Alternative Christmas Market

 Friends,  

This weekend features one of the premiere events in St. Mark’s calendar year. It’s one of those events that I brag about shamelessly, because I have so little to do with it. The Alternative Christmas Market (ACM) started here long before I arrived and thrives each year under very committed and capable leadership, with many hands making joyous work, year after year. To see our Fellowship Hall filled with an amalgam of church members, service organizations that have been part of our Deacons’ outreach through the years, friends of other organizations which do good work in the world, volunteers, children happily hawking their wares in order to raise funds for others, and curious onlookers – what a lovely sight. Even a claustrophobic introvert like me turns into Buddy the Elf during this event.

 

Here are some things you can do to enhance our ACM: 

- Come, enjoy, eat, shop 

- Learn about the organizations in the room 

- Meet someone new

- Help someone who is having difficulty navigating crowded spaces 

- Pray for our internet service (we need it to process credit card sales) 

 

I’m sure you could add to this list, and I invite you to do so on Sunday. And if you’re setting up a booth, setting out some treats, or otherwise planning to be busy during our worship hour on Sunday morning, you can always join us for worship on Saturday. It’s nice to have that option. 

 

The ACM reminds us that Advent is just around the corner. Since Christmas is a fixed date and Thanksgiving is a floater, the first weekend of Advent falls on Thanksgiving weekend periodically. That is the case this year, and it is not an ideal setup for those of us who do worship planning, set up the décor, travel to visit family over the long weekend, host guests, or rehearse music (choir rehearsal on Thanksgiving? Nope.) I have drawn up a petition to make Thanksgiving the 3^rdThursday of November, but I don’t even know who to send it to. 

 

Still, Advent is near and our theme this year is, “EarthRise: An Invitation to Wonder.” I hope you are intrigued. We will begin our season on the aforementioned Thanksgiving weekend, as November 28-29 mark the first weekend of Advent. On the second weekend of Advent, December 5 and 6, our youth and children will have a Christmas party following the Saturday worship service, and we will have a Christmas Pageant rehearsal following the Sunday service. The Third weekend of Advent, December 12-13, is one of those “two-fer” weekends. Saturday will be a “Blue Christmas” service and Sunday will feature our Children’s Pageant, “Where Is the Child?” Then the last weekend of Advent, December 19-20, will take us to the angel’s visit to Mart and prepare us for our three Christmas Eve services, at 4:30, 7:00, and 9:00. We’ll say more about those services in the future. 

 

That’s a whole lot of worship and service coming our way. See you in worship, 

Mark of St. Mark 

The Church's Role in a Politicized World

Here was my opening statement from worship on November 7-8: 

This week, we saw a rather dramatic shift in the power balance of the two legislative branches of our federal government. Some folks, for good reasons, are elated. Some folks, for good reasons, are disappointed. Some folks, for bad reasons, are elated. And some folks, for bad reasons, are disappointed. That is how democracy works when it works.  

The church has an important voice in the body politic. It is not the church’s role to praise or to bury Caesar, but to try to discern that gray area of giving to Caesar what belongs to Caeser, in a world that belongs to God. And however you, and the person across the room, feel and speak about partisan politics individually, we are collectively called to a higher order of peace, justice, freedom, compassion, and generosity, that constantly intersects with partisan politics. So we rightly demand justice from those in the highest positions to offer justice, whether a Presbyterian seminarian newly arrived on the hill, a long-serving darling of Christian Nationalists, or a professed agnostic. When we say, “Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior,” we are pledging allegiance to a higher order than any particular nation, ideology, or human institution. In fact, while constitutional democracy offers a great degree of the human freedom that we value, we should note that the Christian church, and the message of the gospel does not depend on any particular form of government. The church was born in a vassal state of an empire. So, whether a persecuted minority or a free-to-assemble people, the church has lived through every imaginable form of government and are at our best when we are not beholden to any allegiance other than to God. 

The church expresses our allegiance to Christ by speaking rightly and forthrightly about God’s will in human affairs. Jesus did that often is by telling parables about the Reign of God. In today’s service, we will hear two parables, one of which comes from the prophet Isaiah, the other is the same parable taken up and reinterpreted by Jesus. Through them, we listen for how God's will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Update on the Davis Family

 This coming week is significant for the Davis family. On September 16, our son Luke was the chef for “Erika’s Feast,” as our Deacons welcomed and celebrated the leaders of the service organizations that we support. It is a beautiful event every year. Then, on Wednesday, Luke drove off to a new adventure. After spending some time in Iowa visiting his brother Nic and connecting with some churches in the Des Moines area, Luke will be heading down to El Salvador to work with a ministry that I was part of for many years when we lived in Iowa. “Our Sister Parish” is a mission of the Presbytery of Des Moines that works in solidarity with the people in the rural communities of the Municipality of Berlín, Usulután, in El Salvador. You can visit the website here.  Luke will become part of the “Pastoral Team” at “La Casa Pastoral” in Berlín, where he will organize delegation visits from the US and enable churches in the US and communities in El Salvador to communicate in between visits. Luke’s fluency in Spanish and his commitment to justice and bringing good news to the poor will enable him to do this work well. After three months, Luke and the Pastoral Team will consider extending his stay long term. 

 

It is a joy to see our church family thriving and it is a particular joy to see my own children embrace and live the values of God’s Reign in their lives. This will be a joyous week indeed.

 

See you in worship,

Mark of St. Mark

Theseus' Ship and the Ever-Changing Church

 Friends, 

 I’m musing about our identity as St. Mark these days. And I can’t get out of my head an old philosophical conundrum about “Theseus’ ship.” Theseus was a mythical hero, known for defeating the Minotaur on the island of Crete. After he returned home to Athens, Plutarch said the Athenians preserved Thesus’ ship over many years by replacing every worn or rotting plank with an identical one. That description raised questions about identity for philosophers: Is this the same ship through the years, even while it constantly changes? Or, is it different when the first plank is changed? Or, when a majority of planks are changed? What is the relationship between the ship’s identity as Theseus’ ship and its parts? 

 

Years later, Thomas Hobbes played with another possibility. What if every worn or rotting plank that had been removed from the ship were preserved and over time re-assembled, eventually reconstructing the original ship? Now we have two ships. One is the functioning ship that has been constantly renewed piece by piece, while the other is not a sea-worthy ship, but entails all of the original components of the ship, disassembled then reassembled over time. Now we ask, “Which of these ships is actually Theseus’ ship?” 

 

We can muse about this conundrum at a personal level, if we think of ourselves as children and ourselves as we are now, through constant changes in body and mind. For now, I am focused on the question of our identity as St. Mark. We were established in 1962, with only a very few of the original pioneers still with us. I am the fifth senior pastor, with numerous other pastors on the staff along the way, but I believe the identity of the church has always been our calling, as it has been embodied in our members. The “Our History” page of our website says, “Our founders chose the name of St. Mark because the Gospel of Mark has always been a radical call to discipleship – how you grow in Christ, how Christ is formed in you and in all aspects of your life.  The Gospel of Mark gives a new vision of the present, limitless, redeeming power of Christ.” What an inspired and inspiring beginning! Fueled by way the present, limitless, redeeming power of Christ, we are called to be disciples in the fullest sense imaginable. 

 

So, circling back to the conundrum of Theseus’ ship, particularly as Thomas Hobbes described it, I’m leaning toward this response. The original planks of the ship, after being 

disassembled then re-assembled, might be called “Theseus’ ship” if the purpose is to create a museum exhibit honoring the mythical history. But the purpose of a ship is to sail on the sea. For that to happen, it needs constant renewal to be seaworthy. In that sense, “Theseus’ ship” is the constantly renewed ship, wisely and skillfully being refurbished for the purpose of seaworthiness. Likewise, if our call is to create radical disciples by the redeeming power of Christ, change is a constant part of who we are. We built a new campus when the former one was no longer able to accommodate our ministry and outreach; we have retired beloved traditions when hearing a call to different ways; we have honored those who move “from the church militant to the church triumphant” just as we welcome the gifts of those who newly join. Driven by the present, limitless, redeeming power of Christ, we try to take each step deliberately and wisely, living into our call to be radical disciples. 

My hope is that each one of you feels invested and empowered in this call to radical discipleship. Whether you are, or have been, elders, making critical decisions and taking on the responsibility of curating how we respond to our calling; Deacons, taking the energy of our call and reaching out to our community in works of care and compassion; part of our Care Team, Choir, commissions, and other groups, you have been empowered by Christ to the call of radical discipleship. And if you have ever thought of yourself as “just a member” because you have not been part of our organizational structure, I invite you to think of “just” as a four-letter word. Every plank in the ship is needed, every member of a body has purpose, and if a regular part of your life consists of gathering for worship to glorify God and enjoy God forever you are achieving what the Westminster Catechism calls “the chief end of humanity.” You are not a passenger, along for the ride. You are the ship, however minor you feel your role is. 

 

So, yes, I am musing about our identity, and it fills me with joy. The redeeming power of Christ continues to enable us to be radical disciples. Thanks be to God. 

 

See you in worship,

Mark of St. Mark

 

 

Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah

 Friends, 

 

Two quick announcements: 
1. The Christian Century is offering an opportunity to join people of faith from across the US on Wednesdays from September 2 through October 7 from 11:00-11:45am for film screenings of Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities. The stories will be educational, inspirational, and offer opportunities for responsive action. You can click here to register and find out more. 

2. Our Adult Education Commission invites you to attend a discussion of our presbytery’s Anti-Racism policy this Sunday at 11:00am in the Fellowship Hall. The PCUSA has instructed each church to adopt an Anti-Racism policy, and we are beginning the process by looking at the Presbytery of Los Ranchos’ policy to see what questions or concerns you may have about it. You can find the presbytery’s policy here.  

……..

 

I don’t know about you, but I have been loving our summer series, “Living the Great Stories.” For the next two weeks we will hear stories about two of the “oral prophets,” a term that speaks of prophets who are not featured in books that bear their names, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and so forth. Most prominently among the oral prophets are Elijah and Elisha. Their names look quite similar, and they are succession stories, with Elisha very deliberately desiring and becoming Elijah’s protégé. Elijah has a wild set of stories that include escaping violence, living in exile, performing miracles, having severe doubts, and an ongoing feud with Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab was the king of Israel and was married to Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Tyre and Sidon. Ahab is described unremittently as the worst king in Israel’s history, even worse than his father who was worse than his predecessors. I Kings 16 31-33 says, “Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him. … Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.” Among the evils that Ahab did, was to marry Jezebel, as the description of his evil continues, “And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of [another horrible king], he took as his wife Jezebel daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made a sacred pole.” 

 

The storytellers fluctuate between blaming Ahab for his sinfulness and blaming Jezebel for exacerbating his sinfulness. Namely, she brought the worship of Ba’al (a common term for a god, perhaps in this case a god of rain or fire) and Asherah (the goddess often accompanying Ba’al, whose symbol was the aforementioned “sacred pole”) into Israel. By the time our story for this weekend takes place, the altar to the God of Israel was in shambles, but the House of Ba’al had 450 priests of Ba’al and 400 priests of Asherah. Jezebel also was responsible for the slaughter of many of God’s prophets and Elijah often complained about being the only prophet of the true God left in Israel. 

 

The real challenge of preaching in our series of “Living the Great Stories” has been knowing what to say and regretfully having to leave too much material on the cutting floor. I keep telling myself that we can always circle back and walk slowly through these stories at a much more leisurely pace, savoring them more deliberately. For now, I can only invite you to join me in listening to these great stories, not merely as curious or interesting in themselves, but as the stories by which “the Word of the Lord” continues to speak today. 

 

See you in worship,
Mark of St. Mark

The Work of Anti-Racism

Friends, 

 

Quick Announcement: If you are interested in understanding issues around Homelessness better, you can sign up for a one-hour online Homelessness 101 class next Thursday at noon here. And, if you want to improve your advocacy skills, you can sign up for a one-hour online class on Tuesday, August 25 at noon here. Both classes are free and very well done.

 

Last Sunday’s worship was especially electric as we received 11 new members into our church family. And the quartet’s anthem was stunning. Many thanks to Pastor SueJeanne for enriching the story of Ruth and challenging our perspective of how we demonstrate our own value system when we identify the “good immigrant.” It was a lovely weekend all around, with contributions to so many people working behind the scenes as our Membership Commission, Session, Ushers and Greeters, Childcare workers, and so forth. 

 

As I mentioned last week, we will have a gathering on Sunday, August 23^rd, at 11:00am to discuss adopting an Anti-Racism policy here at St. Mark. The impetus for doing so comes from the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order, part of our constitution, which says, “The unity of believers in Christ is reflected in the rich diversity of the Church’s membership. In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, God unites persons through baptism regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, geography, or theological conviction. There is therefore no place in the life of the Church for discrimination against any person. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shall guarantee full participation and representation in its worship, governance, and emerging life to all persons or groups within its membership.” [Foundations of Presbyterian Polity -1.0403]

 

This bold statement has been the source of many conflicts in our denomination’s past and recent conversations. It is a faithful, but challenging vision. It urges us to move beyond simply being “nice” or saying, “All are welcome.” Being nice and welcoming are wonderful qualities, without a doubt. But anti-racism is deeper work than that. It calls us to look at the ways we have historically and systematically held practices that did not welcome the gifted contributions that the diversity of the church offers. Let me give a small example. 

 

Our Presbytery meetings aspire to have an equal number of “teaching elders” (pastors, chaplains, other involve in ‘validated ministries) and “ruling elders,” such as the elder representatives that we send to each meeting. Each year we count the teaching elders and try to adjust the number of ruling elders that we need to keep that balance. In previous years, if we needed more ruling elder representation, an invitation would be offered to larger churches, under the presumption that they represent more people, so they should be able to have a larger voice. It is a common practice in many presbyteries. A few years ago we changed that practice. The larger churches have typically had plenty of representation and a large voice over the years, but our “racial/ethnic churches” (the phrase our denomination uses) are often smaller and, as a group, underrepresented. So, we changed our process. Now, when more ruling elders are needed, racial/ethnic congregations are invited first to send more elders. I was a big advocate for that change, even though it meant that St. Mark lost a representative slot. It was a nice awakening for our presbytery that we had fallen into a “those who have lots get more” mentality, rather than looking for ways to ensure that racial/ethnic voices are heard. That’s a small sign of adopting an anti-racism mentality. Still, we have a long way to go. 

 

So, I invite you to go to the Presbytery of Los Ranchos’ website and read our recently adopted anti-racism policy. Please read it appreciatively and critically, noting the questions you may have or the suggestions you would recommend. We will begin our approach to St. Mark’s anti-racism policy with the presbytery’s policy and see where it takes us. It’s all about being faithful to the God whose expansive love was given to us in Jesus Christ. 

 

You can find the presbytery policy here.  

 

See you in worship, 

Mark of St. Mark 

"God Is Good"

 Friends, 

 

I want to continue the mode of thought that I began in last week’s Extra, but before that I want to offer an apology.

 

Apology: Two weeks ago, I left out a crucial adjective when describing St. Mark. I was picking up on the phrase “white, relatively well-to-do congregation” that I had been using to make a point and referred to St. Mark as such. I ought to have said, “historically” or “mostly” white, relatively well-to-do congregation instead. If my choice of words left any of you feeling unseen or left out, I apologize and promise to try to do better. 

 

Back to last week’s Extra. I wrote about how many of the biblical stories that we have been reading contain so much violence (e.g. Jael and her infamous tent peg) that I know of pastors who refuse to preach from the books of Joshua and Judges. It is my contention that the violence in these stories is not prescriptive but descriptive, and rather courageously so. It is one thing to say, “God is great” in a time of relative ease and comfort. It is quite another to say the same in times of war, famine, and loss. One form of this question entertained in the Psalms is, “Does the steadfast love of God endure, even in this moment?” Another form from Genesis through Ruth is, “Will God keep the promise that God made to Abraham?”  

 

Yet even if we were able to yield our fortunes and our travesties to the sovereignty of God by maintaining that “God is great,” another question comes up. If God is great and calamity happens, can we also say that God is good? So the question is not just “Is God sovereign?” but “Is the sovereign God also the loving God when calamity strikes?” That question has been raised anew among liberation theologies, post-holocaust theologies, and even in popular reflections, such as Rabbi Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People. 

 

This question is further complicated when we say that one expression of God’s love is that God gives us the gift of freedom. We are free to return God’s love by being faithful. Or not. We are free to embody God’s love by loving our neighbor. Or not. We are free to reflect God’s love by loving ourselves as God’s creation. Or not. Even Presbyterians, with our historic understanding of predestination, honor human freedom. It’s a messy situation, because, if God is loving and God’s love is expressed in offering us the freedom to return that love (or not), then that make God vulnerable in a way that we don’t associate with “sovereignty.” The prophets even depict God as an aggrieved spouse, whose lover cheats openly and repeatedly. It is a profound thought that God’s sovereignty is expressed, not by forcing us to mechanically love and serve, but by allowing us to err, even as God calls us back in the vulnerability of unrequited love. 

 

I attended a panel discussion on Psalm 82 once that had biblical scholars from both Presbyterian and Lutheran seminaries. The first speaker said, “When I saw the composition of this panel, I knew exactly the trajectory of our conversation. The Presbyterians would speak from the perspective of God’s sovereignty, while the Lutheran’s would speak from the perspective of God’s love.” (There’s a lot of history behind that astute observation). One of our driving aims this summer is to find ways to read violent biblical stories and disarmingly honest psalms, not to mention manifest brutality of the cross, through the lens of God’s sovereign love, or God’s loving sovereignty. That’s why those of us who preach rely on your prayers. 

 

See you in worship,

Mark of St. Mark