St. Luke Columbus

“Advent invites us not to push away all the realness of the world - but to lean into it - to participate with the waiting with the recognition that this present suffering is not all there is.” - Tsh Oxenreider   Subscribe to stay updated with the latest content. Follow St Luke Lutheran Church: YouTube Instagram Facebook Website

While it can be extremely difficult to wait, especially when the stakes are high, there is spiritual value in learning to wait for the Lord (Psalm 27). In this Advent series, we will seek to deepen our understanding of the spiritual value of waiting for the Lord and explore practical ways that we can mature in our ability to wait.  Subscribe to stay updated with the latest content. Follow St Luke Lutheran Church: YouTube Instagram Facebook Website

John Maxwell has said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”  As we examine Paul’s words in Ephesians, we discover how our lives rise under the leadership of Christ in our lives.  No one is diminished or dismissed.  All are cared for through his people. Subscribe to stay updated with the latest content. Follow St Luke Lutheran Church: YouTube Instagram Facebook Website

We are hit with so many requests for donations. As Saints of God, how do we discern where to be generous?   Subscribe to stay updated with the latest content. Follow St Luke Lutheran Church: YouTube Instagram Facebook Website

What is an ice cream scoop capable of doing?  It is capable of holding liquids, scooping cold ice cream, being used as a hammer, digging in the dirt.  Certainly, there are things that an ice cream scoop is not capable of.  But, it has many uses...and the best day in an ice cream scoop’s life is when it is called into service on behalf of the Graeter’s employee.  It becomes a means of grace in the form of ice cream. We determine an object's capabilities by examining its form and intended function.   What are you capable of doing? Lessons: Philippians 1:3-6, 4:14-19, John 14:12-14 — Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content! — With St Luke Columbus Online you can join us every Sunday starting at 8:15 am. Join us at https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/traditional or enjoy our outdoor service at 10 am. — Looking for content for your Kids? Visit our St Luke Kids page: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/children — Discover the God who loves you. You are not alone. We are in this together. — FOLLO

When we are brought into the family of faith, we become eternal saints of God. The old, rebellious, and self-centered ways of living are put to death and God raises up a new self that is recreated to live for others and be generous. Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 — Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content! — With St Luke Columbus Online you can join us every Sunday starting at 8:15 am. Join us at https://www.stlukecolumbus.com or enjoy our outdoor service at 10 am. — Looking for content for your Kids? Visit our St Luke Kids page: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/children — Discover the God who loves you. You are not alone. We are in this together. — FOLLOW St. Luke Lutheran Church: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stlukecolumbus/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stlukecolumbus/ Website: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/stlukecolumbus/ — St. Luke Lutheran Church is located in the northeast corner of Columbus, Ohio. More info on St. Luke Columbus:

Martin Luther longed for a church that proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He wasn’t just looking for the church to be better. Luther longed for a church where grace was shared and freedom proclaimed in Christ alone. What do you long for today? Is there an I confessed longing, as Bonhoeffer writes, for peace, stability, joy, happiness? Are you longing for renewal in your relationships? Maybe you are just longing for a better tomorrow? Have you settled for 2nd best in life thinking “good enough” is the best it gets, and it is better than nothing? Is it possible that your longing for renewal, peace, etc. can be realized? What if a reformation can happen in your life? Lessons: Psalm 1, Matthew 22:34-46 —  Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content!  —  With St Luke Columbus Online you can join us every Sunday starting at 8:15 am. Join us at https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/traditionalor enjoy our outdoor service at 10 am.  —  Looking for content for your Kids? Visit our St Luke Kids

The unity and diversity of the early church shocked and intrigued the ancient world. Ours should as well. Lessons: Galatians 3:26-29 — Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content! — With St Luke Columbus Online you can join us every Sunday starting at 8:15 am. Join us at https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/traditional or enjoy our outdoor service at 10 am. — Looking for content for your Kids? Visit our St Luke Kids page: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/children — Discover the God who loves you. You are not alone. We are in this together. — FOLLOW St. Luke Lutheran Church: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stlukecolumbus/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stlukecolumbus/ Website: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/stlukecolumbus.com/ — St. Luke Lutheran Church is located in the northeast corner of Columbus, Ohio. More info on St. Luke Columbus: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/

Our political views are shaped by a number of variables: our backgrounds, education, and personal experiences to name a few. It’s easy to feel like our view is the right one, but the person beside you is more precious to God than your political view.   As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are governed first and foremost by the Law of Christ (“love one another as I have loved you”, Christ), which precedes all our political viewpoints.       Next Steps:  Listen, Learn, and Love   Lessons: Galatians 6:2 and John 15:8-13   —  Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content!  —  With St Luke Columbus Online you can join us every Sunday starting at 8:15 am. Join us at https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/traditionalor enjoy our outdoor service at 10 am.  —  Looking for content for your Kids? Visit our St Luke Kids page: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/children  —  Discover the God who loves you. You are not alone. We are in this together.  —  FOLLOW St. Luke Lutheran Church: Instagram: https://www.

Your favorite candidate will win or lose based on how our country votes this November. However, the church will win or lose based on our behavior between now and then. Next steps: Pray for oneness. Heavenly Father, make us one so we can influence many. Prayer of Jesus, what he wanted to be protected. Look for an opportunity to love unconditionally someone with whom you disagree politically. Lessons: John 17:1, 11, 20-23 —  Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content!  —  With St Luke Columbus Online you can join us every Sunday starting at 8:15 am. Join us at https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/traditionalor enjoy our outdoor service at 10 am.  —  Looking for content for your Kids? Visit our St Luke Kids page: https://www.stlukecolumbus.com/children  —  Discover the God who loves you. You are not alone. We are in this together.  —  FOLLOW St. Luke Lutheran Church: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stlukecolumbus/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stlukecolumbus/  Website: https://ww

Many divide society into sacred and secular spaces.  Certainly, churches are considered sacred spaces where religious activities are conducted and secular spaces, like a park or government building, are considered secular, a place where attitudes and activities have no religious background to them.  And yet, much of the books of Acts takes place in public, secular spaces like marketplaces, calling into question the sacred/secular divide.  Today we will discover what happens when God crosses this false divide and the impact it has on the world around us.     Next step: Boldly live as Christ in the public square, ushering in the Kingdom of God wherever we go.    Lessons: Acts 17:16-34   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel  

Jesus showed that there are no limits to where God would go to reach us. The work of God through Jesus not only went to the ends of the earth but to the dead - the dead that were once to be avoided.  Jesus came to raise the dead, physically, and spiritually. Because of sin, all people are born spiritually dead. In our baptism and coming to faith, we are born again and raised to live a new life. As the raised Church of Christ, we go to be with the dead in hopes that God will work through our witness to raise the dead to new life.      Next Step: Identify people you know that appear to be spiritually dead. Go and be with them, asking God to work through you to raise them to new life through faith in Jesus.    Lessons: Acts 9:36-42, Psalm 139:7-8, Luke 7: 11-17, Eph. 4:9, 1 Peter 3:18-19, 4:6, Rom. 6:3-4.   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

Following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, his followers met together in their homes. Following a vision from God, Peter was led to be in the home of a gentile unbeliever named Cornelius who was a Roman centurion. We see in these and other events reported in the New Testament that the earliest Christian churches met in people’s homes and that the saving activity of the Holy Spirit happened in homes. Lessons: Acts 2:42-47, 10:24-48 Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel  

The Church of Jesus Christ is to be more sent out everywhere rather than gathered in a church building. In the book of Acts almost all of the work of God through the apostles happens away from any church building. The earliest Christian churches left the building and during the pandemic most churches today have left the building. The disciples met the risen Jesus outside somewhere and were sent to the ends of the earth to be witnesses of Jesus. While we are strengthened in the gathered community of Christ Followers, we are sent out into our communities to give witness to the salvation that comes through Christ.    Next step: Get to know the people you live life with and near (neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, fellow volunteers, etc.) Spend time with them.  Plant and water the seeds of faith through praying for and with people, encouraging people, serving people, engaging in spiritual conversations, telling your story, and sharing the good news of Jesus.   Lessons: Acts 1:1-9, 8:1b-4   Watch: stlukecolumb

“Lamentation, a prayer for help coming out of pain, is very common in the Bible. Over one third (50 or so) of the psalms are laments. Lament frequently occurs in the Book of Job: “Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” (Job 3:11). The prophets likewise cry out to God, such as Jeremiah does: “Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable…?” (15:18) and Habakkuk: “…my legs tremble beneath me. I await the day of distress that will come upon the people who attack us” (3:16).   One whole book, Lamentations, expresses the confusion and suffering felt after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.   We find something similar in the New Testament as well. People who are afflicted cry out to Jesus for help. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, shouts out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” (Mark 10:47).”   During this service of lament, participants will be invited to lament the losses, the deep frustrations, and the painful areas of our lives in the presence of God and His people. 

While a societal evil might not directly be our fault, we still have a responsibility to bring good. Because we have received much, we are called to live out this truth in the racial reckoning that we are experiencing in our society today. Jesus taught, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Whether we understand that societal evils are in any way our fault or not, Jesus calls us to use our privilege, power, and wealth to correct the evils and bring good into the lives of others. We are to live more for others than for ourselves. We are to apply this teaching of Jesus in our work to bring justice for those who have been oppressed and discriminated against.   Next Step: If you believe that the oppression and discrimination that grows out of racism in our culture is not your fault and therefore not your responsibility to correct, spend some time thinking more about your opinion and ask the Lord what he thinks ab

Getting help is essential to making it through the land between. There are always challenges in the land between. The Israelites faced the hostile Amalekites in battle. As long as Moses held up in arms, the Israelites prevailed in the battle.  When Moses could no longer hold his arms up, those around him helped him and the battle was won. Our first move when we are in the land between is often to think that we can go it alone and prevail. That is very rarely true. When we rest on Jesus (the stone in v. 12) and allow others to help us and hold us up, we are much more likely to overcome the challenges we face in the land between.   Next Step: Identify where you are trying to go it alone and it is wearing you down. Change what you are thinking and doing in order to rest on Jesus, determine what help you need from others, and then secure that help.   Lessons: Exodus 17:8-16   Watch: stlukecolumbus.com/ondemand   Subscribe to our Youtube channel

God sometimes gives signs when we thirst for reassurance, but our trust in God cannot rest on God proving his love and care for us. Trust is the most necessary quality for an eternal relationship. In an account Water-from-the-rock account found in Numbers 20:1-13, the necessity of trusting God is tragically illustrated when Moses goes beyond the direction of God and strikes the rock and is therefore not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Trusting in God is so vital to our relationship with Him that He used what appears to be a momentary and minor lack of trust on Moses’ part to teach us the tragic results of not trusting in God. This is because only God fully understands that trust is most necessary for an eternal relationship.   Next Step: Determine where you might be putting God to the test to prove that he is with you and working for you. Spend some time listening to what He thinks about this and determine whether this is helpful to your faith. Make a change in your thinking if necessary.     Lessons:

Grumbling.  The Lord heard their grumbling, the text tells us, and instead of rebuking them for their grumbling against Moses and Aaron, He provides abundantly: quail and manna.   But on the seventh day, some looked for food but there was none.  Others saved some until morning, but it was spoiled by the maggots.  The people’s lack of trust in God’s abundance caused problems in the community.  The people had a scarcity mindset which caused them to hoard food and not rest.     During this time, when certain items have been on short supply, and when we’ve seen our bank accounts dwindle, we may feel scared...and wonder if God really will provide.  Times of scarcity certainly can cause fear and lead us into a scarcity mindset.   An abundance mindset rests in the grace of God revealed.  An abundance mindset is able to rest on the Sabbath because they know that there will be more tomorrow and there is enough for today.  An abundance mindset allows us to be content with our “daily bread” and not store up for ourselve

The Israelites were thirsty, really thirsty.  They had traveled three days and found no water, and then the water they found was bitter.  One can imagine the disappointment and possible frustration with Moses.  After all, they were out there because he had led them there.  Couldn’t they find some water after all? Bitterness, psychologists tell us, is a smoldering resentment.  We are wronged, we feel angry and then we ruminate on the wrong.  We become bitter.  We think, “Someone must be to blame for my misery.”  In this case, Moses.  Fueling their complaint to Moses, “What are we going to drink?” is a frustration and growing bitterness.   The people were helpless in the face of the growing and real threat of dying of thirst in the wilderness.  Their situation went from bad to worse at Marah.  The people wondered, and then concluded, that there was nothing that could be done.  They had learned helplessness.   Life is filled with adverse conditions, including this pandemic, which leaves us feeling helpless and p