01
Jan 2021
On this first day of 2021, I greet you with thoughts and words of hope and expectations for a good year and offer this prayer: Gracious God, Thank you for bringing us through a difficult year and giving us the chance to live into a new and hopeful time. As we look back on 2020 we realize there were times of great joy in the midst of it all – beauty around us, births and milestone birthdays, healings and opportunities to grow in our lives and our faith. There were also many......
Read More
Christmas Blessings
“Christmas is so different this year.” I’ve heard that quite a bit over the last few weeks, haven’t you? Perhaps Christmas IS different at your house in 2020. Some things have changed with ours...
Read More
Hope
For now, we are planning to continue to offer in-person outdoor worship on our west patio in December. Beginning Dec. 6, outdoor worship will begin at 10 a.m. rather than 9 a.m. On Sunday...
Read More
Compassion
This morning I woke up thinking about all that’s challenged us in 2020. I felt a tightness in my neck and a gnawing in my stomach as I thought about this year – continually...
Read More
Remembrance
At 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, we will begin outdoor in-person worship on the west patio for up to 40 people. Watch for an email on Sunday evening, Nov. 1, with information on how...
Read More
Temperatures Falling—and Rising
With doors and windows open, I hear our patio wind chimes this morning. Mornings and evenings are cool enough now that we can open the house. We’re entering our most appealing time of the...
Read More
Changing the World
“Changing the world through Christ by caring for all people.” At St. Mark’s we’ve sought to embrace this mission statement for almost 10 years. Truly the spirit behind these words has always been part...
Read More
Revelation
Three months ‘til Christmas! That’s sobering, isn’t it? How much has changed since last Christmas? How could we have anticipated all the ways we’d be upended this year? When I began last fall to...
Read More
Info and a Prayer
We often think of repentance as something that requires a dramatic turning of our lives – an about-face. Sometimes that’s true. On Sunday, Sept. 20, I’ll be talking about another perspective on repentance as...
Read More
Labor Day
When I was growing up outside Detroit, Labor Day weekend was the last gasp of summer. School always began the day after Labor Day, so the weekend was full of barbecues, family gatherings, remembering...
Read More