27
NOTES:
NOTES:
Lenten Devotion on Exodus 3:1-15
We all run from God at some point in our lives: just take a look at
Moses. God protected Moses from genocide as an infant, situated him
in Pharaoh’s household, and had plans for him to lead Israel into the
freedom of the Promised Land.
Moses made terrible mistakes. He murdered an Egyptian taskmaster in
a fit of rage. He ran away into the desert. He tried to forget the suffering
of his people with a different life far away from their cries.
God found Moses, even though Moses ran as far as he could into the
wilderness. Moses tried to fill the absence of God with many good
things: a new wife named Zipporah, a new family in Midian, a new life
as a shepherd. But none of them could satisfy the gathering emptiness
of a life spent running from God.
When Moses had nowhere else to run, God met him there. The I AM.
The Answer to the deepest questions of life still had plans that Moses
never could have imagined.
We all run from God at some point in our lives, but God ends up finding
us with the same freedom, hope, and adventure that we never could
have imagined. As this season of Lent begins, where will the great I AM
meet you?
~ Andrew Scales
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to:
All those who wrote devotionals for the book
All those who contributed artwork
~ ~ ~
Devotions for Lent Coordinators:
Meredith Allen Carol Barber Jacque Harris Jean Jackson
Margo Wehrung
Stephen Ministry has been serving others since 1975 and is now active in over 11,000 congregations worldwide.
Stephen Ministers provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care and support to people experiencing grief, divorce, cancer, job loss, loneliness, disability, relocation, and other life difficulties. They undergo over 50 hours of initial training, in addition to continuing education opportunities, and they meet regularly to support each other in their ministry.
Davidson College Presbyterian Church currently has 15 active Stephen Ministers and 5 Stephen Leaders.
Stephen Ministers: Lynn and Marjorie Burris, Jennie Clifton, Barbara Fagg, Vicki Gray, Jacque Harris, Donna Hatfield, Anne Hicks, Jean Jackson, Ben Klein, Carolyn Noell, Gordon and Jane Peck, Brenda Sewell, Ben Yarborough.
For information on Stephen Ministry or to request care, please contact one of the Stephen Leaders:
Meredith Allen Susan Manning Alice Sudduth
Mary Thornberry Margo Wehrung
“Easter Sunday Dogwoods”
~ Genny Bosak
Ash Wednesday, March 5
Psalm 51: 10-12; Matthew 16: 16
Dust and ashes touch our face,
mark our failure and our falling.
Holy Spirit, come, walk with us tomorrow,
take us as disciples,
washed and wakened by your calling.
Take us by the hand and lead us,
lead us through the desert sands,
bring us living water,
Holy Spirit, come.
These words from a hymn by Brian Wren are a fitting prayer as we
enter into our 2014 Lenten observance at Davidson College
Presbyterian Church, a season in which we pray to answer Jesus’s
question to Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” not only in our words,
but in our lives that respond, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living
God.”
May our prayers during this season be honest prayers, prayers in which
we trust the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the failures and the fallings which
we hide even from our own conscious selves. May our prayers during
this season be trusting prayers, that as we are wakened to our sin, we
are at one and the same time led by Jesus through the wilderness of
our disobedience to drink of the living water of God’s forgiveness. May
our prayers open us to the always new challenge of joining Jesus where
he is already at work in ministry out in this world that God loves so very
much.
With the Psalmist, we pray:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Put a new and right spirit within
me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Sustain in me a willing spirit.”
Amen
~ Lib McGregor Simmons
Isaiah 58:1-10
ASHES TO GO
It is Ash Wednesday. On the sidewalk outside St. Peter’s Episcopal
Church downtown the priest presents the passers-by with ashes. He
makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of each willing participant.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” he says to their retreating backs. How
handy in this age of convenience. Soon we will have ashes-online. I
have no time for this nonsense. This is the day I drive for the Red
Cross. I take patients to dialysis. We call them clients for reasons I do
not understand. My regular number is ten, but today I have only six.
One of them, my friend Ray, has died, of a massive heart attack, my
second death. Alex, who always helps me, is very sick, his wife says
with a grave face. He has gone to the doctor. Vicky, the storyteller, can
no longer ride with us. Her wheelchair will not fit into the van. And
Dorothy, the talker, had decided she no longer needs to come on
Wednesdays. The other six are not much better. James needs a knee
replacement, and they keep putting him off. Miss Louise has fallen, and
her sons must help her into the car. Miss Dixie is waiting for her
beloved Aunt Aggie to die, and Mr. Berry is too heavy
for me to lift from his wheelchair to the car door.
“We’re all dying,” Dixie reminds me. “Ashes to
ashes,” says the priest. I feel blessed to know these
courageous souls. They batter against the brittle end
of things, forcing their blood through the dark
machines to buy forty-eight more hours. Driving
home at noon, I make the mark of the cross on my
own forehead.
~ Tony Abbot
“Jesus wept.” John 11 is a scene of grief. Raw grief.
In telling this story, the gospel writer rehearses a later scene that is yet
to be played out on the stage of his narrative: that of Mary Magdalene’s
weeping as the throes of raw grief wrack her body outside the tomb of
Jesus.
In the tears of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, we find a mirror of the grief
that we ourselves experience at various points in our lives. In these
biblical tears, we come face to face with the honest truth that not one of
us gets to slip past the tombs and that on the way to the tombs of our
own deaths, most of us do a lot of weeping along the way.
Grief, however, as real as it is, is not the whole story.
The whole and completed story is found in Jesus’s words to Martha,
grief-stricken and angry at her brother Lazarus’s death. To his dear
friend, Jesus says, “ I am the resurrection and the life.” The story of
God’s love for us starts small in John 11 with Jesus and his friends
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and it then becomes big in John 20,
bestowing upon us the Easter vision that what Jesus has done for his
friend Lazarus is what God has done for him, and then it becomes small
once again, as small as you and I are, granting us the assurance that
the life which was in Jesus is also in us…eternally.
“Jesus, remembering that you said, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,” help me to
answer with Martha, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,
the Son of God.”
Amen”
~ Lib McGregor Simmons
John 11: 1-44; John 20: 1-18
The Resurrection of the Lord
Easter Sunday, April 20
Last Day of Lent, Thursday, April 17
Lamentations. 2:10–18 ;1 Corinthians 10:14–17; 11:27–32 ;
Mark 14:12–25
Philippians 2:1-13
"A Man for All Ages"
Sometimes we Christians are prone to encrust Christ in our cultural
cocoons; we have fenced him in behind our national boundaries and
racial identifications. We have invested him with our own sense of
values. But for all our efforts to fashion Jesus in our own image, to
make him after our own likeness, he comes off looking like himself
every time - like every person and like no person. He is a man for all
ages and for all people. When we box him in he breaks from the
boxes. We define him and find that we have left something out, and
have to go back and redefine him. When Jesus emptied himself, it was
not of divinity, but he emptied himself of a propensity to want to lord it
over all the people like a secular king. Instead, he took the form of a
servant and became obedient unto death, as Paul's letter to the
Philippians reminds us. God's love in Christ allows us to experience
genuine forgiveness and the possibility for a new beginning each
day. May that be our experience this very day!
Amen
~ Scott Woodmansee
Thursday, March 6
Habakkuk 3:1–10, (11–15), 16–18; Philippians 3:12–21; John 17:1–8
1 Corinthians 1:20-31
“Who do you say that I am?” Paul writes, “We proclaim Christ
crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23). For Jesus the Cross is more than just
the instrument by which the Roman Empire rid itself of this prophet who
proclaimed inconvenient truths. For Jesus the Cross was a way of life.
Years ago a Sunday School teacher of mine made the observation that
when she saw the Cross she imagined an "I" that had been struck
through. Jesus' whole life had a cruciform shape – he gave up his ego,
he emptied himself of self-interest. It is the Cross – not a crown or a
throne or the empty tomb -- which is the church's symbol. When Jesus
told his disciples that crucifixion was his destiny, Peter, who had
declared him Messiah, rebuked Jesus. Part of Peter's problem with his
Messiah going to the Cross surely was that the Messiah just might ask
the same of Peter. Indeed, Jesus went on in the next breath to
challenge Peter and the others, "If any would come after me, let them
deny themselves and take up the cross and follow me." (See Mark 8:31
-35.) Jesus did not say, "I am going to the Cross so that my disciples
will not have to." The Cross is not just Jesus's destiny; it is also the
disciple's calling. In Luke's version of Jesus's challenge, the Lord says,
"Let them take up their cross daily." (Luke 9:23) To proclaim who
Jesus is means declaring who I will be.
~ George W. Ramsey
Friday , March 7
Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32; Philippians 4:1–9; John 17:9–19
Mural for DCPC Congregational Hall
Gerardo Hernandez Arias is an artist from Managua, Nicaragua who
teaches at the Batahola Norte Cultural Center in Managua. Gerardo
has helped with our partnership with the Kilambe region of Nicaragua.
While he is here, he is painting this mural in our Congregational Hall
celebrating our two international partnerships in Nicaragua and Kenya.
~ Gerardo Hernandez Arias
Wednesday, April 16
Lamentations. 2:1–9; 2 Corinthians. 1:23–2:11; Mark 12:1–11
The art work drawn above is by a student in our congregation who
participated in an art focus for our 2014 Lenten book at our DCPC
Winter Retreat at Montreat, NC. This is what Sarah drew when the
students were told that the theme for the Lenten book was to be “Who
Do You Say That I Am?”
~ Sarah Frances Combs
Tuesday, April 15
Lamentations 1:17–22 ; 2 Corinthians 1:8–22 ; Mark 11:27–33
.
~ Genny Bosak
Saturday, March 8
John 17:20-26
Our world seems to be breaking apart these days. We are divided in so many ways: financial, racial, social, geographical, political, and religious. Even the Christian church is split into thousands of different denominations. At times it seems we can't agree on anything. This passage from John is a prayer by Jesus for the church universal on the night of His betrayal. Jesus prayed first for His disciples who were charged with spreading His word to the world. Then He prayed for those others who would hear His word. He asked that there be unity among His followers. However, through the centuries schisms have developed which have divided Jesus' followers. Jesus prays that we will have unity with God as He has unity with God and that we will then have unity with each other. If we were truly focused on God and seeking unity with Him, the other differences among us would not be so important. Jesus wants us to show unity with God and each other as a sign to all the world of what the Kingdom of God can be.
Our Father
Help us to seek and nurture unity with You
and to learn to work with each other in unity
as Your universal Church.
Let our unity with You
and each other be a sign to the world
that Jesus' message is real
and offers hope to us all.
In the name of your Precious Son,
Amen.
~ Donna Hatfield
First Sunday in Lent, March 9
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. As of this past Wednesday, Christians
are engaged in a forty-day period of personal examination and reflection,
preparing for the celebration of a glad Easter morning.
My mother never liked Lent. She was a genetic Presbyterian who really
mistrusted too much ceremony. Mama said, “It’s make believe! Why go
through this doleful period, when we know Christ will rise on Easter?”
That’s a good point. Christianity is about Easter. Indeed, our Puritan
forebears avoided designating one Sunday as Easter, because every
Sunday should celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
But what about this: Maybe every Sunday is also a Sunday in Lent. Maybe
it is a time to reflect upon our lives, our relationships with one another, and
especially our relationship to God.
In Psalm 42, the Psalmist seems nearly desperate to be in God’s presence.
Life has not been easy. Suffering has been a constant companion, tears
have come early and often, and bystanders have encouraged him to doubt
that there is a God who cares. Rather than self pity or unbelief, though, the
Psalmist’s troubles evoke a profound longing to worship.
Let’s use this Lenten Sunday to follow that example, to assess the
circumstances of our lives, and then to present ourselves to God, “warts
and all.” That’s one way this Sunday can become another Easter as well.
~ John Kuykendall
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not
walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Monday, April 14
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of
life.’
A few months ago, I heard a young seminary student preach a sermon
titled, “The Waiting Game.” While she was referring to a time of waiting
and anticipation during Advent, I continued to go back to the idea of
waiting for the Light of the World well after Christmas. The image of a
Savior promising a light that saves us from walking in darkness brings
with it an image of hope for this world and the next.
At the beginning of this Holy Week I pray that we will keep waiting but
also allow the hope of the “Light of Life” to burn brightly right now. I pray
that we will be part of that light and live in God’s kingdom each day. I
pray for peace among all God’s children as we wait for the “light that
shines in the darkness.” John 1:5.
~ Margo Wehrung
Sixth Sunday in Lent, April 13
There is a lot of talk about light and darkness in scripture. It is an easy
concept for us humans to get our heads around. Darkness is scary,
lonely, cold . . . while light is comforting, warm, connected. A light
guides our way, illuminates dangers ahead in our path, allows us to
connect voices with faces. Jesus tells us that he, himself, is the light. It
is a different thing to imagine the warm glow emanating from a candle
or bulb as springing from a person. But this person is Christ, God’s Son,
Emmanuel. His light illuminates not the crooked path directly in front of
us but the ‘Way.’ He, as light, does not warn us of potholes in the road
as we drive but of deep crevasses in our very lives; the ways in which
we fall short of God’s calling. Jesus, as light, illuminates the face not of
the disciples or Pharisees before him, but the very face of God. Christ,
later in this chapter of John, goes on to tell the Pharisees who were
questioning him, “I know where I have come from and where I am go-
ing.” This is what Christ, as light of the world, is for us. Christ illuminates
where we have come from – the heart of God, as well as where we are
going – the heart of God. Our way – our path – is Life, lived in the the
knowledge of the love and grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ –
the Light.
Prayer – Psalm 119:105
Lord God, your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Amen.
~ Mary Margaret Porter
John 8:12
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will
have the light of life.”
Monday, March 10
“Who Do You Say That I
Am?”
I look
out
my window
at a world that is brown, grey,
Textured and mottled with white.
Birds cluster at the feeder,
the fountain, hopping
and taking wing: the brilliant
Red Cardinal, the
dusky Rufus-sided
Towhee, grey blue Titmouse,
wrens, sparrows, the
Mockingbird...
all beautiful,
all a gift,
and all so confident in the role
each plays.
Had I
that knowledge, that confidence
In my role!
Who am
I, God?
Who
do You say
that I am?
~ Genny Bosak
Tuesday, March 11
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in
the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Photo: Meredith Allen, 2014
Saturday, April 12
John 15:1-11
I have never had a particularly green thumb. Perhaps I thought that I
could learn enough to compensate for that when I decided to study
Agronomy at NC State. It was that fact that led me to the mission field
in Chiguinto, Chile during my summer internship as a student at the
Presbyterian School of Christian Education. The village of Chiguinto
was known for its vineyards and for the community’s interest in
producing communion wine to sell to the churches in the United States.
I learned a lot about vines and branches that summer!
You don’t have to have an agronomy degree to understand the point
that Jesus makes in John 15. If the branch isn’t connected to the vine it
will wither and die. It will not produce fruit. It will serve no purpose.
Jesus invites connection. Jesus invites relationship. Jesus invites us to
experience deep and significant joy by staying connected to the source
of life and vitality. When we accept that invitation, the possibilities are
endless. When we reject it, the passage suggests, we can do nothing.
Staying connected to Jesus might sound easy. But I bet you can think
of a dozen or more ways just this past week that you were pulled away
from him. Maybe it was a temptation, maybe it was another voice that
lured you, maybe it was apathy or laziness. This passage invites us to
take seriously this connection with Jesus and not to take it for granted.
May you find complete joy in being the branch that remains connected
to the true vine.
Let us pray:
God of abundant life, thank you for loving me and thank you for wanting
to be in relationship with me. Help me to be mindful of this relationship
and not to take it for granted. Teach me what it means to stay
connected to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
~ Robert Alexander
Friday, April 11
Exodus 2:1–22 ;1 Corinthians 12:27–13:3 ; Mark 9:2–13
The art work drawn below is by a student in our congregation who
participated in an art focus for our 2014 Lenten book at our DCPC
Winter Retreat at Montreat, NC. This is what Della drew when the
students were told that the theme for the Lenten book was to be “Who
Do You Say That I Am”?
~ Della Scott Michael
Wednesday, March 12
Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
What does it mean that the Lord can be the stronghold of our life? That term may be associated with medieval castles, but it obviously has an even longer history dating back to Biblical times. A stronghold served as a place where weapons were kept and from which attacks could be launched. It also provided a place of refuge from an enemy. People could flee to the stronghold in times of trouble, finding both safety and a way to repel what had caused them to flee.
Certainly each of us has many things that might cause us to fear: ill-ness, job loss, economic concerns, violence in our schools and commu-nities. Once we start to list potential fears, there seems to be no end to possible sources of troubles. Many are legitimate concerns. We want to flee hunger, homelessness, illness, and pain. We also have our in-ner fears: not being liked, not being courageous, not being attractive, not being a good parent or student or worker. The world offers too many examples of things gone wrong – wars and savagery on almost unimaginable scales. The Bible never promises that our troubles will magically disappear. What it does say is that God offers us a place to come, to collect our-selves, to find resources to deal with our daily issues. If we know that our future is in God’s hands, we can take heart. As we prepare for Easter, we can find hope and joy in recalling what Jesus said at the last supper: we are His and He will never leave us or forsake us, no matter how dark the hour. We can turn to him with our fears and He will pro-vide us with help.
Our Easter prayer:
“Lord, let me be a part of the great Easter promise you made. Prepare
a place for me and me for that place. Be my stronghold, and let your love help me overcome my fears.”
~ Mary Thornberry
Thursday, March 13
Mark 2: 1-12.
The scripture tells the story of the man who is paralyzed and brought to
Jesus to be healed. We read of the dialog between Jesus and the
scribes. But what about the man himself? What must he have
experienced? Maybe it was something like this.
“I was stricken in the heat of the day as I labored in the fields. Since
then I have been totally paralyzed. If only I could walk and gather a bit
to eat or to drink but, no, I am dependent on my family to care for me.
I’m so sad and I am angry with God for letting me live on in this
condition. I would be better off dead. So, my crazy brothers have this
idea to take me to this man who they claim is a healer. There is such a
crowd that I ask them to just take me home but they say, ‘No, we came
this far, there must be a way to get close to him.’ And so they make a
hole in the roof and lower me through. The man is there and he doesn’t
tell me to leave. He tells me my sins are forgiven. What? I came here
because I am paralyzed and he’s talking about my sin. Oh, then he
starts arguing with some other men and they accuse him of blasphemy.
What have we gotten ourselves into? Then the man named Jesus,
whose face is kind and touch is gentle, tells me to take up my mat and
walk. And I do. And I can’t believe what’s happening. I’m walking with
my brothers and we are going home. I never believed this could
happen. Who is this man called Jesus?”
Read Psalm 27 as a prayer today.
~ Alice Sudduth
Thursday, April 10
John 10:10, James 4:13-15, Matthew 6:34
Jesus Calling….
I am perpetually with you, taking care of you. This is the most important
fact of your existence. I am not limited by time or space. You need not
fear the future, for I am already there. When you make the leap into
eternity, you will fine Me awaiting in heaven. Your future is in My hands,
I release it to you day by day.
I want you to live this day, seeing all there is to see, doing all there is to
do. Each day of life is a glorious gift, few people know how to live within
the confines of today. Too much energy for living spells over into
tomorrow’s worries or past regrets, allowing little energy to barely limp
through the day.
Keep you focus on My presence with the present, allowing abundant life
to freely flow from My throne of grace. Therefore, do not worry about
tomorrow.
~ Lynn Burris
Wednesday, April 9
Mark 10: 13-16
Jesus Blesses Little Children
“Then they brought little children to Him,
that He might touch them;
but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
But when Jesus saw it,
He was greatly displeased and said to them,
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them;
for of such is the kingdom of God.
Assuredly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child will by no means enter it.”
16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them,
and blessed them”.
Friday, March 14
Mark 2:13-22
Humans are, without a doubt, creatures of habit. We shape nearly all of
our decisions in accordance with traditions and norms, many of which
have been floating around for thousands of years. A favorite writer of
mine, John Green, noted that even “imagining the future is a kind of
nostalgia”, and I find this notion to be dead-on. Our personal and
collective pasts do so much to inform our futures.
This reliance on tradition isn’t entirely bad. In many cases the lessons
that have proven the test of time are indeed the ones worth holding on
to. But as Jesus explains near the end of Mark 2, we must be critical of
simply falling back on “the way it’s always been done.” Jesus’ metaphor
of the new wine not fitting the old wineskin foreshadows the formation
of the new covenant and its accompanying shift away from old rituals.
His words maintain their relevance today, for we have already
confronted various modern issues (those raised by the Civil Rights
Movement, for example) that required us to both accept and seek
change, in order to do what is most pleasing to God.
We cling to tradition because it is comfortable and because it is familiar.
To look outward can be frightening, for sure. But faith, by definition,
refuses to be stagnant. On the contrary, faith demands growth,
transformation, and even (or perhaps especially) doubt.
~ Alec Cluster
Saturday, March 15
Psalm 43:5
This past summer, I worked as a camp counselor at a retreat center in
New Mexico. During the last week, I met a little girl named Hope. She
lived in the local community with her older sister and mother, and each
day, she and her sister came to our classroom with a fresh smile on her
face. She was the kind of child who would look me in the eyes as we
read or played together. One morning, she insisted on giving her
nametag to me. “This is for you,” she’d say.
“No, Hope, this is yours!” I told her, trying to place the nametag bag in
its proper place on her purple shirt. She refused to listen, putting it in
the center of my chest, pressing it firmly against me. I smiled at her
persistence. Finally, I said yes, and gratefully accepted the
encouragement of wearing “Hope” on my chest.
Each day, from the moment we rise in the morning, the world presents
many obstacles and troubles. As we face these challenges, God
presents us with the ultimate reason to hope: Jesus has conquered
death. A little child was born and died on Earth to become our risen
Lord! What more reason to hope could we ask for? The season of Lent
asks us to be restored in hope as we look forward to Christ’s
resurrection, when God reveals the power of God’s love for us.
Each moment, we choose where to place our hope. If we hope for a job
promotion, a relationship change, or another circumstance, we are
bound to be disappointed and feel lost. Our expectations will not always
be fulfilled. God asks us to solely place our hope in His promises, and
to let him guide our feet as pilgrims toward the Risen One. God protects
our hearts from distraction and troubling when we set our sights upon
Him. Walking with Christ, we find every reason to be filled with gratitude
for the simple gifts and joys of living.
How can we say “yes” to God, who desires us to carry hope like
nametags on our chests? This day, let God gives you the opportunity to
renew your relationship by placing hope in your Savior, and may he
guide your way to abundant life.
~ Elizabeth Welliver
Tuesday, April 8
Exodus 5:1–6:1 ;1 Corinthians 14:20–33a, 39–40; Mark 9:42–50
Treasures
Diving into the salty deep,
finding shells that we may keep.
Smooth or curved or slightly broken,
we pile them high as treasured tokens.
Nautical gifts from the sea.
Leaving a life that used to be.
~ Meredith Allen
Monday, April 7
.
Exodus 4:10–20 (21–26) 27–31;1 Corinthians 14:1–19; Mark 9:30–41
~ Genny Bosak
God, search my heart
for all its troubled ways
of placing hope outside of you.
Help me to place my hope in you alone,
that I may walk in praise and gratitude for your
promises fulfilled.
Amen
~ Elizabeth Welliver
Second Sunday in Lent, March 16
John 1:43-51
Who Do Men Say That I Am?
Nathanael: “Teacher, You are the Son of God, the King of Israel”
This is one of my favorite stories of how God knows us and draws us
into Himself.
The day after John baptized Jesus He began identifying Himself with
people around Him. Philip had just been called by Jesus to be a disci-
ple and he took Him to meet his friend, Nathanael. He saw him coming
toward Him and spoke directly to Nathanael. “Here is a true and faithful
Israelite, who is worthy of the name”. “How did you come to know me”.,
Nathanael, honestly wondering. Jesus said, “ I saw you before when
you were alone standing under the fig tree”. Here, Nathanael sees the
heart of God. He could have been going through a crisis, lost his job, a
sadness, a decision to be made. The story doesn’t say. But he knew
that Jesus was drawing him into himself with compassion and that this
sort of thing had not happened to him before. With this encounter with
Jesus, he said…”Teacher, You are the Son of God, The King of Israel!”
——Help us to remember that You not only know and understand us,
but that You always will love us.
~ Bobbye Howell
John 15:1
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”
John 6:22-40
The first time I can remember ever really experiencing hunger was
when I participated in my first 30-Hour Famine. This event, sponsored
by World Vision, is a program that invites people to go without solid
food for 30 hours while participating in various educational programs
and service projects. In addition, participants are invited to raise funds
to contribute to ministries that help fight the root causes of hunger.
About 24 hours into the weekend I began to understand how a hungry
person might have a difficult time working, making descent decisions, or
being very nice.
The people who chased Jesus across the Sea of Capernaum on that
day which is recorded in John 6 were hungry. They were hungry in
their bellies and they were hungry in their spirits. Jesus knew that their
immediate concern was their physical hunger. They felt that. It im-
pacted their bodies, their minds, their attitudes, and their manners.
They had seen Jesus” miraculous power and knew that he could feed
them and bring an end to the hunger they had experienced. What they
didn’t know is that he could end a far greater hunger.
Most of us experience spiritual hunger throughout life. We experience it
as feeling lost or alone or empty or hopeless. How can this be when
Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry?” Perhaps it
is because, just like the manna the Israelites ate in the wilderness, Je-
sus gives us what we need for the day. We cannot gather up enough
Jesus for tomorrow and then walk away from Christ. He wants us by
his side every day, being fed by him, being nourished by him, and trust-
ing in him. May you find your soul filled up as you come to Jesus each
and every day and taste of the bread of heaven.
Let us pray:
Lord of life, you give us all that we need. Give us this day our daily
bread, and provide the soul food that we need to walk in your ways and
serve you another day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ Robert Alexander
John 6:35
I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.
Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 6
Saturday, April 5
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.”
This verse is a toughie for all the deep-thinking, compassionately
inclusive preachers of the Good News. One is likely to ask, “IS Christ
the only way to heaven?” or “What about those who never hear about
Jesus?” Consider these words from the Quest Study Bible (NIV)
published by Zondervan: “There may be no satisfactory answer to
[these questions]. The Bible is clear about the exclusive claims of Christ
(John 14:6). Yet we also know God is merciful and absolutely just. It
would seem to contradict what we know of [God’s] nature if [God] did
not account for the disadvantages of those who, through no fault of their
own, have never heard of Jesus. From another perspective we have to
say that even those who [HAVE] heard the name of Jesus do not
deserve to be saved. Salvation is always the result of God’s love for
us, not our love for [God]. It is [God’s] grace—not our efforts—that
saves us. Still, God’s grace requires a human response. Christians
have a responsibility to make Christ known in all the world so people
have the opportunity to respond (Matt. 28:19-20). Ultimately, we can
trust God to judge the world justly.”
I would say that we can also trust that God will ceaselessly seek out all
those who were created in God’s own image—which is all of humanity.
We, as Christians, just have an absolute duty to allow God to work in us
and through us until all are saved.
Dear Lord,
Please use me to help gather all of your children back to you.
Amen.
~ Stephanie Rollans
Monday, March 17
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the
darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
“Jesus, the light of the World”
In 1984 Martha and I were privileged to be with a tour group of Bible
Professors visiting the Holy Land. Our guide was a middle-aged Jewish
man, born and raised in England, now settled in Jerusalem, and
completely committed to the nation of Israel. I was impressed with his
knowledge of the Gospel accounts.
On one of our walks, at the ruins of the Temple, he stood on an
elevated place and read from his New Testament. It was from John
chapter 7, about Jesus, whom our guide named the Teacher, coming
from his safe area in Galilee into hostile Jerusalem, to attend the Feast
of the Booths. This was the last of the required festivals each year-the
Thanksgiving, the Harvest celebration, commemorating the presence of
God with His People, guiding them with the pillar of fire by night in the
40 years in the wilderness. Our guide pointed to the place where the
four huge Menorahs were lit. He told us, “It is said the Menorahs sent
such a blaze of light throughout Jerusalem that every courtyard in the
city was lit up with brilliance.”
Against this background Jesus proclaims “I am the Light of the
World.” (John 8:12) He gives this invitation to His listeners in Jerusalem,
and by quotation to His readers and hearers today, to receive the Light
which dispels darkness in our heart, mind and soul. Let us continue to
receive and continue to pray for others, who are in darkness, to be led
to the Light.
~ Martha and Reid Montgomery
Tuesday, March 18
John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays
down His life for His sheep.”
.
~ Betsy Hazelton
Friday, April 4
Exodus 2:1–22 ;1 Corinthians 12:27–13:3 ; Mark 9:2–13
The art work drawn below is by a student in our congregation who
participated in an art focus for our 2014 Lenten book at our DCPC
Winter Retreat at Montreat, NC. This is what Bella drew when the
students were told that the theme for the Lenten book was to be “Who
Do You Say That I Am?”
~ Bella Galloway
Thursday, April 3
Psalm 27
Lent is a good time for confession, so I have a confession to make—I’m not a
patient person. When the Lord was granting gifts, I was not in the line for pa-
tience. Trying to be more patient is one of my constant goals, and I must admit,
it’s still very much a work in progress.
Psalm 27, one of the lectionary texts for this date, is one of my favorite Psalms.
From the soaring affirmation in Verse 1—“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be
afraid?” to the strong admonition in Verse 14 to “Wait for the Lord; be strong;
and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” the Psalm speaks to me in a
special way. I have claimed it often at difficult times in my life when I needed
the assurance of God’s light as well as his admonition to wait patiently. The
Psalm reminds me that my time and God’s time are two very different things,
and that I need to more patient and wait on God’s time to unfold in my life.
A perfect example of one such time in my life was when my first husband and I
were considering a relocation to the Charlotte area and searching for jobs. As
luck (or providence, since we were good Presbyterians) would have it, I applied
for two Human Resource jobs in the Charlotte area—one with the City of Con-
cord and the other with Mecklenburg County. I was called immediately for an
interview in Concord and felt really good about my prospects for that position. I
wasn’t optimistic about the Mecklenburg job since I knew there would be strong
competition for that position, and I didn’t have all the qualifications they were
seeking. I interviewed for both jobs, but again I felt like that I would likely get an
offer from Concord, but not Mecklenburg. I was very disappointed to get a call
back from Concord that they had offered their job to someone else. Several
weeks went by and no call back from Mecklenburg, and as you might imagine,
my short supply of patience was long gone. One Sunday in February, I was
seeking comfort and reassurance and turned to the Psalms, which was then
and continues to be one of my favorite books in the Bible. I read Psalm 27
aloud and was immediately struck by the final two verses.
I focused on those two verses as an admonition and comfort that I needed to be
more patient and trust in God’s time, not my own. Immediately, I felt a sense of
calm and peace about the lost opportunity and the ongoing job search. One
week later, I received a job offer to be Mecklenburg County’s Director of Human
Resources. God had much better plans for my life than even I had dreamed
was possible—I just had to have courage and wait for his plan to unfold.
~ Susan Manning
Wednesday, March 19
Mark 8: 27-30
Who Do You Say That I Am?
This collage (magazine clippings and an old thesaurus page) explores
one of the many answers to Jesus' question: "Who do you say that I
am?" Especially as we prepare our hearts and minds to observe the
earthly death and resurrection of Christ, I think it's important to connect
with Jesus' humanity. Jesus walked on the ground and got dirt between
his toes. Jesus breathed air and ate food and gave food to others. The
verbs that Jesus lived during his time on earth are the very same ones
we live today.
~ Allison Wehrung
Thursday, March 20
Psalm 27; Mark 4: 21-34
Share the Good News!
“The mail is up.” Pines residents cluster around the postal boxes that fill
with the letters, bills, catalogs, and more that Barry, our postal carrier,
brings us. As the boxes are opened, someone may ask rhetorically,
“Why are they sending me this?” “What are you going to do with it?” “I
don’t know; I’ll have to decide.”
We read the words of the psalmist proclaiming the triumph of the Lord.
We are recipients of the Gospel -- the good news of the teachings, the
life, the death and resurrection of Christ, our Saviour. What are we
going to do with this that we have received? Do we save it to consider
another time, perhaps when we are faced with a crisis or a period of
indecision? Do we tuck it proprietarily into our spirit to savor with
thanks? Do we put it figuratively under a bushel basket like the lamp in
Mark 4: 21? What are we to say? To whom?
Perhaps the words of the hymn “There is a Balm in Gilead” can help –
“If you cannot preach like Peter, If you cannot pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus And say, ‘He died for all.’”
May our gracious Lord open our eyes and our spirits so that we
recognize our many opportunities to proclaim the gospel we have
received – the good, good news of our crucified and risen Christ. We
can “tell the love of Jesus And say, ‘He died for all.’”
~ Jean Jackson
Wednesday, April 2
Genesis 50:15–26; 1 Corinthians 12:1–11; Mark 8:11–26
Philippians 2:13 -14
Many, many years ago, early in our marriage, we were given an
inexpensive scroll featuring the words of Henry Drummond. We framed it and
it has traveled with us and hung on the wall of the many houses where we
have lived in a wide variety of communities. We had decided to use it as a
helper in our lives together, and as a guide as we worked in each community
and in each church.
“I shall pass through this world but once.
Any good therefore that I can do,
or any kindness that I can show
to any human being, let me do it now.
Let me not defer or neglect it,
for I shall not pass this way again.”
Henry Drummond
Paul tells us in Philippians 2:13 -14 - “For it is God who is at work in you,
enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things
without murmuring and arguing ...... in which you shine like stars in the world.”
Oh how wonderful it would be if we could live up to this challenge, but we can
always try, for we “shall not pass this way again.”
~ Bob and Pat Butt
Tuesday, April 1
Mark 8:1-10
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays
down His life for His sheep.”
.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
(Pen and colored pencil)
~ Allison Wehrung
Friday, March 21
Luke 28: 26-31
When Jesus was delivered up for crucifixion and was led onto the via
Delorosa, the way of sorrows, he was followed by a group of women,
“who bewailed and lamented him.” Turning to them, he said, “Daughters
of Jerusalem, do now weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your
children.”
These mourners were sympathetic spirits, overcome with compassion for
the innocent. While they meant well, the One who was deliberately giving
his life for those lost in sin had no wish for self-pity or for the pity of
others. He had come to this hour by his own design and that of his
heavenly Father.
To be pitied were all people whose lives were being damaged by sin,
including these women, their children and sinners of all succeeding
generations, including our own. Our sin should ring us to sorrow, when
we contemplate how this human condition diminishes the quality of our
relationship with God.
In essence, Jesus was calling all sinners to repentance. A minister asked
his confirmation class to define repentance. One child said, “repentance
calls on us to admit our sins.” The minister said, “you are right’ we call
that confession.” A second child said, “repentance means to be sorry for
your sins. “You too are right,” replied the minister, “that is called
contrition.” A third child said, “repentance means being sorry enough to
quit.” “How true,” said the minister, “we call that conversions.”
The focus of Jesus here is contrition. When have you been called upon to
experience sorrow over your sin? When have you experienced deep-felt
sadness for the sin in your life? That is what Jesus is calling for.
True contrition arises from more than guilt and shame for things we have
done or left undone. The well-spring of contrition is the abundant grace
that has been poured out for us through Christ. Our recognition of that
grace brings us to our knees in sorrow over sin.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the
things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”
~Bill DuBose
Saturday, March 22
John 10:9
“I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
~ Pidge Osborn
Monday, March 31
Mark 8: 27-30
“WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?”
The one who
tiptoes through buttercups on a March morning,
smiles with me at the miracle of a newborn,
walks boldly into the funeral carrying hope,
gathers up laughter in baskets from the family table.
The one who sees
the old man struggling to stand,
bumblebees weaving through flowers and grasses,
a boy bullied by his classmate,
a smudged valentine on the fourteenth of February.
The one who loves
guys who sleep under the bridge,
a kid who tries to look as if he had breakfast,
the dictator who bombs his own people,
the bride peering down the aisle at her husband-to-be.
The one who forgives
Wall Street traders, nervous with greed,
addicts begging for another pill, another drink,
the bully waiting around the corner,
me, when I claim center stage in his world.
~ Carolyn F. Noell
Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 30
”I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD”
Scripture: John 10
Of all the “I AM” sayings the metaphor of the Good Shepherd is the
most pastoral and the most intimate as an expression of the relation-
ship between Jesus and God’s people. God as shepherd is a constant
image. The twenty-third Psalm is the most beloved psalm because of
the shepherd image and all that it represents in our relationship with
God.
The shepherd was a common vocation in the ancient world. David the
shepherd becomes Israel greatest king and, Jesus becomes David’s
“heir”. John 10 gives flesh to Jesus’ understanding of that role. Ezekiel
34 is also an important model. (Give it a glance.) The shepherd pro-
vides the sheep with sustenance and security. He watches over them
and leads them to green pastures. He sleeps at the pen’s door to pro-
tect them from predators. “I will feel no evil”.
Further, the shepherd is the seeker of the lost. He leaves the ninety-
nine and seeks for the one who is lost. (Luke 15:1-8). In many places
Jesus sees the multitude and has compassion upon them “because
they were harried and helpless like sheep without a shepherd”.
(Matthew 9:35-37). It is the shepherd who risks and gives his life for the
sheep.
Jesus is the good shepherd who creates a sure way to abundant life.
“Now may the God of peace who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus
the great shepherd of the sheep make you complete in every thing to
do is his will…” (Hebrews 13:20.21)
~ Will Terry
John 6:35
“I am the bread of life;
he who comes to Me shall not hunger.”
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of
life.”
John 8:12
“I invite you to light a candle.”
Dear Jesus,
Thank you! Yes, you are the light of the world. I praise you in the
brilliance, power, beauty, love and strength radiating from you. You
shine from heaven to Earth, among your people, and within creation.
Thank you for the warmth, hope, joy, peace and guidance that you
shine into my life.
God, there is so much darkness within us and surrounding us. Thank
you for the reassurance… I have the light of life! I never walk in dark-
ness, even when the way seems dark… Cancer, depression, fear, con-
cerns, brokenness (add prayers from your heart). No, you are light.
Shine on me and fill the darkness with you.
Forgive me Lord, when I look for strength in places that are not you:
having a clean house, organization, accomplishment, a completed to-do
list (add prayers from your heart). Lord, awaken me! You are the true
light, the lamp onto my feet and the light upon my path. I look, and wait,
and watch for you.
(silence)
God, I pray now for others who need a reminder of your light, love and
accessibility. Please, help me shine brightly for you. (prayers for peo-
ple on your heart) Send your spirit to teach me service and loving-
kindness in every encounter.
Thank you.
I love you.
Amen.
~ Jenny Alexander
Third Sunday in Lent, March 23 (Youth Sunday)
Food is all around us. We can grab a hamburger in less than two min-utes, and polish it off even faster if necessary. Long banks of soda fountains and vending machines beckon to us for sugary drinks with empty calories. Dollar menus tempt us with something salty, sweet, or savory to get us through a stressful day. There are so many options for something quick and easy that can fill our stomachs, but not nourish our bodies.
We need good food. Not fancy food. Good food. Good food takes time and care to grow. Good food demands thoughtfulness and love in its preparation: love for the food itself, as well as for the people who will eat it. Good food is full of the nutrients we need to help us lead a healthy life.
Jesus tells us that he is just the food we need in our daily lives. Listen-ing to him, doing what he says, inviting him into our lives—this is sound nourishment for us. There are plenty of other things that seem tempting that could fill us up, but ultimately will leave us empty. In Jesus, we are fed, and called also to bear fruit for the world around us. How will your love, thoughtfulness, and care reflect Jesus’ promise to offer the world not what it wants, but what it needs?
~ Andrew Scales
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”—John 6:35
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”—
John 15:5
Saturday, March 29
John 10:7
“I Am the Gate”
Gates are common images, not only in the Bible,
but in our everyday lives. Sometimes associated
with ‘keeping out,’ Jesus calls us to think a bit
differently. I am reminded that while gates do
function as a barrier, there is a very real sense of
welcome and protection.
The Bible is full of pastoral imagery- sheep,
shepherds, pastures, still waters. Thinking about
Jesus as the gate reminds me of his love, his
desire we follow him and the sure knowledge of
our salvation. This brings comfort, since we,
whom Jesus likens to sheep, need his guidance and protection.
The 23rd
Psalm is perhaps the most beloved and well known image of
God, the Lord, who is our shepherd. Jesus is bringing that image,
indeed embodies it, to those with whom he was speaking. Once we
enter we have the assurance of eternal life, yet we are not trapped! We
can come and go into the pasture, where we find peace, security,
protection, a place of rest, refreshment, safety, where God is and we
can grow in our love of Christ.
Christ is the Good Shepherd, because all sheep need a shepherd, or
they will scatter, be lost or devoured by wild animals. Christ as the
Gate, opens his arms to us, gathering us in, beckoning, urging,
welcoming us in to find rest.
~ Leslee Kirkconnell
Friday, March 28
Genesis.47: 1–26, 1 Cor. 9:16–27 , Mark 6:47–56
The art work drawn below is by a student in our congregation who
participated in an art focus for our 2014 Lenten book at our DCPC
Winter Retreat at Montreat, NC. This is what Mary drew when the
students were told that the theme for the Lenten book was to be “Who
Do You Say That I Am?”
~ Mary Helen Arms
Monday, March 24
Mark 5:21-43
Resurrection is the word that comes to mind as I read this text. And
in this season of reflection, and discipline, and practice, as we
expect the resurrection it is good to remember that resurrection is
more than an Easter expectation. Resurrection is a practice. When
we allow our expectation of resurrection to overwhelm our lives we
begin to practice it—reaching out for Jesus’s robe in the crowd
expecting healing and summoning Jesus to visit the daughter who
has already been declared dead. Wendell Berry offers some
resurrection practices in his poem. How do you practice
resurrection?
~ submitted by Betsy Lyles
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
Wendell Berry
Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with
pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be
afraid to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion -- put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go.
Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
“Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front”
from The Country of Marriage, copyright © 1973 by Wendell Berry.
Thursday, March 27
Mark 6: 30-46
Rest Easy
When our children were young, active boys, the constant demands on my time
were particularly hard when I’d been up all night with a sick child. I thought I
was doing a good job of hiding my impatience, but our sons were, like all
children, attuned to the moods of their parents. One day was especially trying,
and it was then that our five year old gave me this advice, “Mama, you need a
nap. Why don’t you go lie down for a while?” He was right. I needed quiet and
peace and time alone.
In Mark 6:30, Jesus gives similar advice to his weary disciples: “Come away to
a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” (NRSV) Christ led by
example and often removed himself from busy-ness, taking time to pray and
reflect alone.
Today’s technology constantly encroaches on our need for peace and quiet
and rest. Christ recognizes the same need in us that he saw in his disciples,
and he calls us, too, to “come away . . . and rest a while.” The following verse
of Stealing From the World Away, penned by Ray Palmer in 1834, reminds us
to take time for quiet and prayer.
Stealing from the world away,
We are come to seek Thy face;
Kindly meet us, Lord, we pray,
Grant us Thy reviving grace.
Amen
.
~ Jennie Clifton
Wednesday, March 26
Matthew 13: 18-23
“Who Do You Say That I Am?” Jesus as Master Gardener
As I write this, on another cold winter day, I'm reminded of my father's midwinter ritual that infused the family with hopeful anticipation of better weather ahead. Dad was an avid gardener who took great delight in selecting his mail-order seeds from as many as 25 different seed catalogs. Typically, the catalogs and order forms covered the entire dining room table for days. He relished the search for new hybrid seeds which might do better in the shorter upstate New York growing season. He was always seeking a tomato that might be more disease resistant, a cucumber that grew more like a bush than a spreading vine, or some totally new vegetable that he'd never tried before (think bok choi or jalepeno peppers). Dad had little time to rest. When the seeds arrived and for the next seven months, Dad found great fulfillment in watching the sprouts emerge, keeping the deer and groundhogs out, mulching the growing plants, and harvesting the delectable results. By design, Dad always planted much more than our family needed. He shared the abundant excess of his garden with friends and neighbors. In Matthew 13 Jesus shares the parable of the sower with a crowd along the shoreline. He explains the meaning of the parable to his disciples and makes it clear that, as followers of the Master Gardener, they (and we) must prepare and seed the good ground if we are to contribute to the abundant harvest.
~ Gordon Peck
Tuesday, March 25
John 8:12
Light
A candle is lit.
Initially, a soft flame, just quivering a bit,
then, a bright light dancing
ceremoniously enhancing,
soft spoken prayers.
Behind me….a stained glass window is suddenly lit.
A bright, sunny beam just beginning to emit,
sparkling colored jewels with heavenly glints.
warming us with God’s presence
In our soft spoken prayers.
~ Meredith Allen
Photo: Parish Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
Henley on the Thames by Meredith Allen, 2013
