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Dear San Marco Church Family: Happy July 4th weekend! I must confess that I have always struggled a bit with how to acknowledge patriotic holidays in worship services. The challenge is that our faith teaches us that the God we worship loves all of humanity, regardless of one’s nationality. When we combine our faith practices with an emphasis upon our patriotism, we run the risk of focusing more upon a love of country than upon a love of God. In our current politically charged world, this risk can easily lead to the mistake of thinking that God favors any country above all others. The teachings of Jesus transcend all nations, races, and ethnicities. As the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” So, I encourage you to celebrate this Independence Day weekend with family and friends and fireworks. At the same time, when you come to worship, remember that our faith is so much more comprehensive and inclusive than the values of any particular nation or people group. This Sunday, July 6, Pastor Bruce Jones will be preaching at San Marco Church. Bruce served as pastor of this church from 1992-1998, and he has a good understanding of our history as a church. Bruce will be sharing a message on 2 Kings 5:1-14, the story of the healing of a Syrian military leader by an Israeli prophet. Bruce always offers an inspiring message, so you don’t want to miss this Sunday! Personally, I have greatly appreciated not having to preach the last couple of Sundays. I have been planning a sermon series for the remaining three weeks of July. The topic will be “Epic Meltdowns of Biblical proportions.” The series will begin July 13, so stay tuned! As I begin my second year at San Marco Church, I remain grateful to serve as your pastor! Please pray for our church that God will direct new people our way and that we can continue to bless this community with God’s love. We live in challenging times, but God is faithful. On this we can depend! Steve Hart
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