Third Sunday in Lent
The third covenant in this year's Lenten readings is the central one of Israel's history: the gift of the law to those God freed from slavery. The ten commandments are one of the chief parts of Luther's catechism, a core piece of baptismal instruction. They begin with the statement that because God alone has freed us from the powers that oppressed us, we are to let nothing else claim first place in our lives. When Jesus throws the merchants out of the temple, he is defending the worship of God alone and rejecting the ways commerce and profit-making can become our gods.
THIS SUNDAY AT ST. MARK'S
9:00 am - Holy Communion with Children’s Time - Sanctuary
9:50 am - Sunday School - Sunday School Room
10:00 am - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Heritage Hall
10:00 am - Adult Forum: Deliberating End of Life Options - Fireside Room
10:00 am - Journeys in Faith - JIF Room
10:05 am - Confirmation - Youth Room
11:00 am - Choral Eucharist Worship Service - Sanctuary
12:15 pm - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Heritage Hall
CALLING ALL POTENTIAL WORSHIP ASSISTANTS
One of the central disciplines of Lent is prayer, and the communal prayer for which we gather on Sundays requires a committed group of volunteers. During this season of preparation and reflection, you are invited to discern a call to serve as a chalice bearer, altar guild member, usher, assisting minister or lector. If interested, speak with Kyle or e-mail him at kschiefelbein@ses.gtu.edu. No experience necessary – training provided!
ADULT FORUM AT 10:00AM IN THE FIRESIDE ROOM - THIS SUNDAY
THIS SUNDAY: Deliberating End of Life Options
Lutherans Doing Ethics
If theology is how we speak about God, then ethics is how we speak about life. Ethics is our lived response to the good news of the gospel. As Lutherans, we have a penchant for ethics—for recognizing that we are sinners striving to live as saints. But, as Lutherans, do we think differently, live differently precisely because we are Lutherans? Please join us as we consider “Lutherans Doing Ethics.” These 4 forums are facilitated by Dr. Margaret McLean, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies and Associate Director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and member of St. Mark’s.
UPCOMING FORUMS:
March 11 - Deliberating Together from Birth to Death
March 18 & 25 - Climate Justice and God’s Call to Love Neighbor as Self
MIDWEEK LENTEN SUPPER AND WORSHIP ON WEDNESDAYS
Join our “Lenten Journey to the Easter Vigil” during this Lenten season by coming to our Midweek Lenten Supper and Worship on Wednesday evenings, February 21 – March 21. A simple supper of soup and bread will be served at 6:00 p.m., followed by our worship service in the sanctuary at 6:45 p.m. For our worship services, we will be using 5 of the assigned lessons for the Easter Vigil as our theme and emphasis for each week leading up to the Easter Vigil.
March 7 - Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 - The Red Sea
March 14 - Isaiah 55:1-11 - Salvation for All
March 21 - Daniel 3:1-29 - The Fiery Furnace
If you would be willing to provide soup and/or bread for one of our Lenten suppers, please email Deidre at events@stmarks-sf.org. Food for 12 – 18 people usually is sufficient. Thank you.
UPCOMING MOSAIC TELEVISION SHOW WITH PR. ELIZABETH
Pr. Elizabeth’s guest on the March 11 Mosaic show is The Rev. Peter Yuichi Clark, Director of Spiritual Care Services at UCSF Health. Rev. Clark discusses the important role of Hospital Chaplains as part of the healthcare team and how they specifically can help instill hope into the healing process. The shows air on CBS, KPIX channel 5, Sunday March 11 at 5:00 a.m.
SENIOR TRIP TO MENLO PARK AND PALO ALTO
MARCH 22, 10:00AM - 3:00PM
You are invited to travel with Pr. Elizabeth to Menlo Park for lunch at a restaurant recently promoted on “Check Please!”. Back a Yard Caribbean Grill has fresh and delicious lunch items at reasonable prices - all with an island flair. After lunch, we will drive through the beautiful campus of Stanford University, stopping to take pictures and enjoying the views.
This trip is limited to 10 seniors. To reserve your spot, please call the Martin Luther Tower office at 415 885-1084. Please bring lunch money.
LENTEN BOXES TO LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICES (LIRS)
Giving something up for Lent? Put the amount you would have spent on it every day into your St. Mark’s Lenten box. The money you deposit into your St. Mark’s Lenten box during the 40 days of Lent will be donated to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS). LIRS has been caring for immigrants and refugees in the United States for over 70 years. Look at http://lirs.org, or @LIRSorg on Facebook, for information about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. You can also see a video, “The Journey” at https://vimeo.com/117593637. The 5-minute video is about young unaccompanied migrants from El Salvador, the difficult journey they have made, and their lives now filled with hope because of the accompaniment of Lutherans and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services.
During the season of Lent, we are invited to care for immigrants and refugees through our giving. Fill your box with coins or bills, or write a check to St. Mark’s with “Lenten Box” or “LIRS” in the memo line. LIRS thanks you!
You can get your colorful decorated box, one per family, from any usher or worship leader during the season of Lent.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS ON MARCH 11
Remember to set your clocks ahead by one hour and enjoy an “additional” hour of rest. If you don’t remember, you’ll come to worship an entire hour early!
WOMEN'S MONTHLY STUDY GATHERINGS
All women are welcome to come and study together at our evening and/or morning Women of the ELCA Gatherings. In March our groups will meet on:
First Tuesdays – March 6 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the Conference Room in the Urban Life Center. All women are invited to come for dessert and fellowship for the first half hour and then discussion until 8:30. This month we will discuss Jesus - A Pilgrimage by James Martin, Chapters 10-18.
Second Tuesdays – March 13 from 11:00am to 1:00pm in the Fireside Room
All women are invited to come for study at 11:00 and at noon to bring their sandwich or salad and share fellowship. Drinks and dessert will be provided. Our Bible study will center on “The Good Samaritan,” Luke 10:30-37.
If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Smith at 415.285.7438 or
suzathome@comcast.net.
On Easter Sunday, April 1, we will adorn the sanctuary and the church steps with Easter lilies, and other spring flowers. You are invited to participate by making a donation of $12.50 per plant in memory or in honor of someone, or anonymously. You can donate online at: http://www.stmarks-sf.org/give-a-gift
Please send you donation by March 25. Thank you!
LET'S CELEBRATE TEA IN THE TENDERLOIN, SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2-5PM
You are warmly invited to celebrate with Lutheran Social Services at 191 Golden Gate Ave. Staff will be on hand for you to tour their amazing office complex and learn about some of their exciting work. RSVP to events@lssnorcal.org
ST. MARK'S MEN'S RETREAT
All of the men of St. Mark’s are encouraged to attend the upcoming Men’s Retreat on Friday – Saturday, April 27 – 28 at Mercy Center in Burlingame. Please mark your calendar for this special opportunity to spend 24 hours with other men (however you self-identify) from St. Mark’s and engage in a conversation about the joys and challenges of being a male person of faith in our contemporary culture. Pastor Ron will be facilitating this retreat, and will draw us into conversations around the topic, “Men Also Have Feelings.” The cost is $154/person for the overnight, 3 meals, and our meeting room. You may submit a check to St. Mark’s and earmark it for “Men’s Retreat.” We may check in any time after 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon, have supper at 6:00 p.m., and conclude our retreat at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Please let Pastor Ron know if you need a scholarship to defray your expenses.
To register, please make a note on a Welcome Card with your name and put it in the offering plate, or email Pastor Ron at moe-lobeda@stmarks-sf.org. The registration deadline is Monday, March 26 as we need to submit an accurate count to Mercy Center by then. You will receive more detailed information about the retreat after you have registered. This event will be a great opportunity for the men of St. Mark’s to come together and strengthen the relationships that we already have with one another.