A Word from Our Interim Pastor – The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Happy New Year everyone. And I hope each of you has had an opportunity to reflect on all that happened in our world, nation, state, county, city, and most importantly in each of our lives.

Yes, 2024 has gone, and 2025 is here. Like many of you, I examine where I have been and where I want to go with my life when the calendar year changes. I do not make resolutions, but I do take a good look at the journey I have been on and where it is going.

As a Christian, I examine the journey in the light of God’s Word. I am particularly drawn to Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” The path that I am on with the Lord Jesus Christ is my journey of faith and it is one for which I seek to be continually prepared. My journey of faith as an individual and the journey of faith I am on with you as a community is integrally entwined. We need each other.

Journeys require preparation and certain behaviors. Take airplane travel. That’s fun. I can only take two carry-on items. Only one bag can be checked. The weight of the bag cannot exceed 50 pounds, or an overweight charge will be assessed. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires all gels and liquids not to exceed 3 ounces and be placed in a 1-quart clear zip lock bag. Only one zip lock bag per passenger is allowed, and it must be placed in a container for screening. As I walk through the screening machine, I must take off my shoes, make sure there are no metal objects on my person that will set off the alarm, place my laptop in a container, and take off my shoes. I can only board the plane when my group number has been called. I must listen to the in-flight instructions and use the bathroom in my ticketed cabin. I cannot congregate near the galleys or cockpit door, and my seat belt must remain fastened at all times. Yes, a journey on a plane is complicated.

The same is true in our Christian journey. Jesus told his disciples many things, but three of the most significant were to pick up their cross, give everything away to the poor, and make disciples of all peoples.

On Monday, December 16, the Session received the Nominating Committee’s report for the members of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC): Mitzi Darmstetter, Kevin East, Bruce Gealy, Adam Lancelot, Janet Rhoads, Carolyn Shaw, and Ginny Vincent. The Session also called a Special Congregational meeting for Sunday, January 12, 2025, immediately following the 11:00 am Worship Service to elect the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) members and Paula Lancelot to the Deacon Class of 2027.

On the journey of Christian Discipleship and Spiritual Formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

12-24-2029 Rev Steven Marsh – Christmas Eve 2024

Worshipping Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety Ways)

“Love Wins” – Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20

Peter Wehner, an opinion writer for The New York Times, writes this about Philip Yancey’s book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? Wehner writes,

In his book What’s So Amazing About Grace? Philip Yancey describes a conference on comparative religions where experts from around the world debated which belief, if any, was unique to the Christian faith. C.S. Lewis happened to enter the room during the discussion. When he was told the topic was Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions, Lewis responded: “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.[1]

It is true. Only Christianity places “grace” at the theological core of its belief system. And that is important, my friends. That is the good news of Christmas. It is when we are embraced by God’s unmerited favor and embrace God who loves us unconditionally that we see life in a new way. The Light (Love) of God has vanquished the Darkness (Hate) that the world and others hurl people’s way on a daily basis.

Isaiah 9:2-7 describes a people who once walked in great darkness and saw a light which increased their joy, released their burden and removed their oppressor. Why? A child was born. And this child had a name. In the naming of a child, great care is taken to choose the name that will bring distinction to the new life. Jesus’ name derived from the Hebrew Yehoshua means “Yahweh is salvation.” Jesus is the name given to the son of Mary and Joseph. Jesus is the promised Messiah who as God incarnate is God’s self-revelation who brought salvation to the world. Isaiah 9:2-7 states other names for Jesus. They are Immanuel: This Jesus is God present with his people, Wonderful Counselor: This Jesus is God who shows humanity show the way to new life, Mighty God: This Jesus is God who brings salvation and justice., Everlasting Father: This Jesus is God who provides and cares for us, Prince of Peace: This Jesus is God who is the One who brought and continues to bring the Reign of Peace on earth, and Son of Man: This Jesus is the “Son of Man” which is derived from the Hebrew ben adam. Ben Adam designates a collective humanity or an individual within the collective humanity. The first Adam is representative of you and me; the second Adam is Jesus, which is representative of whom we become through faith in Jesus.

The readings from Luke lift up the implementation of Isaiah’s prophecy. Again, Peter Wehner writes, “Grace is different. It is the unmerited favor of God, unconditional love given to the undeserving. It’s a difficult concept to understand because it isn’t entirely rational. There’s a radical equality at the core of grace. None of us are deserving of God’s grace, so it’s not dependent on social status, wealth, or intelligence.”[2] This Light (Love) of grace vanquishes the Darkness (Hate) of exclusion. We worship the Christmas Child, Jesus, tonight. Jesus is calling you by name. Wehner remarks,

If you find yourself in the company of people whose hearts have been captured by grace, count yourself lucky. They love us despite our messy lives, stay connected to us through our struggles, always holding out the hope of redemption. When relationships are broken…it’s grace that causes people not to give up, to extend the invitation to reconnect, to work through misunderstandings with sensitivity and transparency.[3]

When you respond to God’s calling, it is good news for you and the rest of the world.

You then represent what a human can look and behave like as envisioned in God’s desire. Isaiah’s voice on Christmas Eve reminds us that salvation is not merely a spiritual victory that works like a lullaby and lulls us into an individualistic complacency. To the contrary, the Christ Child took on the power of darkness, the tools of war and injustice, unjust laws, and the rod of the oppressor. And in the name of Jesus, we join that mission.[4] Believe in Jesus. Embrace the Light (Love). It vanquishes Darkness (Hate). This is the good news of Christmas. Love wins! Merry Christmas. Amen!

This sermon was preached on Christmas Eve 2024 by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

in the Sanctuary at Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas

Steven M. Marsh

[1]Peter Wehner, The New York Times, December 23, 2018.

[2]Ibid.

[3]Peter Wehner, The New York Times, December 23, 2018.

[4]This paragraph was influenced by Thomas G. Long, David J. Schlafer, E. Elizabeth Johnson, and Paul Simpson Duke in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery, and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1 (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), 63-66, 66-67, 75-77, and 77-79.

A Word from Our Interim Pastor – The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Advent is about new beginnings. And on Christmas Eve we experienced the culmination of waiting and expecting. Yes, we began a deeper walk with the One who knows us the best and loves us the most.

Jesus came into the world, fully God and fully man. Jesus Christ brings salvation to us in order to reconcile all things to the Father.

Hope ensures your new beginning is purposed by God and not an accident.
Peace ensures your new beginning is anchored in God’s faithfulness.
Joy ensures your new beginning is grounded in God’s imminent presence.
Love ensures your new beginning is anchored in God’s unconditional love.

It is this Jesus who suffered, died, and was buried for you. It is this Jesus who rose from the dead in order for you to know the most incredible new beginning…forgiveness of sin, everlasting life, and purpose for living.

It is this Jesus who knows you the best and loves you the most.

On the journey of Christian Discipleship and Spiritual Formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

Congregational Meeting to Elect Pastor Nominating Committee and a Deacon

Monday, December 16, 2024, at the Stated Session meeting, the Session received the Nominating Committee’s report for the members of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC): Mitzi Darmstetter, Kevin East, Bruce Gealy, Adam Lancelot, Janet Rhoads, Carolyn Shaw, and Ginny Vincent. The Session also called a Special Congregational meeting for Sunday, January 12, 2025, immediately following the 11:00 am Worship Service to elect the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) members and Paula Lancelot to the Deacon Class of 2027.

12-15-2024 Rev Steven Marsh – God’s Self Is All We Need

“Worshipping Our God of Unconditional Love (Together, in a Variety of Ways)”

“God’s Self Is All We Need” – Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18

The Hope, Peace and Joy candles are lit. Advent ties the preparation for the birth of Jesus, to the climax of redemptive history with the Second Coming of Jesus. This Third Sunday of Advent focuses on the Joy candle. My friend Dr. Steve Hayner defined joy this way, “Joy is not about my circumstances, but rather about being held and sustained by God’s love.”^[1] We participate in God’s limitless future rather than being bound by the limitations of present circumstances. Joy meets us in the exiles and threats of love.

Many people at this time of year feel exiled that is marginalized from others because of the downturns in their lives. Others won’t risk loving due to the threats of being hurt and the general brokenness of life. Do you know how loved you are? When Stephen Colbert, the host of CBS’s The Late Show, was 10 years old, his father and two of his brothers, were killed in a plane crash. Stephen was the only child still at home with his mother in the years that followed the tragic plane crash. In an interview with GQ, Colbert was asked how he dealt with the death of his Dad and two brothers without becoming angry and bitter. Colbert said, “I was raised in a Catholic tradition … That’s my context for my existence…to know God, love God, serve God…That makes a lot of sense to me. I got that from my mom. And my dad. And my siblings. I was left alone a lot after Dad and the boys died. … And it was just me and Mom for a long time. And by her example I am not bitter … She was … broken, yes. Bitter, no.”[2] Our Scripture readings today tell that story of transformation.

Zephaniah and Luke tell a story of how worshipping our God of unconditional love (Together, in a variety of ways) transforms us in the exiles and threats of love. Worship brings us face to face with God, the one who loves us the most and knows us the best. In Jesus Christ we become reconciled with our Creator and one another. Sandra Maria Van Opstal writes this about worship, “Hospitality and solidarity lead to mutuality. First, we say, ‘We welcome you.’ Then, ‘We stand with you.’ In mutuality we say, ‘We need you.’ Engaging in each other’s forms of worship, and worshipping together across differences, leads us to a deeper place of dependence.”[3] Each reading shows us how to live so that we are ready for Jesus to meet us in the warp and woof of life. The prophetic word of Zephaniah exhorts us to cling to God’s strength and salvation in the midst of condemning voices. In Luke, the preaching of John the Baptist helps us look to Jesus the one who gives us in word and deed the unconditional love of God. And both texts demonstrate that when we think all is lost in the exiles and threats to God’s unconditional love, God gives back God’s very self. When we cling to God, we experience unconditional love in a way that wipes away whatever is owning us at the time.[4]

Stephen Colbert allowed joy to transform his experience of tragedy. You can to. Joy lifts us out of exiles and threats that exercise “ownage” of us just like Mary’s knowledge of her pregnancy and the accompanying questions of how and why. Once she embraced God’s choice of her as the mother of the Messiah, society’s scorn no longer owned her although the exiles and threats continued throughout her life. Friends, we need Jesus to experience transformation and joy.

The joy promised by God is good news even though there are constant exiles and threats to love in our daily existences. Finding and experiencing joy in the midst of the exiles and threats of God’s love for you is possible. Homecoming is now, but not yet.

Be led into freedom. Make your supplications with thanksgiving and deep joy. Become the benediction. Keep being the church. Expect God’s reign of peace and justice. Manifest care and concern for others. This is the good news of Advent. Amen![5]

This sermon was preached the Second Sunday of Advent on Sunday, 15 December 2024

by the Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh in the Great Room and Sanctuary

at Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas

Steven M. Marsh

[1]Steve Hayner, former president of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, died of pancreatic cancer on January 31, 2015.

[2]Adapted from Joel Lovell’s article, “The Late, Great Stephen Colbert,” GQ (8-17-15).

[3]Sandra Maria Van Opstal The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2016), 71.

[4]Some ideas in this paragraph were influenced by Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Alan Gregory, Kimberley L. Clayton, Cynthia M. Campbell, Theodore J. Wardlaw, Joel B. Green, and Willie James Jennings in Joel B. Green, Thomas G. Long, Luke A. Powery and Cynthia L. Rigby, editors, Connections, Year C, Volume 1 (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), 32-35, 35-36, 37-38, 39-40, 41-42, 43-45, 45-46.

[5]Ibid.