Twice a year, St. Luke’s makes sandwiches for The Sandwich Project. We do it at our Fall Festival (Wednesday of MEA) and the Wednesday Night Live Spring Celebration. Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 22, 5:30 PM you are invited to help us make 400 Sandwiches for The Simpson Food Pantry. Following our service stay for the festival. There will be food, games, and crafts, something for all ages.
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The Sandwich Project of MN was established with a goal to help feed 150 homeless & hungry people in Minneapolis as many times a year as possible, with the ultimate goal of doing it every day of the year. Today, The Sandwich Project is helping to feed about 2500+ people per week through various shelters and food shelves.

The Sandwich Project is a grassroots organization built on anonymous donations of time, talent, and treasures. All donations are given and used with the purpose of feeding those less fortunate.

The organization we will be delivering sandwiches to is The Simpson Food Pantry. It is a non-profit providing food for those in need. They believe no one should go hungry, so they invite all who need food, come by during open hours.

Over 70 years ago, Simpson United Methodist Church, established in 1882, recognized the need to combat hunger in the South Minneapolis area. In the early 70’s a small area under the stairs in the basement of the church was commissioned as the Simpson Food Shelf, and they started serving some 30 guests a month who needed assistance with food insecurity.

By the early 2000’s, the 140-year-old Simpson Church building was literally disintegrating from the foundation to the steeple. It was deemed by the Simpson Congregation that it was no longer cost effective to continue to put more money toward trying to maintain the building. It was decided that their financial resources would be dedicated to the greater mission of Simpson Church to serve the needs of the South Minneapolis community into the future. The decision was made to close the church and donate the property to Simpson Housing Services (SHS). Shortly after that they had to evacuate the building because of boiler issues. At this point they had to find new locations for existing missions still at the church.

This enabled Simpson Food Pantry to expand into a larger and more efficient and accessible space, including space for other supportive services. Food storage, especially for fruits and vegetables became more viable. It is now all on one level, with handicapped accessible ramps, and a waiting area on cold mornings!

The concern over food insecurity and the increasing need to fight hunger in the South Minneapolis community shows no signs of stopping. Over the last two years they have been involved with; the state, city, government agencies, local churches, MN Council of Ministries, pastors, former members, food banks, other pantries, and our community members to find a new location that could continue to serve their families and provide nutritious and culturally appropriate food.

They currently have partnered with Source MN, who has been providing to the same Whittier Community for the last 20 years. They are now an independent 501C3 nonprofit food shelf, Simpson Food Pantry, Inc. With combined efforts, out of one location, which is handicapped accessible with a loading dock, they are serving over 2500 families monthly. Other ministries include serving new immigrants, women’s drop-in services, shuttle rides from the food shelf, weekly community meals, cooking classes, weekly homeless meals, and outreach services.

We have always been able to give healthy calories with staples of protein, beans, rice, milk, potatoes, and fresh produce, along with eggs when we can. Simpson has provided a change over from 70-90% nonperishable (canned foods, boxed dinners) to 90% fresh and healthy food. This has in turn increased our costs, just as you see in your grocery bills.

When you look at the St. Luke’s Service Opportunities in the Community found on our website, 16 organizations are listed. What is missing in the count is the number of other organizations we serve that are connected to those 16 identified.

St. Luke’s is living out its mission… busy making Christ known to the world. Thank you to this community for the good work you do in the name of Jesus.

https://www.stlukesbloomington.org/service-opportunities-in-the-community.html

This coming Sunday, May 19th, we celebrate Pentecost and the abilities the Holy Spirit has given us – to spread the Good News in such a way that is meaningful, felt and understood. On this same Sunday, as we have traditionally done at St. Luke’s for many years, we also celebrate music – for the way it enhances worship, how it helps us pray and praise the Lord – and for those who share their gifts of music through their voices and instruments.

“ . . . be filled with the Spirit as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts”
Ephesians 5:18-19
 
The Bible is filled with verses related to music and its power and role in Christian faith and daily life. In many Biblical accounts, in both the Old and New Testaments, music is portrayed as a powerful way to praise God and to reflect the joy and peace we feel towards Him.
 
“Music paints pictures and often tells stories, all of it magic, and all of it true, and all of the pictures and all of the stories and all of the magic the music is you.”
John Denver
 
Just like the Holy Spirit as it descended upon the Apostles, music has the way of touching us in such a way that it often leaves us amazed and astonished. Someone once said that “music sounds the way emotions feel”. That may be the very “magic” that John Denver is speaking about – how music can paint pictures and tell stories so that we can better comprehend and understand. In other words, the magic of the Holy Spirit and music combine to make our relationship with God deeply personal, profoundly felt, and authentically aware.
 
So, on Sunday, let the Holy Spirit wash over you as you attend worship and may it stay with you in the days to come. Let the music touch and inspire you and make you feel closer to God.
 
And, may you extend your thanks for the musicians who communicate the music, the words, and the emotions that you experience:
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Bells of Praise
Jubilee
St. Luke’s Choir
Instrumentalists
Festival Choir
Lori Murray

Over the next three Sundays we will be celebrating three distinct Holy Days:

Ascension – 40 Days after Easter. May 12.

Pentecost – 50 Days after Easter. May 19.

Holy Trinity – The Sunday after Pentecost. May 26.

These each in their own way celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are not events of the past, but present-day realities pointing the way to life, freedom, and hope for salvation of all creation.

These days affirm that Jesus is Lord of all. The Holy Spirit has been poured out to all humankind. The true faith is found in relationship, for the nature of God is best understood in terms of a community of love – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Ascension – “After Jesus’ suffering, he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God...[Jesus told his disciples], you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up (ascended) and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:3, 8)

Question is will we live up (ascend) to Jesus’ calling? Now almost 2,000 years later, we are to be witnesses to Jesus in our home (Jerusalem), community (Judea), with those who are separated from us (Samaria), and all people (to the ends of the earth).
Thankfully, we do not do this on our own, but as the church with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost – “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where [the followers of Jesus] were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them authority…Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in our own native tongue?” (Acts 2:2-4, 7-8)

Question is, do we allow the Holy Spirit to speak in and through us to others? What does that look like? In baptism we pray, “Sustain (person’s name) with the gift of the Holy Spirit; ‘the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord,’ (Isaiah 11:2) the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen.” (pg. 231 ELW).

If we allowed these gifts of the Holy Spirit embody us, we would be able to hear each other in their native tongue – which I believe is being able to hear another’s story and how it contributes to building the Kingdom of God.

That requires being in relationship…

Holy Trinity - And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him [Jesus] in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My [the Father’s] beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” (Luke 3:22)

This is one of several scriptures that identify the relationship of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is the greeting at the start of worship, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” (2nd Corinthians 13:14)

Question is, do we allow the Spirit to lead us to greet everyone we meet in this manner, whether in our homes, community, those who are separate from us, and all people.

May these three Sundays lift you up, fill you with the Spirit, and invite you into relationships with others to point the way to life, freedom, and the hope for salvation of all creation. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.