The Gospel reading for today, Luke 17:11-19, portrays Jesus cleansing ten lepers and only one returning to give thanks. This one, a Samaritan, became a model for what it looks like to praise and worship God. Everyone needs mercy and healing at one time or another. In his sermon, Pastor Eric reminded us that when…
Baa! Moo! Woof! Neigh! Meow! In pet language, that means, “Please bring me to church with you on Sunday, October 13th.” Why? We will celebrate St. Francis with the blessing of all creation and our animals at both services. Large animals (horses, cows, etc.) will be blessed between services in the church parking lot. Please…
How does a seed know what it is supposed to do when it is planted? Through God, the seed knows what to do. Regardless of size, the seed will make an impact, because it will grow as God would have it grow. Likewise, God created us as He wanted us, planted us where He wanted…
The Bruns hail from Minnesota; Jan from Minneapolis and Jim from Pipestone. While living in that area, they attended a church in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. After leaving Minnesota, the Bruns spent 33 years in Alaska. They recently moved to Olympia to be closer to their son. Jim retired in 2001 after 35 years…
Today’s Gospel from Luke 16 is a “heavy text”. In this parable, Jesus tells of the poor man who is carried up by angels to be with Abraham, contrasted with the rich man who was sent to be tormented in Hades. Abraham responded to the rich man’s pleas for mercy by reminding him he received…
It is said, “Apart from the generosity of God, we have nothing. By God’s gracious favor, we have everything we need.” In other words, we are managers of God’s wealth. In today’s Gospel, Luke 16:1-13, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man whose manager “squanders his property”. When the manager is at risk of…
The 2019 Potato Harvest in the St. Mark Community Garden was a great success! Over 2100 pounds of delicious, organic spuds were donated to the Thurston County Food Bank. Many helpers (the most ever!) made for a very productive morning of harvesting! Thank you to members of St. Mark and the community for your assistance…
Take me home to the place I belong. Pastor Eric said that there are themes in today’s parables. Lost, who is lost? What do sinners mean? Who are the clean ones? In Luke 15:1-10, Jesus tells two stories that suggest a curious connection between the lost being found and sinners repenting. God takes the initiative…
Taking scriptures literally can sometimes cause us to struggle. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says if we do not hate our brother and sister, we cannot become his disciple. Yet, in 1st John, Jesus calls us to love our brother and sister. Throughout the Bible, there are contradictions. Is it love? Is it hate? Is it…
How does our world define success? Money, power, friends, notoriety, possessions. What kind of values do you need to be successful in the world’s eyes? ‘None’, was one congregants answer to Pastor Beth’s question! What qualities does God value? Love, compassion, empathy, justice. All these values are sprinkled through today’s scripture lessons. How do we…