19th Weekend after Pentecost

"Behold the Vine"

In our readings this week we hear an invitation to consider the vine. The psalmist calls on God to look on the community and see our needs and to send blessings and comfort using the words: "Behold and tend the vine." 

In the gospel Jesus doesn't use the same invitation but rather tells a parable in which the community and the social fabric is totally forgotten. Violence and disregard for social norms and the community are running rampant. The vine has been forgotten. 

As we reflect on our stewardship season themes and on the ways seeds remind us of our shared commitment to each other and the natural world, we will listen to the good news inviting us to behold the vine.  

If you'd like a bonus reflection on these themes of seeds and cultural insanity you can check out this podcast that Deacon David is listening to this week:   

     "Seeds, Grief, and Memory" Becoming the People with Prentis Hemphill and Rowen White.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

18th Weekend after Pentecost

"By God's Authority"

Jesus’ parable this weekend is about two sons who don’t do what they say, which reveals surprises in the reign of God. Come to worship, to hear about God’s grace and to receive welcome at the table of holy communion. 

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

17th Weekend after Pentecost

"That's Not Fair! Exactly."

The parable we hear this coming Saturday and Sunday might strike church-goers as troubling: what, shouldn’t we get paid more if we work longer hours?! The last shall be first? 

Come to worship, to meditate on the good news of God's grace found in this story and to receive the meal of God’s mercy. 

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

16th Weekend after Pentecost

"God's Work. Our Hands: Answering God's Call with our Lives." 

This week we reflect on how God calls us to live lives of service, be in relationship with our neighbors, and to not just do service but to let our lives preach the good news of God's abundant love in all seasons of our lives. 

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

15th Weekend after Pentecost

"Reconciliation: Don't let it fester"

When church people refer to “Matthew 18,” it is the gospel for this coming weekend that they are thinking of, with its advice about how Christians are to deal with controversies within the believing community. 

The good news in the reading is especially the last line: that Christ is among us always. 

Come to receive Christ’s gift of himself in word, sacrament, and community.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

14th Weekend after Pentecost

"Resurrection People"

As the full cost and weight of discipleship becomes clear to Peter in this gospel this week he reacts negatively out of his love for Jesus. Jesus speaks sharply to Peter out of love and we are invited to consider how we've grown in discipleship through the years. 

With grace and faith we look for the throughline of love that has carried us to this point in life.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

13th Weekend after Pentecost

"Keys of The Kingdom"

In the gospel reading this coming weekend, we hear that Peter received the “keys of the kingdom.” 

In our baptism it is as if we too have received keys that open God to us and open ourselves to others. 

Come to worship; be opened to the word and at the table.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

12th Weekend after Pentecost

"Listen, Understand and Accept"

Dearest, thank you so much for doing a lot for the community and very well-organized work at St. Mark's. Thank you so much for accepting Tumaini Swahili Chapel - Aurora to use your space. Thank you so much for your support and care.

Yours Faithfully,

Pastor Nixon Mwitula

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

11th Weekend of Pentecost

"Walking on Water, Walking by Faith"

When the disciples face a great storm on the sea, they cry out with fear. Jesus says: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

Amid the storms of life, we gather to seek the calm presence of Christ that soothes our fears. In comforting words of scripture and in the refreshing bread and cup of the eucharist, God grants us peace and sends us forth to be a sign of God’s presence to others.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! 

Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

10th Weekend of Pentecost

"Completing the Circle"

In the gospel this week Jesus feeds a multitude of people. The story looks and sounds a lot like when we gather around the table to be fed in Holy Communion. We will reflect on how the circle of God's love shows up and works miracles when we bring our short comings and concerns as we gather around the table.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

Feast Day of Mary Magdalene, Apostle

"Mary the Tower"

In the gospels of Matthew, John, and Mark, Mary Magdalene is the first to see the risen Christ, who commissions her to tell the other disciples the good news. In almost all the lists of women who followed Jesus, she is named first. Through the centuries, in the Western church she has been the object of misconceptions about her life and her relationship to Jesus. Now we recover her role as leader among Jesus’ followers and as witness to the resurrection. 

Come to worship and see Mary Magdalene though a new lens which has the power to iluminate our faith in Jesus!  



Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

8th Weekend after Pentecost

"#KidsConnect"

One of my favorite gospel stories is when Jesus welcomes the children. This week at VBS we have been living and celebrating all the reasons this gospel is good news - we are all connected and God's love is found in those connections and God sightings. We will share our favorite moments from this week! (From Deacon David)

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

7th Weekend after Pentecost

"Seeds and Good Soil"

The parable we hear this coming weekend likens the word of God to seed that Christ sows into the field that we are. Come to worship, to receive the seed of the word, and at the table, to be nourished for a fruitful life. 

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

We would love to connect with you and know who is worshiping with us online! Click here to fill out our online connect card. 

If you would like to give online, you may click here. Any expression of generosity is much appreciated!  

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! 

We hope that you will join us.

6th Weekend after Pentecost

God's Invitation

In our gospel this week we are reminded that God is constantly inviting us into community with God so that we might experience God's abundant love. Never mind our stubbornness or distraction, God is always nearby extending an open hand and heart.

Download the Order of Worship here to join in the singing, readings, and prayers.

We invite you to gather elements at home to participate in Communion: bread or crackers, plus wine or juice. 

St. Mark’s welcomes all to the table! We hope that you will join us.