Weekly Letter, 12/21/2023
The Rev. John Mark Wiggers • December 21, 2023

Dear Friends, 


We will have many opportunities to come together and celebrate the season in the next few days. Actually, we will be celebrating for a couple of weeks with Lessons and Carols and an Epiphany pageant rounding things out. We celebrate God among us in this world. We name God incarnate in human flesh. Our hearts are lifted to greet God among us in Jesus Christ. 


We remember that Christ came to a world torn by division and conflict. Our faith calls us to seek and serve Christ in our world today. Still, this world is in conflict. For some, this season reminds them of loss. As followers of Christ, we seek to bring grace and love to the broken places in our world. I pray that St. James can be a place that welcomes us when we are hurting and strengthens us to be the light of Christ to others. 


I am sure that you will have many opportunities to meet Christ among us during this season. Perhaps it will be at the dinner table with that rather opinionated relative. Maybe it will be in the bright light of Jupiter (Thursday night). You may find Christ in the stranger sitting next to you at the Christmas Eve service. I believe it to be true that Christ is truly present to us, not just at Christmas, but always. I am grateful for how the St. James community makes Christ known to me. 


May you all know Christ present to you, and make Christ known to others. 


Merry Christmas, 


Peace.

Fr. John Mark

Weekly Letter, 05/22/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • May 22, 2025

Weekly Letter, 05/15/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • May 15, 2025

Weekly Letter, 05/08/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • May 12, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, This Sunday is Mother's Day and also Good Shepherd Sunday. Both celebrations have been shaped and changed over the years. Good Shepherd Sunday got the name as we do read the passage from John 10 about Jesus the Good Shepherd, and Mother's Day has roots going back to Mothering Sunday in England. The establishment of Mother's Day in the United States was motivated by the recognition of the work of Ann Reeves Jarvis, Julia Ward Howe, and Anna M. Jarvis. These women worked for sanitary health care for soldiers and were advocates for peace during the Civil War. They imagined a union of mothers who would call for peace because mothers knew so deeply the loss of their children to war. Mothering and shepherding call for similar qualities of protection and care.

Weekly Letter, 05/01/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • May 12, 2025
We continue celebrating Easter as we move into a month full of celebrations and transitions. I am looking forward to just hanging out with folks this Saturday night at our spaghetti dinner. You can find details about that in this email. Please mark your calendars for the annual Justice Knox Celebration on May 19 from 6:30 PM- 8:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church. We will have dinner and share stories about the next steps. You will also be asked to consider making an investment in the work of Justice Knox. I hope that you will consider giving to this important ministry.

Weekly Letter, 04/24/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • April 24, 2025
Alleluia. Christ is risen. We celebrated the resurrection with so much joy this past Sunday. The Easter feast continues for 50 days. Thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter Sunday so special. You helped people feel welcomed to this place where we proclaim the welcoming love of Christ in word, deed, song, Easter egg hunts, and something good to eat. We welcome others because we have known the love of Christ and want to share it.

Weekly Letter, 04/17/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • April 17, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, As we journey through Holy Week, I encourage you to pause and consider those events that lead us to the joyful celebration of Easter. May that also be reflected in our lives. We walk through hard things and know that God is with us. We hold to the hope that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Weekly Letter, 04/10/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • April 17, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, As the weather teases us with warm days followed by chilly ones, we enter Holy Week. You have probably heard me encouraging folks to experience the journey to the cross and the grave so we might celebrate the resurrection with that insight. God has shared this human experience and is with us in the darkness and the light. Our liturgies of Holy Week take us on that journey with Jesus and remind us that God is indeed with us on our own journeys.

Weekly Letter, 04/03/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • April 17, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, The annual Nehemiah Action is this Tuesday, April 8. We gather with over 22 congregations to ask our leaders to commit to taking action on important community matters. This year, we are asking for commitments on housing instability, homelessness, and transportation. Please invite others to attend. Having a large number of people makes a difference. You can find the details in this newsletter. Your presence helps us bring more justice to our city.

Weekly Letter, 03/27/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • March 27, 2025
Lent is a season when we are particularly called to consider our sins and to amend our ways. Many of the messages we hear in our culture tend to focus on the sins of an individual. The witness of scripture places as much emphasis on corporate sins. In the story of Jonah, the whole city is called to repent. Prophets like Amos deliver the call for all those in power to stop mistreating the poor. In Nehemiah 5, we hear the story of Nehemiah gathering a great assembly to call for the leaders to stop the unfair lending practices harming their community. As faithful people, we are called to consider the ways that our life together touches the lives of others.

Weekly Letter, 03/20/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • March 20, 2025
I am writing this on the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19). This character in God's salvation story has an intriguing supporting role. He chooses to protect Mary and the expectant child despite the possible scandal. Joseph finds himself fleeing for Egypt to protect the newborn Jesus. We don't otherwise hear much from or about Joseph in scripture. He is a faithful person who sought to follow God in tough situations.
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