In adoration we address God as Our Father, showing our relationship, reverence and gratitude for His love and care. This conveys God’s holiness, and the desire for His will to be done. The confession is our request for the forgiveness of our sins, along with the condition that we must also forgive others who have wronged us. In supplication, we ask for food to nourish our bodies and His Word to nourish our souls. To overcome our weaknesses, we pray for God to extend His guiding hand over us to grant discernment and to steer clear of temptation and sin. Delores Smyth says, “This prayer focuses our thoughts on what is important in life by summarizing everything we must do to be good and faithful servants: revere God, accept His will, know His Word, love each other through forgiveness, and resist evil.” In one of my former Bible studies, we were asked to rewrite The Lord’s Prayer, customizing it to be meaningful to our families. This is the version my son, Prentice wrote when he was in high school.
I invite you to consider writing a prayer following Jesus' example.
In His Name, Heather
5 Comments
kids as they rush down the aisles of the sanctuary to pray together, before diving into exploration and experiences of who God is — with each other, their amazing Sunday School teachers and our wonderful volunteers. I see God’s light shining through our teens as they lead with kindness and grace at school, in sports, and throughout our community. I hear God’s goodness as families and multiple generations gather and connect in fellowship each Sunday and throughout the week in small groups. I feel God’s power at work in my own life as I navigate this season of parenting and family, and finding rhythms that help keep us grounded as we overcome the things that may cause us to feel anxious and uncertain.
Despite the chaos and noise of the world, we can rest in the peace and grace of God and lay our burdens at the foot of the cross. Whatever challenges or blessings this week may hold for you, I pray you feel God’s grace and love. In Christ, Kierstie
At first Pastor Justice’s statement caught me off guard. I immediately thought of all the “more important” things a child should learn at church. Pastor Justice went on to explain the difference between lessons learned at home and those learned at church. He also explained how he hoped that when an adult having a difficult time in life, looked back over their life and asked “When was I ever happy?”; hopefully it would be memories of church. A few weeks later, the Pastor’s word proved true when someone I knew who had no room for God in their life suddenly fell on hard times and they asked “When was I ever happy?” They told me it was when they were a kid at church. They returned to church and found that childlike Joy in Christ once again. In many churches, we quote Jesus’ words found in Matthew 18. Jesus pulls a child into the midst of the disciples and urges them to accept the kingdom of God like a little child. Jesus famously states that whoever causes a child to stumble it would be better for that person to tie a huge stone around their neck and jump in the ocean. This warning may seem harsh, but as my husband and I have worked with many hurting people over the years I can start to understand Jesus’ warning to us adults. This month as we stop to recognize child abuse awareness month, we have planted over a hundred pinwheels in our flower beds here at 1st Pres. Pinwheels seem to sum up childlike joy, and the power of the wind reminds us of a child’s vulnerability. The impact of abuse on a child ripples out in so many unforeseen ways. The physical damage on a small body may be the hardest thing to look at but it is the heart, mind, and soul damage that lasts the longest. It is this unseen damage to the little soul that is what I think Jesus was warning us about. Don’t do things that prevent the joy of the kingdom in this little child. When we deal harshly with the children in our midst we prevent them from entering into the joyful aspects of Christ’s love. We also rob ourselves of the lessons they can teach us about faith. I realize child abuse is a heavy subject that can make us feel powerless. When the subject comes up we often confuse the conversation further with debates about abuse and discipline. Abuse seeks to dominate and discipline seeks to train. Abuse forgets the intrinsic value of the human soul while discipline calls forth the beauty and strength of the growing soul. Pretty pinwheels are so small in light of all that an abused child will face in their life. However, I believe it is the joy of a simple pinwheel that gives us back the power we have in the lives of the children among us. If we can first stop to recognize and value the children in our lives. Be involved with the families around us. If we each take the time to provide happy memories for the children in our lives, to bring joy to their world then we are one step closer to understanding the faith of a child Jesus so valued. We may not see all of the times that a child or a family is hurting, but our heavenly Father sees them. Later in life, it is my hope that Pastor Justice’s word will ring true for the precious children in our lives. I hope these kinds of things come to the minds of these precious little ones.
Maybe these happy memories will dispel the dark memories long enough to bring them back to God’s house where they can engage with the Father who longs to heal all wounds. I believe the fight against child abuse begins with an awareness of the children in our lives. As we tend to these precious little souls with the simple goal of bringing them happy church memories we will have a greater chance of preventing the enemy from stealing their joy. If you would like to plant a pinwheel here at 1st Pres in April, please call the church office and we will be happy to help you spread joy and awareness. In His Name, Bonnie
tax collectors, and the Samaritans (to name a few). However, many of our images and ideas can be misleading. Jesus is often depicted as a stoic man who never shows emotion. When you begin carefully reading scripture, you realize that this image is far from the truth. As the Gospel of Luke shows us, Jesus experiences joy, suffering, hope, uncertainty, anxiety, and many other emotions just like us. As the early Christian church consistently declared, Jesus is fully human. He is like us in every way (except for sin).
As we approach Easter Sunday, I think it is important to think carefully about the images we have in our minds about the events of Holy Week. Perhaps we imagine Jesus as some cosmic superhero standing before the Roman authorities and laughing in the face of his opponents. Indeed, there are some who describe him in this way. Sometimes it is easier to imagine Jesus as an untouchable hero than it is to see him suffering on the cross. However, I find it best to pause when we are presented with this depiction and ask the question, “Who is Jesus, really?” Who is Jesus, really? He really is the God of the universe dying on a cross for you and me. He really is the Son of God sent to reconcile us with our loving Father. He really is the one who takes our sins upon himself and experiences death in our place. A few years ago, I asked a group of high school students to perform a short drama of Luke 15:11-32, The Prodigal Son, during our Sunday night programming. The students did a wonderful job depicting this incredible story of a father’s love and grace towards his wayward son. Following the presentation, we discussed the significance of this story for our understanding of God. When asked, “What does this story tell us about God’s love for us?”, one of the students raised her hand and said, “It tells us that his love has no memory.” I was not expecting this answer, and when she gave it, I was floored. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about her words: his love has no memory. It is difficult for me to imagine a God who welcomes me home from my wayward journeying and places his ring upon my finger. The image I often hold to is the image of an angry judge ready to punish and rebuke me for my disobedience. And yet, the God revealed in Jesus Christ is the one who welcomes us home with open arms, a God who freely loves us in the face of our brokenness. In other words, God has no memory. The Lord does not keep account of our sins. He does not remember our iniquities (Heb. 8:12). When he looks at each of us, he sees his Son, and we are welcomed to his table as heirs of the Kingdom. As we journey together through Holy Week, my prayer is that each of us will remember that God’s love for us is declared in no uncertain terms from the cross on Golgotha: in Jesus Christ, God has made each of us a recipient of his unending love, a love that does not remember our sins. It has no memory. It is the love of a Father who celebrates our return to him and welcomes us back into his home. Who is Jesus, really? He is our loving Savior! Let us celebrate his love together as we gather at the empty tomb. In grace and gratitude, Pastor McLane
I was a student at the University of Montana at the time. Life was exciting, as college life often is. I enjoyed my classes and spending time with friends, but somehow I felt empty. My brother, Lee, who was serving in the Air Force in Germany at the time, became a Christian. When he came home on leave the Spring of 1983, he shared scripture with me, and God used His Word to draw me to Him. He gave me His name. As His children, God calls us by many names:
Easter is important to me because it is another reminder of the Spring when God changed my name and made my life new. My life has never been the same since then. I started looking at everything with a Christ-centered perspective, and it is still my focus to this day.
In His Name, Stephanie
interpret the verse on a short video and help make the Word even more meaningful.
So, this morning I was happy to see that one of my favorite verses was presented by an amazing man that I am sure most of you also know and respect. Matt Lucado gave me some things to think about. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 The condensed version of what Max shared is that there is an old belief that God helps those who help themselves. A lot of us believe this. We think that we can fix ourselves. We will make up for our mistakes with contributions, our guilt by volunteering our time, and we will pay for our failures with hard work. We will find salvation the old-fashioned way by earning it. But God says that it is your role to trust in Him to do what we can’t accomplish. We must trust Him to fix the things we can't. So how can we do that? How can we find that type of faith? Actually, we are all doing this on another level. A practical example is that currently we all depend upon, and have faith in, things we cannot see. We have faith that when we flip the light switch, the light will come on. We depend on the strength of a chair to support our weight. You place your trust in things you cannot see, to do the work you cannot accomplish. God invites you to do the same with Him. Trust God more. I really liked this concept of trusting things you do not see and extending this belief to my relationship with God. This is a difficult time for me as my sister was just diagnosed with metastatic cancer and unfortunately the prognosis is poor. My brother and sister and I are very close, especially since the death of our parents. We turn to each other for comfort. But dealing with certain death has been so painful despite our relationships. It is times like this when it is so important to turn to God. He is always there. Death on the cross did not conquer Jesus. It was not the end of the story. The author and protector of your faith, He endured death for you and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is your comforter and He wants to give you peace. So, whatever you are going through, you can place in His hands. He wants to strengthen your faith and give you hope. As we enter the Easter season, fix your eyes on Christ knowing that He sees a future for you that is filled with so much joy. Trust God more. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5: 1-2) In His Name, Ellen
how it has impacted my life and my choices along the way - I worry. A lot. I am a worrier. Anxiety has constantly been a companion of mine. But I am a big believer that even in our own personal challenges we can learn how to thrive by working through them - not ignoring them or giving in to them, but using them as tools of growth. Philippians 4:6 is one of my favorite bible verses: “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, through prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God”. This verse has brought me so much comfort over the years, and continues to do so. I have also learned that if I do not push myself through my fears I will miss many wonderful opportunities or relationships. It’s always been important to me to challenge myself and not let worry or fear keep me from growing or taking an opportunity. I can say, without question, that making the decision to push through and take a challenge in spite of my worry has driven and influenced so many stories of my life. There are so many other bible verses and stories from God we can lean on to get through a hard time or just to bust through a hard personal challenge. We also have a rich history of music in the church that reflects these tough components of life; worry, grief, fear, uncertainty. Some hymns that come to mind: It is Well with My Soul, Abide with Me, and there’s even a hymn called All Your Anxiety (#613)! That one must have been written just for me!
Life is full of challenges and anxieties, it’s something that I know intimately as you likely do as well. God gives us many things to lean on throughout our life and certainly one of those gifts is music. These old hymns were written by real people feeling and struggling through deep emotions. Through their music and words, we feel a kinship with them and comfort in knowing that God is with us and we are not alone. In His Name, Jenny
I remember watching a horror movie for the first time at a sleepover and discovering that I did NOT like it! I had nightmares for months and slept with a barrier of pillows all around me, my back to the wall, my lamps on, facing the room so nothing could surprise me. During this time, I also remember my mom sharing this verse. It was one of her favorite “fear verses” and she hoped it would comfort me. Unfortunately, I read this verse and found no comfort. I saw a command to not be afraid. A command to be powerful and loving and rational. A standard that all believers should live up to if they truly had a “born again spirit”. And I felt like a failure. I was afraid and I wasn’t powerful. I probably also wasn’t loving or rational either. I began to dread the encouragement and the verse that so many other people seemed to love. I recently started a Bible Study about fear and anxiety, and this verse came up in my lesson. With only a tiny bit of sighing, I went through the verse as instructed — prayerfully reading it through a few times, marking transition words, underlining repetition and key phrases, and noting comparisons and contrasts. And because the Word of God is a living word, and because our God is faithful to teach and restore, I saw the verse in a totally new light.
Rather than calling me to have a powerful, loving, self-disciplined heart, this verse is a reassurance that I have been given a source of power, and love, and self-control. That source is not me but the Holy Spirit! Perhaps this has been quite obvious to you, but it was a revelation to me. I read the verse again and again, marveling at how much it had transformed me. Rather than feeling shame or guilt for my failure to live up to a standard of fearlessness, I felt incredible freedom and comfort. Again, I am reminded that nothing is asked of me except to rest in the presence of God and lean on Him. When I am afraid, I don’t need to do anything except run to God, and I don’t need to run far, because the Holy Spirit is always there inside me. I think it’s interesting that so much of adulthood is unraveling false beliefs that formed in childhood and reweaving them with truth. Sometimes those lies come from people in our life, or impactful experiences, or even just a childlike understanding that gets things all twisted. Little Naomi really had a way with twisting things into confusing shapes and clinging to them as gospel truth! I’m so grateful that we have a God who is faithful to teach me. I’m excited to see what other lies will be unraveled and rewoven as I go through this journey. And I am glad that my stack of verses will only continue to grow. In His Name, Naomi
them or like me. Belonging is something else entirely—it's showing up and letting myself be seen and known as I really am—love of rock painting, fear of public speaking, sarcastic sense of humor, and all. Many of us suffer from this split between who we really are and who we present to the world in order to be accepted. (Take it from me: I'm an expert fitter-inner!) But we're not letting ourselves be known, and this kind of incongruent living is soul-killing. During various seasons of my life, I have not fit in. I was too smart, too awkward, or too much of a "goody-two-shoes" in high school, plus I didn't have the right clothes. As you can probably guess, I felt different from others. Feeling worthy had always impacted the choices I made for friendships, marriage, jobs. Once I welcomed and accepted myself, through Jesus’s eyes, the world seemed to open up to me. I no longer tried to impress everyone and I can look further into what interests ME. Retirement was more difficult with the limited income but the reward of time for self-exploration has been very worthwhile. I’ve learned so much about myself and the world in this period of my life because I’ve had the time to! My time wasn’t being eaten up by trying to impress others or keep up with them anymore. This past year I decided to step out of retirement once again and found this perfect part time job. I walked into my interview believing that if I were just myself, I could trust that they would let me know if I would fit in. 1st Presbyterian not only offers me some income, but a sense of belonging and purpose. I have been accepted for just who I am due to the grace extended to me from the congregation as well as the office. As this new-year rolls on, I embrace Philippians 4:8,
In His Name, Susie
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent and ‘what are you giving up’ might be the wrong question. Rather than giving up something, how about taking up something? I’m not sure if this is true, but I found a citation that said the 40-day period before Easter is called Lent after an old English word meaning ‘lengthen’. This is because the days are getting longer as we approach summer. Maybe? It is a time of reflection and of asking for forgiveness as Christians prepare to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection on Easter - the end of Lent. Giving up something during Lent is a sign of sacrifice and a test of self-discipline (I don’t think I can ever give up dark chocolate, attributable to a lack of self-discipline for sure). Christians believe this sacrifice represents Christ’s sacrifice when he prayed and fasted in the desert for 40 days. This year, how about rather than giving up something, consider taking up something. This might be making an extra effort to do nice things for family, friends, our community, giving extra to a cause that touches your heart or volunteering your time. All are worthy and meaningful. So, think on this — practicing during the 40 days of Lent could lead to a new habit that will extend well beyond the next 40 days. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16
In His Name, Janet |
What's UpOur staff is voluntold each week and with grace they share their thoughts. Archives
April 2024
|