We are a Stephen Ministry congregation Christian Care, Compassion,
Listening — when you need it most.
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Worship Schedule
8:30 AM English Worship Service
9:46 AM The 9:46 Crowd
10:00 AM English Worship Service
11:05 AM Sunday School combined English/Spanish
12:00 PM Spanish Worship Service
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Message from Pastor Albert
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Pastor Albert's message this week is his sermon from last Sunday, October 8, 2017, entitled
PoWeR SuRGe: Relate
.
It is based on Acts 17 with the Gospel reading from Luke 10:1-12. Click the button below to read his message.
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LutherFacts: Luther Comes Home: Death and Burial
Martin Luther's life came to an end in Eisleben, the city of his birth. He arrived there in late 1546 to mediate a family dispute. During the preceding months, Luther had struggled with a variety of health problems. While in there, Luther experienced a severe case of angina and died of a stroke on February 18. The University of Wittenberg decided to bury him in the University's Chapel Church, where he had posted the Ninety-Five Theses. After a three-day procession through towns filled with large crowds singing hymns and church bells ringing, Luther's body arrived in Wittenberg. Those attending gathered to pay tribute to the great reformer. The funeral sermon by fellow reformer Johann Bugenhagen lamented his passing but stressed that "we should also rightly recognize God's grace and mercy" for all he had achieved. Philipp Melanchthon then spoke on the enormous role his mentor had played in launching the Reformation. The younger university faculty members then lowered his casket into a tomb placed in front of the pulpit. In this way, Martin Luther was honored in death, just as he had been throughout his life.
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Reformation Reverberations
During Communion we sing "Isaiah in a Vision Did of Old" (#868), a paraphrase of Isaiah 6:1-4, Luther's
Sanctus
from his
German Mass and Order of Service
, published in 1526. Luther based his melody on an earlier plainsong chant, one he undoubtedly grew up singing. The current harmonization is by Carl Schalk, a leading Lutheran composer (see hymnal index). The text is a translation by Martin Franzmann, a Lutheran pastor/poet and seminary professor ("With High Delight," "Thy Strong Word"). A few years before the German Mass, in 1523, Luther revised the Latin Mass, in which he recommended that only the hymns and sermon be in German. He was in no hurry to write a service wholly in the vernacular but was content to have his adherents continue worshiping in Latin. However, other reformers were barreling ahead with German services of their own, in Luther's view confusing the people and simply showing off, without any thought of the needs of the common people. So, after repeated requests from peers who longed for an end to this confusion, he offered a German mass with a twisted arm but insisted that none of it be considered mandatory. The chief parts of the mass (Creed, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, etc.) are versifications of the original Latin texts, hymns really. He provided chants for the Readings, one for the Epistle (or Letter, from the New Testament) and a different chant for the Gospel. These providing different tones for the narrator, Christ, and other persons, and various endings for a comma, a period, a question, etc. Interestingly, for the Words of Institution ("In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread ... ") he used the same chant as he used for the Gospel, because he regarded these Words primarily as proclamation ("my body ... for you," "my blood ... for you"). In fact, Luther called the Words (or Verbum) "the gospel in a nutshell." So, when the Words of Institution are spoken, it is the Gospel being proclaimed to you, as a church body and as individuals. Be attentive to these words today, and know that they are directed toward you. He says, "for you, for you. a gift; receive, eat, drink; you are forgiven." The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!
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Order Your Copy of
The Reformation
Deadline
to order your copy of this book is this
Sunday, October 15
.
- $22.49 per copy, pre-release price.
- Sign up in the narthex (bulletin board on post).
- Make your check payable to
St. Mark's
, memo:
Reformation Book
, and place your check in the offering plate.
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National Lutheran Choir Concert
Sunday, October 22, 7:00 pm
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.
- Free, but tickets recommended for admission. Order on line using the button below.
- World premier of
The Holy Spirit Mass, Together in Hope
by Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen.
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Reformation Service, the National Cathedral
Sunday, October 29, 4:00 pm
- Presiding Bishop of the ELCA Elizabeth Eaton will preach.
- Roanoke College Choir will sing.
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2017 White House Ornament Sale
The St. Mark’s Youth are selling 2017 White House ornaments October 15 through December 17 to help fund the 2018 National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. The 2017 ornament honors the life and legacy of the 32
nd
President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933–1945), and his remarkable journey to restore the faith of the American people. Please visit the table in the Narthex and help support our Youth programs.
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Youth Happenings during October
Click on the button below to find out about October's happenings!
- The Bible Project (9th-12th graders, Sundays, 11:05 AM-12:00 PM)
- Here We Stand (Confirmation, 7th and 8th graders, Sundays, 11:05 AM-12:00 PM)
- Parent Bible Study and Conversation (Sundays, 11:05 AM-12:00 PM)
- Oktoberfest, Sunday October 15, 2017, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
- Laser Tag and Pizza, Saturday, October 28, 2017, 4:30 PM-8:00 PM
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Congregation Meeting on the Budget
On Sunday, October 15, following the 10:00 AM service, Ray Griswold, Finance Committee Chair, will be in the Fellowship Hall for a follow-up meeting to discuss our budget situation, to answer your questions, and to continue to listen to your ideas and suggestions. Your input is important, so please plan to join Ray on October 15.
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"Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed The World" Shown at
The 9:46 Crowd the Next Two Sundays, October 15 and 22!
Dear friends,
We will be showing the movie
—
"Martin Luther: The Idea That Changed The World"
—
to The 9:46 Crowd on the next two Sundays beginning at 9:46 AM in Room 214 (Education Wing). It is two hours long; hence, the need for two weeks. This is the movie that was to be shown in theaters locally. It is very well done and timely as we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
The movie may be of interest to some who do not normally attend the adult Bible study. Please help get the word out to anyone who would like to know more about Luther and the Reformation.
Have a blessed week!
Rodney Pendleton
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Expansion of our Spanish Language Ministry--More Info!
Twelve members of St. Mark's gathered with Pastor Albert at the home of one of our members to continue the discernment process around expansion of our Spanish language ministry. We used Luke 10:1-12 for a period of Dwelling in God's Word.
Highlights of the conversation were: 1) that sharing God's message is the most important thing a believer can do, and 2) that faith can bring God's messengers through even the most difficult obstacles along the way.
Pastor Albert will also be meeting with the council of an ELCA congregation in the Woodbridge-Dale City-Manassas area to begin exploration of a possible partnership. This is the first such conversation. Where it will lead, literally, only God knows.
Please continue to pray for everyone involved in the process.
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Next Military Packages Collection: Sunday, October 29
We plan to send to the same recipients in October as we did in September: Isaac Kennen and his Air Force cohorts. Raqqah has been in the news lately, and this excerpt from his thank-you email says it all:
Our operations have been pretty hectic the past few weeks as we're trying to drive ISIS out of Raqqah and other locations in Iraq and Syria. So, with all the long hours we've been pulling, we're not able to take a break to go get chow. So, we have a good excuse for eating brownies and chips!... Please pass our thanks on to your congregation.
You can see how appreciative they are—and they don’t even have time for regular meals.
If you do have names of a potential recipient, please furnish that information to Mary and Gerald Eskelund or Gayle Parsons.
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INVITATION TO FRIENDS AND VISITORS
You are invited to "Coffee with the Pastors."
Sunday, October 15, at 11:00 AM
(same time as Sunday School)
Green Room downstairs off the Fellowship Hall
(Watch for signs.)
Learn more about life at St. Mark’s.
The following Sunday, October 22,
for those who are interested,
New Members will be received into the congregation.
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Peace Day Gathering
and
Open House
St. Mark's Montessori School
Please join St. Mark's Montessori School for our annual
Peace Day gathering on Friday, October 20th at 9:30 AM
in the Fellowship Hall. Pastor Triolo will share a few words with us, and the students will sing songs and pass bread. All are welcome!
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Honored for 50 Years of Faithful Service!
How many of us can say that we have worked at the
same company
for 50 years?
St. Mark’s own Karen Smith has—at
The Arc of Greater Prince William/INSIGHT, Inc.
The ARC is a 501 (c) (3) organization that is committed to providing opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities to achieve their greatest potential for growth and independence.
Last week, over 450 people honored Karen, who is The Arc’s Executive Director, for her 50 years of faithful service. Almost all of her family was there to help celebrate as the crowd was entertained with songs and dances! A framed pencil-drawn portrait of Karen and a bench with a plaque inscribed in her honor were both unveiled at the celebration. And after hearing of Karen’s milestone, our St. Mark’s Flower Visitation Ministry surprised her with one of their lovely bouquets of flowers.
The Arc has grown from 26 children when Karen started to over 2,000 individuals to encompass many different opportunities and services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Find out more about The Arc at
https://arcgpw.org/
.
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- October 22, 2017, 4:30 PM
- April 29, 2018, 4:30 PM
- June 3, 2018, 4:30 PM
- October 22, 2017, 7:00 PM
- November 5, 2017 8:30 AM until Noon
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Article Deadline
We need YOUR help! In order that ALL OF US receive the necessary documents for This Week, The Messenger, and the website, please send all articles you wish to have published
no later than 5:00 PM on the Tuesday
before the Sunday you wish for the articles to appear. Send those articles to
communications@stmarks-elca.org
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