Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of Saratoga California
  • Home
  • About
    • About the Prince of Peace Community
    • Ministries >
      • Sunday Morning Ministries >
        • Hospitality >
          • Coffee Host Instructions
          • Communion
      • Community Outreach >
        • Homeless Ministries
      • Faith and Christian Education
      • ELCA Advocacy
      • Do More Good - PoP + Zion
      • Mission Endowment Fund
    • Staff
  • Connect
    • News >
      • Email Sign-up
      • Share News
    • Small Groups
    • Children
    • Junior High
    • High School
    • Music
    • Photos & Media
  • Quicklinks
    • Prayer/Pastoral Care Request
    • Email Sign-up
    • Breeze Portal Sign In >
      • Breeze How To Videos
    • Prince of Peace Worship & Events Calendar
    • Enroll now for Summer Camp
    • Share an announcement
    • Rotating Safe Car Parking Shelter >
      • RSCP FAQ
    • Meal Ministry Volunteering
    • Retreats & Mission Trips
    • Adopt a Highway
    • Theology Pub Alerts
    • Table Talks
  • Worship
    • Worship Bulletin
    • Online worship services
  • Kids to Camp Fundraiser
  • Visit
    • Worship times
    • Facilities Rental & Weddings >
      • Weddings
      • Hall
    • Community groups
  • DONATE
    • Donate Now
    • Pledge
    • Ways to give
    • No Fee PayPal Charitable
    • Pay for Events

Why Read Stories Like Mark 6:14-29?

7/9/2021

0 Comments

 
This weekend’s Gospel feels like anything but.  It’s the story from Mark of John the Baptist’s execution; a birthday party for king and company leads to debauchery and a twisted retribution.  Indeed, God and Jesus never really show up in the text, except a brief mention at the beginning of our passage.

So why read it for worship?  What possible Good News can be gleaned from such a sickly field of weedy growth?

Much, I think.  And enough that we can share this little bit as a teaser for Sunday and still keep things from being redundant - the non-Engineering, bad kind of redundant.

How comfortable are we in excusing the actions of the powerful?  Oh sure, we can and will spend plenty of time getting frothy mad at Herod, but we must also recognize our place in stories of this type.  We might not be kings and queens, but we’ve been to enough parties where they’ve thrown their weight around and we’ve not said a word.

In a somewhat recent NY Times Opinion piece Emi Nietfeld wrote movingly about her experiences at Google New York City and the narrative she’d embraced about what a fantastic company it is and how it’s doing good in the world, which felt wonderful until her manager became her harasser and then “As soon as my complaint with H.R. was filed, Google went from being a great workplace to being any other company: It would protect itself first.”

This isn’t to single out Google, but they are an easy target because of their claims to being a better type of company.

Shockingly, when systems - any systems, even generally good ones - are made up of human beings they will inevitably seek their own preservation, even by lopping off heads to save face, when that is the easier thing to do than actually addressing an uncomfortable or threatening problem. 

Stories like these demonstrate part of the reason we practice speaking, out loud, our general Confessions.  In being open and honest about our failings we train ourselves to speak openly and honestly about the failings of the systems we work or play in - even when that is difficult.  And while that might make our Sunday feel a bit of a downer, it can also mean the folks like Emi up above have people with them after those HR conversations don’t make traction.

-Nate
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2024
    May 2022
    April 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

Regular sunday worship

INDOORS @ 10:00 am Sundays
Also ONLINE New premier every Sunday

Address

12770 Saratoga Ave.
​Saratoga, CA 95070

Telephone

408-253-7167

Email

o[email protected]

Social media

Office Hours

Office hours Monday through Thursday 10am-3pm or by appointment.
Please call before coming by.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About
    • About the Prince of Peace Community
    • Ministries >
      • Sunday Morning Ministries >
        • Hospitality >
          • Coffee Host Instructions
          • Communion
      • Community Outreach >
        • Homeless Ministries
      • Faith and Christian Education
      • ELCA Advocacy
      • Do More Good - PoP + Zion
      • Mission Endowment Fund
    • Staff
  • Connect
    • News >
      • Email Sign-up
      • Share News
    • Small Groups
    • Children
    • Junior High
    • High School
    • Music
    • Photos & Media
  • Quicklinks
    • Prayer/Pastoral Care Request
    • Email Sign-up
    • Breeze Portal Sign In >
      • Breeze How To Videos
    • Prince of Peace Worship & Events Calendar
    • Enroll now for Summer Camp
    • Share an announcement
    • Rotating Safe Car Parking Shelter >
      • RSCP FAQ
    • Meal Ministry Volunteering
    • Retreats & Mission Trips
    • Adopt a Highway
    • Theology Pub Alerts
    • Table Talks
  • Worship
    • Worship Bulletin
    • Online worship services
  • Kids to Camp Fundraiser
  • Visit
    • Worship times
    • Facilities Rental & Weddings >
      • Weddings
      • Hall
    • Community groups
  • DONATE
    • Donate Now
    • Pledge
    • Ways to give
    • No Fee PayPal Charitable
    • Pay for Events