Sunday, March 15

Reverend Jimmy Moore, preaching
Whose Feet Are You Washing"?
John 13:1-15

Sometimes it is very clear that science and faith, often thought to be at odds, are actually working in significant harmony. In accord to the knowledge we have, and as a faith response, we are all doing our part to make sure that we are keeping each other healthy. We are washing hands often and for twenty second, using hand sanitizer when we cannot wash hands, keeping some “social distance” from others, and staying home when we are sick. And at St. Mark’s this Sunday, we’ll take the additional step of worshipping only via a live stream on the internet. That means we will not worship in person, nor we will we have breakfast, Sunday School or scheduled small groups. These are interesting days to be sure.

Handwashing, of course, has multiple understandings, both literal and metaphorical. Obviously, we wash to make sure that we can eat safely and not pass along communicable diseases. Historically in faith communities, the washing of the hands has served as a ritual purification that happens before and after a meal, on waking in the morning or upon returning from a cemetery. Then, of course, the governor Pilate famously “washed his hands” as if to declare that he was entirely innocent of the death of Jesus.

But what about the washing of feet? Sunday’s sermon, which is included in the live stream worship service, flows from the foot washing passage in the Gospel of John, ironically chosen weeks before the focus on healthy precautions of sanitary cleaning. The sermon arises as a response to one of the questions Mary Beth and I have received as a part of our Lenten theme of “Holy Curiosity”. The questioner asks if we are ready to undertake a church wide social justice project. The sermon will be titled, “Whose Feet Are You Washing?”

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he shared with his disciples a Passover meal. Following the meal, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, to their great surprise.  This was an act usually relegated to a servant in the house as an act of hospitality, to remove the grime from the feet from guests who almost certainly had walked dirty and potentially unsanitary streets. On Sunday, we’ll talk about what it means for us to “wash feet” during a time when we are encouraged to maintain social distance from the other. We hope you join us in worship on the live stream. There will be music, scripture readings, prayers, a children’s moment,  and we’ll find creative a ways to have an offering.

We hope to connect with you through the livestream. Click on this link at 10:25 AM on Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRug8vCO_eMZv7FepvZBrww/live

Sunday, March 8

Reverend Mary Beth Morgan, preaching
John 20:24-29
Wisdom from the Patron Saints of Questioning and Doubt

What do Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Zechariah, Thomas, Martin Luther, C.S. Lewis, Mother Teresa, Pope Francis, and Anne Lamott have in common? They, along with many others, are people of faith who have also been willing to share questions others might keep hidden, as well as their doubts. In doing that, they may help give us courage to do the same. 

 In this season of Lent, as we explore Holy Curiosity, we have invited all of you to send us questions to guide the sermons. This Sunday, we explore a three-part question we received: What if this is all there is? What if “thy will be done on earth” is the whole deal? Would it make a difference in how we conduct our lives? We will do so reflecting on the story of Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, who became known as Doubting Thomas (from John 20:24-29). What wisdom might be gained from the patron saints of questioning and doubt?

 In worship this Sunday, we are very fortunate to have the music leadership of the Chancel Choir and organist, Heather Orvek, under the direction of Gerry Sousa. All are welcome, on Sunday morning, to get some breakfast anytime between 9:00-10:15am, join others around tables, or participate in a Sunday School class. In this flu season, may we commit to stay home if we’re sick (knowing prayers will come our way), wash our hands well and often, and greet one another with a “holy wave,” nod, or elbow bump. If this will be your first Sunday at St. Mark’s, or you have been here for decades, we look forward to sharing this time together on Sunday!

Sunday, March 1

Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
John 2:1-11
Miracles, Yes

“Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood.” So writes Mary Oliver at the beginning of her delightful poem, “Mysteries, Yes.” At St. Mark’s, we are using the Season of Lent to ask some important questions. So one of mine is “Where in my life and in our world have I seen marvelous mysteries that defy explanation and understanding?” What about you?

 In our Lenten emphasis which we are calling “Holy Curiosity”, we are doing a couple of things. In our Ash Wednesday services, we invited folks to do a prayer called the “Examen” every day. In the prayer, we ask two questions, “Where have I seen God this day?” “Where have I seen brokenness today?”

 But the other thing we have done is invite folks to send us questions that they would like to see us craft into sermons. So this week, one of our members has asked that we preach on the challenges of the interface of science with some of the really hard to believe miraculous stories of the Scriptures. If one reduces it to an either/or categories, one must either ascribe to the miraculous detail of every story, or one must adopt philosopher David Hume’s sense that a miracle is impossible because it would be an violation of a natural law. But what if there is a third way to welcome these stories…one that acknowledges the mystery of life and faith? We’ll try that this Sunday with the story of Jesus at a wedding where the water became wine. The sermon is titled “Miracles, Yes”, and rises from John 2:1-11. We will celebrate Holy Communion, and the Chancel Choir will sing. We hope to see you this Sunday.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Dancing Into the Rhythm of Lent
Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching
Matthew 17:1-9
Transfiguration Sunday with Jazz in Worship

When you hear the word “Lent,” what comes to your mind?  It might include “giving something up” or fasting, fish and Fridays. One of my early school memories was an assignment to bring a shoebox to school on Ash Wednesday. During Lent, we were to give our teacher any candy or sweets that we obtained, which she would then keep in our shoeboxes until after Easter. I imagine the intention was to introduce us to spiritual disciplines in a tangible way.  It also had the added benefit of helping our math and calendar skills, and we were counting down, and marking off, the days until Easter.

Even as we grow older, there can still be a yearning to “get through Lent” and to Easter.  Yet, the Lenten season offers an opportunity to be savored.  Lenten comes from an Old English word meaning “spring.”  Lent extends to us an invitation to embrace the springtime for the soul, and for reflection, prayer, repentance, wonder and openness to possibility and awe. 

The scripture passage we are exploring, on this last Sunday before Lent, tells the story of the Transfiguration (from Matthew 17:1-9).  It invites us to be open to mystery and awe, to listen deeply to Jesus’ words, to be willing to go up to the mountain and to come back down, and to be present. As Barbara Brown Taylor notes, sometimes “faith has more to do with staying fully present to what is happening right in front of you than with being certain of what it all means.”

In worship this Sunday, we are very fortunate to have the music leadership of IU Jazz professor, Pat Harbison, and three incredible student musicians, We will also celebrate welcoming new members.  All are welcome, on Sunday morning, to get some breakfast anytime between 9:00-10:15am, join others around tables or participate in a Sunday School class. If this will be your first Sunday at St. Mark’s, or you have been here for decades, we look forward to sharing this time together on Sunday!

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Anger: Brief Madness or Healing Energy
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Matthew 5:21-26

It’s hard to know what to do with anger, isn’t it? The poet David Whyte writes that anger is “the deepest form of compassion…” But he also says, “What we call anger is often simply the unwillingness to live the full measure of our fears or of our not knowing…” Dealing with anger, our own or another’s, is one of the most impactful spiritual and relational decisions we make. Anger can fuel our need for personal change or change within the community. Left unattended, anger (or what we call anger) can also sever our relationship with ourselves and with others.

 Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers, once told a story about a time that he left work after a bad day, and he was in a bad mood. He stopped by to see his grandsons who were playing with a hose in the back yard, supervised by a baby sitter. Fred told the boys that he did not want to be sprayed, but as the play went on, one of the boys, Alex, began to spray closer and closer to him. Fred said in a stern voice, “Alex, that’s it. Turn off the water.” Alex did so, but was very sad. Fred said he became more sad as well. Later that night, he called Alex, and apologized, telling him that he had carried his bed feelings from work into that back yard. Alex said, “Oh, Bubba, everybody makes mistakes sometimes.” (You can watch the video by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33AFCyblVzk)

 We’ll explore this powerful theme of anger and restoration in worship on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “Anger:  Brief Madness or Healing Energy” arising from Matthew 5: 21-26. The Chancel Choir, led by Gerry Sousa, will lead us in worship. We hope to see you this Sunday.

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Changing the World with a Shaker of Salt
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Matthew 5:13-20

“Take this with a grain of salt.” Has anyone ever said that to you? When we say that, we usually mean that whatever we are saying is better taken conditionally…that there could be other facts that could impact what we are saying. But the phrase originated with Pliny the Elder, in the late first century, who when describing a remedy for poison, urged that the concoction be taken with salt. The implication was that the salt would help the medicine go down by limiting any harmful effects. We expect salt to help us out.

In his book, SALT: A WORLD HISTORY, Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to salt, the only rock we eat, to describe the ways that it has shaped civilization from the very beginning. Our very physical bodies need salt to survive. Salt has served as currency, impacted trade routes, and inspired revolutions. It allowed cultures to move beyond seasonal availability of food, and speaking of food, many of us are deeply disappointed if our food is too bland, lacking some salty flavor. These, of course, are only a few of the uses of salt.

 For all of that, and perhaps because of that, it makes it difficult to know what Jesus meant when calling the disciples “the salt of the earth”. At the least, two things are true. For those listening who might have supposed that the great thing that was needed was for someone to come in and make things better, Jesus says, if effect, “…you are the salt of the earth. You are those who can impact the world for good.” And second, rather than relying on the great powers of Empire, wealth and weapons, the reign of God comes through the domestic graces: loving gesture, gracious speech, lively community, and prophetic calls.

 This will be our theme at St. Mark’s this Sunday morning at the 10:30 worship service, where the sermon is titled, “Changing the World with a Shaker of Salt”, arising from Matthew 5:13-20. The Chancel Choir, directed by Gerry Sousa, will lead us in worship. We hope to see you.

Soup Lunch This Sunday, February 9

OPERATION FRIENDSHIP (OF) SOUP LUNCH
Enjoy a soup lunch in support of Operation Friendship to be held after Worship on February 9 in Garton Hall. Choose from a variety of delicious soups, grilled cheese sandwiches, and baked goods. All eat-in orders include a roll and a drink. Stay to eat your soup lunch in Garton Hall, with drinks provided by OF. You may also pre-order and take lunch home with you. Order forms are available at the Welcome Desk in Garton Hall. Operation Friendship (OF) is a travel exchange program for youth with which St. Mark’s has participated for generations.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Discovering New Possibilities of Who We Are Called to Be
Matthew 4:12-23
Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” children are often asked. “What are you going to do after graduation?” is a question posed to teenagers and young adults.  Sometimes those questions are asked as a way to get to know a young person better and to learn about and celebrate their interests. Those questions may also be asked with an underlying hope that that the young person’s answer will indicate a plan and direction for their future. 

In the scripture passage we are exploring this Sunday (from Matthew 4:12-23), a man named Zebedee may have been feeling some comfort in the way his sons, James and John, answered those questions. They went into the family’s fishing business and, by all appearances, business was good. Then one day, an itinerant teacher, named Jesus, comes by and asks his boys to follow him. They get out of their father’s boat and drop their nets. Jesus invites another question “Who are you going to be as a disciple?” Regardless of what we do, or where we are in our life’s journey, each of us is invited to embrace that question.

 All are welcome on Sunday morning to get some breakfast anytime from 9:00-10:15am, to join others around tables, or to participate in a Sunday School class. We will celebrate communion, and the Chancel Choir will lead us in music. If this will be your first Sunday at St. Mark’s, or you have been here for decades, we look forward to sharing this time together on Sunday!

Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Journey from Curses to Blessings
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Matthew 5:1-12

Have you ever felt cursed? As baseball season approaches, Cubs fans are reminded of the Billy Goat curse, which originated when William Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat tavern, brought his goat, Murphy, to game four of the 1945 World Series. Murphy’s odor was a problem for some fans, and Sianis and Murphy were asked to leave Wrigley Field. As he left, a miffed Sianis was heard to utter the words, “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” This was widely interpreted to mean that the Cubs would not win a world series in Sianis’ lifetime. Indeed, they did not and the ‘curse’ was not lifted until the Cubs won the series in 2016. Still, Cubs fans are known to live with the dread expectation that if something can go wrong with the team, it will.

That’s sports, and we can laugh about that. But in broader human life, many feel that they are cursed…that they are born under a bad sign. Many carry the sense that nothing good will happen for them, and the unhappy legacies they and theirs have known will only continue. And too often, we can join in the continuation of the woes of others by pronouncing our own curses on them, or just as unfortunately, neglect bringing blessing to their world.

Blessing seeks to undo the cursed sense that we can carry. In the teachings of Jesus, the “beatitudes” are intended to reverse the power of curses, of the expectation that certain behaviors flow from and bring about the deep displeasure of God. In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, unlike Matthew’s version, woes (curses) are included, indicating that there are indeed some behaviors that merit deep divine displeasure. But in the Jesus’ teaching, much of what has been considered to be woeful can rather be understood as blessings. But both Matthew’s and Luke’s versions represent that is called “the great reversal”. So, if someone thinks that someone’s poverty, to name one example, is an indication of the absence of blessing, Jesus flips that, and teaches that it is rather the poor who are blessed.

So, therefore being an intentional community or person who embraces blessing has the power to effect dynamic change. We’ll talk about this in worship, as the sermon is titled “The Journey from Curses to Blessings”, arising from Luke 6:17-26. We hope you join us.

Sign Up for MLK Day of Service 2020

MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020, 9:00-11:00am (with light breakfast at 8:30am)
See the sign up for a few afternoon opportunities as well. 
BE A PART OF "DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE!"

Extend the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through acts of service with others. All ages are invited to participate in our day of service opportunities in collaboration with other faith communities and non-profits. Children need to be accompanied by adults.  Permission and liability forms must be signed for everyone under age 18.  

The day begins 8:30am with a light breakfast at St. Mark's. Participants can choose a number of volunteer options at St. Mark's, and some opportunities in the community.  

Click this link,  MLK Jr. Day of Service 2020, to sign up online, or sign up in Garton Hall. For more information, contact Mary Beth Morgan or the church office at 812-332-5788.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Beloved Child of God
Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching
Matthew 3:13-17

One of the great gifts of serving as a pastor is being a part of the celebration of baptisms.  Each baptism is special, unique and sacred. When we have a babies or young children who are going to be baptized, I am especially attentive to what might make them feel more comfortable. Giving each child an opportunity to feel the water beforehand can help.

 A few months ago, one of our delightful young ones became immersed in the experience - literally. As we baptized her, she splashed and bathed herself in the baptismal waters, and us as well. It was a reminder that we are part of one larger family as beloved children of God, and are called to bless one another. This Sunday, we enter into the story of Jesus’ baptism, in the Gospel according to Matthew (3:13-17). All will be invited to Time of Remembrance of Baptism and Blessing. If baptized or not, each of us is a beloved child of God, and we are called to live in that knowing in the ways we care for one another and affirm the blessing of each person. The Chancel Choir will lead us in music during worship.

All are welcome, on Sunday morning, to get some breakfast anytime between 9:00-10:15am, to join others around tables, or to participate in a Sunday School class. If this will be your first Sunday at St. Mark’s, or if you have been here for decades; we look forward to sharing this time together on Sunday!

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Discovering How to Be Human:
On Finding an Epiphany When You Need One
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12

Could you use an epiphany or two these days? One night this week I had occasion to be out “in the country” late in the evening. It was a clear night, and all of a sudden, though it had been there all along, I noticed above me a heaven full of stars. A majority of Americans are surrounded each evening with so much artificial light that we cannot see, at least with regularity, the wonder above us. With its radiance and the unpredictable poetry of the constellations, this was a moment of “Epiphany”, speaking not just of the physical universe, but of sometimes hidden wonder of life. Instantly, I started breathing differently.  I had no words, but if I had found them, they could have said it no better than Maya Angelou in her poem, “Touched by An Angel,”

 We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
We dare be brave
And suddenly we see that love costs all we are
And will ever be.
Yet it is only love which set us free.

This Sunday in worship we mark Epiphany Sunday. The Gospel Lesson for the day is Matthew 2: 1-12, and tells the story of the Magi, who were like astrologers but at the very least, we can say that they were connoisseurs of epiphanies. They sought them, and with all of their experience, the Gospel writers want us to imagine that when they saw this star, some new longing overcame them. They were led by star to the sacred story, and by dream to go home a different way, away from the fear and death of the powers and toward liberating love.  Nothing was the same after their Jesus sighting?

So could you use an epiphany just now? Has the way seemed endless and unnecessarily meandering? Are you having a difficult time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, or for that matter, at the entrance to the cave. Then let’s muse on this in worship on Sunday at 10:30. The sermon is titled “Discovering How to Be Human: On Finding an Epiphany When You Need One”. We’ll celebrate Holy Communion and the Chancel Choir will lead us in worship. We hope to see you this Sunday.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Fumes
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Matthew 2:13-20

Does anyone else feel a little tired? It’s well known, especially among pastors, that the Advent and Christmas season, for all of its power, can be exhausting. Mary Beth and I were joking the other day about sermon titles for the first Sunday after Christmas and I quipped, “Fumes”. (as in ‘running on fumes’) And the truth is, I’m a little tired. But as I began to reflect, I quickly had to note that we’re not the only ones. During this season we all shop, travel and entertain. We engage in so many activities that we simply cannot make it to all those gatherings we wish we could. For all of its glories, December can wear us out. And beyond all of that, there are many burdens, personal and global, that just seem too heavy to carry these days. For that matter, perhaps 2019 has just been a rough year for some of us.  So, I’ll ask again: does anyone else feel a little tired?

Indeed, weariness is one of the less frequently explored themes of the Advent/Christmas season. As the lyric in “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” has it, “And still their heavenly music floats o’er all the weary world.” In the biblical narrative in Matthew and Luke, the shepherds are working at night, after the visit from the angels, travel to see the holy infant. And the young couple and the babe are frequently awakened at night by angels and told to move under cloak of darkness, for they are not safe. It is a wearying thing to be unable to be at peace in a home of your own, isn’t it?

A clear but powerful piece of the Good News is this: God cares for the weary and the broken-hearted. Part of the longing of the Nativity Scene of the Gospels is that this motley crew that gathers can rest in the shining of the radiant moment.

So what if this is true, that our fatigue actually serves as a messenger of God to tell us that we need to find the rest and restoration that can allow us to breathe deeply? We’ll talk about this in the sermon on Sunday morning which is titled, “Fumes”. (Yes, it really is). The sermon rises from the accounting in Matthew 2:13-23 in which the holy family has to keep relocating to stay safe. Join us on Sunday morning at 10:30 as the Chancel Choir, led by Gerry Sousa, leads us in music.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Advent Dreams, Advent Actions: Their Watch of Wondrous Love
Rev. Jimmy Moore & Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, co-preaching
Luke 2:1-7

Barbara Brown Taylor writes that according to the Talmud, every blade of grass has its own angel bending over it, whispering, “Grow, grow.” That is, there are loving and watchful energies encouraging love and blessing surrounding all of us, and all of creation. We might ask, “What do those angels look like? If we could notice them, it might help us be encouraged.” Some of us probably picture them as the winged creatures of much Christian art. Others of us smile as we remember George Bailey’s guardian angel Clarence Odbody in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, who needed to help George in order to earn his wings. But perhaps we really are looking for them in the wrong places.

The stories in the Gospels that tell us about the birth of Jesus had angels dancing all over them. Matthew tells us of the angel that visited Joseph, and declared to him that God was active in Mary’s life and that he should not be afraid to marry her. In Luke, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, has a conversation with the angel Gabriel, who had already appeared in stories in the Hebrew Bible. Zechariah wonders how he and his wife, in their advanced years, will have a baby. And later, Gabriel has a conversation with Mary, who is more ready than Zechariah to receive the great news she is given.

In the beloved carol, “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” we sing the lines, “While mortals sleep, the angels keep, their watch of wondering love.” The loving watch, the carol suggests, opens a path to understanding, and an anticipation of the grace and love that is waiting to emerge. And if we are blessed, and patient, we can notice it, and even encourage its emergence. “Grow, Grow.”

We’ll discuss this “wondering love” in worship this Sunday. Mary Beth Morgan and Jimmy Moore will co-preach the sermon, “Advent Dreams; Advent Actions: Their Watch of Wondering Love”, arising from Luke 2: 1-14. The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa, will lead us in worship. We hope to see you in worship this Sunday.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Advent Dreams, Advent Actions: Why This Jubilee?
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Luke 2:8-14

What is your favorite Christmas song? Why is it your favorite? In many cases, certain songs can open our minds and hearts in ways that spoken words never can. Sometimes those tunes take us to places distant and beloved, parts of the deep sanctuary of memory we hold dear. And sometimes, in the words of psychiatrist Oliver Sacks in Musicophilia, they can take us places we have barely ever imagined. “Music can also evoke worlds very different from the personal, remembered worlds of events, people, places we have known,” Sacks writes. We find that in the great economy of God, we are made for music, and when music finds us, we resonate like a tuning fork sending out the pitch we are seeking.

 In a well known, Christmas carol, we sing these questions, “Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?” The Christmas narrative is punctuated by surprising, powerful songs, almost like a Broadway music, although we have little to no idea what those songs might have sounded like. But like all music, they both reflect the energy of the divine and human experience, and more, they serve as transformational agents within that energy. The shepherds heard that angelic chorus, and were both spiritually transported and moved to travel to the site with Christ was born.

 This Sunday morning at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, music will call out to us. The Chancel Choir, joined by singers and orchestra from the Bloomington Chamber Singers, will sing excerpts of Part One of Handel’s Messiah. And the homily for the day, titled, “Advent Dreams, Advent Actions: Why This Jubilee?”, arising from Luke 2: 8-14, will reflect on the power of music in human experience generally, and particularly in faith experience. A children’s sermon will do the same. We hope to see you this Sunday at 10:30.