Our future builds on the present….and the past

 

Sunday, April 29 is a fifth Sunday. At St. Mark’s, on Fifth Sundays there is no Sunday School, so it’s an opportunity for everyone to worship together. We have our regular worship services at 8:15, 9:45 and 11:15 a.m.

What would life be like at St. Mark’s without our children and youth? Well, there would be no little voices in worship, or the need for children’s time, or children and youth reading Scripture. We could shut our Early Childhood Center, and let our children and youth ministries staff go. We wouldn’t have to raise funds to support youth missions, so the pumpkin patch and Easter pancake breakfast would be things of the past. That’s just a glimpse of life without children and youth.

If all that happened, what would life be like at St. Mark’s in ten years?  Twenty years?  Would we even exist? The future builds on the present and the past, and decisions made long ago that now affect the health, strength and vitality of our church (and our society) in the future.

This year at St. Mark’s, we’re talking about Connecting to God and One Another, and for a few weeks our focus is on Connecting to Our Past….the History of Our Church.  Understanding the events and decisions of the past give us insights into today. This Sunday, April 29, I’m going to talk a bit – and show a short video – about the early beginnings of the Christian church, and how that affects us today. The people were led by their faith in Jesus Christ, his life and teachings, and pressed them to decide what was important, and how to live as followers of Jesus.

In Arizona, today decisions about education are being made that affect our children and youth. Those decisions are not only for today, but will guide us into the future. How do our Christian faith and our values impact what we say and do about this important issue – the education of our children? Even if our own children are grown, the education of children affects our society into the future, and becomes our responsibility.

Prayer:  Guide us, O God, into a deep faith in you, a trust that you are watching over us, and long to help us make wise decisions. Remind us of the ways you have worked in the lives of faithful people in the past, and help us continue that faith-filled tradition.  Surround us with your love and your abundant care. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Blessings, Sharon