Glimpses of Grace

Send a textSights in the garden in the early days of spring invite reflection on our baptismal promises and the ways God is always making new life in and through us. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textDuring Lent, St. John is taking a more creative approach to telling and hearing the gospel stories. In this reflection, Pastor Katie explores the way that this way of storytelling reminds us of the life in the stories of scripture that is still speaking to us today. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textMemorization for the sake of memorization might be challenging, but prayers that are memorized and integrated into our faith can provide touchpoints and grounding in our faith in moments of crisis, failed words, and fading memory. Pastor Katie reflects on the gift of having the Lord's Prayer memorized and readily accessible for her and for those for whom she cares. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textIf everything we need for worship is in the bulletin, why do we still have the hymnals in the pews? Do people even know what hymnals are anymore? Kids' curiosity apparently can answer both of those questions! Hymnals invite us to explore and to see what there is to see in the words of our faith traditions, and kids are looking with the curiosity that they bring to much of life.Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textReels might not be where you first think to go for scriptural inspiration, but a reel shared by a confirmation student invites Pastor Katie to reflect on the imaginative conversation we can have with scripture as we engage with God's Word, God's work, and God's will in our daily lives. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textIt has been a year since our last episode. God's grace has been abundant, but telling the stories fell by the wayside. Pastor Katie is eager to get back to sharing stories of Glimpses of God's Grace, beginning with reflecting on how caring for our neighbors in a snow storm is part of our call to love our neighbors, loving them because God first loved us. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textHow do you decorate your home? How do your decorations speak to who you are? Pastor Katie reflects on how the stained glass in the church speaks to who we are as God's beloved children and what God is doing in and through us. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textIn a leadership meeting, we talked about how we have cake after worship a lot... but it's not about the cake. It's about what happens through the cake. It's about God's grace showing up in a community striving to be a CAKE congregation. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textA little quarter tossed into the prayer basket has become a source of inspiration and a reminder to rely on God's good gift of hope - the hope that is strong and tough, the hope that empowers us to be who God has created us to be, even in the face of the struggles of life. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textHow a little girl twirling in the aisle reminds us of the joy we have in God's abundant grace and forgiveness. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textSometimes it's nice to just let the worship service carry you. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let God lead the worship, whether you're a tired pastor, a distracted worshiper, or even an antsy teenager. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textWe know Siri and Alexa are always listening... do we trust that God is also always listening? Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textA student in a class at church asked a surprising question, reminding all of us the value questions have in our own faith journeys. Whether we are just beginning to explore our faith or we grew up in the question, we can ask the questions. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textGod speaks to us through everyday moments and everyday objects. In one children's sermon, the children invited Pastor Katie to teach them about what it means to follow Jesus using their language and the images that were important to them. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textSometimes the Holy Spirit interrupts our scripted moments with moments of joy and celebration at God's Good News. Two baptisms at St. John offered two of these moments. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.

Send a textThe way a child receives a new Bible can be an inspiring invitation to the way we approach God's Word, eager for the way God is speaking in this world. Learn more about St. John Lutheran Church at stjohnchurchmars.org or follow us on Facebook.