Becoming the Story We Tell




In today’s reading from Mark, we have a story of Jesus healing a man with an unclean spirit.[1]  Stories of Jesus’ healing are not uncommon in our scriptures. They can be found in each of the gospels: the man born blind, the woman with the hemorrhage, the ten lepers at the side of the road, the sick man lying by the pool of Bethzatha for 38 years, even one of the slaves of the high priest who has come to arrest Jesus – each of them and more healed by Jesus.[2] Many of us have ourselves known the healing power of Jesus.  We may use different words to tell the story, but we know something about healing. Times when fear has been lifted, apprehension has been replaced by confidence as we rise to the occasion, our anxieties vanishing – even for a moment – as we find a center of calm, or experiencing relief from feelings of shame or guilt, broken places in our lives are mended.  These are stories we know and we tell.  And, they are stories that go deep across the centuries.
But there is another side to the stories of healing in Scripture. The story is not only about the healing we receive.  It is also about the healing we offer when we respond to the needs of the world.  In Eucharistic Prayer C, one of the many options for our weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper, there is a fabulous section:
 “Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name.”[3]
For me it offers a reminder of the communal nature of being a Christian. A reminder that “it’s not about me; it’s about us.”  Talk about a narrative that runs counter to the narrative of the world around us!  It’s not about me.  It’s about us. This is so much the case that we are reminded in this prayer that we come to this place, to this table, to gather for solace, for strength, for pardon, and for renewal so that we (not I) may be made one body, the Body of Christ; so that we (not I) may go forth from this place to serve the world in Christ’s name.
2017 was a year in which St. Mark’s did some soul searching. Last spring the vestry shared information about the state of this building now nearly 125 years old and we talked about the organ that is failing and is literally beyond repair.  In November we had a series of forums to look at church statistics at the local and national level, to consider the demographics of St. Mark’s and of our neighborhood, to consider the mission of this church in the context of the diocese and in the larger context of The Episcopal Church.  Much of that work was inward focused – an assessment of where   For some, the reality was overwhelming and depressing for others it was news met with ideas about new possibilities and fresh hope – for most of us, the experience of this inward look fell somewhere between these two extremes.  And so we ended 2017 with a series of Conversation Cafes in which was invited you to join together to respond to three questions:
we are.
1.      What keeps you coming back to St. Mark’s?
2.      Where do you see God at work at St. Mark’s?
3.      What are your aspirations for St. Mark’s?
 

I am grateful to the nearly 60 people who participated! I am grateful to the vestry members who served as Conversation Café hosts – most of them had no idea they’d be working in a coffee shop as part of their ministry.  And I am especially grateful for the hard work of Deacon Scott who compiled all of your responses and then brought together a team - Anne Heinz, Doug Sondgeroth and myself – who met to review the responses and learn from what you had to say. 
We’ve already been sharing those responses with you in bulletin inserts over the past 3 Sundays and more will be shared during our annual meeting today.  But here is what I heard loud and clear through the cafes and through going through your responses.  St. Mark’s is Becoming the Story We Tell and St. Mark’s wants to continue becoming and telling that story for years to come.  You have told us that you want to invest money in the upkeep of this building and you’ve also told us that you want to increase the outreach impact that we have in our neighborhood. 
At the end of 2017 we began with a pretty major building improvement as, in the week before Christmas, we had a new roof put over Cunningham Hall – for some leaks a bucket will do – but, once you run out of buckets, it’s time for Plan B.  We also began obtaining bids – and in some cases started work – on projects that simply cannot wait much longer.  For example, the garage door at the rectory was replaced when it could no longer be operated due to broken boards (thank you), the heating cables along the roof of the parish house are being replaced and in the spring heating tape along the gutters around the sanctuary will be installed to prevent future ice damming, safety improvements to the youth room are in progress because keeping our children safe – and meeting our insurance company’s requirements – are both highly valued. Other projects are being prioritized and priced.
Maintaining and repairing the building were expressed as a priority for our future. But it was  
coupled with an even greater enthusiasm and desire for more outreach. When asked “Where do you see God at work at St. Mark’s?”, the largest number of responses could be categorized as outreach described by Deacon Scott as “a desire to reach beyond our walls, to partner with others, to support the Evanston community and to continue our support of the hospitality center and the ministry of our Wednesday lunch program.”
When it comes to your aspirations for St. Mark’s – your hopes for our future – the number one answer was growth!  You want more people here on Sunday mornings, more children in the congregation – the teens want more teens, more sharing of the ministries of St. Mark’s with the broader community.  One parishioner summed it up neatly by saying she wishes that more people at St. Mark’s would tell others about what is going on here, to show them that St. Mark’s has something valuable to offer.  I have an idea for how we might do that.  And you’ve been hearing about it all month.  Throughout the month of January our theme has been Becoming the Story We Tell.  And I know you are hearing the message loud and clear because several people commented last week, “I was waiting for you to say it in your sermon!”  My work will be complete when I start hearing the words come out of your mouths as well. 
·        When someone asks you, “Why do you volunteer at the Wednesday lunch program?” Your answer might be, “My faith – our faith – teaches us that Jesus fed those who were hungry. So I do this because I am part of a community that is becoming the story we tell.”
·        When someone asks you, “Why do you go to church?” Your answer might be, “Our faith teaches us that Jesus went away with his disciples to pray and I am one of Jesus’ disciples. So I go to church because that is where I practice becoming the story we tell.”
·        When someone asks you, “Why do you call or write letters to your elected officials?”
Your answer might be, “Our faith teaches us that Jesus held the authorities accountable and Jesus always stood up for those in need. So I do likewise – because I am part of a community that is becoming the story we tell.”
This Lent – which, it is hard to believe, is only a couple weeks away – we will be offering small groups called Our Story, Our Calling – groups where 4 to 8 people will gather together each week to practice a discipline of reflecting on the gospel text appointed for the coming Sunday, to talk with one another about the ways in which the drama of the Gospel story connect to the everyday living of our lives.  There is a sign-up sheet in the Parlor that we can pass around during the Annual Meeting.  I hope that everyone will choose to take part in a group because it will be a great opportunity to see how we already are becoming the story we tell and to get more comfortable talking about our faith. 
“Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name.” It’s not about me; it’s about us – serving the world in Christ’s name.  St. Mark’s, we are a congregation who gather each week for solace, for strength, for pardon and for renewal so that we can go out to our schools, to the playgrounds and parks, to work and throughout the communities we touch to Become the Story We Tell in all that we do.  And my friends, I am grateful. Because you are Becoming the Story We Tell and you are helping me each day to do the same.

“A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’” – Luke 10:25-28
God invites us to become the story we tell.



[1] Mark 1:21-28
[2] John 9:1-41; Mark 5:25–34; Luke 17:11-19; John 5:2-9; Luke 22:47-51.
[3] BCP, 372.

Comments