Dionysus on a Bike

The Gospel Message at Irving Park Lutheran Church for 5.11.2025 for my last Sunday there. The livestream can be viewed here.

by Justin Marquis

Irving Park Lutheran Church; I can still hardly believe that I am up here in this pulpit, proclaiming the gospel. It’s still a little strange for me, and looking back three years to when I first was hired as your office administrator, I never would have though I would be up here addressing you or looking forward to seminary and discerning a call to ordained ministry.

20 years ago when I last claimed a Christian faith, I expressed it in ways that were judgmental and harmful, and I associated life in the church with an immense pressure to conform. When I first started working here, I really didn’t think I would fit in, I was nervous I would have to hide who I was, and I expected there would be pressure that to conform. Let me give you one example. I have tattoos. They are pretty tame—bike stuff and some philosophy references– For the first several months I worked here I always wore long sleeves and covered my tattoos. This was “just a job” for me, and I thought better to lay low then to have you all judge me. That’s what I expected, if I am blunt; I came into this space expecting to be judged.

Little by little I realized that I would not be judged here. I saw that Jan Glure had tattoos too and I started to let mine show. And it wasn’t just tattoos. I let my doubts show, my unorthodox interpretations of scripture, the fact that I’m a Nietzsche scholar, my politics, my hair, my sense of humor, and with all of it, there was something or someone who made me feel welcome and at home, no matter how much I felt like I might not fit in. As I got to know you all, I began to learn how different a church community could look than what I had experienced. I saw that there are other examples than I was used to of how to follow Jesus. Little by little, I started to feel I could be myself here.

Today is Good shepherd Sunday where we celebrate and contemplate the loving care that Jesus has for his disciples who follow him, a relationship that resembles the relationship between a shepherd and his flock. In today’s Gospel reading Jesus contrasts the disbelief of religious people questioning his claims to be the Messiah not with his own disciples’ belief but with their following him. What distinguishes a disciple of Jesus in this passage is not belief but following Jesus as a sheep does its shepherd.

Later today and during this Easter season we are reciting the Nicene Creed, a 1700 year old expression of the faith of the church. As central as the beliefs in the Creed are, Good Shepherd Sunday focuses our attention not on the belief of the disciples but on what they do in response to the care they receive from their shepherd, how they hear Jesus’s voice and follow him. The way today’s gospel passage changes the focus from belief to following Jesus has been important for me personally in my return to the church. As I continue to figure out what it is I believe and what those beliefs mean, even when doubt, skepticism, or unorthodox interpretation remain, it is encouraging to know that I can still follow the example and teachings of Christ in a community like this one, a community that will support someone like me in their searching.

Even though this shift of focus from belief to following Jesus has been significant for my journey, I still don’t like to think of myself as a follower. I like to think of myself as independent, a free-thinker, a non-conformist, even a rebel. In my world, being called a sheep is NOT at all a compliment. Calling someone a sheep carries connotations of mindless conformity and unthinking obedience, two traits I associated with my time in the church before where I felt so much pressure to conform. Though we are called to follow Jesus as sheep follow their shepherd, the traits of mindless conformity and unthinking obedience are ones that we must guard against.

It may have been this congregation’s loving, accepting welcome that made me feel at home here, but it is HOW you follow Jesus that drew me back to a church community and a life of faith. I could go on and on with story after story about how this group of people, this community embodies the love Jesus has for each of us. But a few things stand out—This is where I am going to get a little emotional—what you have here at IPLC is so precious in this age of loneliness, alienation, and anxiety. You unapologetically tell everyone that all are loved by God. You without hesitation and without hiding it have proclaimed that you accept—you celebrate—the love and relationships of gay, lesbian, and queer people no matter what gender expression or identity. You support the needs of the undocumented. When people from other parts of the world are fleeing violence or simply looking for a better life, this church has offered them food and warm showers, and a place to worship. You were even preparing to house people so they would not have to face the winter cold, when migrants were living in camps throughout the city. It didn’t come to that, but I saw behind the scenes the preparations being put into place if such a bold act of service and solidarity were necessary. You have showed me that you welcome all regardless of their beliefs or religious background. This community welcomes all to participate in the discussion no matter how they interpret scripture or what controversial opinion they might have. Questioning and doubt and skepticism and a different perspective are all welcome here.

What I have found here at IPLC is a congregation that is on a journey to learn to follow Jesus in a way that contrasts with how I used to try to follow Jesus. That is why I’m still not used to being here and why it still feels strange to call myself a Christian. In our attempts to follow Christ, we are continually passed by people in our society going the opposite way saying “No, Jesus is leading us THIS way, not that way that you’re going.” We may be called to follow Jesus as sheep follow their shepherd, but with so many loud voices telling us that Jesus is to be found elsewhere, we must take care that we are following Jesus’s example in a way of love, grace, and forgiveness.

When the message of Jesus Christ is so often obscured and distorted, where people are imprisoned, persecuted, and even deported for the color of their skin, for where they were born, for simply speaking out for peace, or just for what tattoos they have, this congregation is a reminder of what following looks like, humble service working toward a world where the least of these, the most marginalized and oppressed receive justice and mercy. When the most visible people in power with the loudest voices are crying out that Jesus leads us to exclusion, hate, and indifference to the suffering of others, I am encouraged that I am surrounded by those who know that empathy, care, and love are essential to following the Good Shepherd.

We face uncertain and chaotic times, and I must admit that I am afraid. It is communities like this one that give me hope. As your office administrator these last three years, I have watched you and then joined you in attempting to follow Jesus in his radical and transformative message of welcome, love, and care for all. As political power is wielded in ways that harm and destroy, the needs in front of us and among us may become even greater. It will not be easy to follow Jesus in such times, but we will be called to. Your support for the marginalized and bold, open welcome for all will remind those who see that the way of Jesus is the way of love and peace.

Thank you so much for these last three years. Your example that being a follower does not imply mindless conformity or unthinking obedience has changed my life. As I journey from here, first on a bike tour of North America and then on to preparing for pastoral ministry in seminary, I will always consider this my home church. I will be back from time to time, and I will mark further milestones along my journey with you. In the meantime, I will always pray with you that we are delivered from the time of trial, and I thank God for your witness to the love of God by following Jesus, the Good shepherd, in loving your neighbor whoever they might be.