On Sunday, 1.22.17, St. Mark Lutheran Church welcomed Mary Mortenson, Director of Prison Congregations of America (PCA). The mission of PCA is to collaborate with Christian denominations and prison officials to establish prison congregations across America. Mary is a South Dakota resident, has been involved in prison ministries for about 20 years, and has been…
In Sunday’s Gospel, Matthew 5: 1-12, Jesus names those who are blessed in the “reign of God”. He pronounces blessings on the outcasts, the sinners, the unwelcome and the spiritually poor, and he made their broken world a new world. These Beatitudes created a new reality for the crowds who followed him. When our world seems…
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Yesterday, we heard these words in the Gospel reading from Matthew 5:1-12, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes, Jesus lays out a vision for life in God’s realm, characterized by seeing those who are often most disregarded, including the meek, the mourning…
The 3rd Sunday after Epiphany has Jesus beginning his public ministry by calling fishers to leave their nets and follow him to be fishers of people. Matthew 4:12-23 tells the story of this calling and mentions that Jesus left his home in Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum where he settled in. Pastor Eric…
So, what is your name? Most of us will respond with our first, middle and last name. Once in a while, someone (thanks Ken L!) will answer,”I am a loved child of God.” As Pastor Beth pointed out on this second Sunday of Epiphany, NAMES are an important part of our identity. God says, “I…
On December 11, 2016 we celebrated the Holy Baptism of MacKenzie K. The “new kid in our family” was sponsored by her mother, Stefanie K, her grandmother, Deanne K, and John, Carrie and Benjamin M. The sponsors and the congregation promised to nurture MacKenzie’s faith in God and teach her about God’s love.…
The Baptismal Font is central to who we are but why did Jesus need to be Baptized? In Matthew 3:13-17, even John the Baptist questions why Jesus has come to him and asked to be Baptized. Pastor Eric said being Baptized is a gift, a good thing to do, a right thing to do. He…
On this first Sunday after Christmas Pastor Beth wished us all a resounding, “Happy New Year!”, and shared some quotes and statistics about the “happiness factor”. It was a surprise to learn that research lists the USA as the 12th happiest country in the world. Pastor Beth suggests that happiness is not merely a destination,…
Church member and one of our resident artists, Josh E., was on deck to create the Advent/Christmas Liturgical Art on the Sanctuary front wall. The picture of the Advent Candles became Christmas Eve by lighting the candles and weaving a beautiful bow throughout the Advent candles. Check out an early version and the final…
We are blessed at St. Mark with talented people who use their gifts for the glory of God! This video is of the St. Mark Chancel Choir on Christmas Eve singing an original song “A Single Star” written by Ken Lindholm (lyrics) and Terry Shaw (music). This beautiful song was used as our benediction during…