Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Prayer Book service for Ash Wednesday invites us to observe Lent by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by self-examination and repentance. We need to look at all of these.

We do not pray enough. Even when we set aside times for prayer we assume that the rest is OK as non-prayer time. "Not so, replied the angel." There is no non-prayer time, simply time when we do not consciously formulate our words and deeds in the pattern of prayer. We can pray through every kind word we utter or good thought we have, through every offer of help and every touch of sympathy. Most importantly, we should never doubt that "more things are wrought by prayer than this world knows of".

We are not good at denying ourselves, and perhaps what is worse we feel overly virtuous when we consciously do it. Patting ourselves on the back because we have given up something for Lent or feeling unhappy about having given up something is not particularly Lenten. It is probably better to add something during Lent, which actually is denying ourselves something – namely our time. Adding daily prayers where we do not usually do this is a good practice.

"Know then thyself." Self-examination is hard for us because it is the ‘we’ who are doing the self-examination and we are not always the best judges of ourselves. One good rule at the end of the day is to look back over the day’s events and what we did and to ask ourselves are we proud of everything we did. Pride is not usually a good guideline but in this case it does provide a good yardstick for assessing what we did. It is one thing to ask if we are ashamed of something we did and quite another to ask if we are proud of it.

Repentance requires first of all that we admit that we did something we need to repent. That may be the hardest part. "My sins as scarlet are" is not a thought that comes readily to us. Equally hard sometimes is trying to put something right since this means often seeking someone’s forgiveness. We find ourselves too often trying to excuse what we did because we do not want the embarrassment of apologizing. Yet shame and embarrassment are part of repenting. Repentance without real sorrow is hardly repentance.

All of these are ways of reminding us that we are called to take up our cross and follow Him. That is what Lent is about.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Michael +

Treasurer’s Report January 2009

Income $10,140.44 Expense $14,278.06 Difference ($3,137.62)

The Altar Guild does a magnificent job of beautifying our surroundings, 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 will be printed in the Easter bulletins.

There are no Anniversaries to celebrate this Month

Dear Kids Kloset,

Thank you so much for the help & support you have shown our families. You have truly made a difference in their life & and impression of what it means to give, on the children! I can not say thank you enough. You have truly made an impact in the lives of our families. Thank you for all your hard work!

Sincerely,

Andrea Alfke, Social Worker

To help with having a proper Church funeral, it is a good idea to let your wishes be known in advance.

We have forms for Funeral and Burial Directions in the office. Please see Bobbie for these forms.

Remember, your family may not know what your arrangements are, so plan ahead.

A Reminder: The Prayer Book indicates that for Christians the proper place for a funeral service is the church.

The annual Rummage Sale will be held Saturday, May 2 from 9 AM to 1 PM.

Please donate your GENTLY used items and bring them to church anytime between now and April 30^th.

We will be getting ready for the rummage sale a week before and would welcome your help. This is an ALL CHURCH event. Help is needed before, during, and especially after the sale as we need to box up all the "leftovers" and carry them out to the Salvation Army truck, which is a huge job.

Please consider and plan on helping. "Many hands make less work".

If you have any questions, please call Pat Mueller 482-4994 or Pat Kuenstler 744-5499.

God said, No
I asked God to take away my bad habits,
God said, "No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up."

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, "No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary."

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, "No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted,
it is learned."

I asked God to give me happiness.
"I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you."

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, "No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and
brings you closer to me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, "No.
You must grow on your own!
But, I will prune you to make you fruitful."

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, "No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things."

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said, "…Ahhhh, finally you have the right idea."

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…those who do not know God run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But…Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Matthew 6:25-34

Submitted by

Dick Klaesing

Looking toward Spring, the Outreach Committee is working on some projects to help our church and the community.

Health Fair: Our Health Fair planning meeting in February produced some great ideas. The committee is looking to plan such a Fair sometime this year, and our special focus will be to incorporate spiritual health into the traditional Health Fair model. We are still in the initial planning stages, but anyone who wants to help should contact Dana Washburn at 414-327-0949.

Newcomer Materials: Church committees and groups have completed their submissions and we are now in the editing stage of producing a mini-folder for newcomers about our church. We hope to finalize these materials and have them printed for distribution in late Spring.

Kid’s Kloset Contribution: We did some shopping with our $200 Bake Sale profits and have provided Kid’s Kloset with some much needed supplies. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Logo Development: Does anyone have any ideas for a new logo for St. Luke’s Church? Please contact us at the Outreach Committee.

Thanks to all who have contributed time and effort to the Outreach Committee, we appreciate it!

Respectfully Submitted by

A small group of parishioners is interested in doing some contemporary music about once a month in church. We have several members but are currently missing a guitar player! If you know someone who would be interested in playing with our group (and doing some practices as well) please let us know. You can contact Dana or Larry Washburn at 414-327-0949 or larrydana@wi.rr.com.

Some recent events have persuaded me that it would be a good idea, especially for people living alone, if we had a central list in the office for people to contact in cases of emergency.

Obviously, this is entirely voluntary, but if you feel that you would like us to know who to contact for you in such an eventuality, please turn the top portion of the enclosed card into the ushers, Bobbie, or Fr. Michael or mail it.

It is also in my view a good idea for people to carry a small card on them with similar information. I do. Also, it is a good to have ICE (In case of Emergency) number on your cell phone.

Fr. Michael+

SWEETHEART BREAKFAST

Dana Washburn was selected as "Sweetheart of the Year". People attending the Sweetheart Breakfast on February 15 had a good time (especially the women). Congratulations, Dana.

On Wednesday, February 18^th, 17 members of an interior design class from the West Allis MATC met at the Rectory. It will be their assignment to give a new design to the living and dining rooms. Along with their instructor, they interviewed Fr. Michael, and then measured everything from the carpeting to the window treatments. Their questions to Fr. Michael included his favorite thing in the room, how the room was used what he didn’t like and of course the colors he preferred.

The students will work in teams of three or four to come up with a winning design. They will present their boards to Fr. Michael in a few weeks, and he will decide which one suits him best.

At that point, the students and hopefully parishioners will look for donations to complete the work.

Look for more news on this exciting project. It’s a winner for the students and the Rectory as well.

(CLAP YOUR HANDS

ALL YE PEOPLE)

We owe a very sincere thanks to all those who helped put together the Sweetheart Breakfast and the Mardi Gras event. Both were really happy fellowship gatherings and a tribute to the hard work of the organizers and helpers. I am very grateful that we have such dedicated people.

God bless,

Fr. Michael +