Saint Luke's Episcopal Church - Weiser, Idaho, 106 E Liberty Street, Weiser, ID (2026)

05/29/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Graceful Giving

Washington County citizens are the “giving-est” people! We are small but mighty in helping neighbors in need, supporting local good causes. This shows a generous spirit and care for others, which, whether we realize it or not, is a Jesus-y thing.
There is so much in the Old and New Testaments about being a cheerful giver! Fortunately, many are in a position to help in coming up with the goods when there is need: money for gas cards, canned goods, stock for grocery boxes at holidays (and anytime), or supporting children’s sports with both time and money. These are things that kind, graceful “givers” do.
The most intense way of giving was God’s way: for God so loved the world that he gave his son, Jesus to all of us. One scripture passage says “Greater love has no man than this, than he lay down his life for his friend.” Not many of us are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for someone else, but there are lesser gifts which many folks can give, such as becoming an organ donor. We have the opportunity to note this willingness on the back of our driver’s licenses and in Medical Advance Directives, for after we die. Many people can be helped in these situations; in fact, one organ, eye and tissue donor can save and heal more than 75 lives!
But wait, there’s more. How about donating blood when the Red Cross comes to town? This is very easy and you may need it yourself one day. Take it a step farther: got any spare parts? There are about 90,000 Americans currently waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant. There are those in Weiser who have already donated a kidney to someone (ask me for a person to discuss this with for more info). Plus, your remaining kidney grows larger to compensate! Win win for both parties; seriously, check it out.
God loves a cheerful giver, and greater love has no person than this. Everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

05/29/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Mad, Bad Jonah

There is a tendency to make good excuses for living selfishly. When the Holy Spirit of God comes tugging at our heart-strings asking for a deeper relationship, we might respond with a “no” due to time pressures (I’m too busy”), or financial reasons (“Not this month”), or discomfort (“Umm, I don’t have those skills”) …whatever. The thing is, God is persistent because God doesn’t stop loving us. Just ask Jonah.
There are great cautionary tales in the ancient writings; whether they happened exactly as written isn’t possible to discover. No matter, the principles apply – even with the story of Jonah. Most people, even not-religious people, have a vague idea of Jonah and the Big Fish, which isn’t even the point of the story so we’ll pretty much skip that part. Way over in Syria, about 600 miles from Jonah’s Mediterranean coastal home, God noticed a major city in need of reform, so Jonah was sent to deliver God’s message. At first, Jonah ran away from this assignment (hence the Big Fish episode which changed his mind), but then he went ahead.
Jonah was mad, no fool’s errands for him. He wanted God to destroy Nineveh and everybody in it – they deserved it. Well, they were mean and cruel and awful and did deserve it. But Jonah, who seemed to be well acquainted with God, knew that if a nation turned around and repented, God would NOT destroy them after all. And that’s how it turned out, leaving Jonah madder than ever. ”I knew it!” he said. “I knew you would have mercy on those lowlifes.”
So. This story isn’t really about the repentance of a city, or a big fish, or grouchy Jonah, it’s about a persistent, loving God tugging at the heart strings of obnoxious, selfish, pouting persons. It’s about second, third, and millions of chances because “God so loved the world” so much that he keeps knock, knock, knocking on our doors. Be ready for the doorbell, and let him in.
Everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

05/29/2026

Be Careful Little Eyes
Carolyn Wesner

Those of you who grew up in church might remember a little song which says: “Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see. There’s a Father up above, looking down in tender love, oh be careful little eyes, what you see.” The verses continue with ears/hearing, hands/touching, feet/going places, and heart/trusting – but not with the idea that a mean, sneaky god has eyes watching to catch you! It’s just that once something goes into the brain it’s hard to get it out. Once the eyes have seen something, it’s very hard to un-see it, or un-hear it, or undo it. The trauma of the instant is over, but the crippling stress stays.
Being careful is something we start to learn in childhood, but it can’t end there. As we grow in maturity it is as Jesus said “let those who have eyes to see what’s really going on, let them see; as those who have ears, let them hear my true words.” Even walking with him every day for three years, the disciples had moments of blindness and deafness and foolish actions (cutting off an ear with a sword comes to mind). For us, even though we have the scriptures, prayer, and fellowship, we still need to practice discernment.
Thank about it: does the content I’m scrolling through look or sound like Jesus? Will the activity or concert or place I’m going to bring me closer to God? Will it help me love my neighbor as myself or practice the Golden Rule? Is the content divisive, hurtful, wild and crazy? Am I being encouraged to do something extremely risky or fraudulent? Does this substance, activity or person require me to stop careful thinking and suspend my better judgement? Am I becoming a more loyal, peaceful, caring person? Would that be a yes, no, maybe not, or let me think about that?
Be careful, loving heart, who you trust. There is the sacred heart of Jesus with its love and grace: stick to that. Everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

05/05/2026

Carolyn Wesner
A Walk in the Dark

You’ve probably heard the phrase “a walk in the park” – maybe like “this is a tough job, not just a walk in the park, ya know!” Even so, usually walking in a park sounds like a fun activity with sunshine, games, picnic food; things everybody enjoys. Walking in the dark, not so much.
Most of the time, Jesus was very busy during the day; travelling from town to town with crowds of supporters and opponents, the curious, the needy, the angry, the sick, the police, the suspicious, the outcasts. Night was really the only time when he could quietly slip away to think, plan, pray and recharge. Jesus was not afraid of the dark. What really concerned him was darkness of the mind.
John 3:16 is a fan favorite, you know the one, “For God so loved the world…” though most people don’t read on to verse 19. “Here lies the test” it says, “the light has come into the world, but men preferred darkness to light because their deeds were evil. Bad men all hate the light and avoid it, for fear their practices should be shown up.” Walking in the dark works for them because it provides cover – sneaky! Blind Guides, Jesus called them, ones who intentionally cheat and lie to preserve their power and keep others in the dark. Oh dear.
Jesus also mentioned a different kind of darkness – people who didn’t know they were in darkness. Maybe they had sadness, or hardship, or lived in awful circumstances. Maybe they had no hope, which felt like endless wandering around in the dark. He especially loved this group – after all, spreading light was Jesus’s mission. One of his friends said this about him: the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light! And Jesus is quoted as saying “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” So, our light has come, walk in it.
Everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

05/05/2026

Carolyn Wesner
It’s a Small World

The song “It’s a Small World After All” was written in 1962, not for a movie, but for a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) campaign, just after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Disneyland parks later featured the song in an attraction featuring little boats floating through an underground maze of characters singing the song in their own languages. Fun! The idea was that the world seems to be actually getting smaller, as faster modes of travel make far-away destinations that much closer. Rubbing shoulders with those far-away people and cultures brings us all closer together in our connections, right?
Well, maybe sometimes. Unfortunately, we tend to live in our own bubbles – it’s comfortable, predictable, like meat and potatoes rather than squid and fried tofu. We like our same seats or sections at events, the music we grew up with, or storing the kitchen utensils the same way Mom did. Habits and customs are great, until… until those habits and customs come between us and the joys of learning more tolerance and branching out (maybe except squid and fried tofu).
The early Jesus Movement had trouble with this too. All twelve of Christ’s disciples were one gender and one religion: male and Jewish. Yet, Jesus told them to “Go into all the world.” All the world? Wait, I don’t know those people. I don’t like those people. They are different. They dress funny, they worship strangely, they eat unclean animals (bacon!), they don’t speak a normal language (mine), they have women leaders and furthermore, the civilization I grew up in is way better than theirs. End of.
Jesus rejected this kind of thinking. He came for everybody, because God loves the whole world and gave himself for us – all of us, regardless. It IS a small world after all.
So, sing along:
“There is just one moon and one golden sun,
And a smile means friendship for everyone;
Though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all!”
And everyone is welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

05/05/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Jane Austen’s Prayers

In a time when decent women weren’t really allowed to be published authors, Jane Austen (England, 1775-1817) wrote six novels. Her short life was punctuated by society’s rules: her brothers inherited everything, marriage was a financial and social contract for the procreation of the next male heir and for the provision of females who wouldn’t own or inherit. She was never married, so was beholden to her brothers for food, clothing and shelter as long as she lived. Jane had a lot to pray for!
She spent her life as a Christian: doing the right things, staying away from sin, attending church regularly, playing the supporting spinster role, but on the sneak, writing about life and love in her era. In those days, prayers were read from the English Book of Common Prayer. Along with that, people were encouraged to write down their own personal prayers for private devotions. She did this, using the “King’s English” as follows: “Pardon, O God, whatever Thou has seen amiss in us, and give us a stronger desire of resisting every evil inclination and weakening every habit of sin. Thou knowest the infirmity of our nature, and the temptations which surround us.”
When reading her prayers, it may seem that she lacked an assurance of the forgiving love of God. After she died, her engraved tombstone asks God to notice her pure and unblemished life, that she might be worthy of a heavenly home. Maybe we all know someone who sincerely loves Jesus, who sincerely follows the Jesus Way but still has the “not good enough” fears. This is unfortunate.
A “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine” mindset brings such peace and joy, the peace that the world, with all its wealth, cannot give. God knows what we are – according to the Psalms, we are dust – yet we can be sure that God loves and forgives, because the Jesus-part of God loves and forgives. Our part is to accept the gift, then grow in the life of peace and joy.
All are welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00; 11:00 coffee hour.

04/13/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Flowers of the Field

Our days are numbered, which probably isn’t such a sad thing. Someone wrote a few poetic lines about this in Psalms 103:15-16 which goes like this: “Man’s days are like the grass; they blossom like the flowers of the field; a wind passes over them and they cease to be, and their place knows them no more.” This verse isn’t so much about the shortness of our lives. It’s a contrast with the next verse (scripture often does this contrast thing) which says, “But the Lord’s love never fails them who love him.”
In the dry, low desert climate of Palestine, the spring bloom might have been like Death Valley – flower season was very unpredictable, but spectacular when it happened. Your average worker didn’t have personal time or water or resources to cultivate flowers, but even the humblest field hand could appreciate orchard or field blossoms: pomegranate, apricot, or even tiny yellow mustard flowers. Ancient Israel’s tent sanctuary must have been a wonder to behold, with so much floral embroidery on the wall hangings and almond blossoms carved into the furnishings. God gave the instructions for those things – God loves the simple beauty of nature, without ostentation, without gaudiness.
There are also verses about personal beauty in the Bible: King Saul and King David were both described as handsome men. Going again with the contrast idea, Jesus was described as having no personal beauty that would attract people to him – with Jesus, it was all about heart: compassion, care and love. In the early church movement, Paul encouraged the members in Corinth not to focus on pride in outward appearance, but rather to concentrate on inward worth, the Jesus way.
Worrying about outward appearances isn’t productive, Matthew quoted Jesus as saying. “Consider the lilies of the field” he said. “Your Father in heaven takes care of them, so set your mind on God’s kingdom values and his justice before everything else. Trust in God and have faith!” And still today.
All are welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

04/13/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Lowest Common Denominators

Fractions may not have been your favorite math subject in school. Typically introduced around 3rd grade, the basic idea might look like a pizza: cut in two, the pieces become ½ ‘s. Cut those two in half, and you get ¼’s. Simple, right? It gets more complicated when we want to figure out what we get when the quarter pizza is added back to the half pizza. Here comes the “reduce to the lowest common denominator” idea – okay, just eat the pizza already!
Sometimes it becomes tempting to reduce spiritual concepts to the lowest common denominator. Just bring a list of do’s and don’ts without the complications of gray areas, don’t ask me to consider culture, upbringing, or my family values versus your family values (hint: yours are wrong and mine are right – just kidding). There is so much more to consider.
Besides the fairly easy Ten Commandments, there are over 600 other laws or rules in the Old Testament which are studied and argued constantly by scholars who are trying to find common denominators so followers can get it exactly right. Jesus threw a big wrench in all that when he gave his “Sermon on the Mount” speech. For example: “Our forefathers have been told do not commit murder” Jesus said, “but I tell you this: anyone who has anger against his brother must answer for it in court.” A few Thou Shalt Nots suddenly became lots and lots of disturbing critical-thinking-skills ideas.
Jesus constantly told stories (parables) trying to get this through our hard heads: the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the Prodigal Son, the parable of the “unfairly” paid farm workers, the story of how hard it is for wealthy people to go through the needle’s eye. Some things cannot be simplified enough to apply the same to all people in all times, and that’s okay.
One thing is still a common denominator: God loves the world, and he gave Jesus to show us how to love one another.
All are welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

04/13/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Eeek! Washing Feet

There is a thing called Maundy Thursday, which is the Thursday of Holy Week, the day before Good Friday, followed by Holy Saturday, then Easter Sunday. Got that? Most people in the spiritual and secular world (hello, Peeps Bunny!) have an idea of Easter, but not about Maundy Thursday.
“Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment); to honor Jesus's "new commandment" to love one another. This is what was happening that special Thursday: Jesus was hosting the Jewish Passover dinner with his disciples; of course, they washed their hands before eating. But in dusty climates when everyone wore sandals, (also because attendees often sat on floor cushions) the custom was to hire servants to wash feet. Oddly enough, Jesus didn’t get a person to do the dirty work – he planned to do it himself – surprise!
This is where the “love one another” commandment comes in. Jesus, by example of doing the lowliest work, was helping his friends understand how to truly Love One Another. Some of the guys were not comfortable with this at all – imagine Jesus kneeling in front of them over a bowl, and pouring water over their feet, then toweling them off. Shocking! Unheard of! Degrading! But important and necessary: “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." John 13:15.
Some groups separate: ladies / ladies, men / men; some by families. Others invite those who want to take part to come forward and each wash another person’s feet in church. However it is done, we can follow Christ’s example: as he did for them, we may do for each other.
This can be a hard teaching. It was designed to show that we are all equal, no one is better than anyone else, and we must humbly serve each other in whatever task comes to hand. Though we might do this symbolically, at least once a year we can practice Jesus’s example literally – good for the soul / sole (sorry…).
All are welcome at St. Luke’s for service at 10:00, coffee hour at 11:00.

04/13/2026

Carolyn Wesner
Plastic Plants

It could be that most Christians think we are pretty fair Christians. But you know, we all live within our cultures, our family backgrounds –the ideas we were raised with. Sort of like a static plastic plant. Always green, looks good, doesn’t take much work, it just chugs along without any tending except a little dust-off.
Is that what being a Christ follower means? Just chugging along but with an occasional dust-off? Back in the day, religions held “revivals” to stir up the faithful. Short term, a thorough clean can make an artificial houseplant look shiny and new but cannot make it come alive. Maybe it is easier to just keep our spirituality in the plastic plant zone: somebody tells you the “the Bible says such-and--such.” Does it really? While it’s tempting to just take another person’s word for it, that person comes from a place of interpretation based on their background too. Wouldn’t it be good to check the scriptures? Look up the verses, the context, the time frame?
It’s comfortable to keep the dusty plastic-plant spirituality, but like Pinocchio or the Velveteen Rabbit, it is better to come alive. It does take a little time to “search the scriptures” without defending our own inherited ideas. Even though we aren’t fluent in biblical languages (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic), we can check an on-line concordance or read the footnotes.
Question: Is Jesus holding his movement together, or is it me, with my notions of what it means to be a Christ-follower? Or the pastor’s notions, or the priest’s or grandma’s, or the nation’s? When Jesus went away, it is written that he said, “I am sending you a helper, a guide to truth, a comforter.” This was/is the Holy Spirit of God, given to every seeking person, because God knew we would all have questions. The Holy Spirit isn’t threatened by thoughtful concerns and honest thinking. Wrestling with God is okay! It can deepen our walk with Jesus, so give it a try.
All are welcome at St. Luke’s on Sunday at 10:00, coffee hour afterwards at 11:00.

Saint Luke's Episcopal Church - Weiser, Idaho

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