Glimpses of Hope

I pulled into the garage on one of of those beautiful spring days last week, and as the we walked through the yard toward the back door, both girls begged to go straight to the front yard, where sidewalk chalks and scooters awaited. The air was so crisp that I couldn’t say no, and before I knew it, the three of us had sauntered past all the yard toys and into our first neighborhood walk in months. We noticed tulips and irises poking out of leaf piles. We used a phone app to identify the songs of birds returned from their winter retreats. We laughed at squirrels. We greeted dogs out for a walk, as well as the humans on the other end of their leashes.

After a frigid winter with little sunlight, being outside can be incredibly healing. And while we can’t quite pack up our heavy coats just yet, these glimpses of new life can still warm us with hope. With Spring officially here, those glimpses will be more and more common, until that hope is the whole of our reality.

There are entire fields of research that study what exactly is going on in our minds and bodies when we spend the right amount of time in the sun, in a forest, or simply working in the back yard. This post-winter feeling, though, is about more than the biological benefits to our bodies. There is connection and community at play. Winter is isolating, but spring can help us step out and discover our neighbors again— from wildlife and perennial plants, to the folks we meet on the sidewalk. We can discover again how we can care for creation and our community.

As much as I love being outside, this phenomenon of springtime connection is evident inside our church building as well. At the weekly dinner before mid-week Lenten worship last night, one person I sat with glowed as he talked about the community that we experience when we simply come together to eat, serve one another, and worship outside of our typical routines. Families filled the Fellowship Hall last night with food, life, and joy. Like glimpses of spring, moments like that are tangible reminders of the hope we have for the Kingdom of God.

Lent is usually thought of as a season for fasting and prayer. In Isaiah 58, though, the prophet reminds that these practices are only helpful when they cause us to feed the hungry and care for one another. We can take these little springtime moments to restore ourselves, and we are all the more restored when those moments recognize our neighbors and bring us together. Isaiah says that when we do this, we become like a watered garden whose springs of water never fail. As we continue on this journey through Spring and Lent, I pray that you find moments of hope and connection that bring you closer to your neighbors, and closer to the God who created us all.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Reflecting on Our Baptism

As we prepare to enter the church season of Lent, I invite you to reflect on your baptism.  At your baptism you entered into the body of believers who promised to pray for you and support you.  You also entered a covenant with God, and you were sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ, FOREVER!  In Gail Ramshaw’s book, Word of God, Work of Life, she writes, “Lent developed in the third century as a time of preparation for those adults who would be baptized at the Easter festival.  Catechumens were invited to intense study of the scripture, urged to abandon the values of the culture, and called to amendment of life.  They would be welcomed into the body of believers after baptism.” 

Historically, adult baptisms would take place at the Easter Vigil.  A service that is filled with rich scripture readings and music. I had the privilege of witnessing a baptism during an Easter Vigil worship service.  The baptism added to the excitement of the worship service.  The Easter season is the time we intentionally focus on the resurrection of Christ and celebrate what that means for us. In baptism we participate in the death and resurrection of Christ and become a part of the body of Christ.      

Gail Ramshaw writes in the same book, “The sacrament of baptism acknowledges that one’s personal identity is not a solely private acquisition of individual construction. Along with much else in the human person, baptism sets one’s personal identity within the past, present, and even future of a communal identity.  In baptism, the past is there, in one’s participation in the death and resurrection of Christ and in communion with all the faithful departed.  The present is there: the “me” who I am is now a member of the body of Christ, and thus I am connected with the whole of the body of Christ, which connects me to all the needy.  The future is there, since at my death I enter fully into that body, at the end of time.  I as one of the whole people of God anticipate being raised into the divine presence.”

In our baptism, we are connected to the saints who have gone before us.  Years ago, a pastor told me that when we take communion we are joined by all the saints who have gone before us. I like this because it reminds me of my ancestors and all the people who I loved who have died.  Our communal identity is deep and filled with so many from our past, present, and even future. 

During Lent I encourage you to read scripture as often as you can from the bible or a devotional book.  Find a time of the day where you can sit with the reading and reflect on what it says to you.  I encourage you to think about your baptism and what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. You may be surprised to discover that you have changed and grown closer to God and Jesus Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber   

Annual Report of the Pastors

Dear Siblings in Christ,

As your pastors, we feel blessed to journey alongside you. This past year brought a change to St. Mark. As of November 3rd, we are co-pastoring and are sharing leadership equally. You all overwhelmingly supported the idea of co-pastoring at our congregation meeting that day, and we are blessed to have your support as we lead St. Mark into a new era.

We are thankful for all of our amazing volunteers– those who volunteer inside the walls of the church and in the community. You are the church, and you make St. Mark what it is. In fact, the ministries of St. Mark would not happen without you. It is our volunteers who ensure that St. Mark supports so many organizations in our community. Members actively serve at Habitat for Humanity, Mosaic, the Uniform Co-op, Carpenters Place, Rock House Kids, Rock River Valley Pantry, Bridges to Prosperity (formerly One Body Collaborative), Katie’s Cup, and Cornucopia Pantry.  This summer we also supported Ryan, an Eagle Scout, whose Eagle Project was rebuilding the dumpster enclosure. 

The fall, fourteen of our members trained to lead our first Listening Campaign. Over the course of eight weeks, this dedicated team reached out to 147 members and had 93 one-to-one conversations with you. The team identified a number of areas where we can continue to grow. One of the outcomes that began during the Listening Campaign is the Grief Support Group.  This group offers a safe space for people to share their grief, and they now regularly meet on the first and third Thursday of each month. As we move into the new year, our Listening Team intends to address the other areas they identified.

On average, we have had about 193 people in worship on Sundays– a number we have not seen since before the beginning of the pandemic. This speaks volumes to who we are as a church. The hospitality shown to guests is genuine and kind. This comes from all of you. Thank you for your kindness to others. 

Our worship services continue to bring together God’s word not only with scripture and preaching, but also with beautiful music from our Bell Choir, Praise Band, Voices of St. Mark, as well as soloists and other groups. We are so blessed to have so many talented musicians here! We are also blessed to have a concert series like no other. Folks from all backgrounds come and perform in the sanctuary. 

We want to thank the amazing staff of St. Mark Lutheran Church, who go above and beyond for all our ministries.  Church work is not easy and can be exhausting, but it is also life-giving. Our staff is faithful and amazing and we are so grateful for all they do. 

This past year has been a year full of exciting adventures. We will continue to follow God’s call to love others in this new year, and we cannot wait to see what God has in store! 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna and Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Still With Us

As baffling as it may sound, there are many people in our midst who actually like winter. Some folks love to go for a run, letting that dry, cold air fill their lungs. Some love to ski or skate, or simply cozy up next to the yellow warmth of a fireplace. No matter how you feel about the season, though, everyone will find it harsh and unrelenting at times. The same storms that give us conditions for play also slow us down and put drivers in danger. Scarce daylight hours can damage our moods. Sometimes the cold is simply too much to handle.

My feelings about winter seem to change with the weather. It can be lovely at times, but I would probably love it more if we could just have a soft blanket of snow on the ground from the moment the last leaf falls to the day the first shoots of spring emerge. When all is overcast and brown, it is hard to get much joy out of a barren landscape. I think this is one reason why so many folks use lights and colorful decorations to liven up the outside of their homes during Christmas. 

So many of us celebrated the good news of Jesus’ life by bringing signs of hope into a world that has turned drab. We brought that hope through decorations, music, generosity, and togetherness. As people of faith, we are called to still proclaim that good news even beyond the holiday season— especially in a world that still feels dim and devoid of vibrance in so many ways. The light of Christ shines in the darkness of night, and we need the warming assurance that Emmanuel is still with us.

This is one reason why we have kept a few decorations up around the building— to remind ourselves that the Messiah we celebrated in December is with us even now. You may have noticed the paper stars in the windows of the Fellowship Hall. We originally chose these because the quilt-like patterns within them worked well with the imagery our Advent devotionals. The confirmation students and I spent a few Wednesdays folding them and progressively filling the building with their color throughout Advent. 

Now that Christmas is behind us, all the stars have relocated to the windows in the Fellowship Hall. We have lifted the blinds to let the light shine through them, filling the space with radiant color. They will probably remain there a little while longer. And while this little installation won’t replace your Vitamin D supplements, hopefully it can lift your mood ever so slightly. And, like the Star of Bethlehem, hopefully these points of color will remind you to continue to seek out the love of Jesus and share that joy with all the world.

Peace, Pastor Chad McKenna

 

Outsiders in the Bible

It is important to discuss the outsiders in the bible for a few reasons.  First of all, many of us have felt like an outsider at some point in our lives. Perhaps knowing there were outsiders in the biblical stories will help us feel better about times when we felt like an outsider. Many of the outsiders in the bible do amazing things and their stories are not a part of our regular lectionary cycles.

On January 19^th 2025 we began our adult forum series the Outsiders in the Bible with a discussion on Tamar, an ancestor of Jesus.  We will continue the discussion through March 2^nd.  During the next several weeks we will discuss Jesus healings of named and unnamed people; Potiphar’s wife, Rahab, Mary Magdalene, and Bathsheba. We will hear their stories and discover the importance of their presence in the biblical story. 

Last Sunday we discussed the story of Tamar.  We looked at her genealogy.  Tamar is an ancestor of Jesus.  Matthew 1:1-3 says, “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar…”  The majority of Tamar’s story is in Genesis 38.  She is not treated well by Judah and she had to take matters into her own hands to protect her future. 

The genealogy of Tamar and Jesus. 

I encourage you to attend the adult forums to learn about the Outsiders in the Bible and their importance to the biblical story. 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Epiphany

Epiphany - while many know it as the day marking 12 days after Christmas and the time to take down the tree and decorations, it's actually a holiday with significant meaning. Epiphany means “appearance or manifestation.”  Christians throughout the world celebrate the twelve days of Christmas.  On Epiphany, Western Christianity recognizes Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were represented when The Magi visited the child Jesus and showed how God’s gift of the Good News is for everyone.

Epiphany was established by the early church leaders in the third century.  This holiday celebrates and recognizes Christ’s birth, baptism, the adoration of the magi, and the first miracle at Cana.  Observing Christmas and Advent began at the end of the fourth century. 

The church calendar ensures that we cover the entire breadth and depth of the Gospel in a year.  The church year begins at Advent.  From Advent through Pentecost, we concentrate on the life and work of Christ. The six months from Advent to Pentecost covers all six major events: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. The remainder of the year, Pentecost to Advent, the church year focuses on the teachings of Christ. Epiphany is the manifestation of God.  It is a lovely opportunity to rejoice that Christ has appeared to all, regardless of our status.    

Some historical traditions around Epiphany are celebrations focusing on the Magi’s journey, processions and ceremonies, children would receive gifts from the three kings not Santa, baking and enjoying a kings’ cake with a trinket baked inside (whoever finds the trinket is king or queen for the day), and a feast. 

This year we will celebrate Epiphany with worship on January 5^th, 2025 at 6:30 pm.  All the youth will be leading the worship service.  We will begin with a blessing for the new year and the service will focus on Jesus as the light of the world.  This is also a good time to remind us to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, and it is a beautiful way to start the New Year. 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber   

Our New Advent Paraments

A few years ago, our Sew & Sews group did their best to touch up the paraments we use at Advent. It was a lovely set, but after so many decades of use and repair, the detailed piping on those old pieces could only be improved so much. It was clear then that we would soon need to have a brand new set of artistic fabrics to decorate our communion table, lectern, and pastoral stoles for Advent.

The Altar Guild had such a lovely experience working with Ann Anderson of Interwoven Studio when we commissioned our paraments for Lent in 2022. It was a no-brainer to call her up again and see what ideas she could come up with for us this time around. We went back and forth about vision, style, and details this past summer and fall, and if you have worshipped with us this Advent, you have seen the results of those conversations. 

One thing I love about Ann’s artistry is how she is able to capture an image or a moment, and yet leave it abstract enough for us engage her work with our own interpretations. Stars dot the stoles and paraments alike. The stole itself has a small seedling rising from below, a reminder of life’s persistence in the cold of December. 

I have always been enamored with the bold message of an Advent Wreath. As the days get shorter, the light in our worship space pushes back with increasing luminance until at last God’s own self enters into the world on Christmas Day. Like the increasing light of an Advent Wreath, the altar piece gains a new panel each Sunday in Advent, filling in the emptiness we might feel this time of year. The design seems to blend in more and more with the stained glass in the chancel, pulling us in to the story. Is that Mary and the Christ Child in the center of the altarpiece? Or is it an angel? Each week, the art speaks to us in new ways.

The piece on the lectern may seem less complex, but it emanates movement. A single figure stands on the edge, as if their journey is still in motion. A star rises to the left. But just who is that supposed to be? So many different people in the Christmas story are on a journey, guided by the heavens. Perhaps you have felt like you are being pulled into a journey of hope and trust in this season of your life. 

I pray that this new artwork has helped you encounter the season of Advent in new ways this year. I am so grateful to Ann Anderson for creating this new set of Advent Paraments, and to Christy Malenchik and the Altar Guild for their tireless work to make it happen. And, thanks to our Memorial Committee, these lovely new paraments were paid for in full using funds given in memory of St. Mark members. May their memory be a blessing as we await the one whose birth has given us all hope for new life in God’s love.  See the pictures below of the paraments.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna