Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
   Most of March this year is Lent, leading up to the great festival of Easter near the end of the month. So much of our lives are a leading up in one way or another. We count the days towards so many things, and can hardly wait for the time to pass by so that we can get there. Strangely, for Christians, we do not usually count the days to when we can be in heaven with Jesus Christ. Even St. Paul dithered about wanting to be there and wanting to stay here. Human beings are attached to this world. However bad it may be at times, we are not in any hurry to leave it.
   And yet leave it we must at some point. Ash Wednesday was a reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Easter, however, is another reminder. Dust we may be, but we know that in Christ we shall be raised to the life immortal. When people asked Paul what exactly that meant, he replied that we would be raised as us but not in the bodies we know. We do not really need to know more. I like the image of the dog scratching at a door that he has never gone through before. All he knows is that his master is on the other side; and that is all he needs to know. We learn so much from these creatures given into our care. All a dog knows is love, It is total, it is trusting, and it is wonderful. My favorite card is one that carries the quote (I think from Mark Twain):
   Dear Lord, let me become the kind of person my dog thinks I am.

Perhaps the good Lord gives us these friends to teach us what real love is all about. It is a lesson that we need to learn over and over.
   Easter is all about God’s love for us. We are not brought into the world as some kind of brief experiment to see how we work out. The Resurrection is not just about Jesus Christ.
   It is a foretaste of what we shall experience in God’s grace. In Christ’s resurrection is the promise of our own resurrection to a life infinitely more wonderful than anything we can imagine. We really do not need to know more. In the last analysis what we believe is far more important than what we know. What we call knowledge is simply trying to make sense of the world around us. It is a good thing, but it only applies to the world around us.
   If we could stay here forever that is all we would need, even allowing for the fact that what we call knowledge tends to shift and change with each generation. But we cannot stay here forever. We are pilgrims on a journey that does not end when we leave this place. Beyond where our eyes can see and our knowledge can reach, there lies a heavenly country that Easter beckons us toward.

Cauliflower & Broccoli Salad - served at annual meeting - recipe requested!
1 large cauliflower
1 bunch broccoli
1 medium onion
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 10 oz box peas (thawed)
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup sugar
Mix 2 hours before serving or can be made one day before
Thanks to Marion Morse for sharing

Rummage Sale May 3^rd:
Please save gently used items which can be brought to church any time. The Kuenstlers and Muellers are organizing. Call with any questions.
482.4994: Mueller; 744.5499: Kuenstler.

Lenten journey continues though March….
Tuesdays in Lent:
The Three Days of Easter,
led by Marge Kiss.
4:00 Evening Prayer; 4:30-5:15 Soup and Bread;
5:15 -6:00 Lenten Program
(Feb. 26th, Mar 4th and Mar 11th)
If you cannot be with us for soup & bread at 4:30, you are more than welcome to arrive later.
Maundy Thursday - Holy Eucharist
March 20^th 7pm
Good Friday – Stations of the Cross and Liturgy at noon
Easter Vigil Saturday March 22^nd 8pm
Easter Sunday Mass March 23^rd 9am

A thankful message: Thank you to all who made my term of Senior Warden a little easier. Your help and suggestions were always done with a smile. That was much appreciated. There is more to do here at St. Luke’s, so let’s continue that good fellowship with our new wardens, John and Jim. They will need your help, too. Thank you, again. You are my caring family at St. Luke’s…the little church with a big heart.
Love, Sue Doornek

Do you remember them? Harold & Sandy Pearson recently corresponded with Yvette Presnell with some information to share with friends who may want to keep in touch. They have a ‘sometime’ address at 171 Lake Ave. FL2, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 (a resort community at the foot of the Adirondacks famous for its spas and horse racing). Harold and Sandy have not severed Wisconsin ties as they also have a condo at W192S7859 Overlook Bay Road Muskego WI 53150. Harold & Sandy come back regularly especially during the holidays and deer hunting. If you want to call please do: 414.659.0798.

Invitation from Altar Guild
The Altar Guild does a magnificent job of beautifying our surroundings always, and especially so during Christmas and Easter. Soon we will celebrate new life in the risen Christ; with colorful spring flowers and beautiful fragrances the sanctuary is adorned. If you care to make a monetary ‘floral offering’ it can be a memorial, a celebration or any particular thankfulness. Envelopes are included in the newsletter and all intentions are printed in Easter bulletins.

Treasurer’s Report January 2008
Income $10,629.53 Expense $6,459.32 Difference $4,170.21

Open Door Free Clinic for the uninsured and underinsured will be open/closed on the following dates:
March 05 - March 12 - March 19 -March 26 -April 02 -April 09 -April 16 -April 23 -April 30. The clinic is located inside Unity Lutheran Church, 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave. Sign-in is at 5:30pm and the medical staff will see patient's from 6:00 to 8:30pm or until last patient has been seen.
You can also contact: Telephone - 481-1778
Website - www.opendoorfreeclinic.org

Women’s Mini Week Something Great in 2008
From Thursday evening April 24 through Sunday morning April 27 at OSRUI Camp in Oconomowoc. (Camp Webb is not available this year) Our theme continues: Count your blessings. For 32 years church women throughout Wisconsin have gathered for this annual retreat event, enjoying rest, renewal, fun, great food, fellowship and spiritual exploration. Back by popular demand: Fr. Thad Butcher form Zion Episcopal Church Oconomowoc returns as spiritual leader. Time for personal pampering: massages: $35/half hour – talent show – Tai Chi – book review, arts & crafts – etc. Lodge features 20 bedrooms with 2 twin beds and private bathroom. Family center has 18 bedrooms with 2 twin beds and shared bathroom. Reservation forms available at church; feel free to call the office, or sameyer2007@sbcglobal.net or Anne Meyer: 608.271.5675

The Heart of a Woman
Episcopal Church Women Province V Annual Meeting April 4-6
Appleton – Radisson Paper Valley Hotel
Friday dinner with African Entertainment; Saturday conference includes 3 meals; Sunday Brunch features UTO, CPC and DOK: Learn more about these outreach ministries. Seminars include:
Expanding your floral dollars - quiet time in your daily routine – God’s beauty and romance - a Crisis of faith - as well as others from which to choose. Further information at church or www.fdlewc.org.

Thank you St. Luke's from:
Neighborhood House. For over 60 years Neighborhood House has served children and families on the near west side of Milwaukee. Programs continuously strive to support personal growth, enrichment, knowledge, education and self-sufficiency. Thank you St. Luke’s for continued support.

United Thank Offering. The mission of UTO is to expand the circle of thankful people. Daily prayers are encouraged along with offerings and the awareness of the abundance of God’s blessings. In 2007 St. James Episcopal Church, West Bend, received a partial grant to install a dishwasher with necessary kitchen modifications. Harvest House, an ecumenical outreach program of St. James, serves a weekly meal to 100 indigent and low-income people. Monies sent from our 2 ingatherings will join those with many others for continued good such as this.

From Washington National Cathedral on behalf of volunteers, staff and thousands of people served each year, Thank you St. Luke’s for supporting the National House of Prayer for All People.

From Winnebago Mental health Institute: Thank you for your kind support. Often it is just what is needed to ‘make the day’ for one of our many patients.

If a Christian would take the form of a flower, what would it be?
Some say a rose, some say a tulip, others a daffodil. I say a dandelion. A dandelion is the first sign of hope in the spring. A dandelion is the first expression of love for it is often the first ‘flower’ given to a mother by a small child. A dandelion makes itself known in the neighborhood quickly. A dandelion is not conscious of class and equally casts itself on the rich and the poor. A dandelion provides beauty and color where nothing else will grow. A dandelion can be cut, trampled, dug up or pulled up and still bounces back with its witness as though nothing happened. A dandelion is a victim of slander for some call it a weed, but it pushes on undaunted to conquer the world. A dandelion is very neighborly. Wouldn’t it be great if we would all act as dandelions?

How do you commemorate the holy days of your own life; the anniversary of your birth, your baptism, your confirmation, your first communion, your marriage, and the special days of others near and dear to you? These are your holy days because God was a part of them. The best way to remember these days is at God’s Altar; as has been the practice of the Church through the ages. The Dekoven Foundation