The theme of this year’s Lenten midweek prayer is “Holy Conversations with Jesus.” The Sunday lectionary for Lent reveals Jesus in conversation with both friends and adversaries. Lent’s first Sunday finds him confronting God’s ancient adversary in Matthew’s account of the temptation.
View the Sermon (PDF)February 22, 2026, First Sunday in Lent
Today’s gospel tells of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast is the basis of our forty-day Lenten pilgrimage. During Lent, we struggle and wrestle with times of temptation and wilderness in our own lives. On Sundays during Lent, hungry for God’s mercy, we break the fast and receive the bread of life to […]
View the Sermon (PDF)February 18, 2026, Ash Wednesday
On Ash Wednesday, we begin a forty-day journey toward Easter with Christians around the world. Today is a day of fasting, repentance, and the imposition of ashes, reminding us that we will all die and return to the earth. As a fitting fast, Isaiah reminds us, “6Is not this the fast that I choose: to […]
View the Sermon (PDF)February 15, 2026, Transfiguration of Our Lord
Today’s festival is a bridge between the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle that comes to a close today and the Lent-Easter-Pentecost cycle that begins this week on Ash Wednesday. On a high mountain, today’s gospel reveals Jesus’ divinity hidden in his humanity as the divine voice says, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with him I am well […]
February 8, 2026, Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
We hear the call to work for justice and peace through the scriptures shared this morning. We are reminded to share bread with the hungry and shine light so others will see God. So may our worship together, with the help of God, grant us strength in challenging times to respond by doing good as a […]
View the Sermon (PDF)January 18, 2026, Second Sunday after Epiphany
Today’s gospel opens with further reflection on Jesus’ baptism. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and the one anointed by the Spirit. In the liturgy we “come and see” Christ revealed among us in word and the holy supper, and we are sent forth as apostles to […]
View the Sermon (PDF)January 11, 2026, Installation of Pastor Alexandra Joy Rode
Today we welcome and install the Rev. Alexandra Joy Rode, a full Elder (pastor) in the United Methodist Church, as the Associate Pastor for Family Ministry at St. Mark’s. Thank you for your presence at this service and we ask that you remember Pastor Ali in prayer as she begins her ministry among us.
January 11, 2026, The Baptism of Our Lord
In the waters of the Jordan, Jesus is revealed as the beloved Son of God. Through this great epiphany, Jesus fulfills all righteousness and becomes the servant of God who will bring forth justice and be a light to the nations. In the waters of baptism we too are washed by the Word, anointed by […]
View the Sermon (PDF)January 4, 2026, Second Sunday of Christmas
Within the gospel reading’s profound words lie the simple message that God is revealed in a human person. Though we may try to understand how the Word existed with God from the beginning of time, the wonder we celebrate at Christmas is that the Word continues to dwell among us. Christ comes in the gathered […]
View the Sermon (PDF)December 28, 2025, First Sunday after Christmas
As we celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, our gospel today confronts us with the death of innocent children at the hands of Herod. The birth of Christ does not remove the power of evil from our world, but its light gives us hope as we walk with all the “holy innocents” of past generations […]
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