1st Weekend of Advent

"Are you ready?"

On this first weekend of the new year, we gather to get ready and prepare for Christ's arrival at Christmas. The church in it's wisdom gives us time to slow down, get ready, and consider what we need to make a space for Jesus' birth as we consider the good news for this year in the confluence of Jesus' history, mystery, and majesty we find on the first weekend of Advent.

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

Christ the King

"The Kin-Dom of God: Love and Justice for all"

This weekend, our Scripture readings describe the “kingdom of God” – and remind us that God’s kingdom is full of love, justice, and the well-being of all. 

One way that St. Mark shares God’s love with our neighbors is through our partnership with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI). Representatives from LSSI will join us for worship to share more about how your support shares God’s love with many of our neighbors each year.

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

23rd Weekend after Pentecost

"The Story of God's Abundant Love"

In our gospel this Sunday Jesus calls us to testify, to tell the story of God's abundant love in our lives.

That testifying can look like telling someone the story of Jesus found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, or Paul. It can look like telling people the story of how God has worked in our own lives. It can look like giving young people Bibles or giving help to those who need it or speaking out against injustices.

It is in this testifying that we build our muscles for hope and find the strength to live through the unlivable.

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

22nd Weekend after Pentecost

"Longing for Hope"

When the Sadducees encounter Jesus with a technical question, he responds by humanizing and placing divine value upon each character in the Sadducees’ hypothetical scenario. Jesus’ response is about resurrection and about naming people as children of God and of light. The answer Jesus gives the Sadducees is about God, whose presence means life.

This is about God’s promise of resurrection in the face of death, and about life in the face of and in spite of death. The Gospel for this weekend proclaim hope in the face of hopelessness and urge us to do the same. Come to worship for hope and inspiration.

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

All Saints

"Where The Veil Is Thin"

Who are the saints, and what do they have to say to us? Rather than being perfect Christians, the saints are people who have been made whole by the grace of God, through baptism into Christ. The communion of saints is a diverse array of witnesses who remind us of God’s continuing faithfulness, past, present, and future. 

In the picture painted by the gospel reading from Luke, the saints challenge us to embody the surprising, world-reversing ways of the reign of God. 

Hope to see you this weekend!

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

Reformation/Confirmation

"God's Abundant Love, Our Faith Journeys, and the Glow of Abiding in the Heart of God."

Local power outages interrupted the video streaming and recording of our Worship Service. We captured much of the service from an alternate personal source that limited our ability to record sound. Thank you for your understanding.

This week we celebrate more great moments in our life of faith. In the gospel we hear Jesus calls to abide in the word and be set free to love and serve our neighbor. As we celebrate Reformation Day and Confirmation we focus in on the moments when God's abundant love showed up in our lives and we lived in response to it and showed loved and served others. 

You're invited to wear RED for Reformation to represent how the Holy Spirit is always reforming the church!

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

Installation of Pastor Krista and Deacon David

"The God of the Yet"

Fourteen years after standing in the same sanctuary for my ordination, I will be returning to celebrate how God is still at work—calling, sending, and creating something new. In a world that often looks backward for meaning, Jesus meets us on the shoreline and calls us into what’s next.

This sermon invites us to honor the past without being defined by it and to trust that God is not finished yet.

As your stewardship season tagline says, God is taking St. Mark's from Transition to Transformation!

I can't wait to celebrate what God is doing at St. Mark's, where my ministry began, and with Pastor Krista and Deacon David, my friends from seminary.

See you all on Saturday!

    Peace,

    Pastor Brian Wise

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.

17th Weekend after Pentecost

"An Attitude of Gratitude"

It’s a miracle! Multiple miracles! The waters of holy baptism have healed us. 

The body and blood of Jesus in holy communion have made us clean. 

We have died with Christ and been raised with him. 

For all this we have returned to offer thanks. 

From this place we are sent on our way rejoicing to share the good news. "Hope to see you this weekend!"

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

We invite you to gather elements 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.