Tuesday, March 31

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. John 12:12


What were their expectations? What did people expect to see, to experience, when they gathered to see Jesus? What were their hopes as they waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna”?

Some wanted a religious savior, to purify their faith and to make things right. Others wanted a political or military leader, who would restore what was wrong. Others must have had more personal expectations – seeking restoration, healing, something authentic.

What are your expectations when you attend a big event with a large crowd? A political rally, ball game, rock concert? I think you want to be changed or moved in some way, but also to feel as if your presence makes a difference.

We are thinking about Jesus a great deal as we approach Holy Week, and rightly so. But think about your own expectations as you think about the expectations we place on him.

And then show up – and see what happens.


Loving God, Jesus is approaching Jerusalem and so are we. Transform our expectations – of him and of us – that as we wave palm branches and shout “hosanna” we may know him and ourselves in new ways. Amen.

John Wilkinson, Pastor

Monday, March 30

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. John 12:12


I wonder about this great crowd. Here we have Jesus. Everyone knew about this man—they all wanted to see him, to hear him, to touch and encounter him. And yet, he is not a universally beloved figure at this point. The authorities are itching for a reason... any reason...

And here we have this great crowd. They have come to see this man—to shout hosanna and line the streets. History has allowed us to peek into the future and know that things will change dramatically. So what was it like to be a part of that great crowd on that day? Did they shout “Hosanna” with full abandon, or was there uneasiness in the pit of their stomachs?


Loving God, take us to Jerusalem. Bring us into the story and allow us to feel the great joy, the deep sadness and the elation that this season brings. Amen.

Becky D’Angelo-Veitch, Coordinator of Children’s Ministries and Congregational Life

Sunday, March 29

a prayer for Sunday...

Lord Jesus Christ,
you called your disciples to go forward with you
on the way to the cross.

Since you first walked that road
countless millions have followed you.

In all that we do as your disciples,
save us from false familiarity with your journey.
May we never presume to step into your shoes,
but make us small enough to fit our own,
and to walk in love and wonder behind you.
AMEN.

from Stages on the Way a publication from the Iona Community Wild Goose Worship Group.

Saturday. March 28

Blessed are the undefiled… who walk in the law of the LORD.... I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. Psalm 119:1, 7


These verses for me reflect both praise and trust. We admire and praise those who can and do perfectly follow the ways of the Lord. For the rest of us, which is probably nearly all of us, we trust in God that when we do fail to follow consistently God’s way that God will deal with us justly and forgivingly. And we need to thank God for such grace by trying again to live as we have been taught.

Such in my view is the human condition. Within all of us, irrespective of race, ethnic background, religion or culture, there are times when we reach out to others consistent with God’s laws and ways. Yet, there are other times when we completely fail to do as God would have us do.


Lord, help us to do our best to find you, to keep your words in our heart, to obey you and reject the temptations to be other than we should be in your sight. Amen.

Elder Sue Locke

Friday, March 27

"If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant also be; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him." John 20:26


How do we follow and serve Jesus? What is He asking of us? How do we proceed in a world so overwhelmed with human violence and misery? Perhaps we must look for Him in all the colorful and varied faces of the world, in the young and the old, in the poor, the hungry, and the homeless, whether here in Rochester, New Orleans, Kenya, or in places we have yet to encounter. He is also there, in the faces of our families and others who share our daily lives.


Gracious God, Help us to see Jesus in the faces of all your people and help us to serve you by responding with respect and love for each one. Help us to share of ourselves and our resources so we may spread, in ever widening circles, the love you gave to us in your son, Jesus. Amen

Elder Susan Spaulding

Thursday, March 26

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put anew 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 51:1-12


Several years ago a friend of a friend of mine came to the Sunday school class I was teaching and shared her Jewish faith and traditions surrounding Passover and the Jewish Seder. The children were full of questions and Rachel was full of answers. And her answers were in the form of stories. One story has stuck with me. Rachel called it the Spring Super Clean!

Every year Jews spend the weeks before Passover thoroughly cleaning their houses to remove every morsel of chametz [breads containing leavening] from every part of the home. My friend, Rachel looks forward to it every year. Her sister, her mother, and now her daughters join her in this task. They always start in the kitchen, as she put it, the heart of the home. Every drawer, every cabinet is emptied, swept, scrubbed, relined. Every dish, every glass, every utensil, every piece of silverware was cleaned. Every can, every box, every bag is wiped down. Once the drawer or cabinet is completely cleaned, she tapes it closed to remind her that it’s been clean, but more importantly to keep it chametz free. Once her cabinets and drawers are clean its on to appliances and then floors, windows and sills and the counters not forgetting the cracks and crevices. Each room is cleaned with the same intensity.

Now I’m not the best housekeeper and I don’t particularly like to clean. It’s not on my top ten list of things to do. But every spring when the birds begin to sing and the flowers begin to appear the mood hits and I am inspired to clean, clean, clean. I do some of my best thinking when I clean. During the season of cleaning, I tend to be more introspective, examining relationships… Relationships with my family, my friends, my colleagues, my God. I do a spiritual inventory of sorts. I ask questions like… Have I invited God into every part of my life? Do I recognize God’s voice through the chaos of my daily life? Is my prayer life what it should be? Do I recognize God in everyone I meet? It is always a humbling exercise.


Thank you God that in your grace you offer us all we need to start again. Create in me a clean heart, O God and put a new and right spirit within me. Amen.

Jane Carden, Youth Ministry Coordinator

Wednesday, March 25

You desire truth in the inward being, therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Psalm 51:6
I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. Psalm 119:15


Stories of the Holocaust seem to be infused in popular films and books lately. From the Gournesy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to Valkyrie to The Reader, visions of unspeakable evil come into our minds.

I've heard evil defined as a turning away from God... that evil is a human phenomenon born out of a lack of will to seek the good. I see of myself partaking in tiny acts of evil every day: not stopping to help the elderly woman look for her car in Tops parking lot; not relaying to my coworker a compliment I heard about her; putting off a heart-driven and important task (...these were just today...and it is only early afternoon!).

Lent, for me, is about refocusing our hearts and minds on the precious and clear example of goodness that Christ lived.


Dear God, during Lent and always, help us to turn our hearts and minds continually toward you as we retell and relisten to the stories of persecution and evil leading to Christ's death. Amen

Deacon Elizabeth Laidlaw

Tuesday, March 24

You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Psalm 51:6


In this Psalm, which is often part of the Ash Wednesday service, the Psalmist calls us to be honest with ourselves as we stand in God’s presence. We have to understand the truth about ourselves before we can hope to be reconciled to God and to each other. Living an honest, authentic life, without fear, is a high calling for sure. Sometimes we feel we need to wear a mask in order to make our way in this world. We are afraid to show others who we really are, we hide our fears, our weaknesses and our disappointments.

But God challenges us to be liberated and free of fear, to live into the truth and reality of God’s generous grace and forgiveness. The grace that accepts us and forgives us as children of God. For God made us and loves us and redeems us in Jesus Christ. True wisdom is knowing and believing in this grace and the unchanging love of God. This knowing resides in the deepest places in our hearts, the “core” of our beings. And from this “secret heart” we are able to live lives of integrity, hope and thankful service.


Loving God, Help us to truly know the liberating joy and truth of your redeeming love. May we cherish this truth in the “secret” places of our hearts and also let it shine forth in all our actions in the world. Amen.

Christina Lenti, Associate Director of Music

Monday, March 23

“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.” John 12:24


In an exercise of science and imagination, the pre-school class planted pumpkin seeds. Small, grubby fingers dimpled the soil in clear, narrow, garden containers. Once the seeds were carefully placed and softly covered, the waiting began.

Excited eyes probed these changeless minature fields with disappointment for the first few days, but then… a speck of green: the very first tendril that heralded something new that is also something very ancient. The plants grew, pushing greenery up and putting roots down until soon it was time to replant. Small hands and watchful eyes looked for the seeds, which had mysteriously disappeared.

The pumpkins that fall were full of seeds, and with breathless excitement, Katherine and Carolyn and Rachel imagined all the pumkins they might grow.

Jesus spoke of his coming crucifixion as a time in which we would be glorified. He gave of his own life in ways that give life to others. As Christ’s followers, we too have the seeds of life inside. I can only imagine with breathless excitement all the disciples those seeds might grow.


Living God, you give us the wonder of seeds and harvest; give us the strength to plant the seeds of life, which come from you, and to gather in the fruits of that planting—people made new by your love. Amen.

Martha Langford, Associate Pastor for Congregational Care

Sunday, March 22

a prayer for Sunday.

Loving God, who sent Jesus to earth to share our common lot and bring eternal life into our midst, help us to believe and to trust. Show us the light of your revelation and help us to welcome its presence into the life of this congregation as we gather and when we scatter to our daily activities. May we consciously represent you in all our deeds so that the world may come to a saving knowledge of your grace. Amen.

from Led by Love worship resources written by Lavon Bayler.

Saturday, March 21

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone that believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3.16


This Bible verse is very familiar-one many of us may have learned as children. And this is the Easter message: that because of God’s great mercy, that though we have sinned, through faith, God’s gift of eternal life is for all who believe.


Creator God, We thank you for life itself, for the gift of your son Jesus, and your gift of eternal life for us. Amen

Deacon Janet Anderson

Friday, March 20

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. John 3:16


When I was a kid, in high school maybe, it seemed to be in vogue for someone to have a huge sign with "JOHN 3:16" written in it at major events. Always in the end zone at football games, in crowds at the olympics, or any big televised gathering. One day (while watching the Bills, no doubt) my sister just got out the Bible and read the verse. I must admit, there was no lightning bolt of grace that changed the way I thought (to the dismay of the guy who painted the sign). As I have grown older and thought about that verse (and even highlighted it in a few third grade Bibles) it strikes me as one of those Biblical phrases that is way too rich for the "bumper-sticker" noteriety it has achieved. This little sentence contains not just a feel-good affirmation, but an under-lying challenge—an obligation—an invitation—and a promise so deep and profound that when you read it—really read it and hear it—it takes your breath away.

So this is grace.


Loving God, this Lenten season, help us to hear your word with new ears, read the story with new eyes, and open our hearts wider to the promises of Christ. Amen.

Becky D'Angelo-Veitch, Coordinator of Children's Ministries and Congregational Life

Thursday, March 19

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Ephesians 2: 8-10


Well, there it is in black and white right from the Bible. We are saved by grace through faith—not by works. On some level, this basic tenet of the Reformed faith flies in the face of conventional wisdom—the “Protestant work ethic”, if you will. Paul is pretty clear on this—it is not our own doing—it is God’s grace, bestowed upon us through the person of Jesus Christ.

“So why BE good, why DO good?” If we get dessert anyway, why eat the vegetables? If we know we will pass the test, why study? If we know we will cross the finish line, why run the marathon—why not just sneak into a cab? If we know that we have been saved and given eternal life, why are we spending so many hours in this place??

We are here, because, God has prepared THIS to be our way of life. And like so many things in life, the joy of the journey is rich and fruitful. The nutrients of the vegetables, the knowledge gained while studying, the satisfaction of a runner’s sore muscles... and the countless ways that we enrich each other here all are such necessary components of a journey.


Loving God, though we can never be deserving of the gift you have given us, help us to continue to respond with gratitude for our blessings. Amen.

Becky D’Angelo-Veitch, Coordinator of Children’s Ministries and Congregational Life

Wednesday, March 18

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Ephesians 2:8–10


Grace versus Works: that is how the theological argument has been framed since the first century. One line of thought (somewhat exaggerated) goes, “We have grace, what need have we of good works?”

In the Cost of Discipleship, Deitrich Bonhoffer writes: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession… Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Paul puts it like this: Faith in God is God’s gift to us. Salvation by Jesus Christ is God’s gift to us. The Way of discipleship and good works is also God’s gift to us.

Through baptism, we enter a way; we set out on a journey following Christ and seeking God’s purpose for our lives. We are called into communities of faith that share the road with us. We are invited to read and struggle and learn from the biblical witness and from the lives of our fellow travelers. We are called to respond to God’s gracious gifts by orienting our lives toward God and toward others.

Grace begets Works… Now that’s a different conversation, one that asks, “What new thing has God’s grace begun in you?”


Gracious God, thank you for the gift of faith, the gift of salvation, the gift of your way. Thank you for the companions who share this journey. Help us to live out the way of life you prepare for each of us and all of us, a life in Christ that shines forth in our works. Amen.

Martha Langford, Associate Pastor for Congregational Care

Tuesday, March 17

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. Psalm 107: 21-22


Lent is often regarded as a time to make a sacrifice; for most of us this means giving up something up during the 40 days of waiting for Christ’s Resurrection. Last month at Session we talked of taking something worthwhile on instead. Ten years ago, I attended a Lenten service at Harvard and picked up Peter Gomes’ pamphlet, “How To Keep A Good Lent.” Every year I pull it out and try to follow his three exercises. Each of the three practices requires only fifteen minutes one day each week of Lent.

The first, Silence, is the most difficult for me. I find it hard to quiet my mind, to sit quietly in peace. Meditation has never come easily to me, but I do believe it is a practice worth trying. Second is Study, which comes more easily for me. Each year I choose a book from my shelves and spend time reading (usually more often than once a week, and definitely longer than 15 minutes). I’ve reread books by Frederick Buechner, sermons by Peter Gomes, and writings of Barbara Brown Taylor. Service is the last practice, and most of us are involved in service during the week in one form or another. But this requires a bit more of us, perhaps a letter or a card to someone you know who is ill or having a difficult time. Perhaps spending some time thinking about ways in which you can increase your service to others in the coming year. Or perhaps, as the scripture suggests, finding a way to “tell of [God’s] deeds with songs of joy.” For me, taking on these three practices helps me set Lent apart as a time of preparation.


Holy God, may our Lenten practices enrich our faith and help us sing of your grace and faithfulness. Amen.

Elder Karen Walker

Monday, March 16

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." John 3: 14-15


There is a difference between inscape and landscape. The poet Gerard Manly Hopkins defines “inscape” as the internal “patterns or design” in painting or literature, as differentiated from the whole painting, or landscape.

Have you ever been to a Catholic hospital or nursing home and seen the crucifixes on the wall in each patient’s room? Reacting to their overall “landscape”, I used to think they were repulsive, old-fashioned Roman Catholic. It took a tolerant nun to turn my mind around. She pointed out that the wounded person in bed can identify with the wounded One on the cross and thereby confront their own disease and begin to experience healing.

So in this Lenten season as we gaze upon the landscape of ugliness of the cross we are compelled to look at ourselves. Then we begin to see the inscape of ourselves in the landscape of the cross.


Holy God, may we see in the awful wounds of your Son on the cross our own woundedness and realize that he was “Wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities." Amen

Roderic Frohman, Associate Pastor for Church in Society

Sunday, March 15

a prayer for Sunday...

Merciful God,
in Christ you make all things new.
Transform the poverty of our nature
by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

from the Book of Common Worship.

Saturday, March 14

...you shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3


Exodus 20:3 commands us that “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”. Is it not ironic this year that Lent, a season of reflection and prayer, coincides with such world wide economic distress over what is happening to the “things” around which we have built our lives. These words from Exodus starkly remind us that worshipping “idols” and “other gods” might also be seen as defining our purpose in life through the markers of our job titles, house values, brokerage accounts, and other “things” that have become gods to us. The danger is that when we have so long worshipped such material things, we risk forgetting that everything in our lives comes from God and to be truly Christ’s people, we need to change our focus, to forsake these idols and follow him. Matthew 6:33 reminds us to “…seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”


Merciful God; in this Lenten season, help us to set aside our old natural preoccupation with our “other gods”, and to seek the new life promised us through Christ. Amen.

Deacon, Dot Taylor

Friday, March 13

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims [God's] handiwork.... Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:1, 14


These are the first and last verses of Psalm 19, which has been one of my favorites for many years, and one in which I always find new meanings. It may be the association with the music of Haydn's "Creation", or the hymn "The Spacious Firmament on High" or just the depth of expression of the text that appeals to me. It seems a good text on which to reflect during Lent, as it expresses praise, awe and wonder at all of God's creation, and at the same time helps us reflect on God's will for us (verses 7-10 speak of the law of the Lord being perfect, and the "ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."). It all leads to the final verse, of introspection, and a prayer that all that we do be acceptable to God.


Thank you, God, for words to inspire us, and that call us to reflect on all that you have created, and all that you call us to be. Let the words of our mouths, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable to you, always. Amen.

Peter DuBois, Director of Music

Thursday, March 12

You shall not make for yourself an idol… you shall not worship them…. for I am the Lord your God… Exodus 20:4-6


As part of the Ten Commandments, these verses would seem to pertain to a time in the past. After all, who worships an idol these days? There are no idols to other Gods in Rochester, are there? Perhaps there are no statues to which we bow down, but there are surely "Gods" that we worship. Money, fame, pleasure, work can all become Gods to us if they control our thoghts and energies. When we allow them to become central in our lives they replace the centrality of God, then they keep us from realizing and accepting the love that God has for us.


Gracious and loving God, in our materialistic world it is so easy to forget Your great love for us and the need for us to love You. Help us to keep You central in our lives, and help us to avoid creating other Gods thereby replacing You. Amen.

Elder Bob Sterrett

Wednesday, March 11

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7

I love talk radio. It eases the boredom of a long drive. I talk back to the commentators, the callers, and even the commercials. One day I stumbled onto a random Christian radio station. The host was taking calls on the habit of swearing. Now I don't remember the name of the show or the moderator and I don't remember too much of the discussion. But I do remember a specific caller. He identified himself as a 'deacon of the church' and he admitted to a life long habit of cursing. "It relieved the anxiety of the situation." One day he was helping a parishioner, who he described as man with great need, install a wheelchair ramp. He admitted to feeling good about helping this man. The work started and so did the expletives. Mostly they went ignored it but when the deacon let a "G** D*** it," fly, the workplace came to a halt... Silence filled the air. "Why do you damn the name of God?" said the homeowner, "What a wasted opportunity." Embarrassed by what had just happened, the deacon set down his tools. "Call on God to bless the situation... try saying 'God bless it." The deacon was rendered speechless.

That story has stuck with me for many years. In fact, I've adopted this very habit. When I am faced with frustration, confusion, tension, I often say "God Bless it" first forcefully and then reverently. And God always, Always, ALWAYS fills me with the reassurance and comfort needed. And you know what...the problem I was facing seems less insurmountable. During this season of Lent, when other faith traditions encourage the giving something up, won't you join me by taking up a new practice?

Loving and redeeming Lord, thank you that you are always there, even in times of stress. Amen.

Jane Carden, Coordinator of Youth Ministry

Tuesday, March 10

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 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. John 2:13-22


When Christ drove the sellers of animals and money changers from the temple, he told his Jewish inquisitors that if they destroyed this temple, in three days he would raise it up again. They thought Christ was talking about the temple building, but he spoke about the temple of his body that we know was raised three days after death.

Since we are made in God’s image, should we not treat our bodies as holy temples and have faith that we also will be raised at an appointed time to share the promised life everlasting?

Elder George Gotcsik

Monday, March 9

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." ...But the temple he had spoken of was his body. John 2:19, 21


Our consumer society has erected elaborate temples to worship the accumulation of wealth, power and possessions. In these days of economic uncertainty and turmoil, the foundations of these temples are crumbling.

Our faltering economy rivets our attention. A cold fear settles into our collective consciousness... fear that our economic system and way of life may just fall apart. What will we do if our self-serving temples of commerce and greed actually implode? Then, by the Grace of God, we may find shelter and new life within the most wondrous temple, the body of Christ.


Dear God, in these times of economic uncertainty, please help us to place our faith and trust in your resurrected temple, the body of your son Jesus Christ, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Deacon Rebecca Schichler

Sunday, March 8

A prayer for Sunday...

Lord God,
in this world where goodness and evil
continue to clash with each other,
instill in us, and in all your people,
discernment to see what is right,
faith to believe what is right,
and courage to do what is right.

Keep us aware of the subtlety of sin,
and preserve us, body, mind, and soul,
through the power of your Holy Spirit.
AMEN.

from Stages on the Way a publication from the Iona Community Wild Goose Worship Group.

Saturday, March 7

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. Romans 4:13-14


Faith not Law. Religion not Sicience. Right Brain not Left Brain.

We order the world with human constructs that conceal our ignorance, hide our failings, and mask the fallen and broken state of our lives. The secular clouds the divine.

In this Lenten season, we seek to witness Your Truth, a morning without clouds.


Loving God, we thank you for your steadfast love. We ask you to bestow upon us the vision to see the path that you have laid before us and the courage to follow your call, wherever your voice leads. We beseech you to grant us the strength to look inward, to know in our hearts the brokeness and fraility of our lives, so that we may, in such humble and humbling reflections, get closer to you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Elder David Tennant

Friday, March 6

"No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations... As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name." Genesis 17:5, 15


"The Guest-House" is a poem that my physician introduced me to during a meditation and mindfulness class he taught some years ago. Since then I've used it as a personal mantra that is especially useful when unexpected events surface and throw me off course.

The Guest-House
from "Say I Am You" poems of Rumi
translated by John Moyne and Coleman Barks

This being human is a guest-house
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Elder Jean Coco

Thursday, March 5

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:31-38



The scripture above is among the most clear descriptions of what being a Christian entails. To not only believe in Jesus’ words, but to consciously and dutifully live according to His directions is very difficult. It very much confronts us with the everyday dilemma of faith versus living a secular life. Do we trust or do we not? How deeply do we believe? How do we balance the love of life, family and friends, the ambitions of life, justice to strangers and so many more everyday challenges with the faith and belief in Jesus and His words as expressed above? Are we prepared to give up what we love for Him? Nothing simple about faith when viewed through that lens.

Most of us fall short in some ways on some days. The magic and wonder is to know that Jesus has accepted us and loves us without regard to our blemishes. He has said that the road to salvation lies in the honesty of striving to take up his cross. Jesus knows the difficulty of these matters. He has lived and experienced them Himself.

I am reminded that even Mother Theresa was filled with doubts and continued to strive to live up to Jesus’ strictures. She was fulfilled by the spirit. She made a difference. For us, we too make a difference. Jesus showed us the way. Jesus showed us that physical death and physical pain may come but in the end if we are faithful we shall find life and joy forever. He keeps us covenant with us. Thanks be to God.


Dear God, we thank you for the gift of life. You have shown us how we can change the world by changing the world within our own hearts. You have given us life for each and every day, as well as the promise of life eternal. You sent your Son to show and teach us how.
You sent Jesus as your renewed covenant with us. We give thanks for such a remarkable and life changing gift. You have kept your promises to us while we have fallen short, and yet you love us still. In this Lenten season, we give thanks for your love.
We pray for steadfastness, humility, and awareness as we strive to walk the path that Jesus has so clearly laid out for us. We pray for renewed energy and commitment. We pray that we are good stewards. We pray that someday all persons will believe and live according to Jesus’ words to us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Elder Dale Maddock

Wednesday, March 4

Abram threw himself down on his face, and God spoke with him and said, “I make this covenant, and I make it with you: you shall be the father of a host of nations.” Genesis 17:3-5

For [Abraham] is the father of us all, as Scripture says: “I have appointed you to be father of many nations.” This promise, then, was valid before God, the God in whom he put his faith, the God who makes the dead live and summons things that are not yet in existence as if they already were. Romans 4: 17-18


What does it take to believe in God’s promises? Sometimes it feels like a real stretch to me. It’s hard to envision the kind of leap of faith that God was asking Abram to make. In today’s passage from Genesis, God tells Abram to basically forget everything that he knows about his own reality and the shape of his life. The future’s going to be different from what Abram anticipated. Based on the covenant that God promises, Abram and his wife Sarai find themselves given completely new identities. God rewrites the story, assigns them new names, and changes the plot of their lives. Now this elderly, childless couple is going to have a son and become the foundation for “a host of nations.” It certainly sounds overwhelming and hard to accept.

I know that there have been points in my life when I have felt myself stumped, unable to imagine the circumstances that will serve as a bridge to get me from the present “here” to the future “there.” It seems impossible to envision what it would take to find the path to the future, let alone see the individual steps that it will require to travel that path. But as Paul writes in the verses from Romans, God is not only with us on the path, God is way ahead of us. As Paul puts it, this is our God who “summons things that are not yet in existence as if they already were.” What a faith that is, to take God’s implausible promises at face value and not to quibble over the path from here to there but, like Abraham to accept God’s unexpected future as a present reality.


God, strengthen me in faith this Lenten season. May I find myself inspired by the continuity of your covenant and equipped to place my trust in the promises that will uphold me on the path into the future. Amen.

Chris Bensch, Clerk of Session

Tuesday, March 3

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16


Awe….Amazement…and…RESPONSIBILITY

Have you ever had one of those moments when you felt awe, amazement and responsibility? I imagine that is what Abraham must have felt. Here he was, an old man, when God appeared to him and shared the news that he would be the “ancestor to a multitude of nations.” Abraham would become a father at ninety-nine. I’m sure he felt awe…(Wow)….amazement…(Really!?!?!)…then responsibility…(Oh my goodness). I know that these are feelings I experience every day as a parent. I feel awe when my kids do something really special, amazement as they grow and become more independent, and responsibility as I help to show them what is important and right. All of these things must have been going through Abraham (and Sarah’s) mind.


Gracious God, Thank you for the gifts of awe, amazement and responsibility. Let us share your word and these gifts with the next generation, and generations beyond. Amen.

Elder Peg Rachfal

Monday, March 2

"And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth. I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth." Genesis 9: 11, 13


Like most church-going children, I was introduced to the story of Noah and the flood early in my church school education, and I thought of it often throughout my childhood. That might have had something to do with the painting in my room of Noah's Ark after the flood. I spent a lot of time looking at that painting, comparing the size of the ark and all the animals surrounding Noah, and trying to imagine the insanity of spending 40 days in a rainstorm on a boat with all those wild animals. I loved the symbolism of the rainbow, and I still do—it's a perennial reminder of our relationship with God. Each time I see a rainbow, it takes me unawares and startles me with it's miraculous, simple beauty. In our family, when someone spots a rainbow, they call the others to come a see it. We stop what we're doing to take a moment out of the routine of the day and we watch the rainbow together. When it disappears we return to whatever we were doing, a little more peaceful than before, remembering that God loves each of us.


Loving God, You've taught us so much about your love in the generations since the story of the flood was first told. Thank you for showing me your love, even when it is most unexpected. Prepare me to share your love with others through my words and deeds. And help me to remember that you will always love me. Amen.

Deacon Christie Lutzer

Sunday, March 1

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O, Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Psalm 25 :1-5


For most Christian people, our pattern of piety is somewhat like a see-saw: there are ups and downs, times of good strong seasons and others that feel dry and weak. The emotions of the ancient psalmist are not that far from what some of us may be feeling. There are times of praise as we, like the psalmist, “lift our souls to God.” Then there are truth telling confessions of hardship, loneliness and grief. As we all know too well, life for the faithful is not guaranteed to be without heartache or sorrow. One theme that seems to radiate from this psalm is the notion that the way to address the challenges of life is through further education and instruction. The psalmist asks God to guide, to show, to instruct and teach. If during this Lenten season we see ourselves as disciples, followers, and students perhaps we can devote some extra time to learning more about the One whom we worship and adore.

Pamela Foye, Parish Visitor