Welcome to This Week at St. Luke’s for the second week of Advent, December 6, 2025 to December 13, 2025.

As we enter the second week of Advent, we look forward to two choral concerts at St. Luke’s: at 3:00pm on Sunday, December 7, Arcadia Chorale will present songs from Hannukah, Advent, and Christmas with The Coming of the King. On Saturday, December 13, at 7:30pm our artist-in-residence The Lyric Consort will delight us with their annual Christmas Concert.

From 10:00am-12:00pm on Saturday, December 13, we will be having our Parish Cleanup Workday – all are welcome to come help make the church and parish house sparkle and shine in preparation for the Greening of the Church on Saturday, December 20th!

This week we will have our usual schedule of services, with our 5pm Saturday Said Holy Eucharist, 11am Sunday Sung Holy Eucharist, and our 12:10pm Wednesday Healing Eucharist followed by book study.

For future reference, our schedule of special Christmas Season services:

Family Christmas Eve Service at St. Mark’s, Moscow	4:00pm December 24
Christmas Eve Sung Holy Eucharist with Choral Prelude	8:30pm December 24
Christmas Day Sung Holy Eucharist	10:00am December 25
Sung Holy Eucharist for The Feast of the Holy Name	11:00am January 1
Sung Holy Eucharist for The Feast of the Epiphany	7:00pm January 6

Please see below for our weekly schedule, important announcements and upcoming events, livestream links, and our parish prayer list.

Livestream Links:

Links to our livestreamed services are available on our website’s Livestream page (links are posted within 2 hours of the service) or may be viewed on our Facebook Page or YouTube Channel.

Click here to download the Leaflet for the Second Sunday in Advent

Click here to watch Father Parry’s sermon for the First Sunday in Advent

Announcements and Events:

“Tell Out My Soul” Stewardship Campaign:  This week we begin our annual stewardship campaign. Stewardship pledge cards will be collected on January 11, 2026, the First Sunday after the Epiphany. Pledge cards are available at the church in the back of the nave. 

Christmas Memorial Flowers and Greens:  All who wish to give flowers and greens in memory or honor of a loved one and have their name included on St. Luke’s Christmas Memorial List may use the envelopes marked “Christmas Memorial Flowers and Greens.” Envelopes have been included in the service leaflets and are available on the table in the back of the nave. 

Parish Cleanup Day – Saturday, December 13, 10am-12pm: All are welcome to come lend a hand sprucing up the church and parish house for the Christmas season.  

Advent Event: A Christmas Carol Reading – December 14, 2pm-4pm: We are in the process of organizing a reading of A Christmas Carol in the Communal Reading Version formatted as a play by the Jesuit Media Lab on December 14, from 2-4, in cooperation with St. Mark’s, Moscow. If you’d like to volunteer, contact Rebecca Beal, Rebecca.beal@scranton.edu. As you make your Advent plans, please include us, whether as a reader or not! 

The Greening of the Church – Saturday, December 20, 10am – 12pm: Help make our church beautiful for the Christmas season, placing wreaths and hanging greens. We will also be polishing the silver and brass, so if you enjoy that, please stop by! 

Molly’s Food Pantry Update – In the weeks to come, and in light of anticipated cuts to food distribution programs, St. Luke’s will continue to collect shelf stable food for Molly’s Pantry located in Nay Aug Park. We are asking for cold weather, comfort foods (soups, stews, grains, rice, pasta, and pasta sauces). Proteins like canned meats/tuna and peanut butter are essential, as are hot drink mixes and bottled water. A shopping cart will be available in Kreitler Hall for your donations, or if you’re in the neighborhood, you can drop off your gift directly in the pantry located near the helipad in Nay Aug Park.   

The Anna Young Project – Anna Young served as a volunteer at the Lackawanna County Prison for more than three decades, where she spearheaded a program that provided inmates with candy, snacks, and cards. In 2022, following Anna’s death in November of that year, St. Luke’s partnered with the Scranton Area Ministerium and other community leaders to continue her ministry of kindness and compassion. St. Luke’s is again partnering with others to continue Anna’s legacy, and will be preparing “goody bags” for folks at the prison for distribution in early January. If you would like to help support this ministry with a financial contribution, please Click Here, or you may send a check made payable to Scranton Area Community Foundation, 612 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510. Be sure to include “The Anna Young Project” in the memo line. Look for more information about ways you might help with this project in the weeks to come. See The Rev’d Dr. Tyler Parry or Sharon Sollami for more information. 

Ronald McDonald House Soda-and-Soup Tabs Collection: The St. Elizabeth Princess of Hungary Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King is collecting pull-tabs from soda, soup, and other cans to benefit the Ronald McDonald House through their recycling program. Please bring in your tabs and drop them in the container at the back of the nave.   

Wednesday Book Study: On Wednesday, October 15, we began a book study following our Healing Eucharist, exploring together Bible Stories for Grown-Ups by author Josh Scott. Some copies of the book are available at the church; please feel to join in! 

Sunday School Volunteer Opportunity: Please see Father Parry if you feel called to assist in our Sunday School. Safe Church requirements must be fulfilled. 

Thank You To our special ministers at last week’s worship services and our coffee-hour hosts!

In Our Prayers

Please keep the following in your prayers this week: Jordan, Frank, Elaine, Lynn, Mary Jane, Robin, Heather, Chase, Philomena, Jeanette, Mario, Canon Bill+, Scott, Margaret, Brendan, Albert, Bessie, Christine, Colleen, Melissa, John, Anne, and Josie.

And the departed: Ricky, John, Linda, and Janina. May they rest in peace and may light perpetual shine upon them.