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.