Christmas Eve Services, December 24th
3:00 p.m. Rite II - Family Service - Christmas Eve
6:00 p.m. Rite II - Festal Service - Christmas Eve
9:30 p.m. Carol Sing
10:00 p.m. Rite I - Festal Service - Christmas Eve
Christmas Day, December 25th
8:00 a.m. Rite I - Christmas Day with Music
The office will be closed for Christmas and New Year’s week. Please contact Fr. Brian if an urgent matter directly.
Saturday, December 14th we will be hosting our first parish Advent Retreat at the Applegate Retreat Center. This will be a one-day retreat 9-4 with the author and poet Marilyn McEntyre entitled - A Glorious Birth. Space is limited, so a sign-up will be coming soon.
Join us as parishioners present favorite poems connected to the season of Advent! We will discuss how poetry uniquely captures the themes of longing and expectation that fill and define this holy season.
Saturday, November 30th we will be having an Advent Spiral in the parish hall. Limited space. Sign-ups coming soon.
What is the Gospel? And why does it matter? Taking our inspiration from Phillip Cary’s book “Good News for Anxious Christians: Ten Practical Things You Don’t Have To Do.” we will explore the liberating power of the Gospel as it applies to so-called practical problems that we face every day. Copies of Phil’s book are available on our resource table for those who would like to read more!
We will be holding an All Hallows Eve service at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 31.
St. Luke's would like to relaunch our Wednesday Night spirituality and fellowship group. Beginning Wednesday, September 11th at 5:30 p.m. Fr. Brian will be leading a study and discussion of Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World. Several copies of this book will be available in the Parish Lending Library, and discounted copies ($20.00) will be available in the Parish Office in the first week of September. If you plan on attending, please use the sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall!
If you have ever thought about joining the St. Luke's choir, now is the time! Rehearsals are on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., so no night driving is required. If you have questions, please speak to Elaine
Sunday, September 22nd, we will be hosting our ministry fair after each service. Please walk the tables and learn what ministries that St. Luke’s currently offers. Consider joining one of the ministries that interests you – sign-up sheets will be available at each table.
Starting Sunday, September 8th at 9:30 a.m. we will be holding a Bible Study on the Book of Hebrews! Hebrews is filled with imagery, metaphor, allusion and Old Testament typology, making it the perfect companion study to James Jordan's Through New Eyes. (Happening on Wed. nights!) Please bring a Bible translation of your choice and join us for the discussion.
We will be having our parish picnic and church service on Sunday, June 30th at Meadow Vista Park. More information to come.
Women of St. Luke's! You are invited to Afternoon Tea at St. Luke's Parish Hall on Saturday, June 22 from 2:00-4:00. Members of the Women's Bible Study will serve home-made tea sandwiches, scones, and cakes, and Katy O'Leary will present us with a short talk about some of the contributions women have made to our Christian music tradition. Singing and discussion encouraged! Please RSVP by June 12 at the latest, online through the Weekly Nugget! You may also sign-up in person on the list provided in the Parish Hall.
Please join us for each of our services during Holy Week:
Sunday, March 24 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday
Monday, March 25 7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Tuesday, March 26 7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Wednesday, March 27 7:00 p.m. Tenebrae Service
Thursday, March 28 7:00 p.m. Holy Thursday
Friday, March 29 7:00 p.m. Good Friday
Saturday, March 30 7:00 p.m. Easter Vigil
Sunday, March 31 7:30, 9:00 & 11:30 a.m. Easter Sunday
We will be having our Ash Wednesday services on Wednesday, February 14th. We offer three services:
7:00 a.m., Noon, and 7:00 p.m.
Save the Date! A New Year, a New Workshop!
We are partnering with The Episcopal Foundation of Northern California to present this workshop. Its goal is to empower and inform parishioners so we can all make important life planning decisions, related to financial assets, with confidence and comfort. The first-of-its kind for St. Luke's, your Stewardship Committee is sponsoring this event on Saturday, February 24, 2024 from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm at St. Luke's Parish Hall.
Whether you are just starting your estate, gift and legacy planning or already have a plan for allocating your financial resources but are curious about new options that are now available or want to jump-start planning for your family's financial future, this is sure to be a highly valuable event!
There is NO COST to attend this workshop. Breakfast, coffee/tea. lunch and a robust array of take-home materials are included. Reservation cards are available in the church Narthex, at Coffee Hour, by calling the Parish Office at 530-885-2316 or you can email us at Office@saintlukesauburn.org. Please let us know how many seats you'd like to reserve. We look forward to seeing you there!
Please join us on Sunday, February 4th for our Annual Meeting to hear how 2023 went for St. Luke’s. We will meet immediately after the 10:30 a.m. service. Please contact the office or Fr. Brian if you have any questions.
The Parish Hall, Kitchen, hallway, and staircase will be undergoing some remodeling beginning as early as January 29th and ending by February 17th. All current meetings have been notified to make other arrangements during this time.
Presiding Bishop Curry is coming April 26 & 27, 2024. For more information:
Revival Website: https://www.fearlessfaith2024.org/. In addition to the latest information, you'll find:
Frequently Asked Questions
Revival Survey
Flyers, Posters
Advent Christian Learning Series: A Deeper Advent
Sunday, December 10th and 17th at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall
Advent is a rich and profound season of the Liturgical Year, inviting us to wait, prepare and contemplate some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian faith. And yet, because the season is short and our culture is hurried, Advent can quickly pass us by. If you would like to enter more deeply into this sacred time, please join us at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall for a series of teachings on the meaning and invitation of Advent.
December 10 - Advent in the Mind
December 17 - Advent in the Heart
At St. Luke's, we strive to fill our Vestry and elected leadership roles through a process of mutual discernment prior to Annual Meeting. We do this by asking for nominations early (months ahead of time!) so those who are interested in serving on Vestry or attending Convention on behalf of St. Luke's have time to pray and discuss the responsibilities. If multiple people want to run for the same position, we bring those people into conversation and see if we can discern, prior to Annual Meeting, who should stand for election in the coming year. This process both builds up the parish (by avoiding contentious elections) and makes prayer, not voting, our priority as we seek new leaders. If you would like to serve on Vestry, or would like to nominate someone to serve, please speak to a clergy person or one of your Wardens.
Do you want to share your love of books with your parish family? The new Lending Library downstairs in the meeting room has begun! The library includes theological and spiritual literature, Christian fiction, poetry and children’s Christian literature. We are accepting donations of new and used books, subject to Father Brian’s approval. There is also a Wish List that can be found on Amazon. Donations can be dropped off in the parish office or placed in the white and gold, fabric bins found in both the parish hall and the library itself. Questions can be directed to Fr. Brian or the church office.
Christmas Services
Sunday, December 24th
8:00 a.m. Rite I - IV Advent
3:00 p.m. Rite II - Family Service - Christmas Eve
6:00 p.m. Rite II - Festal Service - Christmas Eve
9:30 p.m. Carol Sing
10:00 p.m. Rite I - Festal Service - Christmas Eve
Monday, December 25th
8:00 a.m. Rite I - Christmas Day with Music
Sunday, June 25th: Outdoor Worship and Parish Picnic at Meadow Vista Park at 9:00 a.m.
When the last parish survey went out, many of you indicated a desire to continue worshipping outdoors in some fashion. For this reason, your Vestry and Clergy have decided to hold a worship service and picnic at Meadow Vista Park on Sunday, June 25th>
Please mark your calendars and plan on attending. The park has shaded seating areas, ample parking, relatively flat and walkable terrain, and a playground for kids. If you haven’t yet signed up to bring food, please do! And remember, there will be no worship services at 124 Orange Street on this day. Our entire parish will be worshipping and picnicking at Meadow Vista Park.
In the case of Christianity, there is no shame in admitting that we do not understand the least thing about it. It appears to us at times like an ideology, a system of thought and ideas that can be learnt and mastered like any other. I can inform myself about its tenets, I can decide between the various interpretations on offer, and I may or may not decide to accept it. But none of this is really Christianity: it is a human invention designed to take the place of Christianity. Christianity actually is a relationship not with an idea, but with a person – Jesus Christ. The reason we do not understand Christianity is that we understand neither Christ nor what it means to be in relationship with him.
The need for ongoing catechesis in the mysteries of Christ and of the Church, a catechesis traditionally known as mystagogia (“initiation into the mysteries”), has been noted in Church circles for years. Baptism and Confirmation may only be given once; initiation is a continuing adventure, since the grace of the sacraments is the source of a new life that must continue to grow if it is not to wither and die.
Saturday, April 29th: Racial Reconciliation Training at St. Luke’s
Christians around the country and around the globe are actively involved in conversations about race, racism, and racial justice. Many Christian leaders and thinkers have argued that Christian theology is uniquely equipped to take up this task, and that Churches have a responsibility to investigate their own past and provide models of honest, grace-filled conversation about race and racism.
On Saturday, April 29th, St. Luke’s will be hosting a one-day Racial Reconciliation seminar and training by the Diocese of Northern California. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you are a licensed lay minister, this training (or one like it) is required to renew your ministry license. If you have any questions, please speak to Fr. Brian.
Christians have long observed the week before Easter as a time of special devotion. As the pilgrim Egeria recorded in the late fourth century, Jerusalem contained many sacred places that were sites for devotion and liturgy during Holy Week. Numerous pilgrims came to the holy city and followed the path of Jesus in his last days. They formed processions, worshipped where Christ suffered and died, and venerated relics.
From this beginning evolved the rites we observe today on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. These services provide a liturgical experience of the last days of Jesus' earthly life, as well as the time and events leading up to his resurrection.
The Book of Common Prayer provides special liturgies and readings for all the days of Holy Week. At St. Luke’s, our parish celebrates the entire week with deep reverence and intentionality.
Palm Sunday - 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Holy Monday - 7:00 p.m. Holy Tuesday - 7:00 p.m. Holy Wednesday - 7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday - 7:00 p.m. (The Gethsemane Vigil runs from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.) Good Friday - 7:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter - 7:00 p.m. Easter Sunday - 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m
Ash Wednesday is the first day of the forty days of Lent. This day is named for the custom of placing ashes on the foreheads of worshipers during the solemn liturgy. The ashes are a sign of penitence and a reminder of mortality, and are imposed with the sign of the cross. In the Episcopal Church, Ash Wednesday is observed as a day of fasting and prayer.
At St. Luke’s, our Ash Wednesday services will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd at:
7:00 a.m. - Solemn Eucharistic liturgy, no choir
12:00 p.m. - Solemn Eucharistic liturgy, no choir
7:00 p.m. - Solemn Eucharistic liturgy, with choir
Are you interested in exploring Christian faith and learning about the life of discipleship? If so, we invite you to inquire about participating in our parish catechumenate.
For centuries, the catechumenate has been the Church's doorway into sacramental life. It is a spiritual journey which invites each participant into relationship with Christ and into a true and lasting transformation of mind, heart and spirit.
At St. Luke's, our catechumenate is appropriate for those seeking Baptism, those wishing to Reaffirm their baptism, those wishing to be Confirmed, and those who have already been confirmed in another denomination and wish to be Received into the Episcopal Church.
This catechumenate journey moves through four distinct stages - Inquiry - Catechesis (during Lent) - Candidacy (during Holy Week) and Mystagogy (from Easter to the Feast of Pentecost).
Inquiry begins now! If you are interested in the catechumenate, or you know someone who may be interested, please e-mail us. We will begin our catechumenate journey on Sunday, February 19th.
This year, St. Luke's Annual Meeting will be held in-person. Our 2023 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 5th immediately following the 10:30 a.m. service. Please join us and help us discern where the Holy Spirit is leading St. Luke’s in the new year.
If you have any questions about how to attend and participate in our annual meeting, please contact us.
