Holy Saturday, April 23

Silvia Pedrick
Deacon
A hope for Holy Saturday...
     Let me find a new path to God that he may lead me out of the darkness into the light and fill my heart with joy so that I may share it with those who are in misery.

Good Friday, April 22

Martha Tollers
Elder, Worship Music and Arts
Reflecting on the journey toward Jerusalem...
     As a young child, maybe age nine or ten, I remember my dad talking to me about the crucifiction. I wanted to talk about Easter. He said, "Punk"—his affectionate name for me—"we can't have Easter without the corss." And I cried.

Maundy Thursday, April 21

Dot Taylor
Deacon
The Broadway Musical Godspell begins "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." During Lent, we strive to prepare ourselves to accompany Jesus on his walk to his destiny. This journey is reenacted yearly on the Via Sacra in Rome to help Chrsitians physically and mentally prepare for Easter and the Resurrection.

Wednesday, April 20

Third Church Deacon
Reflecting on the call to Prepare the way of the Lord...
     I will prepare my heart by attempting to still my mind. In "stilling my mind" I will attempt to listen to my heart.

Tuesday, April 19

Third Church Deacon
Reflecting on Matthew 3:1-3 and Isaiah 40:3-5...
     To prepare my heart for Easter, I must open it to what those around me are saying. I must not prejudge or expect the worst from people I know too well.
     To prepare my road for the Lenten journey, I must accept the tasks and responsibilities that God puts along my path.

Monday, April 18

Peter DuBois
Director of Music/Organist

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever; And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
Stanza 3 of Hymn 98, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”,
Paul Gerhardt, from a text attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

This is the week when the familiar, and difficult, words of scripture surrounding Christ’s sacrifice become personal for each of us. As we move through Holy Week, and hear the readings on Thursday and Friday of the last supper; the garden at Gethsemane; the betrayal; the trial; and the suffering, it is difficult not to feel the weight of the cross and all that it symbolizes. At the same time, we cannot fully celebrate the joy and wonder of Easter without first making the treacherous and intimidating journey through Holy Week.

Creator God, help us to enter into the full experience of Holy Week, that we might consider in our own lives the importance of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and celebrate with renewed joy the glorious Resurrection on Easter Day. Amen.

Saturday, April 16

Lea Theuer
Deacon
Reflecting on Isaiah 4:3-5 and Matthew 3:1-3
     Laying down pavement... preparing our hearts... In this Lenten season, I ask myself, "What is it that I think I cannot do?" Then I will open my heart to allow God to help me do it.

Friday, April 15

Third Church Elder
Lent is a period of reflection about our place in creation and how we might better live out our commitment to Christian ideals—Living the faith. Holy Week calls for concentrated self-examination centering not only on our place in creation, but on the power of love and forgiveness as seen through Christ's torment and death for us. Easter is the ultimate rebirth and renewall, coincident with a new season—spring.

Thursday, April 14

Third Church Deacon
Reflecting on how we "Prepare the Way of the Lord...."
     We make our way by charing new horizons, making new acquaintances, and serving God's people. We keep the faith and steer the course.

Wednesday, April 13

Jean Whitney
Deacon
As a teen-ager, I was caught up with the idea of "giving up" something for Letn. My friends were giving up desserts, chocolate, movies, and other guilty pleasures.
     I talked a lot about what I would choose to give up—this? that?
     Quite quietly, my father suggested that instead of "giving up", he planned to "take on" for Lent—extra reading, additional reflection, some "good work".
     Years later, every Lenten season, I still recall those choices, that conversation.

Tuesday, April 12

Emily Stevens
Deacon
Reflecting on Matthew 3:1-3...
     I can prepare the way of the Lord by opening my heart to others. Showing kindness, love, and care to those that need it is part of opening your heart, and this is what sticks and connects to others, ultimately connecting them to God.

Monday, April 11

Christina Lenti
Associate Director of Music

Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Go your way and from now on do not sin again.” John 8: 10-11

The story of the woman accused of adultery show us how careful we must be in condemning others. Unless we experience what they have experienced and lived the life that they have lived, we cannot know what really happened in their lives. But God reads the mind and the heart. God knows our motivation better than even we know ourselves. And God is always merciful. God, who is love, cannot help but be merciful. Let God be the judge.

Merciful God, teach us to be understanding of others and try to walk with them in their difficulties. Give us humble hearts that trust that your forgiveness and grace are given freely to all who hope in you. Amen.

Saturday, April 9

Jane Dickinson
Deacon
Reflecting on Isaiah 40:3-5 and Matthew 3:1-3...
     Going out into the wilderness can be a very frightening thing. We prepare our hearts for the Lord by journeying into the wilderness and allowing Him to show us the way.

Friday, April 8

Jim Chisholm
Elder, Joint Budget and Finance
A Lenten discipline...
     This is a season when we should reflect on the events in our lives that are memorable... for whatever reason. Some of those memories will evoke joy and others will evoke sadness. If we ask ourseves, "How would we convey these thoughts to Jesus?" It might change how these events affect our memories in a very positive way.

Thursday, April 7

Ken Wilkinson
Deacon
We must be ready to do God's work; to help others, even if the opportunity comes unexpectedly and suddenly. Being prepared to do the Lord's work isn't about what we expect, but about being ready when the time comes.

Wednesday, April 6

Susie Kieren
Elder, More Light and Nominating
I read Montana 1948, a short novel about facing a truth and living with the consequences.
     How many ways do we deceive ourselves by not looking for the truth? Then, we go on without it. Other folks around us can help us find these truths if we listen.
     I am reminded, we need to lose things to find them.

Tuesday, April 5

Rob White
Deacon
I find that times of quiet reflection and prayer help me to embrace the meaning of Lent and make it meaningful and personal. Ash Wednesday services and the Monday Evening Prayer services have been wonderful ways to experience this attitude of selflessness and sacrifice.

Monday, April 4

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

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:16-17

This past weekend, 91 children and adults from Third Presbyterian Church traveled down to Pittsburgh, PA, with the goal of “Sharing our Selves, Sharing our Song.” And share, we did! In addition to singing in worship at East Liberty Presbyterian Church (“The Cathedral of Hope”) on Sunday morning, the children also had the opportunity to give a concert at Canterbury Place—an assisted living facility. There was much fun to be had—games in the huge church and an afternoon at Pittsburgh’s top notch science center. And there was community—evening prayers, Sunday worship, even the wonderful chaos of the 5 hour bus ride! At the end of the weekend, though, I think that the most enduring fingerprint of the trip of those who attended was one of community. This was not a trip of strangers, or even a trip of merely friends. We embarked as a portion of the body of Christ, and as such, it is my hope that the enduring memory of this trip will be one of having the opportunity to share the joyful gift of music that is deep within each participant as our joyful thanks to God for bringing us into community.

Loving God, with our voices and our bodies and our spirits, we give thanks to you daily. It is in your name that we have been brought into community, and in your name that we live. Amen.

Saturday, April 2

Rebecca Schichler
Deacon
Prepare ye the way of the Lord...
     How do I prepare my being to receive the risen Christ? I want to clear away the debris of guilt and shame that I hold, so that Jesus has a roomy and pleasant place to dwell: my open and awaiting heart.

Friday, April 1

Chris Bensch
Elder, Clerk of Session
One of my fresh appreciations over the past six months has been that no one gets to skip over the "hard bits" of life to get to the happy resolution. There's no fast forward button for the DVD or flipping to the end of the book to see how it's all going to come out.
     As we travel that kind of journey, it's important to remember—particularly in this season of Lent—that Jesus also traveled through hardship and suffering in his life. He didn't skip the challenges as he made his way to Jerusalem where he would ultimately be tortured and die.
     We know that wasn't the end of the Jesus story, but we can also draw sustenance from the knowledge that our God suffered as we do.

Thursday, March 31

Susie Jacobs
Deacon
Reflecting on how we "prepare the way of the Lord" during Lent...
     I become involved in doing Gods work through the work of my hands, words, and heart. I try to unite myself with my church to better understand, through scripture, what I do not always see.

Wednesday, March 30

Marilyn Scheftic
Elder, Outreach
As I prepare during Lent, I will cleanse my mind of old thoughts and routines. I will seek to be open, with wide eyes to see this time in a new light; taking time to absorb, listen, and respond to the signs around us.

Tuesday, March 29

Carol Coons
Deacon
Reflecting on the call to "prepare the way..."
     There are folks in our church who need our encouragement to make their lives bearable and to "smooth their way" to a new time in their lives. Being a deacon is a real opportunity to look for these ways to serve and comfort.
     In the light of the tragic events in Japan, our hearts need to relax and try not to second-guess God, but rather spend our energy showing his love in whatever ways we can.

Monday, March 27

Peter DuBois
Director of Music/Organist

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Isaac Watts, 1719

This is perhaps the most well known of Isaac Watts’ paraphrases of the psalms. In this hymn, he paraphrased Psalm 90, which both affirms God’s help and shelter for uncounted years before us, but also the hope of God’s presence with us in the future and for eternity. An interesting variation on the first phrase appeared some years after it was first written when John Wesley, in 1738, changed the first phrase in his Psalms and Hymns to “O God, our help in ages past,” which changes the hymn into more of a prayer or a petition for God’s help – and it has appeared in numerous modern hymnals in this way. Of course, in either form, it is a strong statement of faith that has sustained countless generations since it was first penned in the 18th century.

O God, our God, thank you for the sustaining gifts of faith passed on to us from generations past, and strengthen us to fulfill our role in passing on the faith to generations to come. Amen.

Saturday, March 26

Janet Anderson
Deacon
Reflecting on Isaiah 40:3-5 and Matthew 3:1-3
     How do we put down pavement and prepare our hearts for Jesus? By praying, singins and reading the Bible. We seek out spring changes outside, thanking God for this beauty. We put things in order in our lives doing things we have left undone in our homes and in our lives.

Friday, March 25

Gregg Miller
Elder, Worship Music and Arts
Lenten Questions...
     How prepared are we to follow Jesus into Jerusalem? His triumphant entry into the city was followed by a death on the cross. Can we follow the footsteps He trod?
     Jesus knew what was ahead of  Him when entering Jerusalem. For us, there isn't a knowledge of what is ahead. Do we have enough faith to do what is requried of us by God?

Thursday, March 24

Beth Laidlaw
Deacon
Reflecting on Isaiah 40:3-5 and Matthew 3:1-3...
     At Third Church over the past year, we have laid down pavement and dry wall and spackle—all in preparaton for our journey doing God's work as a congregation. My prayer this Lenten Season is that I might, with equal diligence, prepare my heart to hear Jesus' wisdom and to receive and share his love.

Wednesday, March 23

Betsy Marvin
Elder, Worship Music and Arts
I began Lent this year with the beautiful organ recital that Peter DuBois gave at Christ Church Episcopal, followed by a moving candle-lit Compline Service. The church was dark and sacred, and the Gregorian Chant was ethereal and uplifting. It is amazing to reflect upon the centuries of Christians who have worshipped in just this way to prepare for Lent.

Tuesday, March 22

Third Church Deacon
Thoughts on Isaiah 40, a call to lay down pavement to prepare for the coming of God...
   This makes me think of the changes in our church's physical structure that have been occuring; that we need to consider other changes for the generations to follow: changes in our social structure and acceptance of all individuals regardless of their backgrounds.

Monday, March 21

Martha Langford
Associate Pastor for Congregational Care

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult….
     “‘Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” PSALM 46:1-4, 10, 11

In the wake of earthquakes in Japan and tsunami waves along many Pacific coastlines, the words of Psalm 46 resonate with me: “we will not fear… though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam…”
     It presents a word picture that has in past days played large on television screens all over the world. What does it mean to say—in the face of death and destruction and devastation, “we will not fear”?
     Certainly, there is much to be afraid about, but the voice of the psalmist, that poet laureate of the ancient Israelites, calls the people to steadfast trust in God; a God who is in the midst of the city, who will not be moved, who is our refuge, who is WITH US, even while the tumult threatens to sweep us away.
     At last, the psalmist calls us to still ourselves, even in the midst of the chaos, and know—deep in our souls—that God is there. God is there, in the chaos of natural disaster and of runaway nuclear reactors. God is there, in the chaos of war and uprising. God is there, in the chaos of our lives.
     In this Lenten Season, perhaps those final verses could become our spiritual discipline, our calling to “be still and know” the God who is with us always.

Gracious God, you are an ever-present God, eternally with all those whose lives are tumbled and tossed by chaos and change. Strengthen us by your Spirit to still ourselves even as turmoil swirls around us, to know that you are a steadfast and loving God, to find ourselves in your presence, and to discover in you our refuge. AMEN.

Saturday, March 19

Peg Strite
Deacon
How do we prepare our hearts for God during this Lenten season?
     It may be as simple as opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear. Take time to be quiet, and pray for God's guidance at the beginning of each day.

Friday, March 18

Bill Ramsay
Elder, Membership and Evangelism
Thoughts on the journey toward Jerusalem during Lent...
     Praying and Bible reading direct me in ways that I can more fully be a messenger for Christ in my community and church, in outreach and in fellowship.

Thursday, March 17

Ellen Van Ocker
Deacon
Preparing one's heart in Lent is a time of letting go and trusting that God really does know one's needs and desires, and allowing him/her to work within one's spirit. It is through trusting and letting go that the spirit receives and healing unfolds.

Wednesday, March 16

Peg Rachfal
Elder, Membership and Evangelism
As I reflect on the season of Lent, I think: "What am I going to do?" or "What am I going to give up?" This season, I want to be more intentional—in my day to day actions, in my conversations with friends and family, and with my own prayer. I want to remember, daily, what this season is, what it means, and how I can share that, even in subtle, indirect ways with the people around me. This, I know, will allow me a freshness of faith and feeling on Easter.

Monday, March 14

Roderic P. Frohman
Associate Pastor for Church in Society

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

When our traveling team was in Kenya in February the Presbyterian Church of East Africa sang this Psalm to the YouTube tune embeded above. The Kenyans sang this Psalm with this tune in a variety of settings such as worship services, before committee meetings, before meals. We five travelers all came home singing it. It is not in our hymnbook, but other settings of it are there. The Sunday after we returned we were chatting in coffee hour and this Psalm tune came up as one of the wonderful things (among many others) that we missed about Kenya.

So, if this Monday Morning Connection is to connect with you I invite to you, listen to it now, if you haven’t done so already.

Holy God, especially when days are melancholy to tragic we find it hard to affirm that you have made each day. May the affirmation of the psalmist be our affirmation today. This IS the day which you have made. Amen.