Devotional 3-31-12

Please read Mark 11: 1-11
It’s April Fool’s Day.  Did anyone invite you to a party (that isn’t going to happen)?  Maybe someone sent you some mystery doughnut seeds (that look a lot like Cheerios).  Someone will be working to “get you” today.  Be careful.  Be very careful. 

A quick internet search will inform you that no one has a good answer for why we have an April Fool’s Day.  Some attribute this day of foolishness to a 16^th Century change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, when the New Year was shifted from latter March to the first of January.  But there are holes in that theory.  Although no one seems to know how the day came to be, it is surprising that many cultures around the world celebrate some kind of a foolishness day for practical jokes and harmless pranks.  

It is interesting that this year’s April Fool’s Day marks the beginning of our Holy Week.  On this day, we remember the celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  We, who know what will happen during the rest of the week, can almost imagine this as a foolish April Fool’s Day hoax.  It looks like someone has been “pranked.” 

Jesus makes his way into Jerusalem finally acclaimed by the people of Israel.  Those folk spread their coats along the roadway.  Some stripped leafy palm branches to line the pathway.    They shouted:  “Hosanna!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  (Mark 11: 9-10). 

I can imagine the disciples and others who were looking for the Messiah thinking, “Finally.  After all the work and listening we’ve done for the past three years.  Finally, he’s taking his rightful place.  People are actually getting it. Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of David – our rightful king.  Now he can overthrow the Roman occupation and restore again our Jewish state.  Maybe now we will get our reward.” 

The acclaim is short lived. We know what this week brings.  We know the story of a Passover Meal, of an arrest, the mockery of a trial, and the pathway to Golgotha.  We know that this man acclaimed today will be hanging on a cross on Friday.  This parade—this celebration – does seem like a cruel joke.

Ride on, ride on in majesty! Hark! All the tribes hosanna cry
Savior meek, pursue thy road with palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin o’er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die;
Bow thy meek head to mortal pain, then take, O God, thy power and reign. (Henry H. Milman)

Prayer:
Loving Christ, help us who acclaim you King to walk faithfully with you through the times of joy and affirmation and the times of hardship and trial. As Christ walked the way of the cross, help us to walk this week in obedience and faith. Amen.

Rev. Mark Conner
Western District Superintendent

Devotioanal 3-31-12

Philippians 2: 1-3

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and purpose.  3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Humility is a trait best taken in small doses! (I experience mine in the kitchen or on a golf course). This world is full of examples of people who exult in their own achievements. Athletes, movie stars, politicians can all be seen on national media promoting their own accomplishments and accepting praise for their work,

During this Lenten Season, Paul reminds us of the true meaning of humility.  Christ came to serve not be served.  Time and again he demonstrated humility by serving others, encouraging the down trodden, healing the sick - even willing to die on the Cross!  Yet as individuals and church we continue to promote our own agendas!

How much more could we accomplish if we make a concerted effort to humble ourselves in service to the Lord?  By humility, I mean using your strengths and talents for the good of others.  Think of the talent that exits here in our own church!  Yes, we do a lot, but how much more can we accomplish?

Think of the possibilities!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we ask for the strength and wisdom to humble ourselves in your service.  Empower us to serve your earthly kingdom in a way that glorifies you and meets the needs of your church.  Amen 

Marv Jones

Devotional 3-30-12

Read Psalm 118:15-18, 26-29

This is the source of the song we sing on Palm/Passion Sunday. The ending of Psalm 118 opens a great window onto themes in Hebrew scripture. Some scholars propose that this psalm of thanksgiving originally celebrated a great military victory in the history of ancient Israel. Others think of it as a sung or recited acclamation of praise in a thanksgiving festival. In either case, it carries the unmistakable note of jubilation. No wonder the Gospel writers of the New Testament would find these words appropriate to the triumph of Jesus Christ over the forces of evil and death.

The psalm ends as it began with that wonderful refrain: giving thanks that God’s “steadfast love endures forever.” Reading over the whole psalm once again, we may find that it is a kind of sung parable about the coming Holy Week itself. On Palm/Passion Sunday we greet Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, perhaps not quite understanding all that will take place. The difficult words of verses 17-18 now resonate: Jesus Christ was put to suffering for the world’s sake, but death did not have the last word. “I shall not die, but I shall live.” He did undergo death, but it cannot hold him. Even though the world may ignore or oppose his way of love and justice, that lavish love for all God has created will not cease.

Empires will rise and fall, our lives will experience limitations difficulty. Death will come to us all, but the steadfast love of God still enters Jerusalem and still calls out to us. The divine love, as Charles Wesley wrote, excels all loves. This is the love we must learn to receive again and again because the struggles of life will always be part of our mortal days.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

Jim Perry

Devotional 3-29-12

Well, here we are almost through the Season of Lent -- and I still don't know what it's all about. I understand that Lent is a time of sacrifice -- that we are supposed to "give up" something. Most people I know haven't given up anything. Oh, well, there is this one guy who said he is giving up watermelon (that's a real sacrifice -- watermelon in March). I did read something about Lent that mentioned that we might give up a bad habit so as to improve our souls. (I think that part was written especially for me). Anyway, I’m tired of not understanding. Apparently, Lent is an important time in the life of the Church, but why? I like to know the origins and history of my faith, so I think I’ll do some research and educate myself.

The first thing that jumps out at me in my research is the definition and description of Lent – things that probably everyone but me already knows. The “40 Days” of Lent is inspired by Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism and before his public ministry. I read about Jesus’ fasting and temptations in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.

I also found out that the word “Lent” is derived from Indo-European lenget-tin -- “long day.” Although early Christians observed a period before Easter for prayer and fasting, the 40-day custom was not practiced until sometime in the fourth century and was not made official until the eighth century. Sundays are excluded from the 40 days since Sundays are always a celebration of Christ’s resurrection. But Sundays are still included in the Lenten Season. Worship services are more reserved and somber during this time – no joyful alleluias, etc.

The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, spiritual growth, conversion and simplicity. Lent is about spiritual results, not material ones. All fasting and sacrifices should be done for God’s glory and our spiritual growth.

Not too incidentally, I ran across a couple of historical incidents that might be of interest.

The most recent took place during the second year of the reign of King Edward VI of England. Initially its impetus was more economic that religious.

England had both a meat shortage and a struggling fishing industry. Parliament decreed that people should replace meat meals on Fridays with a fish dish. The Church of England and the Roman Catholics took full advantage of this edict and incorporated the “eat fish on Fridays” into their disciplines.

The earlier incident took place in the year 1340. It shows me that at least some Christians in the past thought that Lent was important – not just “important,” but important enough to face death rather than forsake their beliefs. It seems that a non-Christian ruler by the name of Grand Prince Olgerd of Lithuania executed three Christian men who refused to eat meat during the Season of Lent – a time of fasting and sacrifice. Outraged, the Church fathers made the three men the focus of a cult. They were considered martyrs like martyrs in the early days of the Roman Empire. Their remains were entombed in the Great Church of Hagia Sophia.

Prayer
Oh, Heavenly Father, help us as we seek to emulate your son, Jesus Christ. Please help us every day of our lives to be more like him, but especially during these 40 days before Easter to focus more sharply on our goal to improve spiritually so that in our next life we may dwell with you.

We ask this in the name of your son, our Christ, Jesus. Amen
Charlie Lewis

Devotional 3-28-12

ANGELS and PENNIES

Have you ever seen an angel?, No, you say. Well, neither have I. But if we had seen an angel would it have been wearing a long white robe, have feathery wings and a golden halo? I wonder. Frankly, in my bible readings I never paid much attention to any reference to angels. They were just there, kind of fluttering around. (I have to say I am embarrassed to admit this but confession is good for the soul).

However, somewhere along the way I was told of a poem about angels and pennies the gist of which was that if you see a penny on the ground and pick it up it was placed there for you by an angel who was watching over you particularly if you were experiencing a difficult time.

Again, along with my cursory attention to angels in general I did not recall this poem until the most difficult time of my life occurred last year when my dear husband died unexpectedly. Keith had been rushed to the Emergency Room following a small routine surgical procedure and then moved to the ICU where he stayed for eight days.

On one of those days I left his bedside for a few minutes to get some air and there on the threshold of the ICU room was a bright shiny penny. As I bent down to pick it up from somewhere in my mind's recesses came the story of the angels and the pennies. I knew then that God had sent His angel to be with me and to give me comfort and strength.

That was not the last time that my angel's presence was shown to me in some places one would not expect to find a penny: inside my car, under a pile of laundry, in a box of steak knives. I suppose a skeptic could find an explanation for these different locations but I will never be convinced they were anything but a sign sent to comfort me. By the way, I have kept each one of these special pennies. They all have a meaning, a reminder for me. I hope that when you most need comfort and strength you will find a penny left for you by your angel and you will be reminded that God is watching over you come what may.

PS I don't know if it is inappropriate to add a postscript to a devotion but I think I will anyway. In Cruden's Concordance it defines "angel" as "a celestial being, a messenger of God". How true.

Jean Dean

Devotional 3-27-12

Fickled Crowd? Fickled You and MeJohn 12:12-16
 

I enjoy the political ritual of electing our president which we ago through ever four years. I enjoy reading articles about the primaries and the editorials about the various candidates. I enjoy watching the 24 hour news channels to get their “unbiased” reporting. I cannot believe anyone can be so good or bad as all these words extol. Then the poor guy (so far) gets elected.

Do you remember four years ago when Obama was elected? There was dancing in the streets. Soldier Field in Chicago was filled to capacity with jubilant folks. There was Oprah crying as she stood in the crowd. Strangers were hugging on strangers. Cheers abounded. Smiles stretched from ear to ear were the mask for the evening. The smell of victory was pungent in the air. Speeches punctuated the festivities with words of self congratulation. Then the poor guy takes office. Then no one was happy whether liberal, moderate, or conservative.

When I was young, I loved Palm Sunday. The palm branches were such fun. Easter was just around the corner with the Easter Bunny on her way. I was not quite sure what happened during the week to make everyone so unhappy with Jesus that they let the “bad” people get him. It was even stranger that those “bad” people were “church” leaders. It was a bit confusing but hey the story ends on a good note and everyone seems happy.

Obama was reminded of something that Jesus knew a long time ago. Something I learned when I became an adult and now understood. I am sure that you know too. We are a fickled people. I am not sure why God created us this way. Is it sin? Is it humanness? Is it our animalistic qualities of survival needs? All I know is that when we are left to our own designs we prove every time that we are a fickled people.

So Palm Sunday and Holy Week are grand reminders of our fickleness. We are a fickled people. What is popular one minute is unpopular the next. What grabs our attention today is gone tomorrow. What is hot gets cold, in goes out, cool becomes uncool.

Jesus did not go to Jerusalem to be cool, to grow a church, to have the largest number of followers, to sell the most books, to make sure that worship was done properly, or to make a million. He went to die. Jesus went to be obedient to God. There is always a cost to being obedient. For some it is large such as their life. For others it may be small such as offering prayers, giving time, sharing talents and tithing.

What is the cost to you for being obedient? Is there one?

Rev. David Johnson

Devotional 3-26-12

Mark 11:11 “Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve."

Use your imagination! The day we now call Palm Sunday was coming to a close. What did Jesus think about when he went to the temple and looked around at everything? Was he remembering the crowds crying “Hosanna!” that morning? Was he thinking about the children laughing and waving palm branches? Was he remembering when he was a boy and he stayed behind in the temple after his parents had gone back home after their Passover celebration? He would have been considered a young man by twelve, so perhaps he was recalling the time he spent with the scholars and the priests until his parents found him. Did they punish him in some way and was he reminiscing about that? Was he thinking about other Passovers of which we have no written record? We know he loved God’s house.

I believe he was thinking about all of those things, but also how quickly those adoring crowds would be yelling “Crucify him!” just a few days later. I think he did know the future, not in some magical, mystical way, but primarily because he was an astute judge of human behavior. Past experience with his disciples revealed they would betray and desert him. He knew the women who followed him would not leave his side until the very end, and they would be the first to learn of his resurrection and share it, even when it seemed “an idle tale” to the men. He knew Judas would betray him somehow and that Peter in his impetuousness would deny ever having known him.

The seminary I attended placed a great deal of emphasis on Mark’s Gospel and the reality that discipleship is hard and that we have to choose every day whether or not we are going to follow Jesus, no matter how difficult the journey. As he faced the last week of his earthly life, surely Jesus was thinking about his calling to be the Messiah and how different his idea of that was from the people who were still seeking earthly power. No matter how many times he told them that he was not that kind of Messiah, they couldn’t get in their heads that he wasn’t talking about a kingdom here and now which they would benefit from.

Of course I don’t really know what he was thinking, but I wonder if at least some of his thoughts centered on how God had sustained him in the past. God never let go of him and Jesus stayed focused on his Father no matter what happened. He knew that God would be with him in the events of the week ahead as surely as God had been with him in the past. When we fear the future, when we face trials or times of uncertainty, it is good to remember how God has been there for us in the past. God does not let go of us, any more than he let go of Jesus. God was behind us in the past, with us and strengthening us in the present, and leading the way into the future that He has planned for us. Jesus kept faithful. My prayer is that we can do the same.

Rev. Dorcas Linger Conrad
Highland Avenue UMC
Fairmont, WV (for now)

Devotional 3-24-12

Psalms 51:1-12
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” Psalms 5:1
Celebration of the Holy season of Lent, the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter, is an ancient custom, particularly in the Catholic Church. As Methodists, we enter into this observance, a time of repentance, fasting and preparation of our hearts for the coming of Easter. From the time of His baptism, Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. (Matthew 4:17) Jesus fasted during the 40 days in the wilderness of preparation of his heart and mind for the ministry that God had assigned to him. What do these examples mean to us during this Lenten season?

How can we prepare our hearts for the work that God has given us to do? For what do we need to repent? I do not know about you, but I have sins of both omission and commission. I am sure that I am not alone in needing to spend more time in prayer, Bible study and ministry to others. Our reading from Psalms gives us a good example of how we should repent.

I did not grow up in a church where people observed lent. The idea of “giving up” something for Lent and fasting was not familiar to me until adulthood. Humbly sacrificing our own desires in favor of pleasing God brings us closer to Him. However, I believe that when we give up something, God will bless us in ways we cannot imagine.

Let me tell you about the niece of a friend, whom I will call Linda, who has had to give up her eyesight. This was not something she chose, of course, but she has found a deeper faith and a desire to help others find a similar faith. Linda had a lot of time this past year and a half to reflect on her faith. Linda needed surgery following an accident and, unfortunately, a medication she had been taking caused her to suffer strokes in both eyes, resulting in blindness.

Following her blindness Linda, who had a deep faith, became “confused, hurt, and angry with God for allowing this to happen to me.”¹During the long months of recovery from surgery and becoming accustomed to being blind, Linda had plenty of time to think and commune with God, who has richly blessed her. Today Linda says, “It has taken time, and I’m not “there” yet, but I am learning to rejoice in the Lord no matter what circumstances arise. Because of the sacrifice made at Calvary, I have hope beyond tomorrow.”²Linda is coming out on the other side of tragedy with a renewed faith and with a feeling of urgency to tell people about Christ and His Coming. She has prepared a CD on which she sings songs of faith and hope and is distributing it free to as many people as she can.

Most of us do not suffer as Linda has, but we too need time and inclination to examine our relationship with God and to prepare our hearts for his coming. In this time of Lent, can we sacrifice some of the busyness in our lives to give us time to examine ourselves, repent of our sins, and find ways to spread the Gospel of Jesus the Christ to those with whom we associate? I hope so.

^{1,2 From the introduction Linda wrote for her CD titled “Living on the other side of Despair”.}

Maudie Karickhoff

Devotional 3-23-12

Dusty Freedom

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10-12)

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people…they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:33, 34b)
Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in the world will keep it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (John 12:24-26)

The Scripture readings for this week reveal:

• David’s sorrow for his sinful activity and a plea for the forgiveness and restoration only God could supply. He asked for a clean heart and the restoration of God’s presence and spirit. Only in this renewal could David know forgiveness, joy, and the strength needed to sustain a willing spirit.
• Jeremiah’s message from God giving hope to Israel, the promise of a new covenant through which God promised forgiveness and restoration, an internal assurance - a new way of being the people of God.
• Jesus demonstrating the true image of God; a new vision of identity which would transform behaviors, perspectives and desires.

Being in the Kingdom of God gives us forgiveness, joy and restoration. Being in the Kingdom of God gives us a new identity and a new approach to life, to love and to service, as the New Covenant is written on our hearts. Being in the Kingdom of God offers us the freedom to lose the life of earthly expectations and values, desiring instead to follow Jesus.

Living in the Kingdom of God, however, is more than following Jesus. Living in the Kingdom of God cannot be a personal, isolated religious pilgrimage; a private solitary journey. Living in the Kingdom of God is experiencing servanthood, carrying out the new vision, living and loving genuinely in community.

One Sunday, our Middle/High School Sunday School Class watched Rob Bell’s video entitled “DUST.” We learned that rabbinic “apprentices” were expected to learn from and imitate the life of the rabbi; to follow the rabbi so closely that they would find themselves literally covered by the dust from his footsteps.

When we embrace the inner assurance and reality of life lived in the Kingdom of God, we experience the joyous freedom to get dirty – to plant the seeds of the Kingdom – to serve and follow Jesus, wherever His journey leads us, knowing we will be honored by the Father.

Loving God, we thank you for the freedom to choose to follow Jesus – to follow so closely that we wear the dust of His footsteps. May our journey with Jesus offer daily opportunities to demonstrate our love and desire to serve as Jesus did so many years ago. Amen

Linda Summers

Devotional 3-22-12

As I began to think about the scripture readings for this the fifth week of Lent my mind kept going back to the passage from Jeremiah 31:31-34.  Here Jeremiah shares with us the difference between the earlier covenant God made with the people of Israel, the one written on tablets of stone, and the new covenant that God will make Israel and through them on down to us today.  This new covenant Jeremiah shares will be written in their minds and on their hearts.  Jeremiah tells us it will no longer be something external.  It is to be incorporated into the fiber of our being. That was and is a new thing that God has done. 

As a child I liked going to Sunday school at the small Methodist Church in the rural community where we lived.  I have to admit that I don’t recall though staying for the preaching service very often.  Between the ages of seven and thirteen my world was shaken by the deaths of several family members including a sister, a brother and my mother. 

I still recall climbing the hill behind our home and looking down at the valley below.  From my vantage point I was able to watch the occasional car going along the roadway.  It was lonely but it was also safe sitting there detached from the activities around me.  I recall making a vow to God to never to allow anyone to get close to me again because loosing loved ones hurt so much.  Looking back on it now I realize this was my way of recording my vow on stone to avoid further loss from broken relationships.

The summer of my thirteenth year I received a scholarship to attend 4-H camp. Among the various activities held each day was our vesper service conducted by the older 4-H campers.   I came to look forward to those evening vespers. There was warmth and a sense of Christian community present I had never experienced before.  I began to wonder, could they really care about me?  Could they sense my feelings of self-imposed isolation? And if they did, what difference would it make?  It would be two years yet before I came to understand that God loved even me.  

Our little church was having a revival and I was invited to attend by a younger neighbor boy.  I felt drawn to the altar rail and on the third evening, my Sunday school teacher and an older teen asked, would you like us to go forward with you?  I answered yes and in doing so I experienced a depth of love I had never known before.  I was surrounded by love that night and it filled my heart with warmth and a sense of joy that defies words.  It was more than the love demonstrated by our congregation.  It was the assurance that God loves me.  I had sung the song “Jesus Loves Me” as a child and I knew all the proper words, now that assurance is in my heart.  That stone tablet continues to surface in my life from time to time haunting me, trying to pull me back into my self-imposed shell, but its effects continue to lessen with time.

My life began to change after that.  No, things did not suddenly fall into place.  There have been many obstacles to overcome and more of them than I care to admit were of my own doing.  But through it all I have been blest to share with others that God both loves and cares for them.  I still have issues of knowing and being known by others.  I guess that will always be an issue for me even though I know and continue to experience wanting to share the love God has placed in my heart with others.

Prayer:  Gracious Lord, thank you for your never ending love that seeks us out time and time again.  Help us this day to open our hearts fully to you and to share the warmth of your love with those we encounter along life’s way.   Amen.

Thom Malcolm

Devotional 3-21-12

“God’s Laws”

In Jeremiah 31:33 NIV Jeremiah tells us that the Lord said, “I will put my law in their minds and write it in their hearts.” That verse keeps resonating in my mind. As we examine our lives during Lent, we realize that we really know what is right and wrong. It’s just that sometimes we choose to ignore God’s voice and justify what we do or choose not to do. Maybe it’s not even a matter of justifying or not caring, but of ignorance--of not understanding.

God put his laws in our minds so that we know the rules. He put them in our hearts so that we practice them with love and compassion. Now it is our turn to do the work of Lent. How closely are we following God’s laws? We need to examine ourselves as critically as we do others, to forgive others as we ask God to forgive us.

God’s laws, guiding us, strengthening us, and teaching us to be more loving and compassionate. God’s laws are written on the innermost parts of us--our mind and heart. God’s laws pulsing through us with every beat of our heart and hopefully becoming the very essence of who we are.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 3-20-12

The Son of God’s Reason for Being

The readings for this day are the following: Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Psalm 119: 9-16; Hebrews 5: 5-10; John 12:20-33

In Jeremiah, God says that He will make a new contract with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old contract that he made with their fathers which they broke, and He had to reject them. The new contract would inscribe His Laws in their hearts so that they would honor Him and truly be His people. It would no longer be necessary for Him to admonish them. Everyone both great and small would really know Him, and He would forgive and forget their sins.

God had said that His people would inscribe His laws in their hearts. Therefore, in Psalms 119: 9-16, one can stay pure by reading God 's word and following the rules. The person has tried his best to find God and asks God to keep him from wandering far from His word. He knows that if he keeps on track and stays focused, he will be held back from sin. I know that it is my prayer to keep focused on God's will. I always need His help to keep on track.

We learn in Hebrews that Jesus was chosen by God to be a priest forever with the same rank as Melchizedek. Melchizedek was mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls as the High Priest. Yet, while Christ was here on Earth, He pleaded with God who was the only one to save him from premature death. Even though He was God's son, He had to learn from experience what it meant to suffer and thus be the giver of salvation of us all.

In John, Jesus knows that the end is near and that His purpose was to die on the cross for the sins of others. He says that if he does not die, He will be alone, a single seed, but His death will produce many kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives. He cannot ask His father to save Him from this death because it is the very reason He came to Earth.

Let us Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Let us always remember why Christ came here. It was for us so that we know that we will be forgiven because of His suffering on the cross. Keep us focused and on track in following what You would have us do.
Amen

Carolee Brown

Devotional 3-19-12

Psalm 51:1-12

¹Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
²Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
³For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
⁵Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
⁷Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

In the 21^stcentury lexicon you cannot go a day without hearing about sustainability.

In terms of businesses, concerns with the environment, and finances this is a crucial point to understand and practice.

In this reading the Psalmist seeks the ultimate answer to the eternal riddle of the sustainability of our spirits and souls.

The Psalmist begins with a very candid view of where his own flaws and weaknesses have left him. That is the obvious and easy part. It is the remedy he seeks that would make this plan challenging. The key thing is that the psalmist recognizes and appreciates the payout.

In our 21^stcentury with all the “hoohah and falldurah” that occurs in our daily lives, we need to discover a sustainability plan for ourselves in our own quest for joy and a willing spirit.
The Psalmist’s plea is a wonderful template for us to start with in this Lenten season.

Mike Bowen

Devotional 3-17-12

“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
John 3:19-21

In Lent we search ourselves, we seek to expose more of ourselves to the light. This is the sort of constant turning of which Tom Craig spoke last Sunday. While we are being perfected we are imperfect still. And as such we often find, in the course of inattentive living, that we have strayed once more into darkness. In the Lenten season we try to take pause to assess just where we happen to be standing in life. If we should feel that we are standing in the darkness, it does not mean we are evil. What it does mean is that we must decide where we want to be standing.

We may choose to do what is false, denying the wrong of our sin and remaining in the darkness. In the darkness there deny the wrong for our sin. We keep our pride intact and do as we please. To do so is to do evil. We also have the option of doing what is true, that is to confess our sin to God and to repent. This is what it means to come into the light.

We come into the light so that it may be clearly seen that our deeds, not the deeds of sin but the deeds of repentance, have been done by God. It is God who calls us and welcomes us from the darkness into the light. God makes us see the lie of false righteousness and the truth of our need for grace and mercy. God overcomes the pride in us that would hide sin in the darkness.
Those who do what is true come to the light…those who do what is true repent and repent again. This is to God’s glory.

God, whether we come into the light, whether we stand stubbornly or fearfully in the darkness, or whether we waiver in the twilight shadows between, we are never hidden from you - even if we want to be. The darkness is as the light to you and you see us more plainly than we see ourselves. Have mercy upon us Lord. Help us to hear with assurance the call of your love to us. As you bid us to turn to you time and again, let us not grow weary or prideful or afraid. Make our hearts willing to yield, to come to the truth, to come to the light, for in the light of your love we find wholeness. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Joe Hill

Devotional 3-16-12

Do the Math

“How often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” I can identify with Peter. A question equals a loophole. And a loophole is there to jump or crawl through to get away from something you don’t want to do. A question, a loophole means that the direction to be followed is not abundantly clear – subject to interpretation. And won’t we (I know I will) usually interpret in our favor?

Several years ago one of our sons, along with a little neighborhood friend, decided that they would like to express their literary and artistic genius. The medium – cans of spray paint. The canvas – the budding foundation blocks of a half million dollar house. When the doorbell rang and I opened the front door I knew in an instant that something very much not good had just found its way to my threshold. If there is one thing I have learned to recognize it’s the MOM FACE that, without words, screams > somebody is in trouble. The owner of that face was the friend’s mother. She began to tell me what our little Picassos had done. I stood there (hopefully my mouth wasn’t really hanging open) in dismay. It so happened that that son was home. I said “Let’s go.” We loaded into the car and went to survey the masterpiece. Still in a state of shock, I stood there on the high ground looking down into a future basement at all of the ‘lovely’ words and pictures. This can’t be. But it was.

The only question that came to mind at that exact moment was “What were you thinking?” Dumb question! Even if I had gotten an answer beyond upturned palms, shrugged shoulders and “I dunno”, it would not have made the marks and the actions behind the marks disappear. This was all on a Friday evening. Following a l-o-n-g evening of how wrong that was lectures – I’m sure the other household got much of the same, the parental plan was to have the two boys spend the weekend scrubbing the blocks. Bright and early Saturday morning, wire brushes, graffiti remover, buckets and low self esteem in hand, the boys began their chore. All day they scoured the walls. They broke just long enough for a delivered bag lunch and then nose to the grind stone. As evening approached the moment we had dreaded and yet hoped for, happened. The ‘future’ home owner arrived. As we all stood on the elevated guard tower perch peering down into the ‘what will become a basement’ we watched the boys work. We explained to the owner what had happened and what we were doing to make it right. He expressed his displeasure at the painting but merged right into his appreciation for us, the parents, not letting this slide and for teaching the children that what they had done had consequences. He ended our conversation with the comforting words, “These walls will never be seen again.” He said out loud what we had hoped would/could be a positive outcome. The outsides would get weather proofing and dirt filled in around them. The inside walls would be finished in what was planned for the space, paint, paneling, etc. “It’s over.” And he left. Dark was now upon us and we each took our weary anti-painters home >> but not before sharing the basics of our conversation with the owner. Our plan to extend the paint removal to Sunday was now abandoned.

Fast forward: The phone rings one evening. The voice on the other end belongs to the MOM FACE. Ut-oh I thought. She said, “He (meaning the homeowner) wants paid for the paint damage.” My reply, “But it has been over a year. Surely that house has been built by now and besides he said the walls would be covered.” [skipping the details of several phone conversations – a meeting was setup, at the new house, with both sets of parents and the homeowner] The actual elapsed time was over fourteen months and yes, he had gone back on his word. He was demanding compensation. There was no reasoning. There was no negotiation. There was no explanation of the turnaround. We acknowledged what the boys had done and reminded him that we were prepared to repair all damage, including scrubbing for the rest of that weekend but that he had said not to. The conversation that unfolded was one sided and cruel. It went like this; you will pay (amount given) by this time (date given) or I will begin filing criminal charges against >>> are you ready for this>>> your sons. Clearly they are minors and the action would have been against the adults but the intention was to smear the kids through the system if the demand was not met. If we thought that getting the idea of defacing someone else’s property was difficult to get seated, try explaining to two young boys how an adult, you know those grownups we teach them to trust, can go back on what they said. If the fight had been adult to adult then maybe a battle would have ensued. But with the target being the children, we did what any parent would do to protect their child… we fell on the grenade.

I don’t believe that God orchestrates calamity in order to test us. I do believe that we are beings with free will and when calamity strikes, we can see God in the solution and healing. The amount of money being demanded by the homeowner would have been a reasonable remedy to pressure wash or sandblast or paint the walls at the time (14 months earlier) of the damage. It was now clearly an amount pulled out of his… well, thin air. It was not supported by a labor rate or a materials list. You’ve stuck with me this long now comes the funny part. Our family’s portion was seven hundred and seventy dollars. 7-7-0.

An amount of money just a smidge over a thousand dollars was not the make or break point on a half million dollar house. A game was being played and our children were the pawns. The amount of anger and even hatred I felt was consuming. The thing is, I cannot think of that event and not also think of the actual amount > 770. How many times do I forgive? I don’t have a lot of experience with dishonor and treachery. I was raised in a loving home, had a brother who was my best childhood friend and have worked in environments free of the shenanigans and back stabbing that go on in many work places. I believe that this is the most helpless I have ever felt. 770. I stay focused on 770. Not the money but the forgiveness.

There may have been simultaneous applause and groans when Eugene Peterson published The Message. It was refreshing in its translation yet in chopped to many of the verses we had learned as children. Maybe the next translation will go one step further. “How often should I forgive?” “You know, they stripped me and beat me and crucified me and killed me, you can’t count that high. Just keep forgiving.”

Steve Matthews

Devotional 3-15-12

Please read; Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22, John 3:14-21 and Ephesians 2:1-10

“Can YOU be forgiven for Transgressions (Sin)?”

Well the short answer is YES!!! This you will find out in this week’s readings.

In Numbers, as the Israelites were traveling through the desert, they were getting a little impatient and began speaking against GOD. Well, wrong thing to do! GOD sent serpents among the people that bit them and many died. The people admitted their sin and asked Moses to pray to GOD to take away the serpents. At this GOD instructed Moses to place a serpent around his staff, so that anyone that looked upon this staff would be healed, thus forgiven.

In David’s Psalm he brings out GOD’s unfailing love and forgiveness for our iniquities (sin) and how those that call out to the Lord will be redeemed by his unfailing love for them.
In John 3:14-21 Jesus talks about the snakes in the wilderness being lifted up for the Israelites salvation. And that he Jesus will be lifted up for our salvation and eternal life in him, Christ who died on the cross. When we turn to Jesus our transgressions will be forgiven. But those that do not turn to Christ will not see the light of eternal life with him.
Ephesians 2:4-6

^“4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”

If you need to ask for forgiveness turn to Christ as your redeemer, there is no time like the present.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father thank you for your unfailing love. I know that your love is so great that you can forgive my sins. Father forgive my sins, I ask this by accepting/knowing your son Jesus Christ who gave of his life on the cross for me a sinner. Father lead me in the path of righteousness and help me to not be snared by temptation’s hands. Father I ask this in the name of your son Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Peace

Fred Herr

Devotional 3-14-12

Numbers 21: 4-9; Psalm 107: 17-22; Ephesians 2: 1-10; John 3: 14-21

These passages all refer to situations where the worst of the human character was exhibited. In Numbers, where the behavior is described most specifically, the familiar story is related of the Israelites’ impatience and complaints about the discomforts of their travels in the desert. Unfortunately, I can relate well to their feelings. They turn hostile toward Moses and God, and God punishes their ingratitude and disloyalty by sending poisonous serpents among them. When some of their numbers begin dying from the serpents’ bites, the Israelites stop their complaining, confess their sinfulness to Moses and beg him to seek God’s intervention, which he does. Moses was instructed to make an image of a serpent, place it atop a pole and tell the people to look at it if they were bitten, and this would save their lives. The pole, an image of what was killing the Israelites, also literally became a way to save their lives. It was a reminder that, though their actions led to punishment from God, in his mercy, he heard their cry for help and lovingly saved them from themselves (once again).

This story brought to mind for me the image of the cross and how it represents to us a way to save our lives. Though a symbol of the horrible and violent way God’s people rejected him, the cross is also a reminder that, through it all, God still loved us, forgave us, and by grace gave us the gift of everlasting life. May our meditations during Lent include reflection on this powerful symbol and how, because of it, we can live more fully. Glory be to God.

Mary Taylor

Devotional 3-13-12

"Sticky" Love Story

Lectionary Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21
…immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ...Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4, 7from The Message)

As those of you who know me can attest, I really hate to be wrong about something. I like to be right and I unfortunately share my knowledge of the facts with others without hesitation. Much to my dismay, I recently made a major error at work. I had to inform others of the mistake and "face the consequences". I wrestled greatly with feelings that I should be soundly punished and gratefulness for everyone's understanding and support. It is true--anyone can make a mistake, but I still don't like to be the culprit. Lent has been a time for me to do some soul searching and wrestling about the nature of my relationship with God. I really and truly deserve some effective punishment for my failures and deficiencies, but something else has been going on.

The lectionary readings for this 4^thweek reveal words of wisdom and encouragement about the vastness of God’s love for us. The love that is described in the scriptures is not a rosy, “hearts and flowers”, superficial love, but a wondrous and overwhelming sacrificial love. It reminds me of the “tough-love” associated with parenting strategies. We accept God’s gifts of love, but we are asked to turn away from the world. We are forgiven and granted eternal life with the expectation that we will follow God’s path for us, not our own. God's love is so tenacious that we are pursued by it.

God loves us in such a unique way that He sent His baby son to live as we do. We love babies and we love gifts, but we do not understand how God could “give Jesus up” to be a part of this world. This son grew into a man with an occupation, family commitments and then a mid-life job change to become a preacher and teacher. This son also loved us so much that he gave his life for us—willingly and without an escape plan—so that we could be eternally free from our sins.

We try, but this kind of love is hard for us mortals to understand. It is so deep and encompassing that we don’t always believe it is possible. God lovingly "sticks" with us in spite of our behaviors. We strive to improve our relationship with God; we vow to give up bad habits; we promise to increase our prayer time, our giving, and our service to others. But in my case (and I suspect in yours) I fall so short of my goals that I am embarrassed and ashamed.

Yet, God pursues us for a relationship. He does not give up on us. He has given us the scriptures as a guide and instruction. He sends a multitude of angels to minister to us, to guide us and inspire us to improve. He sends us His thoughts expressed through those who write devotions, hymns and anthems, sermons and lessons. He seeks us in every situation and circumstance in our lives. He speaks to us in every event and conversation. He forgives us over and over again. His love will not let us go….

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow,
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

By George Matheson
Dear Loving Forgiving God, we are so unworthy and hesitate to even admit our failings—to ask once more for that gift of understanding. You have promised us that, if we but ask, the gift of your love is available without question or restraint. We thank you for that blessing and pray that you will continue to hang on to us with your fierceness and tenacity. Although we can never earn or deserve it, please continue to love us and to help us find our way closer to you. AMEN

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 3-12-11

It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has wrought toward me. How great are the signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. --Daniel 4: 2-3

While leaving our church with a friend one day, I stopped to pick up a penny. She asked if I thought pennies were left by angels and I said no, that I picked them up because I'm cheap (parsimonious is such a nicer word). She told me that she had found several pennies around the time of her husband's death and had become a believer. Later she shared the Angel's Pennies poem with me.

My father died on December 31, 2011. My friend Jim, from Arizona, sent me a lovely letter. He shared that following the death of his wife and my dear friend Sharon, he and their daughter had seen blue birds on a regular basis. Those sightings gave them a measure of comfort. In my smart-aleck (Dad-like!) way, I thought to myself, "Well, when golf balls fall from the sky I'll know Dad is sending me a message."

A couple of weeks later, I was taking a walk with my Mother and grandchildren. My grandson spotted a penny and picked it up. I asked to see the date which didn't mean anything to me so I gave it back to him and he put it in his pocket. After the grandkids had gone home, I found the penny on the floor in my house. Hummmm...was I supposed to have that penny?

The next morning I took my dog for a long walk. Like a lot of people, my walking time is also my thinking time and my thoughts went to the last week of Dad's life. I had been playing that week over and over again in my mind. As I walked I asked myself the same questions, had I done everything I could? Did I tell him I loved him? I had been so intent on staying rational and in control, should I have allowed myself to be more emotional? I was also thinking about the penny from the day before. As I was walking up the last hill of that day's path my dog, a little Shih Tzu who fancies himself a Bloodhound, stopped for about the 300th time to sniff something. I said, "Oh, Kip, what now?" And there in the grass was a golf ball. A golf ball! I'm glad the owners of the house didn't look out to see a woman half crying/half laughing over a golf ball in their front yard.

Do I think my Dad put that golf ball there? No. (Anyone who ever played with my Dad knows he would never hit one so far out of bounds). Do I think I saw that golf ball at a moment when I really needed to see it? Absolutely! Was that God? Yes, no doubt!

How great are the signs, how mighty his wonders!

Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 3-10-12

John 2:15

“And making a whip of cords, he drove them all,with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.”

This event occurred early in Jesus' ministry, soon after the miracle at Cana. Jesus, his brothers , and the disciples had come to Jerusalem to observe Passover. Upon entering the Temple, he observed that the priests had turned the Temple into a place of commerce. This did not set well with Jesus. He took action.

Many, many times I have come upon situations which I felt compelled to do the same. I would like to dispense justice in the name of all that's good like Jesus did. The difference is, Jesus is God Almighty and I am only a cowardly sinner. This set me to thinking how I, a cowardly sinner, can do God's work on this earth. There are multitudinous things I can do on a daily basis. I can try to follow Jesus' two Great Commandments: Love God and Love my neighbor. It is much more difficult to love someone who has done me wrong than to lash out at him and try to get “even”.

Easter, in my opinion, is the Keystone event in Christianity. Without the Resurrection,everything else is just a story. Had the Resurrection not occurred, Jesus would be among the legions of prophets and pretenders, soon to be forgotten or dismissed as a lunatic. On our Lenten journey this year, let us truly remember that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

Let us strive daily to keep his two Commandments.

Blessings to you,
Scott Ramsey

Devotional 3-9-12

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

The other day I was cleaning out a box that contained items that belonged to my mother and father. I found both my mother’s and father’s baby shoes that had been bronzed to preserve them forever. I am the oldest living person in my family, so I can’t go back to anyone from my parent’s generation to ask why the family felt the need to bronze those baby shoes.

However, as I began to really think about the shoes, I realized that maybe my mother and father’s parents thought it was important to remember their baby’s first steps in their first pair of hard soled shoes. Those beginning steps in those shoes, with their parent’s guidance, would lead them on to many adventures and experiences as they grew up, married, became parents and then grandparents. Those first steps would lead to so many important mile stones in their lives.

As we continue through this time of Lent – this time of examining our lives and searching out what is really important in our relationship with God and God’s children - we really need to focus on God’s wisdom and guidance for us. Each step we take is so important, for it’s not about what the world and our society deems important – power, wealth, position, the latest trends. Rather, God is calling each of us to become the best that we can become, with the talents and abilities God has given us, and to allow God to guide us and use us in the places God knows we should be. We can only be successful in this life, if we truly allow God to be our wisdom and our guide.

God has given each of us the raw materials to develop and step out in life. However, it is a lifelong process, taken one step at a time. What are you doing with your gifts from God, to become all that God has called to you to be?

Blessings,
Rev. Suzanne Ellis

Devotional 3-8-12

A MEANINGFUL LENT

Perhaps you have heard the old yarn about the Irishman named Jack and Lent. Jack was a hard worker who always put in a full day’s labor, day in and day out. Jack was also a fellow who, at the end of each work day, believed in treating himself to a stop at a local pub on his way home. Jack’s stops at that pub became a much discussed matter of local lure because Jack always requested that the bartender pour three mugs of beer at one time and set all three drafts on the bar right in front of him. Thereupon, Jack would slowly and rather ceremoniously drink randomly from all three mugs until there was not a drop left in any of the three. At that point he would bid everyone good night and walk home. One evening the bartender’s curiosity could no longer be contained, and he asked Jack why the beers were all drawn at once and consumed in random sips from the three mugs. Jack told his friend that the first mug poured was for him and the other two were for his brothers, one of whom now lived in America, while the other lived in Australia. Since their parting they had all agreed to perform this ritual no matter where each one was as a way of insuring that their relationship would remain connected. Satisfied with that explanation, the barman went back to tending his business. One Wednesday evening in late February, Jack walked into the pub and ordered just two beers. A hush came over the entire room. In a knowing manner the bartender solemnly stepped forward and said that he was sorry to learn that one of Jack’s brothers had died. Jack responded as he sat down to enjoy the two beers, “both brothers are alive and good health ... I’ve just gone to two beers because I’ve given up drinking beer for Lent”.

What is a meaningful Lent? How does one go about living during these 40 days that leaves one feeling fulfilled at the end of the sacred time frame? Since I already pray, do I pray more? Since I already attend Sunday School and Church, am I expected to attend 2 services each Sunday? Since I already read the Bible once a day, do I step it up to twice a day? Since I already contribute financially to my Church and few other social service entities, am I to double what I give during Lent? One of the answers to these questions is that there are too many I’s in this paragraph. Lent is not about us: Lent is about God and our opening ourselves up to a deeper experience of Him across the 40 day period. Lent is preparation for Holy Week. Lent ends where our salvation as Christians begins ... with a cross, an empty tomb and a risen Lord.

So, to participate earnestly in Lent means that work each of the 40 days to remove all the impediments which we build on a daily basis to separate us from God and keeps us from bathing fully in His grace. Ultimately, if the comforts we give up during Lent and the additional tasks of stewardship which we take on during the same period are not undertaken in the spirit repentance, we’ve missed the whole point of the Lenten experience. The simple truth is we are not meant to feel fulfilled at the end of Lent: we are expected to feel spent, tired and a little cranky because we humans can never get good enough at accepting our limitations and appreciating God’s unending grace. Fulfillment for us is not to be found in how we spend our time during Lent, but in how completely we rejoice on Easter morning.

Tom Craig

Devotional 3-7-12

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35.

Norman Vincent Peale is known for his uplifting and practical spiritual advice. His focus has always been on the power of positive thinking. In his daily devotional book ,“Positive Living Day By Day”, one of his devotionals impressed me so much that, many days, I will go back and read it again. It consists of 5 rules that he believes will revolutionize the life of any person.

1. Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid. The person who is afraid cuts himself off from the flow of power, but when you venture boldly, there comes a flow of power in response.
2. Deny adverse conditions. Don’t go around saying or thinking, “Conditions are against me”. Face facts, but realize that it often happens that a person is defeated not so much by the facts of the situation as by his negative interpretation of the facts. In every problem there is an inherent good. Believe that.
3. Picture good outcomes. By envisioning good things, you actually bring good influences into play, both within yourself and in the world around you.
4. Pray for every person you meet with by name, that he or she may benefit from the dealings you have with him or her.
5. Practice Christian love toward everybody.

Have a great day!
Elizabeth and Mickey Martin

Devotional 3-6-12

Please read Psalm 19

It is no wonder that C. S. Lewis called Psalm 19 “the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”  (Lewis, C. S. Reflections on the Psalms. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1958, 63).   The psalmist writes of the revelation of God through creation.  “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament^* proclaims his handiwork.”  (v. 1).  If you have ever marveled at a sunset, a newborn baby, the mountains, or the sea, then you know the difficulty in finding the words to express your vision and experience.  Our humanity and our language limit us from describing creation, and from describing God.  “There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice^* goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (vv. 3-4). 

Creation reveals something about God.  The bible reveals something more about God and about God’s relationship with creation. For me, the most meaningful revelation of God is in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and in God’s continuing work and presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is hard to describe the awe-filled presence of God.  Sometimes, words aren’t necessary; other times, words aren’t enough.  There are no words to sufficiently describe God or respond to God’s gifts to us.  This feeling perplexed the ancient psalmist as he or she pondered creation.  It also mystified the twelfth century monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, to whom are attributed the words to the hymn “O Sacred Head Now Wounded.”  (UMH, 1989, 286).

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

Contemporary writers also give expression to the enigma.  Consider Jarolslav J. Vajda’s ponderings in the third verse of “God of the Sparrow and God of the Whale.”  (UMH, 1989, 122).

God of the rainbow

God of the cross
God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace
How does the creature say Thanks?

This Lent, may we consider how our lives can faithfully respond to God’s gifts of creation, God’s gift of the Word, and God’s gift of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 3-5-12

John 2:13-22

Recently I visited and attended church with my parents. It was the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the preacher spoke to the children about Lent during the children’s sermon. The “congregation” was small - just one little girl, but she listened intently as Preacher Pam explained the upcoming season.

“We will take all the pretty, shiny things out of the sanctuary,” she said, pointing out the golden cross and candlesticks on the altar. Pam described a plain, wooden cross that would be placed at the front of the sanctuary. “You will make symbols for it during Sunday School in the next few weeks,” she told the young lady. “And we will not sing any alleluias,” she said solemnly.

No “alleluias.”

Pam observes Lent like no one else I know. A normally exuberant, boisterous lady, she is markedly reserved during Lent. She truly mourns the absence of alleluias. When I see her at Easter each year, she is noticeably thinner, and I am convicted of my lack of observance. I want to be like Pam, but I am more like the Jews in this passage of John, missing the point until Easter arrives.

John 2 -- ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." ²⁰ The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Prayer: God of all seasons, be with us. Help us use this season as You intend. Let us honor your sacrifice, the yielding of Yourself and of Your son. In His name, Amen.

Marcia Canterbury

Devotional 3-3-12

As I prepared for this devotional, I was sent a devotion for lent that I found interesting. It reminds us that even though Lent is often a time of sorrow, we need to take this time to remember and reflect on out lives as we prepare for the renewal of Easter.

Return to Me with All Your Heart

Here we are again—the time we call Lent. For many of us, the word “Lent” connotes drab days, giving up things and a long, long time waiting for spring. Lent means many things. A time of repentance. A time of sacrifice. A preparation for Easter. A time of letdown after the excitement of Christmas and New Year’s hopes.

We often overlook another meaning—the idea that Lent is an invitation to “return,” to be reconciled with God, with each other and with ourselves. Lent calls us to return to our hearts, to see what’s there and act from what we see.

Lent is a season of the heart.

The scriptures, both the Hebrew Prophets and the New Testament texts, are our guides for the journey of Lent. They make a powerful point, one that our culture often forgets: it is the heart that matters. What is in our heart deeply influences our vision, our hearing, our behavior.

Lent begins on a day we call “Ash Wednesday.”

On that day, Christians everywhere are called to remember, repent and return. Through the symbol of ashes, we are asked to remember that we are of the earth, created by another, and will not walk the earth forever. We are asked to repent; to look at ourselves,to recognize our separation from our God, and to return to the one who has created us.

Repentance, remembering, returning to God—all of these begin in our hearts. None of these is an intellectual exercise.

What if Lent is a time to return to our hearts and find comfort there, and solace, and strength? What if Lent is a time to return to our souls and find our calling and our source of life?

Is that what happened for Jesus when he was in a desert for 40 days?

Can that happen for us?

In the scripture reading for Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel cries: Even now, says the Lord, Return to me with your whole heart, With fasting and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, And return to the Lord your God. Why should we take the risk to do this? Joel answers: For gracious and merciful is God, Slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. (Joel 2: 12-13)

Lent need not be drab. Lent can be a time of finding ourselves and finding ourselves held in the mercy and rich kindness of the God who loves us.

by: Sr. Juliana Casey, IHM, Ph.D.

Prayer for Lent:
Dear Lord,
As we begin this time of lent, help us take the time to return to our hearts. Show us the path for our journey through this time of remembrance as we repent through this season. As we bring our transgressions to you, help us to see your call for us in this time, as we grow in our relationship with you. Amen

Hulse Budd

Devotional 3-2-12

Read Psalms 22: 23-31

"You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offsprings of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all uou offsprings of Israel!"
We should all praise the Lord for all that He has done for us. Praise for God's salvation echoes throughout the nations, from those who have died and from those yet to be born.

We all should always remember that we are not alone, no matter where we are, He is always there for us to "carry us through whatever we encounter. When we least expect it, He is there. One day in January we were at Johnson Memorial preparing for a dinner in the fellowship hall, Fred and Nancy and I were going out of the kitchen door heading down the hall going up to the sanctuary for the service; I forgot about the 3 steps at the end of the hallway. I stepped off of the top step and I felt like I was floating in mid air in slow motion and was being "carried" and softly was set down ever so gently with no injuries!! I know that "He" was there for me and protected me from falling down those steps and kept me from injuring myself!! Praise the Lord!!!!!!

We must always glorify Him because you never know when you might need protection, guidance, or comfort for what ever is going on in your life. We must keep the faith and remember God's salvation is there just for the asking.

Invite Him into your heart as you prepare for this Lent season.
Romans 4:16
It depend on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants.

Romans 4:24
It will be reckoned to us who believe in Him who raise Jesus our Lord from the dead, who handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Please Pray:

Oh God, be with us this Lenten season as we prepare for Easter. I pray that you will be with all of us as we journey through our days and that you will never leave us. Please protect us by lifting your people up and carrying them when you know they need to be carried. Thank you for all your blessings and always being there for all of us as the need arises. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Melanie Herr

Devotional 3-1-12

As Lent is obviously connected to the idea of sacrifice, many of us forego sweets or other nonessential items through the season.  Some give up cursing or another behavior we shouldn’t be doing in the first place.  Some of us immerse ourselves in scripture and try to approach the forty days with reverence.  In a recent worship service, I heard the phrase “God’s glory is for giving”, and I thought I heard “God’s glory is forgiving”.  I have been ruminating about this in terms of how it might relate to Lent.  

Lent is for giving

First, rather than giving up something, we might feel more spiritual development through giving something.  I try to grow closer to God through some truly trivial ‘sacrifice’ (what a strong word for going without chocolate), but I simply replace what I’ve curbed with something else.  We could give to others instead of saving or doing for ourselves.  “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:36

Lent is (about) forgiving

A second focus during this introspective season might be forgiveness.  I try to tell myself I’m being a good Christian while I hold years-old grudges against friends or family.  Why not use this time to create a clean slate for others while scrubbing at the stains of my own wrongdoing?  Thankfully, God’s glory is not only for the saints; it is a gift for sinners.  “If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)

Lent can be a time to reflect upon our Christian journey through giving and forgiving.  In the beginning, we may feel we are giving more than we can afford or forgiving those who we think instead “need justice!”  As we do what we can to honor Christ’s gift of salvation, the result is a certain reward.  We relinquish vanity and pride, and we replace them with peace and fulfillment.  In whatever fashion, I pray you use this time in Lent to take a step toward God’s glory.   

Natalie Wray