Worshipful St. Mark

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth,

Worship the Lord with gladness;

         come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he that made us, and we are his;
         we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him, bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

Dear St. Mark Worshipers:

     As the people of God, worship is an integral part of our lives. As the Psalmist proclaimed, we come before God and “worship the Lord with gladness”. It has been very difficult and disappointing to have to worship apart for the season of Lent, Holy Week, Easter and even through the festivals of Pentecost and Trinity Sundays. But as of last weekend, we have begun to finally return to worship in the building, together in the house of God.

     Of course, worship has been altered a bit, we are sitting a little apart from each other, we are having to wear masks, there is no singing and sharing of communion at this time. However, we still are the people of God assembled together to glorify the Lord, sharing in relationship with God and each other through prayer and scripture. This is where worship all begins.

The first part of worship is to glorify and give thanks to God our creator and sustainer of all life. So often we get busy with the hecticness and demands of our daily life, that we tend to quite easily forget that we are weak, broken, sinning mortals. In worship, we are reminded to confess that we need to seek the Lord, to hear the word of absolution and the promise of life, love and eternal peace. This gift of promised hope and peace from God deserves our praise and thanksgiving, glorifying the Lord in worship.

     Another part of worship is being in relationship with God and each other, talking, sharing and listening in prayer and scripture. Obviously we can read scripture and pray individually, but when together in worship we can join in one fellowship of support for each other sharing in building each other up in our walk of faith.

     May we worship the Lord. Remember to take time to glorify God for all that has been done for you. Remember to pray and hear the word in fellowship. Remember to enter into worship and make a joyful noise.

                                                                         In the peace and grace of God,   

                                                                                                            Pastor Kirk Griffin