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.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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.
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 28, 2011
Monday, March 27
Peter DuBois
Director of Music/Organist
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.
Director of Music/Organist
Our God, our help in ages past,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.
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Isaac Watts, 1719
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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?
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
Monday, March 21
Martha Langford
Associate Pastor for Congregational Care
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.
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….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…”
“‘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
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
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.
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, 2011
Monday, March 14
Roderic P. Frohman
Associate Pastor for Church in Society
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.
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.
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