A Peace Filled Protest

On Monday, my children and their classmates left their pencils behind and walked out of their school in the middle of the day. With homemade signs held high above their heads, they marched around the building and the adjacent park, chanting for peace and singing “Peace Like a River.” I should clarify that their teachers knew all about this plot. In fact, they encouraged it. They walked alongside their students and led them all to stand in the form of a giant peace sign at the end of their demonstration. 

It turns out, all of this was to celebrate a holiday called International Day of Peace. These activities have become an annual tradition at this school. Being rooted in the methods of Maria Montessori, the concept of peace is a central tenet of the school in general. Every classroom has a designated Peace Table for resolving conflicts, or for when an emotional student decides they need a moment of calm. It makes sense, then, that the school would take time out of their busy schedules to join people from around the world to advocate for peace.

 

The International Day of Peace doesn’t have a grandiose origin story. It doesn’t mark the end of a major conflict or recognize any other significant day in world history. It was created by a resolution in the United Nations as a day to call for peace and an end to violence and war. For the first few decades after the resolution was passed, the exact date shifted around the calendar so that it would be observed on the first day of the UN’s annual sessions in September. These days, World Peace Day, as it is sometimes called, occurs on the 21st of September. And no, the new date has nothing to do with that song by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

 

Sometimes in our prayer petitions during worship, we pastors are encouraged to name places embroiled in conflict. The problem is, violence is so prevalent in our world that to name the places we know about is to omit the war-torn places we aren’t aware of. But, we are still called to do the best we can, and advocate for peace each and every day. Though the International Day of Peace was created by the vote of ambassadors from governments around the world, advocating for peace is not political in a partisan, Left versus Right sense. It is not political to call for an end to war, genocide, and all conflicts that cause innocent people to suffer. For followers of Jesus, the one we call the Prince of Peace, it is a matter of faith. 

 

We pray that people of all faiths and backgrounds can live full, meaningful lives. We pray that everyone can have a safe place to call home. We pray that those who cause violence face justice. And as we await the day that heaven comes near, we work to make our world a bit more like the heaven we hope for each and every day.

 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Candles in the Sanctuary

Last month I wrote an article about the stoles and alb Pastor Chad and I wear during worship. This month I looked into the meaning of each of the candles in the sanctuary.  St. Mark has an eternal flame, a paschal candle, and two altar candles.   

The eternal flame or sanctuary lamp is usually suspended by chains from the ceiling near the altar.  Some churches have the eternal flame mounted on the wall either behind or on either side of the altar.  The eternal flame is traditionally near the tabernacle (Roman Catholic tradition) or the aumbry (Episcopal and some Lutheran traditions).  Both the tabernacle and aumbry are a box to hold the reserved sacraments.  St. Mark does not have a tabernacle or aumbry, this is true of many ELCA churches. In the ELCA, the eternal flame serves as a visible reminder of God’s abiding presence. The eternal flame at St. Mark is located on the east side of the sanctuary near the baptismal font.

For the past several years at St. Mark, a new paschal candle has been lit from the new fire during the Easter Vigil and is blessed at the opening of the vigil.  The paschal candle burns mainly during the seasons of Easter and Christmas, with a few other Sundays scattered throughout the church year. It burns the longest during worship services from Easter to Pentecost, totaling 50 days. We also light the paschal candle when there is a baptism or a funeral. When the paschal candle burns at a baptism it reminds that when we are baptized we are connected to Christ’s death and resurrection and set free from the power of sin and death.  During funerals, the burning light of the paschal candle visually proclaims the message from Romans 6: “In our baptism we have already died and been raised with Christ.”   

The paschal candle typically has a cross, the Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end), and the year carved into or placed on the candle.  Sometimes there are five nails on the paschal candle symbolizing the five wounds of Christ. The current candle at St. Mark has the cross, the year, and the Alpha and Omega.  The candle is made out of beeswax. In the past, St. Mark has used an oil candle for the paschal candle. Churches are welcome to use either an oil candle or a candle made from wax or beeswax.  When a beeswax candle is used this provides the opportunity to light a new candle each year at the Easter Vigil and the design on the candle can be new each year as well.  

The two candles on either side of the altar serve as aesthetic and symbolic of Christ as the “Light of the World” and the real presence of God in worship.  Some of the older congregations in Rockford have candelabras on either side of the altar, this is the tradition that I grew up with.  I wondered if St. Mark had ever used a candelabra so I dug through old pictures and past directories and I could not find a picture where there were more than two candles by the altar. It doesn’t matter if a church uses two candles or candelabras with seven candles.  

Just like with the stoles, there is history and meaning behind the candles used in the sanctuary.  If you think back to before electricity, many churches relied on natural light and candles to see.  Now the candle may be more aesthetic, but they each carry a deeper meaning.  One of my favorite moments in worship where candles are involved is at a baptism when the newly baptized receives a candle and hears the words, “Let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  This is a reminder for all of us to let our light shine. 

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

A New Feast Day

This September, the wider Church will be celebrating a brand new liturgical festival. To put that in perspective, protestant churches have shared the same liturgical calendar for over 40 years, and this is the first time a feast day has been added to that calendar. But, it’s not just us protestants who will mark the occasion. This festival, Creation in Christ (or the Feast of Creation) marks the culmination of many years of collaboration between the World Council of Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. A worldwide effort like this hasn’t been seen for over a millennia, so you know it’s a big deal.

While a festival day for Creation may be new to us, celebrating God’s Creation around this time of year is an ancient practice. Since about the seventh century, the Eastern Orthodox church has held the belief that September 1st was the day that God began to create the heavens and the Earth. Later, folks latched on to the idea that Jesus began his public ministry on this day as well. For the Eastern Church, it became the first day of the liturgical year. (As a refresher, in the west our calendar restarts on the first Sunday of Advent.) In addition, this autumn observance lines up a bit with the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the New Year and the day of the world’s creation, which occurs in September or early October.

Work to expand the Feast of Creation into the wider, western church has been going on since 1989, when Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios of the Orthodox Church invited Christians around the world to spend the first day of September offering prayers, “both as thanksgiving for the great gift of Creation and as petitions for its protection and salvation.” Since that time, the day has become two very modern things. First, it is the biggest ecumenical initiative since the church began to fracture between East and West over a thousand years ago. Second, it has expanded from a celebration of the first day of creation into a day to also address issues of ecology and justice through our faith in Christ. As issues of eco-justice become less avoidable and more universal, it will take a new kind of unity to address the worldwide problems humanity faces together.

As with many feast days that happen in the middle of the week, at St. Mark we will celebrate the Feast of Creation the Sunday after September 1st. I am excited to come together with you that day, along with Christians around the world. On September 6th, the Church will be united in giving thanks for all that God has made. And, we will acknowledge all the ways that we can live out our faith by caring for the Creation that feeds us, clothes us, and gives a home to every human, creature, and plant that has ever lived.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Church Traditions

I few weeks ago, I was scrolling through social media and stumbled on a video of a women who was talking about worship.  She talked about the tradition’s churches have that some might find boring. She commented that she is glad that folks find church boring.  Boring is not a bad thing.  She talked about how in worship we are connected to people (past and present), the history of the church, and the traditions set long ago. This video got me thinking a lot about the traditions we practice each week during worship. This blog will be the first in a series of blogs that I will write about some of our traditions. To begin let’s talk about the white robes and the stoles the pastors wear during worship.

Pastor Chad and I both wear a white alb (robe) on Sunday morning during the 9am worship service.  Albs are typically white, long and flowing.  Pastor Chad and I also wear a cincture which is the rope we tie around our waist.  The white alb symbolizes the white baptism garment, baptismal purity, and the common priesthood of all believers. The cincture or rope symbolizes readiness to serve or self-discipline.  The tradition of wearing an alb by pastors began around 400 A.D. and was adopted from an ancient Roman tradition.

The stoles we wear are a traditional ministerial vestment representing Christ’s yoke of servant leadership and clerical authority. As the yoke of Christ, the stole symbolizes being bound to Christ, carrying the burden of ministry, and serving the community with humility. The clerical authority represents the official duty given through ordination to lead worship, preach, and preside over the sacraments. Pastors and Deacons cannot wear stoles until they are ordained. Ordination is a public rite by which God grants a call through the church to set apart individuals for the ordered ministry of Word and Sacrament (pastors) or Word and Service (deacons).

The stoles worn during worship are typically the same color as the altar paraments.  The colors each have a meaning and are connected to a church season.  Green is the color during Ordinary Time representing “great green growing” days of life and maturation.  Blue or Purple are the colors of Advent and they represent a serious time of getting ready. White is worn during Christmas and Easter and represents pure light and joy. We also wear white during Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord, Transfiguration of Our Lord, Holy Trinity, All Saints, and Christ the King Sundays.  Purple is worn during Lent and represents penance, sacrifice, and preparation.  Scarlet is worn during Holy Week and also represents penance, sacrifice, and preparation. Red is worn for Pentecost and Reformation and represents God’s love, the courage of the reformers, the fire of the Holy Spirit, and when the church became alive. The tradition of wearing stoles began in the 4^th century and is from an ancient Roman tradition, but wearing different colored stoles began in the 12^th and 13^th centuries in medieval Europe and was formally standardized in the United States in 1895.  The different colors of the altar paraments provide us a visual reminder of the Christian calendar.  Many of our stoles and altar paraments help tell the story of the life of Jesus. 

The practices of wearing vestments by either pastors or deacons are considered adiaphora (meaning matters neither commanded nor forbidden by God), which gives the individual congregations and synods autonomy.

There is so much history and meaning behind the vestments pastors and deacons wear on Sunday mornings.  I didn’t realize how far back the tradition of wearing an alb and stole actually went; it is quite fascinating. If you ever wonder about the stoles we were on Sunday, please ask us.  Most of my personal stoles have a story behind them or are a treasured gift from a special occasion and person, or a pastor who impacted my life and ministry.  The stoles that St. Mark has that match the paraments tell a story. Each person may see the story a little different when they look at the paraments. Which is beautiful.   

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Learning to Breathe with God

 

Learning to Breathe with God by Christine Sine

Breathing prayers are not about emptying ourselves so that we feel a void inside. They are about renewing our minds by saturating ourselves with the presence of God. I like to imagine that the outward breath creates a new space for God to fill. The inward breath draws something new of God’s character into me. As I breathe this prayer I visualize myself breathing in a little more of God and who God intends me to be and letting go of some of what is not of God.

Breathe out empty yourself: of hate, of fear, of anxiety,
Breathe in fill yourself with love, with life, with mercy.
Breathe out empty yourself of busyness, of selfishness of greed,
Breathe in fill yourself with peace, with joy, with hope.
Breathe out empty yourself of idolatry, of self-worship, of false gods,
Breathe in fill yourself with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit.

 

Breathing prayers can also form an important foundation for our engagement in the pain and suffering of God’s world. I wrote the following prayer to remind myself that breath cannot be held to oneself. We must breathe it back out into the world.  I am called to be both a contemplative and an activist and I as I take notice of my breathing I am reminded constantly of that.

Breathe in the love of God,
Breathe out and share it with the world.
Breathe in the peace of God,
Breathe out and share it with the world.
Breathe in the life of God,
Breathe out and share it with the world.
Breathe in all that is of God,
Breathe out and share it with the world.

 

Obviously, this is a very different understanding of the outward breath than I described above. This double meaning is very much in keeping with the physical act of breathing out however. We breathe out to expel toxic substances from your body, cleansing and renewing our blood. That outgoing breath can also be a source of life to others however. Mouth to mouth resuscitation depends on this. That breath which cleanses and renews our bodies, holds something of the life-giving presence of God which goes back out into the world to renew the life of others.

Beautiful Sky

On Wednesday, June 24, I was on my way to Flow for youth group when I noticed a beautiful rainbow in the sky.  I needed to stop at the church and I was glad that I did.  The view of the rainbow from our parking lot was breath taking, so I did what many folks would do and took a picture.  The picture is not as breathtaking as seeing it for yourself.  

After seeing the rainbow, I have intentionally taken notice of the sky.  I took note of when the sky was a stunning blue without a cloud to be seen.  I noticed the sky when it was full of fluffy clouds or light whimsical clouds.  I watched as storm clouds roll in moments before the rain began to fall.  The sky is a work of art that changes each day. 

As many of you know, I love being outside in God’s beautiful creation.  It heals my soul and helps to reset my mind. It is so good for me to be outside. Seeing rainbows in the midst of a busy day, reminds me that God is ever present.  God’s creation is so beautiful.

One of the simple things that I enjoy during the summer months is walking through the grass barefoot.  I went barefoot all the time as a child so when I walk in the grass barefoot, it reminds me of my childhood. The grass in my yard is thick and soft and when my feet touch it, I feel a deeper connection to the earth.  It is so good for my soul. 

I encourage you to stop and take notice of God’s wonderful creation, especially as we begin a busy holiday weekend.  Take a moment for yourself to just breath in all that God has created, from a small blossom on a wild flower to a beautiful rainbow in the sky.  If you are able walk in the grass barefoot, try it and take note on how it feels. Connecting with nature is good for our souls.  I hope you are able to find time to connect with God’s creation and appreciate the beauty of it all.  

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber 

Reporting on the 2026 Synod Assembly

This past weekend, Lutherans from Joliet to Galena gathered at Augustana College for the 2026 Northern Illinois Synod Assembly. Close to 380 pastors, deacons, and lay leaders gathered from this annual event to make important decisions, look to the future, and strengthen our relationships with one another.

St. Mark sent four delegates to the assembly: Bob Osolin, Karen Osolin, Mary Kay Schingothe, and our youth representative, Luke Snyder. They joined Pastor Katrina and myself as voting members. Together, we represented our congregation as we voted on new leaders for the synod, updates to the synod constitution, the synod budget, and other business matters. 

In addition to that official business, we heard from the ELCA’s newly-elected Churchwide Secretary, Rev. CeCee Mills, who brought greetings from our presiding bishop, Rev. Yehiel Curry. She reminded us that as ELCA Lutherans, our stories are woven together across the entire country. This sentiment was apparent in the number of times our folks ran into old friends who were there representing their own congregations. No matter which church we call home, or where we live, all of us are united in both faith and mission.

Our keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Laurie Skow-Anderson is the former bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. Since her retirement, she has been working to revitalize the wider church and help point the ELCA toward the future. She gave examples from other denominations who are imagining the future of the church as the world continues to change. For her, a future-focused church will be simpler, bolder, more empathetic, more diverse, more open to fresh expressions, and more interested in a life of faith outside of traditional church buildings. Speaking for myself, her keynote, along with the words from Secretary Mills, had me feeling inspired and excited for the future.

Our own Bob Rub was once again the lead musician for the weekend, which began with festival worship on Friday morning and had two smaller services on Saturday. As part of her role in planning worship for the assembly, Pastor Katrina opened the assembly with words of welcome before that first festive service. I also had a small role, serving on the Courtesy Committee which traditionally gives closing words of gratitude for everyone who had a hand in making the assembly happen. 

This assembly has been meeting in Rock Island since the ELCA was formed in the late 1980s. Next year, though, it will be moving right here to Rockford. Details about this move are sparse at the moment, but I am sure that it will mean St. Mark will be contributing even more to the life of the synod while the assembly happens in our own back yard!

Pastor Chad McKenna