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.