Recently, I noticed that two of the calendars, hanging on the walls of St. Mark’s, are opened to March. However, they both show March of 2020, and not March of 2021. We are approaching, in the days ahead, the one-year anniversary of when our lives changed and, perhaps, felt like our worlds were shutting down due to Covid-19. While we have been living our lives, and as a community of faith, in new ways, we are yearning to turn the page.
Yet, it is important to mark and honor this time, and share our stories, experiences, insights and reflections of this time. They include deep sadness and loss, joy and hope, frustration and uncertainty, incredible courage and unexpected blessings. In all of these, our stories will speak to future generations.
This Sunday, we go back to a story of Jesus as a youth. Jesus and his parents traveled, with many others, to Jerusalem for Passover. However, when the travelers started home, Jesus stayed behind. After three days of searching, Mary and Joseph, found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Rabbi Emerita Sandy Sasso reminds us of the importance of “listening to God’s echo in our lives” which often comes from sharing across generations and different life experiences. This Sunday, we will explore what this mean for us, as people of faith, in the unique time and place we find ourselves.
In our time of worship, we will share inspiring music including hymns and musical offerings from our singers (accompanied by Nara Lee), a children’s moment, prayer and reflection, and the reading of the scripture passage based on Luke 2:41-52 from the Keller family. We will also celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. You are invited to have bread and juice (or what you have at home) available. The sermon title is “The Gift of Story.”
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with you on the live stream at 10:30am this Sunday.