Society is marked. It is marked by moral and ethical relativism, religious and political pluralism, individual and community activism, and national and international isolationism.

As Christians, we are marked. We should insist on the marks of the Church to characterize our life as a church at Grace.

• To preach the gospel marks us.
• To properly administer the sacraments marks us.
• To rightly exercise church discipline marks us.

If these are the marks that the Bible defines as essential, then we should be able to identify their opposites: a false gospel, corruption of the sacraments and worship, and abuse or neglect of church discipline.

If a church is marked by the preaching of the gospel, the proper administration of the sacraments, and the right exercise of church discipline, then it will produce disciples who are revealing, resolute, ready, responsive, resilient, reframed, repentant, receptive, and reverent.

Followers of Jesus Christ are to be leaven as well as salt and light for individual and social change. At one time, the Church held a privileged place in culture. That is no longer the case. A shift from modern to postmodern philosophical assumptions began in the early seventies. The message of the Church was no longer readily accepted. Culture’s response was apathetic if not outright hostile. Today’s culture is postmodern and pluralistic. The church seems to accept that it is marginalized in culture

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One. Jesus Christ suffered for you and me. Jesus Christ stayed focused on the will of his Father, so that he could work out our salvation. He died for our sins. Jesus Christ rose from the dead so that we could experience forgiveness for those sins and live a new life, now and eternally.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ has died for your sins? Do you believe that by placing your faith in him, you are forgiven and will live a new life and have eternal life? Do you believe that you are marked by Jesus Christ to be a change agent in society and culture? If so, you exist in order for others to find their bearings and begin to walk in a new direction. That new direction will truly give seekers the life they have so precariously been seeking.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

Prayer is our essential connection, our link with God. Often, we make prayer an exercise as opposed to a conversation with God: a conversation, which God yearns to have with God’s children. Learning how to be people of prayer is a wonderful journey. In fact, the results of prayer are even more incredible, for we begin to see that our God is real and very much involved in our lives and world.

How do we become people who are committed to prayer and its marvelous effectiveness?

• First, we need to be people who really want God’s attitudes and perspectives to be evident in our lives. That is accomplished when we begin to make our spiritual health as equally important as our financial health or our physical health. Saying no to things that are cramping out spiritual health is the beginning.
• Second, we need to be people that believe God answers prayer and is personally involved in our lives. Do you really believe that God wants to work for you to bring about God’s character in your life? Do you really believe that God cares, intimately, about the situations, people and circumstances that confront you every day? We become people that believe God answers prayer by praying.
• Third, we need to be people who want to be more like Jesus Christ. That means we need to confess the desires of our heart that want power and prestige. We need to confess the competitive spirit that seeks to be first and the spirit that desires to look good at all costs. In fact, we must become people that forsake the lie of self-importance and believe the promise of being conformed to the image of God’s Son Jesus Christ.

God is faithful to all of God’s promises, because God cannot do otherwise. We, however, must be people who put faith in action and make the necessary sacrifices to attain the quality of life that God promises. The results of prayer are amazing. They can be yours today. You too can have the experience of being used by God, through prayer, to make a difference in our church, in someone’s life, and in Wichita. I am expecting great things. Expect the unexpected.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

Christians around the world begin Holy Week on Palm Sunday and continue with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. We experience the journey into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ’s earthly obedience, suffering, and death is a tangible reminder that the Son of God, fully God and fully human did something for humanity that it could not do for itself: Salvation.

As I reflect upon the meaning of the Holy Week Story, I become more and more convinced that authenticity is of utmost importance in the Christian walk. This conviction arises from my experience with people in the parishes I have served, the college where I taught, and with the people I encounter throughout Wichita, Kansas, our country and the world.

What is authenticity?

First, to live authentically means to speak truth to yourself. Are you willing to look in the mirror of your life and honestly admit what you see?

Second, to live authentically means not to pretend. Integrate your Christian faith into everyday life. Living an authentic life in the Christian faith means that you face the ups and the downs with equal honesty and forthrightness.

Authenticity is the indicator of being fully alive in Jesus Christ. No untruth. No pretending. Authenticity is freeing and liberating. It’s the way of Jesus.

Remember, if you say you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you will be the best Jesus that someone sees. You are the best Jesus someone will see. May you live in the authenticity of that calling this Easter Season and every day.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

PCUSA.org – February 12, 2025

• LOUISVILLE — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is among more than two dozen plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in response to a rescission of the Department of Homeland Security’s “sensitive locations” policy. That policy had restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting immigration raids, arrests, and other enforcement actions at houses of worship.
• The case, Mennonite Church USA et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al., was filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown Law. View the lawsuit here (Click the Link in the column at www.mygpc.org).
• A description of the PC(USA)’s ministry and mission is on page 15 of the lawsuit: “Guided by their call to welcome the stranger and belief in the inherent dignity of all people, PC(USA) actively advocates for and works toward more just immigration laws and processes.”
• Speaking on behalf of the General Assembly, the Stated Clerk and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA), the Rev. Jihyun Oh, said, “The policy statement ‘God Alone is the Lord of the Conscience’ adopted by the 200th General Assembly (1988) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) sought to ‘articulate the conditions of the civil society necessary to the free and effective conduct of the church’s mission and ministry…’ because these are a ‘vital dimension of Presbyterian witness and responsibility’ both for the free exercise of religion in our country and for the common good.”
• “The policy statement affirmed that ‘the free exercise of religion’ must be understood to include and protect the right to practice faith in public and private as well as the right to believe….’ This is what the current legal action aims to do: to proclaim that the practice of faith is lived out not just in a worship service but in ministry, including public witness and acts of justice, that are expressions of the worship with the whole of our lives.”

The bullet points are taken from a larger article on The Presbyterian Church (USA) website.

Friends, as you’re reading this, I am in Stony Point, NY. I was invited to attend the Presbyterian Church (USA) Justice Summit at the Stony Point Conference Center, Friday, April 4 – Sunday, April 6, 2025. The Summit is focused on social issues that are currently under threat—Immigration issues, Institutional Racism, and Gender Justice.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh (Interim Pastor)

Mennonite Church USA v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Complaint >

The Worship Service Part 3

Silence beckons us to cast our burdens on God and claim the promises of Scripture that remind us that God is faithful, that nothing is impossible with God.

We Are Sent as God’s Servants into the World

¨ Response to God continues with the “Closing Hymn.”

¨ Then the “Charge and Blessing” is given. God’s blessing is bestowed upon each of us, and we depart to serve.

¨ We conclude worship with “Sending Music” and “The Postlude”.

¨ We leave The Great Room and Sanctuary knowing that we have been in God’s presence. We have praised God, recognized our need of God, heard from God, and have been empowered by God for further service in his redemptive work in the world.

Do remember, silence is a most significant tool to plumb the depths of worship as we move through the different sections and disciplines. Quieting our minds and hearts in order to be focused on God is important. Silence is the discipline we can use to encounter the holy and awesome God. Silence is an attitude of heart and mind that attempts to get in touch with God. Silence is the discipline to unlock the worship experience for something bigger than us.

If we aren’t focused on the purpose of worship, we will miss God. Silence assists us in centering our minds and hearts to listen so that our responses to what we hear can give our very selves to the One who has made us, that is, God our Father Almighty.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor