Today’s gospel reading, John 17:6-19, speaks of Jesus asking his Father in heaven to sanctify in truth and bring joy to His followers and Pastor Eric talked of the meaning of joy and being sanctified in truth. Pastor compared not noticing what happens within our Synod with not noticing the Rhododendrons in his yard until they burst into bloom.…
In today’s Gospel, John 15, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” This concept of intentional friendship, i.e. one soul dwelling in two bodies, was the foundation of Pastor Beth’s message this morning. It has been said that the best way to develop character is to become friends with those…
In a vineyard, grapevines are drastically pruned to preserve energy and concentrate the nutrients in order to yield a crop of grapes that is up to its fullest potential. The best grapes grow closest to the vine. Jesus says that he is the vine. God is the vine grower and we are the branches. …
St. Mark member Gail F has written a book and wants to share the strong message of God’s presence in times of personal struggle. The story is a “haunting and inspirational memoir” that describes Gail’s younger son Christopher’s “medical hell” of needing a heart transplant at age 15, and then cancer that took his life at age 22. Today’s…
Today was Endowment Sunday at St Mark. A day when a percentage of Endowment Committee funds are given to organizations. This year’s recipients of the fund all center around providing food for those that need it: the garden’s yet to be built Garden Utility Shed Building (shed supports St Mark Community Garden; garden supports food bank),…
On the Second Sunday of Easter, we hear John’s gospel retelling the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples and then reappearing when Thomas was present. Pastor Beth asked the question: Ever have a night mare? The world of dreams is not the same as the awake world. The disciples must have been living a…
Pastor Eric’s sermon message this Easter Sunday was that “Resurrection is HOPE beyond our last breath. He illustrates this with an amazing story from his hospital chaplain days. Enjoy the sermon and know that HE IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! The art work on the front wall of the sanctuary was created by…
Vision. Some of us need ours corrected with glasses. Pastor Beth told us a story of her own visual correction. There is another type of vision that we make the choice to see or not see. Progress is being made but we still have a long way to go in dealing with the injustices in…
Three main points to Pastor Eric’s sermon: God is rich in mercy We are built to respond (in love). God pursues us and injects his Grace into us. So what does this look like for the people of God at St. Mark? Listen to the sermon to see what ideas are percolating to ‘inject Grace”…
What a blessing to have a daughter of our congregation, Kahli A., offer a thought-provoking and heart-warming sermon! Being a first year student at a Christian university has given Kahli the opportunity to reflect thoughtfully upon her faith, family, and life. Kahli entitles her sermon “Revelation” and explores the many “veils” that are being…