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.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Advent Dreams, Advent Actions: Fireworks in the Season of Advent

Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Matthew 3:1-12

This goes into the category of “Don’t try this at home, kids.” I once accidentally caused a ruckus at a holiday meal at my home when I was boy, old enough to know better. It was raining and I was bored, so I went to the back of the house to “play”. To my surprise, and joy, I found some firecrackers and some matches, and commenced lighting the firecrackers and throwing them out the window. The rain was loud, and the window was high, and no one else could hear anything.  But once I got a little crossed up, and threw the match out the window, and kept the lit firecracker in my hand. I realized my error just in time to drop the firecracker before it detonated but not in time to drop it outside. When it exploded, it sent a regrettably loud noise throughout the entire house, to say nothing of the unmistakable odor of gunpowder.  This sent my visibly irritated mother back to where I was…back to the room where I wished I was not.  Let’s just say that the next hour or two of my life were not pleasant. I won’t be chronicling them.

 We assume that fireworks really don’t go well with the Advent/Christmas season. But if that is so, why do the lectionary passages of Advent include John the Baptist. He was nothing if he not a firecracker, ready to cause emotional and religious distress to many of the settled parties of his day. Clearly the church in its longer and deeper wisdom have wanted us to see in Advent a time to see settled structures undergo some loud shaking, and to see fear and greed be asked to remove themselves from places of prominence in our hearts.

 So are we not entering a season of peace and goodwill? Why bring up John the Baptist, and his finger pointing and fiery sermons? Sure…it is a time in which the ages old longing for peace in the heart and peace in the world finds hope.  But it is also a time when we are reminded that much of what we have built is keeping us from peace…from the deep experience of the Divine in our midst. And this, too, is Advent.

 We’ll talk about this in the sermon on Sunday morning in worship which is titled, “Advent Dreams, Advent Actions: Fireworks in the Season of Advent,“ arising from Matthew 3: 1-12. During the service, the Chancel Ringers will ring, and the Chancel Choir, directed by Gerry Sousa, will lead us as well. And we’ll celebrate the baptism of one of our very young ones. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Christmas Eve at St. Mark's

Tuesday, December 24

EARLY SERVICE WITH CANDLE LIGHTING, 3:00PM
Join us mid-afternoon at 3:00pm in the sanctuary for a service of lessons, carols, communion and candlelight.

CHRISTMAS EVE PAGEANT, 5:30PM
Plan to be here for this wonderful service for all ages! It is a special ministry of our children and youth to share the story of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Eve. Children and youth will also share special music; the congregation will sing hymns; the angels will bring good news; the sheep will baa; the cows will moo; the camels will say whatever camels say; the shepherds will keep watch; the innkeeper will have no room; the magi will bring gifts. We will all welcome Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus (and their donkey). As we end our celebration, we will light candles as we sing “Silent Night” together.

LATE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE, 11:00PM
Carols, liturgy, and the story of the very first Christmas as told in Luke’s Gospel will guide us through the final hour of Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning. We will all share in the singing of hymns and light candles as we join our voices in the verses of “Silent Night.”

CHRISTMAS EVE OFFERING
This year, the offering from the three Christmas Eve services will be divided evenly between The Bishop’s Christmas Offering for Children and an offering to support building needs and ministries at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. The Bishop’s offering supports Indiana Outdoor Camp Ministries, Children and Youth Homes, and United Methodist ministries which help feed, clothe, and educate children locally and globally. The offering that supports building needs and ministries will help us continue to offer hospitable outreach to many non-profits during the year. It will also help insure that we will be able to continue our ministries of care, Christian education and missional connection inside and outside our building. We deeply appreciate your generosity to these important ministry causes at this special time of year.

2019 Advent and Christmas at St. Mark's

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1: THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

10:30am: Sanctuary Worship

5pm-7pm: Advent Night & Hanging of the Greens

Light Supper, Activities for Children

Decorating the Sanctuary and Building. All are welcome.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8: THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

10:30am: Sanctuary Worship

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15: THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

10:30am: Sanctuary Worship

3:00pm: Bloomington Chamber Singers Messiah Sing-Along

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17

7:00pm: Blue Christmas Service

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22: THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

10:30am: Sanctuary Worship

3:30pm: All Ages Christmas Caroling

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24: CHRISTMAS EVE

3:00pm: Early Service with Communion and Candle Lighting

5:30pm: Christmas Pageant and Candle Lighting

11:00pm: Late Service with Candle Lighting

IN OBSERVANCE OF THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S HOLIDAYS,
THE ST. MARK’S BUILDING WILL BE CLOSED AS FOLLOWS:
Wednesday, December 25-closed
Thursday, December 26-closed
Tuesday, December 31-closed
Wednesday, January 1-closed

There will be no staff members in the building and there will be no events planned at the church. In the event of a pastoral emergency, please call the church office. More information is provided in the answering machine message.

United Methodist Women’S Cookie Shoppe

Saturday, December 7 (8AM-12PM) & Sunday, December 8 (9:30AM-12PM), Room 8

Sales of cookies and candy will be 8am-Noon on December 7 & also from 9:30am-Noon on December 8. For best selection, variety, and quantity, plan to shop on Saturday morning. Cookies and candies are sold by weight at $15 per pound. Free gift boxes and ribbon are provided. All proceeds go to local and global missions.

Sunday, December 1 - First Sunday of Advent; Holy Communion; World AIDS Day

Advent Dreams; Advent Actions: Stories in a Quilt

Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching with Ed Brandon and Mark Cox
Isaiah 2:1-5

A woman, surrounded by squares of fabric, was asked what she was quilting. She responded “I am quilting a story that continues to unfold even as I sew these pieces together.” We are blessed again, this Sunday, to have a collection of panels from the AIDS Quilt here at St. Mark’s that represents an unfolding story. We are grateful to Ed Brandon who made this possible, and created one of these panels.

The National AIDS Memorial reminds us that the AIDS Quilt commemorates over 105,000 people who have died of AIDS. The “panels serve as both a memorial and a storyteller. Each panel visually documents the evolution of one of the nation’s ongoing civil rights struggles.” They invite us to remember, repent, honor the life of each person, and to advocate for and support those living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones, around the globe. Ed Brandon and Mark Cox will share a few stories and important insights with us on this first Sunday in Advent.

The scripture passage for this week is Isaiah 2:1-5. The prophet envisions the nations (all peoples) “streaming” to learn to live by God’s Law, Rather than responding to a quest for power and wealth, or reacting to fear and prejudice, they will be moved by and internal quest and drive for peace. “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks.” The sermon title is Advent Dreams and Advent Actions: Stories in a Quilt . We will celebrate Communion together, and collect items for Backpack Buddies.

All are invited, on Sunday morning, to get some breakfast anytime between 9:00-10:15am, which is provided this week by the Reconciling Ministries Team. Donations are appreciated, and will go to the United Methodist Church Global AIDS Fund. Plan to come back at 5pm for Advent Night and Hanging of the Greens, including a turkey-free meal. (See details in the article included here.) 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, November 24, 2019

From My Place at the Table, What is One Thing I Will Do Today?

Rev. Mary Beth Morgan, preaching
Luke 22:14-20

These days, it seems we cannot turn on the radio or the television without someone telling us how complicated our Thanksgiving gatherings are going to be next week.  On face value, that is understandable in the context of impeachment hearings, primary election debates, and divergent views on political, societal, environmental and justice issues.

Yet, this week we are reminded, again, that we do not have the corner on the market of possible, or probable, tension at a shared meal.  In worship this Sunday, we are invited back into the story of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples (as told in the Gospel of Luke).  Jesus tells them that the one about to betray him is at the table. The disciples respond by debating which one of them it is.  Later, others get into a dispute about which one of them will be regarded as the greatest.

Jesus gives thanks to God, and he serves them the meal.  He tells them “the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves… I am among you as one who serves.” On this Sunday designated as “Christ the King” Sunday, we are reminded that Jesus, in word and example, is still teaching us those lessons.  What is something you are thankful for today?  From your place at the table, what is something you can do today to help nurture a little grace, care and justice in the life of another or in the world?

We will be blessed these next two Sundays to have a panel from the AIDS Quilt here at St. Mark’s.  Its presence invites us reflect on its witness in the world and calls to each of us to remember, repent, honor the life of each person represented, and advocate for and support those living with HIV/AIDS.

This Sunday morning, all are welcome and invited to get some breakfast anytime between 9:00-10:15am, gather around tables in Garton Hall, and listen to some live music- or head to an adult Sunday School class.  You will see many Thanksgiving Baskets in Garton Hall, which will be delivered to individuals and families in our community after worship.  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!

Tuesday, November 26, 7:00pm

Multi-faith Thanksgiving Celebration
at St. Thomas Lutheran
3800 E 3RD St, Bloomington

St. Mark’s is joining with other local faith communities for a wonderful Thanksgiving Celebration. This includes friends from Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian, and Christian traditions. St. Thomas Lutheran is hosting the service this year. All are welcome. Mary Beth Morgan will be offering the reflection. If you can bring a snack for a gathering after the service, please contact Mary Beth.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A Community of Shepherds

Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Jeremiah 23:1-6

In our local social media scene, there is a Facebook page for folks whose pets have gone missing. Most who initiate posts there are understandably distraught. Many of us have pets who are absconders, who when given the opportunity will run from us like Harrison Ford ran from Tommy Lee Jones in “The Fugitive.” And there are times when the Facebook community of friends actually helps find the little runaways. But whether that happens or not, it is pretty clear that the distraught owner feels a great deal of care coming from the community of fellow animal lovers. It really is good to not be alone when you are reaching out in care and love.

A common metaphor for that care in the Scriptures is “shepherd”. Often it is God who is the shepherd as we read in the very well-known Twenty Third Psalm. And in the Christian Scriptures, in Luke, Jesus speaks of the shepherd who goes in search of the one lost sheep ... the absconder. In the Gospel of John, Jesus likens himself to the Good Shepherd, whose care for the sheep includes a protective love for them entails taking risks. And in Jeremiah 23, the “weeping prophet” who is speaking to those going into exile laments the faithless “shepherds” (leaders) who have divided and abandoned the people of God. Jeremiah promises that God will raise up shepherds who will truly care for the sheep.

In short, this is true: it is not only God who shepherds, nor a few select leaders. We are all called to be shepherds and as a community, to organize around the shepherding love for all of God’s people. The community of shepherds will not run from danger, nor abandon the flock to pursue greener personal pastures. It is not just the solitary soul who goes after lost and discouraged ones. The community of shepherds organizes itself to be welcoming, affirming, inspiring and brave.

 We’ll talk about this in worship at 10:30 on Sunday, as the sermon is titled “A Community of Shepherds”, arising from Jeremiah 23:1-6. The Chancel Choir, led by Gerry Sousa, will lead us in music. We will also celebrate Holy Communion. We’ll look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday.

PUB THEOLOGY ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 6:30-8 PM

PUB THEOLOGY RETURNS TO NICK'S THIS MONTH
NICK’S ENGLISH HUT, 423 E KIRKWOOD AVE

Pub Theology provides a place to relax with food and beverage and a fun group of thinking disciples to talk a little theology. The theme for this month’s discussion is an article from the New Republic (September 20, 2018) titled “The Struggle for a New American Gospel: A liberal's search for God and faith in a divided country”. You may contact Jimmy Moore for a copy. There will also be copies on the registration desk at church. We would love for you to join us at Nick’s on November 18 at 6:30.