply because others have been willing to pay the price to share the Gospel. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the [hundred and three] year history of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. It was the commitment of life and resources, the faithfulness through many stormy periods of existence and the devoted loyalty of those early pioneers of our community that created a House of Worship and made it possible for God to have his people in this place. Now the burden of responsibility rests squarely on our shoulders. At this hour when the needs of God’s people at St. Luke’s are everywhere in evidence, each of us must look within himself [or herself] to see if there is the love and faith to pay the price of belonging to God’s people. At this period…as we see Christ’s sacrifice for us and as we reflect on the [103] year history of this congregation, these words of the poet express all our desires and feelings: “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Pastor Paul Werger, writing to the congregation on its 45th anniversary, on the threshold of the final building phase. From the Fields Were Ripe, 75th Anniversary history book. (p.8) Words that still speak to us today as we celebrate 103 years and counting... Happy Anniversary St. Luke’s! – February 23, 1923. What are your favorite memories of St. Luke’s? What are your dreams for the future of St. Luke’s? Please post in the comments… [updated for this year]
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A Lenten Devotional by the ELCA Homeless and Justice Network.
Welcome to the Season of Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday and going through Easter morning. February 18 – April 5, 2026. Lent is a time for reflection and renewal as we journey with Jesus to Jerusalem. Many people give something up as a Lenten Discipline, other people take something on. As a community we do so by joining for worship on Wednesdays (February 18 – March 25. 11 AM Service of the Word and 7 PM – Evening Worship) followed by Holy Week with Maundy Thursday (April 2, 7 PM), Good Friday (April 3, 11 AM and 7 PM), and Easter Morning (April 5, 8:30 and 10 AM). For a daily discipline you’re invited to use Beauty for Ashes, an ELCA daily devotional. You can download it HERE or copy and paste: https://elcamediaresources.blob.core.windows.net/cdn/wp-content/uploads/Beauty_for_Ashes_Lenten_Resource.pdf I would love to hear what your Lenten Discipline will be, please share it as a Comment below. Hope to hear several of you choose Beauty for Ashes, along with attending St. Luke’s Lent and Holy Week worships. Enjoy the journey as you walk with Jesus. Beauty for Ashes Introduction: Homeless and Justice Network of the ELCA is a coalition of ministries called to serve with those on the margins who are struggling with poverty, homelessness and justice issues. This unique network is a ministry with, rather than for, those experiencing poverty, homelessness and injustice. We in the network believe that all God’s children deserve an opportunity to gather and be the church together, inside or outside the church walls. The HJN gathers pastors and leaders of these ministries to connect, refuel, bring new ideas to the table, share stories that ignite passion, and equip each other as leaders from within so that, as we stand on the margins with Jesus, all are included. Thank you to the remarkable leaders who contributed these beautiful and thoughtful devotions for us to enjoy during this Lenten season. We also thank artist Jibril Bey for sharing these beautiful, evocative pieces. This daily devotional book can be read by individuals or groups and follows the eight principles of the Homeless and Justice Network: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. - Community is vital to all that we do. Jesus stood on the margins so that all could be included, and so do we. God loves all people, no matter what. We respect the dignity and value of all people, without condition. We minister with — not to or for — one another. 6. 7. A church is the people, not the building. Everyone has something to offer, and we need every person if we are to be whole. 8. We see lives transformed and are transformed ourselves. Each devotion has everything you need: a verse from the Bible (some are Lenten Scripture whereas others have different themes), a personal reflection from the contributor, a thoughtful quotation, a meditative question and a closing prayer. It’s set up so that anyone can experience or lead others through a meaningful time of reflection and conversation. So … Let’s go! Take a 40-day deep breath together and focus on what’s going on in our hearts and in our communities. From these stories, let us see hope in brokenness and in our hearts receive beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3). —Rebeca Malmgren ELCA Coordinator for Economic Diversity, blessed to care for the ELCA Homeless and Justice Network download it HERE or copy and paste: https://elcamediaresources.blob.core.windows.net/cdn/wp-content/uploads/Beauty_for_Ashes_Lenten_Resource.pdf Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Genesis 3:19/Ecclesiastes 3:20 From Dust to Resurrection: Our Lenten Journey These are the sobering words we hear on Ash Wednesday as the sign of the cross is marked on our foreheads or on our hands. They echo God’s words to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:19 and the reflections of the writer of Ecclesiastes 3:20 on the shared fate of all living things. While these words remind us of our mortality, they are not the final word for us as Christians. Living in the Promise As humans, we exist in a finite world full of hardship and sickness. But as followers of Christ, we live in the promise of the eternal. We hold onto the truth of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” This is why, even in the face of death, we celebrate. At funerals, we announce, “Let us celebrate the life and resurrection of our beloved.” Through our baptism, we were buried with Christ so that we might also be raised with Him to live a new life. We are marked with the cross of Christ forever—not just on Ash Wednesday, but every single day. Join Us for Ash Wednesday Worship February 18 at 11 AM and 7 PM. Ash Wednesday is the kickoff to Lent—a 40-day journey (not counting Sundays!) where we join Jesus on His walk to the cross. We call Sundays “mini-Easters” because, even in this season of reflection, we know the journey really begins at the empty tomb. Join us for the Season of Lent From February 25 through March 25, our Wednesday worship services will focus on Jesus’ “I Am” statements. By remembering who Jesus is, we better understand who we are in Him. · 11:00 AM | Service of the Word - St. Luke’s Preschool students join us to share a few songs at the start of worship. Please stay after the service for a light lunch in the Fellowship Hall. · 7:00 PM | Evening Worship - A contemplative evening service to end your day with song, in prayer, in the Word, and reflection. We look forward to being on the journey together. For more than fifteen hundred years, Christians have used these words to mark Ash Wednesday. Come and hear them again for the first time: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Each month, the Missions team highlights a different Missions partner. In January we held a Blood Drive (with 27 units collected), and for February our Missions partner is Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage (aka EGO) in Haiti.
A little recent history about Haiti: In 2018, a political, social and economic crisis was created in response to rising fuel costs when Venezuela ceased shipments of oil to Haiti. It is a crisis that has grown and continues today. In 2021 their president was assassinated and eventually a federation of gangs took control of the country. Commercial airports have shut down, all but one hospital have closed and foreign citizens were evacuated from the country. Since then, the citizens of Haiti have suffered with outbreaks of cholera, acute hunger and growing threats to their lives from gang violence and lack of medical facilities, medications and health care professionals. The current transitional government was scheduled to expire on February 7, 2026, but the Transitional Presidential Council voted to remove the Prime Minister on January 23, and elections are expected to be postponed until August. The situation is troubled and ever-changing. St. Luke’s has been supporting Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage since 2017. In the past, we have “sold” building blocks to help fund new dormitories at the orphanage or to help pay expenses and staff wages. In 2025 we raised almost $2400 for EGO. In Haiti, education is not free. All families must pay to have their children educated. In 2018 there were a total of 73 children attending the Ebenezer Glenn school (56 kids from the orphanage and 17 from the surrounding community), in June 2019 there were 372 children enrolled in the school, and today they have over 600 kids enrolled – most of whom are children from surrounding communities. The good news is that Ebenezer Glenn is mostly self-sufficient. They have both traditional and hydroponic gardens, raise their own animals and crops for food, raise Talapia in a pool, make their own shampoo, soap and sundries (crafts which they teach to the children), and run on solar power, including a solar cook stove. In addition to the 4 on-site managing staff, they have 89 employees that help run and maintain the campus and school. EGO has managed to secure needed supplies through Missionary Flights International. Due to the high cost of shipping and customs fees for these items, they ask for continued financial support. The funds we raise this February may be used for shipping costs, but they may also be used to pay staff salaries or buy supplies. So, instead of building blocks, this year we will sell paper airplanes to symbolize EGO’s need for supplies and shipping expenses. We will hang the airplanes from the ceiling of the Narthex or you can take your airplane home with you. We will also have an airplane flying contest – details about which will follow at a later date. Thank you for your continued support of Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage and the endeavors of St. Luke’s Missions team. Blessings, Bev Brosam Missions Representative |
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