Dear Friends at St. Luke’s,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 1: 3-5

We are the family of God, who has adopted us, choosing people to be his beloved ones before the world was even created. Because of the love of God that has chosen us, we choose to care for others by continuing to suspend our in person services until after Easter. As Bishop Goff wrote to us yesterday:

“During Holy Week and Easter, it is our Christian responsibility and honor to walk with Jesus along the way of the cross. We follow his path from suffering, through death and right through to life on the other side. This year we in the Diocese of Virginia will join with people of faith around the world on a different kind of Holy Week and Easter journey.

As the world community works together to slow the spread of COVID-19, we will not gather publicly for worship or other activities during the most holy time of the year. Let there be no doubt that this will stretch us, and let there be no doubt that we will worship God, we will commemorate the last week of our Lord's earthly life, we will celebrate the wonder and glory of the resurrection. We will do it all in ways that will honor God, that will honor the health of the most vulnerable among us, and that will honor the restrictions placed upon us by our civic leaders. We are the Church, and we will be the Church during Holy Week, on Easter Day, and for as long as God calls us.”

As your priest, I will continue to do everything I can to connect our community and ensure that we continue in our mission to bring the love of Jesus Christ into the world. I encourage you to reach out to each other and to me for help and for solace during this time. We will continue online Morning Prayer every Sunday at 9 am, and I will continue to host Compline and check-in every night at 7:30 pm by Zoom web conference. You can be online with us through your computer, using an app on your phone, or by calling a phone number from a cell phone or land line. Our web site will have the most up to date information, and we will send all the links and info out in the weekly e-news.

I am also available by phone for pastoral calls. You can reach me through Sue at the church or by calling (202) 695-2771. Please leave a message if I am not immediately able to answer.

The pastoral care team is reaching out, and if you know of anyone who is sick or needs help, please let me know. This is especially important during a time of physical distancing.

Beloved ones, we will get through this week, and Holy Week and Easter. We will find creative ways to be the church, and when this is all over, we will celebrate our Lord’s resurrection together. Indeed, all Sundays are feasts of our Lord’s resurrection, and we will make our song “Alleluia, Alleluia, Allelulia!” when the time comes.

In Christ’s Peace,

Veronika