Family Traditions

The Advent devotional began with the genealogy of Christ. It seemed like a never-ending list of ancestors.  During the first week of Advent we learn that “There’s room for every story.”  This includes our story.  Our story has a place, whether it is just beginning or near the end.  We are reminded that “God meets us in our fear.”  The angels who greet Mary and Joseph tell them, “Do not fear.”  This seems to be an unrealistic request.  Of course, they were afraid.  And we are reminded to choose a better way as Joseph did, with the help of Divine intervention, when he did not dismiss Mary and kept his commitment to her.  The choices Jesus’ ancestors made, impacted his life.  Especially, Mary and Joseph saying yes to God. 

As I have read through the Advent Devotional, I got to thinking about my family history.  It also got me thinking about traditions that I share, or have shared, with my children.   

My family comes from Sweden and Germany, and perhaps a few other places I am not aware of at this time.  I am proud of my Swedish and German heritage.  When we decorate the tree, we place a pickle ornament on the tree.  This is a German tradition.  The one who finds the pickle first gets a little something extra from St. Nick.  I loved sharing the Saint Lucia tradition with my boys when they were little.  This is a Swedish tradition; Lucia is the bearer of light in the dark Sweden winters.  This tradition was one I cherished growing up.  The fellowship hall at Zion would be decorated beautifully with traditional Swedish decoration.  We listened to many folks’ sing and play music.  I tried singing in Swedish a few times, it is not easy to sing in Swedish.  My boys even dressed like a Tomte and handed out candy during the festival.  I included (with permission) a picture of my boys each dressed like a Tomte, this was probably eleven or twelve years ago.  

Many families have traditions, some last for many years and others may change or stop.  Some new traditions may come to life.  It can be hard to say goodbye to traditions.  As my family grows older and things begin to change, I look forward to starting new traditions with them.  I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. 

Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber  

All Creation Waits

On cold days like this, with winter storms approaching, most people I know tend to seek out a cozy spot indoors, away from the bitter realities of the season. Of course, some of you may love the weather and the feel of cold air as it enters your lungs on a sunny afternoon run. The rest of us may not even want to sit by a window. With no snow on the ground, the garden beds cleared, and almost all the leaves raked, it can be easy to assume there isn’t much to see besides a drab, lifeless landscape. But there is so much more going on beneath the surface. 

If you have been around St. Mark at all, you have certainly seen all the advent resources that are available this year. For adults and teens, we have a devotional and a color-in calendar full of activity ideas, based on the theme “…From Generation to Generation.” For kids, there is a devotional with a matching paper-chain project titled “The Adverbs of Advent.” There is enough to go on here, but in light of the coming winter chill, I feel the need to direct you to one more resource.  

This year, our own synod of the ELCA has produced a daily video series based on the book, All Creation Waits, by Gayle Boss. Each day, pastors and musicians from the Northern Illinois Synod provide songs, prayers, and a reading from the book. You can find the whole series, including the first 8 days, at this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/NISynodorg 

The book itself is an intriguing read. On first glance, each of the 25 essays appears to be a simple reflection on the wildlife of North America. From bears and foxes to wild turkeys and fireflies, the book slowly dives deep into the surface of the earth to explore how our animal neighbors endure the harsh and difficult season of winter. The whole devotional series is a reminder that though the world outside our windows may seem barren, God’s creation continues to teem with life. 

Winter can make us feel hopeless. The lack of sunlight, the absence of plants and fair-weather creatures, and the harsh weather can easily bring us down. It is even worse when our minds are clouded with worry and our hearts are filled with grief. Whether we hunger for peace or hunger for food, we wait with all creation for something to bring us relief. Sometimes it arrives in the form of sustenance and shelter. And sometimes it arrives as a child, wrapped in swaddling cloths and spending his first night among the animals. 

Explore the video devotional series here: https://www.youtube.com/c/NISynodorg

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Coming Together in Prayer

Prayer, for me, is an important part of faith and an interesting part.  There are many ways to pray.  Each of us, I imagine, have a different way of praying and connecting to God.  I have found myself praying in a variety of ways.  There are times when I need to be alone with God, a time where I can connect with God in a deeply personal way with no one else around.  And other times I am praying with a group where we gather to pray for one another and lift up to God the things that are important at that moment.  Both have value.  In fact, any way you pray has value.  It is not how you pray that is important, the important part is that you are praying.  It is in prayer that we connect with God. 

In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus teaches us how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer.  In 1 Thessalonians 15:1 we are told to pray without ceasing.  In Hebrews 4:16 we are told to pray with confidence, “to approach the throne of grace with boldness.”  In James 5:16 we hear the power of prayer when we pray for one another. 

Asking for prayers can be hard.  When we ask for prayer we are not showing a sign of weakness.  Instead, we are showing trust in those who we worship with, and confidence in the power of communal prayer.  When my 3^rd son was born we quickly learned he has a complex vascular system in his neck and head.  He had his first of many MRI/MRA at six weeks old.  We had no idea how his body would handle the twisted vessels in his neck and head.  The first thing I did was reach out to the prayer chain at church.  And as friends in the community learned about his condition, their church began praying for him.  He was on the St. Mark prayer chain for several weeks.  I can’t tell you how important that was for me and my family knowing so many people were praying for my son and our family.  Thankfully his body has compensated for the twisted vessels and they have not been an issue.

As you pray, I encourage you to pray for one another.  I encourage you to pray in a way that works for you.  If you are at a loss for words, remember you can pray as Jesus taught with the Lord’s prayer.  Don’t hesitate to ask for prayers, there is power in prayer when we pray for one another. 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

 

Using the Whole Pumpkin

One of my favorite restaurants here in Rockford comes up with a brand new dinner menu almost every weekend. They center everything— appetizers, main dishes, desserts and cocktails— around a common theme, depending on what is in season or what holidays are nearby. I’m told that this week the theme is “Eat Our Decorations,” and it came about in a moment of desperation. Simply put, the cooks in their kitchen were struggling for ideas, and as they took down all their festive Halloween decor, inspiration struck. All those pumpkins, gourds, and squash— every edible bit of decor is getting a second life this weekend as soups, pies, and other dishes. While I am sure they will be supplementing with additional veggies from traditional sources, there is something marvelous about how clever this little restaurant is with the resources they have.

That sort of cleverness can carry us further than we can imagine. I’ve seen it in the way farmers in Tanzania rework scrap metal into essential tools. Students experience it whenever their teachers stretch their supplies to last a whole school year. Resourceful people throughout time have discovered ways to use the whole buffalo, live with little waste, and use whatever they have, until what they have can no longer be used. 

This may sound like a philosophy of scarcity, but one doesn’t have to be scraping by in order to discover useful resources in unexpected places. If anything, this is a mindset abundance. When we pay enough attention, we can see how truly blessed we are, with goodness in every corner of our lives.

How can we use this kind of clever, abundant thinking in order to tend to what God has given us? When I think about that restaurant’s repurposed pumpkins, I wonder what aspects of our church can have that same sort of renewed purpose. What do we already have that we can use to help our community grow in faith? What ministries can be given new life to share God’s grace in a changing world?

During this season of stewardship, many of us are evaluating how we can support St. Mark in the coming year, both financially and through gifts of service. What do you have that you can share with others? Let’s pay attention to the pumpkins in our lives as we continue to find new and clever ways to use all that God has given us to share God’s love with one another and the world. We have everything we need, and that includes you.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

 

Tradition, Worship, Serving and Dreaming

In preparing for a recent bible study, I came across a statement about faith that I had not thought about in a while.  The statement is, “Rooted in tradition, grounded in worship, called to serve, allowed to dream.”  I have been a Lutheran from birth.  I didn’t realize how much of my faith is connected to the Lutheran tradition until I was in seminary.  I discovered how truly Lutheran I am.  I love the creeds.  At the installation service for Bishop Stacie Fidlar we said the Nicene Creed.  It was beautiful to hear the 100-plus rostered leaders and several guests saying the Nicene Creed together.  The creeds proclaim our faith in the Triune God, acknowledging our beliefs in God as our almighty parent and creator of all, Jesus who was truly human who came for us and for our salvation, and the Holy Spirit who works to sustain our faith. 

Worship is an important part of our lives as Lutherans.  Worship is what feeds us each week.  Being grounded in worship helps me throughout the week.  For me, worship is a wonderful way to begin the week.  It is my restart after a difficult week.  It is how I am fed, even when I am leading worship.    When we gather for the Eucharist it is a holy moment where we experience God’s unending grace.  When we praise and worship God in our music and spoken words, my heart, and soul are filled.  When we worship together, we experience God’s mercy, grace, and love that grounds us and helps to sustain us.  How do you feel about tradition and worship? 

Called to serve!  Each of us is called to serve in a different way.  Some are called to be worship leaders and others are called to serve in other areas of ministry.  My call to serve as a pastor was so strong that no matter how much I doubted my ability to be successful in seminary and to be a pastor, God continues to prove to me that God is greater than my doubts.  My call came from God!  I am grateful that God did not and has not given up on me.   How are you called to serve?

I don’t see myself as much of a dreamer, there are times when being allowed to dream is a great gift.   We can dream of what is to come.  These moments of being allowed to dream are sacred moments where we can get lost in our thoughts and our hopes.  What are your hopes and dreams?

“Rooted in tradition, grounded in worship, called to serve, allowed to dream.”  What does this statement say to you?  What does this stir up in you? 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber 

What is Our Mission?

St. Mark’s mission statement is everywhere. It is on every bulletin and in every email. It has been printed on t-shirts, annual reports, and banners. It is so prevalent that if you are anything like me, you gloss over it and barely notice it’s there. It is an excellent statement, written way before I was in the picture. After everything we have been through the last three years, it would be a good idea to step back and reflect on what our mission statement can mean for this group of individuals who share life together in the community we call St. Mark Lutheran Church.

“Growing in Faith. Sharing God’s Grace.” That’s it. When we do it right, this two-part mission gives us what we need to sustain our faith, and it creates in us a desire to take part in the amazing things God is doing in our world. Worship, Sunday School, Study Groups, Circles, Outreach, and so many opportunities in between help us grow and share the good news of God’s love with the world. I am continually amazed at how well St. Mark does these things, thanks to the tireless commitment of so many volunteers, staff members, and donors.

Sunday morning will kick off Stewardship Season at St. Mark. While it is as important as ever to ensure our budget is sound, this year we will also reflect on how we might pledge our whole selves to our mission statement. The work of any congregation depends on the gifts of resources, time, and talents. Because of that, our goal is two-fold: To meet our financial needs for 2023, and to commit our time and talents to our many ministries.

The council has set a goal of $720,000 in pledged giving for 2023, which was our goal last year. We all have the opportunity to pledge toward that goal by filling out a Plan for Giving card on a Sunday, or by submitting a plan online. For the first time this year, we will also have the opportunity to complete a Servant Commitment Form, where we can recommit to the ways we are already involved, as well as take part in new opportunities. My hope is that 175 of our members complete this form during the month of October. Members will receive all the necessary materials in the mail next week, and we will have all month to pray and reflect on how we can continue to be a church united in God’s grace.

Our ministries and programs, as well as our budget, will depend on the response you give. These goals are filled with a lot of hope, and if we meet them we can continue to thrive as we grow in faith and share God’s grace!

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

 

Jesus is Lord ...

A while back, I attended a meeting at a local, non-Lutheran congregation. Their building wasn’t always a church. Their store-front sanctuary shares a few walls and a parking lot with other businesses. When I stepped inside, though, it was unmistakably a house of worship. Aside from the typical layout of chairs and podiums, the wall behind the stage was emblazoned with the words, “Jesus is Lord.”

I was early for the meeting, and so before starting up a conversation with some of the other pastors present, I pondered those words for a few moments. I read them over and over. “Jesus is Lord.” 

We hear these three words all the time. Saying them is one way for folks to identify their religious preferences to others. If you want someone to know you are a Christian, you can simply exclaim, “Jesus is Lord!” But, as I stared at those words on the wall of that sanctuary, they began to sound less like a complete declaration of faith and more like a prompt— the first half of a statement, asking me to fill in the blank and complete the sentence. Jesus is Lord… of what? 

Jesus is Lord of my life. But what parts of my life?

Jesus is Lord of Heaven and Earth. But how does that truth affect the world we live in?

In the first century, those three words were dangerous. They were a challenge to the dominance of Caesar and all the cruelty and selfishness of the Roman Empire. Things are different today. Those three words no longer carry the same weight. In fact, aside from simply indicating our personal beliefs, they can lose meaning altogether. In a world where being Christian carries very little risk, our statements of faith can become overly spiritualized and disconnected from the world God created. What difference does it make to the world when we say “Jesus is Lord”?

Allow me to try and give some weight to such a declaration. Jesus is Lord of me. Jesus is Lord of all people. Jesus is Lord of the changing seasons, the migrations of birds and people, the cycle of death and new life we hold in our hands every time we dig at the earth or rake up a pile of oak leaves. Jesus is Lord of the hungry and the wealthy, those in power and those who cannot speak for themselves. Jesus is Lord of our children, our elders, and all of us in between. Jesus is Lord of every person you disagree with, every lifestyle you cannot understand, and every nation under the sun. Jesus is Lord of every creature in the sea, every insect in the field, every balanced and beautiful ecosystem created by God. Treasure these three words, and complete the sentence yourself. Jesus is Lord—

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna