You may have noticed that there has been just a tad of election talk in these last days, weeks, and months. In the midst of watching election results one evening, a memory came back to me of the one time I won an election. It was in the late 1970’s, and I ran for a student council office. In the days of rotary phones, campaigning was homemade posters on lockers, slogans and a speech before the student body of the Catholic School I attended. I also remember one of the teachers sitting us down, and talking with us about what our faith teaches us about being good leaders.
This Sunday is called Reign of Christ Sunday, and the scripture readings invite us to reflect on how each of us is called to embrace servant leadership. Jesus lived this, and modeled this as the Good Shepherd. That image of shepherd is prominently featured in the Hebrew scriptures, including the reading for this week (based on Jeremiah 23:1-6). In our time of worship, we will also sing hymns, pray and reflect, and share a Children’s Moment. The Chancel Choir, accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will lead us in music and will share an anthem. Annette Lemond will share our scripture reading. The sermon is titled “Shepherd Leadership”.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. Visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 on Sunday morning, and click on the Livestream banner.