Everyone is WELCOME

 The Presbytery of St. Louis planted St. Mark Presbyterian Church in the heart of Claymont neighborhood sixty years ago. At the time, attendance in mainline Christian denominations was still on the rise, and most new congregations were placed close to schools in the middle of neighborhoods. St. Mark grew over the years, but a constant issue was the lack of visibility from any of our major roads. The church made the decision to stay in the neighborhood and be a church for all of our neighbors.

I arrived here a little over five years ago, and we've tried to build on our legacy of "radical welcome." Since we're in the middle of a neighborhood, we cannot have a lighted LED sign advertising the congregation's many missions, ministries, and activities. We supplement our static letter sign with banners throughout the year. One of my favorites is currently hanging outside. It says what I hope is true, "Everyone is Welcome. EVERYONE!" I believe this is the Kingdom message born out in the words, actions, and sacrificial love of Jesus.

I noticed there were a couple of holes in the sign yesterday. I assumed the autumn storm from earlier in the week caused this, but, upon further examination, this is not the case. The two holes bear the obvious signs of burn marks. I don't know if this was the thoughtless act of some young vandal or if it was a nefarious message from someone else. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't that big of a deal, but I believe it points to a troubling aspect of our culture; we fear welcome.

Political advertisements tell us we need to fear the immigrant, the inner city, and any individual who thinks different. Many look with suspicion at anyone they do not recognize and retreat into ever smaller social circles. The Christian church is not immune from this, and the pandemic revealed many of our worst characteristics. Whatever “better angels” we once had stopped singing ages ago, and we’ve closed our hearts to the mysterious possibility that breaks through like the dawn every time we step outside our comfort zone. The greatest currency in our land is fear, and, throughout this election cycle, the political purveyors have deep pockets. It’s far easier to sell fear than to provide hope. Fear divides us, but hope is holy and invites us to see the world and all our neighbors with the eyes of our heart. Jesus welcomed in the immigrant, the rural poor, the urban homeless, and everyone the world tells us to avoid.

The sign is imperfect. We are imperfect. That's why we're going to keep it up.

Everyone is WELCOME!

Pastor Dave Burgess