Nearly twenty years ago, Lillian Daniel was the pastor of a small United Church of Christ congregation just north Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. She developed a growing sense that the congregation was growing hungry for the practice of testimony, though no one knew exactly what to call it. So they began asking individuals, one per week, to tell in worship how they experienced God in the world. They had wide latitude on what they could say, but they did need to say how their faith impacted what they were sharing. The practice was so warmly received that when she transferred to a larger church in Illinois, she invited folks there to offer testimony as well. They, too, embraced it. Once, she said, one of the lay leaders spoke. He was quite experienced in public speaking, but when he began to talk about how being a lay leader had enriched his faith, he began to weep. He turned around and said to Lillian, “Wow, this is really different from other kinds of speaking, isn’t it?” Lillian said that as he continued, “the tears accompanied him as he told a beautiful story that trumped any sermon I could give.” What does faithful speech entail for us today?
The biblical witness speaks to this. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus seeks to elicit faithful speech from the disciples. After inquiring what others are saying about who they think Jesus is, he asks, “And who do you say that I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Messiah.” Peter would soon learn that true testimony would be a mark of the living church.
We’ll discuss this in worship on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “Bearing the Light in Unbearable Times.” The sermon arises from James 3:1-12, which will be read by Rick Scheid, and Mark 8:27-38. The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will sing, “We’ve Come This Far by Faith.” Lois Leong will present “Plink, Plank, Plunk” as a solo bells piece. We’ll have a moment for children, and sing and pray together. Make your plans to join us for breakfast sponsored by the St. Mark’s Library Team.
If you have a long-attended St. Mark’s, or are joining us for the first time, we will look forward to seeing you in the sanctuary at 10:30. If you are connecting online, visit www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream Banner.