LOVE IS THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN HERE | |
STANDING FOR JUSTICE, LIVING IN GRACE
We believe worship and justice go hand in hand.
Find your voice and your place at St. Luke’s.
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Beloved,
Advent: Waiting That Moves Us
Advent isn’t a season of sitting still. It’s a time when the church leans forward. The prophets speak of a world on the edge of newness; Mary sings about a God already turning things upside down. Advent invites us into that same posture, active anticipation, watchful expectancy, and waiting with a hope that changes how we live today.
Our new Advent blue paraments help tell that story. The deep, dawn-colored blue points toward a promise not yet fully seen but already on its way. I’m grateful to our faithful Altar Guild and the Vestry for making these beautiful hangings and vestments possible.
This coming Sunday, December 14, is Gaudete Sunday, (“Rejoice and be glad”), when the paraments and the candle we light on the Advent wreath will be rose-colored, a sign of our joy in the Lord who is coming. The blue hangings will return on December 21, the fourth Sunday of Advent. As you notice the shift between rose and blue, let those colors remind you that we are people who prepare, who expect, who stay awake, and who rejoice that God is drawing near.
I also want to thank our musicians for the special music they’ve offered this season, including selections from Pepper Choplin’s Night of the Father’s Love. Their gifts have helped shape our Advent worship into something tender, hopeful, and deeply rooted in the promise of Christ’s coming.
A Small (Technological) Confession
You may have noticed that last week’s newsletter never arrived. That wasn’t intentional Advent silence; it was operator error. I dropped my laptop and jammed the power button. From that moment on, it refused to turn off, turn on, or do much of anything. The screen went black, my files vanished into the electronic abyss, and I found myself buying a new computer and slowly rebuilding my life.
Let’s just say this: Jesus does a much better job of saving than I do… ouch.
Anyway, thank you for your patience as I get everything back up and running. And thank you for being a community that holds hope, humor, and grace so well.
Faithfully,
John +
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A CHRISTIAN'S CALL
TO CONTEMPLATION & ACTION
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Second Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Romans 15:4-13
Matthew 3:1-12
Theme: The Bethlehem Candle: Peace Arrives Small, Tender, and Near
Each Sunday of Advent, we light candles on the Advent wreath. This week, we lit the Bethlehem Candle, which reminds us that peace doesn’t burst into the world with power. It comes quietly, like the birth of Jesus in a small, overlooked village. Advent invites us to let our hearts break open so this tender peace can take root in us and in our community.
Key Points
- Peace grows from unlikely places.
Isaiah’s vision of wolves and lambs living together isn’t fantasy—it reveals God’s deep intention for creation. Even stumps, the places in our lives where something has been cut down, can become the soil for new life to grow.
- Peace is a choice made again and again.
An old saying reminds us: “Peace doesn’t come when everything is perfect. Peace comes when enough of us decide to stop returning hurt for hurt.” John the Baptist echoes this invitation by calling us to clear space for God—letting go of resentments, dropping our defenses, and refusing cycles of harm.
- Peace begins in small, courageous acts.
Real peace often starts with one softened heart, one honest conversation, one step toward reconciliation—like the father who reached out to his estranged daughter during Advent. These acts may not fix everything, but they plant seeds of hope.
- Peace is relational, not passive.
Paul urges us to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you,” a welcome that costs something. This kind of hospitality builds a community where differences enrich us and where belonging is nurtured, not assumed.
- St. Luke’s is called to be a Bethlehem.
In a neighborhood shaped by history, diversity, struggle, and hope, we can embody a peace that heals, listens, and makes room for each other.
Questions Asked
- Where are the “stumps” in your life, and what new shoots of peace might God be trying to grow there?
- What grudges, stories, or defenses is Advent inviting you to release?
- Where might a single step toward reconciliation begin?
- How is God calling St. Luke’s to be a Bethlehem for our neighborhood—an entry point for peace?
Invitations to Action
- Stop returning hurt for hurt, even in small, everyday interactions.
- Take one step toward healing in a strained relationship, however humble or imperfect it may be.
- Welcome others generously, especially those different from you or easy to overlook.
- Live your baptismal promises by seeking justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being.
- Let St. Luke’s be a sign of peace in Logan Circle, gentle, safe, steady, and open-hearted.
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Meet John Yahner:
Sunday, as I stared at the stunning stain-glass window above the altar and listened to the stirring sounds of the choir and the organ, I thought how much I will miss St. Luke’s when I move to Los Angeles next month to be closer to my grown children. Above all, I will miss all of you, the citizens of St. Luke’s. Thank you for all you have given, taught, and tolerated from me. From day one, more than 3 years ago when I met Julia and Robert at St. Thomas, I have felt welcome, valued and useful. I am blessed and grateful.
After all, where else can you attend church and get the point spread on the Michigan football game, a stirring sermon (thank you Rev. Kim and Rev. John!), moving music, and Caribbean cuisine all in one place? And you can talk to the Pope! Two Popes in fact!
I’ve enjoyed working with so many great people on the music ministry, the vestry nomination committee, the SLEC newsletter, returning citizens, and the bookcase in front of the church. That’s right, the bookcase accidently fell down the stairs long ago, and I volunteered to put it back together with my handy drill.
This community of caring (witness Sunday’s celebration of the octogenarians) gives one hope—especially during these trying times. It’s a legacy of more than 150 years, one to be very proud of, carried on with humility, grace, and humor.
Your spirit of giving is not unique, but in my experience, it is rare indeed. I not exactly sure how you’ve done it…but you have. Perhaps because you have taken Paul’s admonition to the Romans to heart. As he wrote…“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” You have done all that. I have witnessed it and benefitted from it.
So, by way of a small thank you, breakfast on Dec. 28th is on me, with help from Michael and Nathan. I hope to see you then. I read on January 11th and then leave on a jet plane on January 14th. Like the terminator I will be back. I have a sister in Falls Church, a nephew in D.C.—and all of you. I have learned so much from you. Again, a heartfelt thank you for everything!
Interim Rector's Note: On January 11th, during the 9:30 am liturgy, we will give thanks, bless, and send John off to the next chapter in his life with a parting ritual.
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JOIN US FOR ST. LUKE'S ADULT DINNER FORUM SERIES
What: Bi-Weekly Adult Dinner Forums (2nd & 4th Tuesdays)
NOTE: Given that Christmas falls in the same week as our normally scheduled end of the month adult forum, we will only have one this month (December 9).
TUESDAY, December 9 IN-Person: 6:00 pm
Zoom: 6:45 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8498487811?pwd=LGq3JwKv396Cba4pfGug7XZLv8B2Ve.1
Meeting ID: 849 848 7811
Passcode: 240226
One tap mobile
+16469313860,,8498487811#,,,,*240226# US
+13017158592,,8498487811#,,,,*240226# US (Washington DC)
December Topic: Born to Love Greatly:
A 90-Minute Workshop on Rediscovering Divine Love within You!
FACILITATED BY: SAMIER MANSUR
(See the Detailed Program Description Below)
Where: The Parish Hall (6:00 - 8:00 PM) Online by Zoom: (6:45 - 8:00 PM)
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BORN TO LOVE GREATLY:
A 90-MINUTE WORKSHOP ON
REDISCOVERING DIVINE LOVE WITHIN YOU
Love is perhaps the most discussed, debated, and desired of all topics—yet it remains the most misunderstood. Most of us grew up believing that love arrives with fireworks: bright sparks, butterflies, and cinematic chemistry. From songs to movies, culture has trained us to chase those feelings as proof of “the one.”
But while those moments can be thrilling, they say nothing about the depth, endurance, or divine purpose of real love.
In this 90-minute workshop, you’ll explore a radically different understanding—one revealed by sages, poets, and Scripture across the ages: Love is not a fleeting emotion or a passing chemical reaction. Love is the revelation of the Divine within you. It is the most intelligent, creative, and beautiful force in existence—and it has always been within you, waiting to be remembered and awakened.
Together, we’ll answer five transformative questions that can reshape how you experience love:
- What is Love, really?
- What does it mean to give your heart fully, to loved ones, to purpose, to the world?
- How can I heal insecurities that make me feel unworthy of love?
- Why do I keep repeating the same painful patterns, and how do I break free?
- How do I open my heart to love greatly, freely, and without fear?
By the end, you’ll walk away with:
- A true understanding of what Love really is
- Practical tools to rise above insecurities and beliefs that once dimmed your light
- A framework to open your heart and feel the overflow of Divine Love within you
As Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” That light begins to shine the moment you remember: you were born to love greatly.
SAMIER MANSUR:
Samier Mansur is a Leadership and Life Success Coach, published author, and social impact entrprenuer with a proven track record of global impact and transformation. Recognized as a "world changer" and one of the “top innovators and disruptors” of Washington DC, He has designed and implemented effective solutions that have saved lives, promoted mental health and personal development that has benefited millions around the world.
Samier is the co-founder of LiveSafe mobile safety app. He is also the founder of the global mental health and child well-being platform, No Limit Generation; where he has directed and produced over 170 mental health training videos in partnership with government agencies and the world’s leading humanitarian organizations. His work in mental health has supported children and their caregivers in theaters of war and conflict; natural disasters; orphanages; and child-survivors of sexual abuse. He also founded the Safe Haven, a healing and larning space for 500 child genocide survivors in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Samier has over 40 international publications on topics ranging from mental health, personal-development, and public policy. His work has been featured on some of the most prominent global media and mental health platforms and publications— from Forbes and the LA Times and the US Department of State to The American Psychiatric Association — including on the TEDx stage.
He is a fellow at the PeaceTech at the US institute of Peace, the Halcyon House, among other institutions of public service and innovation. He has received certifications in neuroscience-backed, evidence-based mind-body practices for increased confidence, well-being, and stress reduction; among other well-being certifications.
Samier sits on the board of educational institutions around the world and is a leadership and life coach to entrepreneurs, social impact, well-being, business, and government leaders. He currently resides in Washington DC where he is writing a book on how we are all Born to Love Greatly.
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