As I write this, I’m still basking in the glow of Easter weekend. What a wonderful and meaningful Holy Week we experienced! Our attendance this Easter was 3,942 - up 533 from last year. A very special “thank you” to all of our volunteers, staff, and dedicated members who helped make our worship services a great success!

Many of you heard me announce that Dr. Robert Jewett will be joining our congregation as “Theologian in Residence” May 3. Dr. Jewett was raised in Nebraska and graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Upon completion of his doctoral studies at the Universities of Chicago and Tuebingen, he was first appointed to serve Methodist churches in Northeastern Nebraska; then, he taught at Morningside College in Iowa for 16 years. In 1980, Dr. Jewett was appointed the Harry R. Kendall Professor of New Testament at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and, in 2000, he began his tenure as a guest professor at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where he continues to work on research and writing projects.

Among Professor Jewett’s twenty books are Paul’s Anthropological Terms (1971), A Chronology of Paul’s Life (1979), Paul the Apostle to America (1994), Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil (2003), Romans: A Commentary (2007), and Mission and Menace: Four Centuries of American Religious Zeal, which appeared both in English and German in 2008. As a specialist in the routes of Paul’s missionary journeys, he has directed the Troas Project since 1997, and has led many groups in "Crossroads Tours of Early Christianity."

After Professor Jewett arrives in Lincoln on May 2nd, his responsibilities at St. Mark’s Church will include leading a “Supper and Bible Study” series, developing the lecture program for the upcoming Theological Conference at St. Mark’s in October, and providing advanced educational opportunities for our congregation.

While in residence, Dr. Jewett’s office hours will be Tuesday through Friday afternoons, from 2:00-5:00 p.m.; visitors will be welcome, during these hours.

Please mark your calendars and join me in welcoming Dr. Jewett to St. Mark's at one of our three services on Sunday, May 3rd!

See you in Church!

Wayne

Have you heard the story – the true story – about the 300-pound pig that traveled on a six-hour US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Seattle? This is how it was reported:

Two [very persuasive] passengers managed to convince a US Airways representative they needed their pig to fly with them as a “therapeutic companion pet” - so the pig was permitted to sit with them in their first-class cabin on the plane. After much difficulty, flight attendants succeeded in strapping the pig (which was described by fellow passengers as “enormous, brown, and angry”) into three seats near the front of the aircraft for take-off. One person said “the pig became restless after takeoff, and sauntered through the cabin … rubbing his nose on people's legs trying to get them to give him food and stroke him.”

Upon landing, things only got worse. The pig panicked, and ran up and down through economy class, squealing. Many passengers, also screaming, stood on their seats, until the pig was escorted back to first class. It took four attendants to finally get the pig off the plan— and then he escaped into the concourse. The pig was later re-captured.

When asked to comment on the story, US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said, “We can confirm that the pig traveled - and we can also confirm that it will never happen again.”

Now there’s a company that learns from its mistakes!

I hope the same can be said of our nation.

As of today, February 27, 2009, our national debt totals $10,843,816,579,569.84 – and, since 2007, it’s been increasing by over 3 1/2 billion dollars per day. Now, we have a budget proposal of 3.55 trillion dollars for 2010.

I sure hope the folks up on Capitol Hill know what they’re doing. For some reason, the image of uncontrollable, 300-pound flying pigs keeps coming to mind.

Perhaps it’s a good time to be reminded that the world, the United States, our lives, and our future are in God’s good hands. Keep the faith.

See you in church!

Wayne

PS> Please keep our President, his advisors, and our Congress in your prayers.

Have you heard the story about John Smith - the only Protestant in a large Catholic neighborhood? John moved into the neighborhood on the first Friday of Lent – and celebrated by cooking a big, juicy steak on his backyard grill. The neighbors, who had just set down to fish sticks for supper, caught a whiff of the steak and figured they’d just have to endure the tempting aroma of beef this one Friday evening – but they were wrong. John grilled a big, juicy steak each and every Friday of Lent, until finally the Catholic men couldn’t take it any longer. They got together and decided something had to be done about their Protestant neighbor. They figured the easiest way to put a stop to his Friday-night-grilling (and thus end their own temptation) was to make John one of them; so, they decided to convert him to Catholicism. Their efforts were successful, and when they took John to their parish church, the Priest sprinkled water over him and said, "You were born a Methodist, you were raised a Methodist, and now you are a Catholic." The men were greatly relieved, believing their Lenten temptation was finally resolved.

That is, until next year's Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and just when the neighbors were sitting down to their fish stick dinners, the smell of steak cooking outside on a grill came wafting through their open windows. The neighborhood men couldn’t believe their noses! What was going on? They called each other up and decided to meet over in John's backyard to see if he had forgotten it was Lent. The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill, sprinkling water over his steak, and saying, "You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish."

For centuries, Protestants and Catholics alike have been observing the Holy season of Lent with acts of self-denial. It’s widely believed the willing sacrifice of something we love/enjoy affords us greater appreciation of Easter. The operative term here is love/enjoy – the sacrifice of something we care little about does nothing to further our understanding of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for each one of us. My son’s sacrifice of vegetables, for instance, would hardly compare to his sacrifice of sweets. The same could be said for my sacrifice of exercise vs. my sacrifice of T.V. viewing. You get the idea.

The following is a list of suggested sacrifices for Lent – I hope you will prayerfully consider incorporating one (or more) of these into your spiritual life:

GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed, each morning! Instead, use that time to start your day in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion.

GIVE UP TV for an hour or two, each week! Instead, use that time to visit someone in need of personal attention. There are many in our community who are isolated by illness or age. Contact our church office to see who might benefit from the time you would normally spend just sitting in front of the “tube.”

GIVE UP one item of junk food you would normally buy at the grocery – a bag of cookies or chips, perhaps – and use that money instead to buy a non-perishable item for the St. Mark’s Food Pantry. In this economy, it’s all we can do to keep our pantry stocked for those in need of balanced meals.

GIVE UP buying non-essentials for yourself until the day after Easter! Instead of buying a new outfit to wear Sunday morning, give that money instead to church or charity to help others meet their basic needs. When it comes right down to it, do you think God looks more favorably upon those who have adorned themselves with new clothes on Easter morning – or upon those who have clothed others, less fortunate than themselves?

See you in church!



Wayne

Dear St. Mark’s Family,

This past Wednesday, I looked up in wonder as workers raised and fastened a beautiful, 27-foot cross to the top of what will soon be the tower at the main entrance of our new sanctuary. A small group of us—including Bob and Bea Kleis, who donated the cross in memory of their parents—held hands and prayed that everyone who bears witness to this cross will not only see it as a part of our church and a symbol of our faith, but also as an endurng beacon of hope and love.

Standing there, in the shadow of the cross, I was reminded of a passage from John Bunyan's enduring classic, Pilgrim's Progress. Bunyan writes, "...as Christian came up to the cross, his burden was loosened from his shoulders and ... [he] said with a merry heart, ‘He has given me rest through his sorrow, and life through his death.’ Then, he stood still a while to look and wonder, for it surprised him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked and looked, until the tears streamed down his cheeks.”

May this beautiful cross remind you there is nothing—neither health, nor financial, nor relational, nor any other problem of this world—that can separate you from the love of God.

See you in church!

Dear St. Mark’s Family,

What is it they say about the road paved with good intentions? I hope you’re more successful with your New Year’s resolutions than these folks were with theirs:

Resolution #1
2006: I will try to be a better husband to Jill.
2007: I will not leave Jill.
2008: I will try for a reconciliation with Jill.
2009: I will try to be a good husband to Jane.

Resolution #2
2006: I will read at least 20 books a year.
2007: I will read at least 10 books a year.
2008: I will read 5 books a year.
2009: I will finish reading "Harry Potter."

Resolution #3
2006: I will get my weight down below 180.
2007: I will get my weight below 190.
2008: I will follow my new diet faithfully until I get my weight below 200.
2009: I will develop a realistic attitude about my weight.

This Tuesday, Barack Obama will be inaugurated the 44th President of the United States. He will stand on the steps of our nation’s capitol and vow to faithfully discharge the duties of his office. For those of us who have lived long enough to see a few of these political spectacles, it’s hard not to be a little jaded about the promises that will be made on those steps – let alone the promises that were made along the campaign trail this past year – but still we hope. We hope our fears are for naught; we hope for the best; we hope for the future.

The truth is, regardless of what kind of president Barack Obama turns out to be, we always have reason to hope. God’s gift to us is a living hope. None of our fears about the future can prevent God from blessing us. Remember the promise of Isaiah:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
And the flame shall not consume you,
For I am the Lord your God. (Isaiah 43)

See you in Church!

Wayne

My family and friends tell me I’m competitive. In fact, my sister LeAnn says I forever spoiled her enjoyment of board games with my "must-win" mentality when we played together, as children.

I, of course, have no recollection of possessing any such mindset - although I'll be the first to admit that my memory of what happened 40+ years ago is beginning to fade (along with my memory of what happened forty minutes ago).

What I will own up to is this: I’m not afraid of competition.

I think competition is helpful in developing our God-given talents. It pushes us to be the best we can be. Competition is a stepping-stone to excellence in almost every human endeavor, from high school and college sports to manufacturing and marketing quality goods and services.

Competition is a good thing—most of the time; unfortunately, competition can be easily corrupted by arrogance, dishonesty, greed, and a host of other unsavory human traits.

As far as I know, Jesus was silent on the subject of competition. The apostle Paul, on the other hand, wrote quite a bit about it. One of my favorite pieces of scripture is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, “Run in such a way to get the prize." My own interpretation of that places emphasis on the running, itself, “Run in such a way ..." In other words, put forth your very best effort. Run to the best of your ability. Run in such a way to get the prize—not FOR the prize, but for the joy of running well enough to get it.

It reminds me of the old quatrain:
And when the one Great Scorer
Comes to write your name,
It matters not who won or lost
But how you played the game.

May each and every one of us play out our life to the best of our ability. May we "run in such a way to get the prize."

See you in church!
Wayne