Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, February 26, 2023 — Morning
By Laura Still
When Jesus Came to Jordan
Read: Matthew 3:13-17, 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-13, Luke 21-23, 4:1-13 John 1:29-34
“When Jesus came to Jordan, to be baptized by John
He did not come for pardon, but as the Sinless One.
He came to share repentance, with all who mourn their sins,
to speak the vital sentence with which good news begins.”
I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I first encountered this hymn, but I was an adult, because I was standing in the balcony of Church Street, the one on the lectern side where I still sit to this day. The memory is very clear, because the last line of the above verse lit a spark in my head. Suddenly I wasn’t just trying to follow the tune, I paid attention to the words, and the next verse:
“He came to share temptation, our utmost woe and loss,
for us and our salvation to die upon the cross.
So when the dove descended on him the Son of Man,
the hidden years had ended, the age of grace began.”
Now the spark was a flame—Jesus begins the age of grace, his ministry, after his baptism by John. The descending dove is recorded in all four of the gospels, testifying to the vision and the voice of God. Luke tells us that Jesus was about 30 years old when this happened. In the previous chapter of Luke’s gospel, Jesus is only twelve and has just frightened the life out of Mary and Joseph by disappearing in Jerusalem in three days before being found in the temple. He was taken back to Nazareth by his parents and settled down to being an obedient son. The years between twelve and thirty are a mystery to us; many scholars and writers have speculated about what Jesus was doing during that time but no one really knows. Remembering what those years were like in my own life, I wonder about Jesus, facing all the challenges of adolescence and becoming an adult. He had to have handled it better than I did—the words “he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” are enough to tell me that. Those hidden years were spent learning, gaining self-knowledge and understanding, till he felt called to go to Jordan, to begin his ministry and his journey to the cross.
The story of Jesus and his temptation in the desert shows clearly that Jesus knows who he is, has turned his life toward God, and is determined to follow God’s plan from now on. This is our decision too, and every year during Lent we are asked to renew it: to turn our lives toward our Lord, and pray for his strength and purpose to guide us on our journey. The last verse is a good prayer for Lent, or any time we want to open our hearts to God.
Prayer
“Come Holy Spirit, aid us to keep the vows we make;
this very day invade us and every bondage break.
Come give our lives direction, the gift we covet most:
to share the Resurrection that leads to Pentecost.”
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
All are welcome at Church Street! We believe every person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We welcome and celebrate the gifts God has given to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation. We respect diversity of opinion and expressions of Christian faith. We believe God loves everyone unconditionally! As God loves us, so let us love and serve in the name of Christ.
Weekly Prayer – March 1, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of March 1, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
O God who shaped us from the dust, it is hard to believe that Ash Wednesday was a week ago. We had good intentions. We have good intentions. Forgive us for not following through or not truly paying attention to the intentions we set! We make the focus on ourselves instead of simply being with you. May this time of prayer tonight be a time of quiet…
Pause for a few seconds before reading ahead ….
Thank you for letting us start over, Gracious God! We are so grateful for your love! We look back over our day and remember the times we felt a sense of your presence, or experienced the graciousness of a stranger, or enjoyed conversation with a friend ….
Take time to remember moments from today ….
As we give thanks for your goodness today, we thank you specifically for sunshine and the bursts of yellow we see in yards and along greenways. The flowers are reminders of your creative powers and your abiding grace. It has been good to see people out walking and enjoying being outside today.
Take time to think of those who may be homebound or are not able to get outside…..
We thank you for all of the folks who gathered today for the Downtown Noonday Lenten Worship service. How wonderful it was to be at First Baptist with friends from other churches who call downtown Knoxville ‘home.’ May we be a powerful force of positivity and unity in a community that often seems divided. Let us use this time as an opportunity to pray for our downtown neighbors – those who work here, those who live here, those who go to school ….
Take a moment to imagine the streets surrounding our church …. Main Street with the government buildings … Henley with new condos and new hotels for tourists …. Cumberland with all of those students … across the bridge to Chapman Highway and the new growth that is happening ..
O God of all people, we do not want to be just a building on a corner but a place where ministry is inspired and all are welcome. May our neighbors and all who pass by know that we are praying for them. Open our eyes that we see opportunities to be neighbors.
Take a moment to imagine what evening looks like at the corner of Henley and Main … lights from inside buildings and lights on the streets
As nighttime comes, we pray for those who do not have a place to sleep indoors. We pray for those who are working third shift at hospitals and police stations. We pray for the safety and health of our downtown.
Thank you, O God who knows all of the people who drive and walk past our church each day, thank you for this opportunity of prayer for us to pray for your children near this corner.
Now, we offer prayers for our church family ….
We pray for…
We continue to pray for…
We continue to pray for…
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Who has Moved?
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, February 26, 2023 — Evening
By David Lineberger
Who has Moved?
Read: Psalm 27:8-9
“You have said, ‘Seek My face.’ My heart says to You, ‘Your face, LORD, do I seek.’
Hide not Your face from me. Turn not Your servant away in anger, O You who
have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!”
There is a decades old joke where a couple is riding in their car together, and the wife says to her husband who is driving, “Sweetheart, do you remember how romantic we used to be when we first got married? We snuggled so close together in the car every time we drove anywhere.” The husband replied, “Yes dear, I remember, but I’m not the one who moved.”
During the season of Lent we focus on Christ’s suffering and death, and the reason His sacrifice was so needed. What better way to do that than an examination of our own relationship with God. Do you ever feel that God has abandoned you? Do you feel that you and our Creator are no longer close?
Sometimes we leave our prayer time until the last minute, lying in bed as we voice our concerns and thanks to God before sleep overtakes us. Sometimes we stop praying and feel like we’re just talking to ourselves. We begin doubting that God is listening to us at all!
The Psalmist speaks about our relationship with God in Psalm 27: 8-9, where he writes “You have said, “Seek My face.” My heart says to You, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Hide not Your face from me. Turn not Your servant away in anger, O You who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
In reality, God has not abandoned us. He is right where He always is, loving us and desiring a close relationship with us. So often it is us who have pulled away, even trying to hide our sins from God.
For our salvation, God did turn away from Jesus as He was dying on the cross. Jesus suffered this abandonment so that we would never have to be forsaken by God. We can turn to the empty tomb and know that we have the assurance that God is always there for us! We pray for his strength and purpose to guide us on our journey. The last verse is a good prayer for Lent, or any time we want to open our hearts to God.
Prayer
Forgive me, ever present and loving Lord, for the times I have pulled away from you. Help me to seek a close and dependent life with You and know that you will always be there with your unfailing love. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
When Jesus Came to Jordan
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, February 26, 2023 — Morning
By Laura Still
When Jesus Came to Jordan
Read: Matthew 3:13-17, 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-13, Luke 21-23, 4:1-13 John 1:29-34
“When Jesus came to Jordan, to be baptized by John
He did not come for pardon, but as the Sinless One.
He came to share repentance, with all who mourn their sins,
to speak the vital sentence with which good news begins.”
I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I first encountered this hymn, but I was an adult, because I was standing in the balcony of Church Street, the one on the lectern side where I still sit to this day. The memory is very clear, because the last line of the above verse lit a spark in my head. Suddenly I wasn’t just trying to follow the tune, I paid attention to the words, and the next verse:
“He came to share temptation, our utmost woe and loss,
for us and our salvation to die upon the cross.
So when the dove descended on him the Son of Man,
the hidden years had ended, the age of grace began.”
Now the spark was a flame—Jesus begins the age of grace, his ministry, after his baptism by John. The descending dove is recorded in all four of the gospels, testifying to the vision and the voice of God. Luke tells us that Jesus was about 30 years old when this happened. In the previous chapter of Luke’s gospel, Jesus is only twelve and has just frightened the life out of Mary and Joseph by disappearing in Jerusalem in three days before being found in the temple. He was taken back to Nazareth by his parents and settled down to being an obedient son. The years between twelve and thirty are a mystery to us; many scholars and writers have speculated about what Jesus was doing during that time but no one really knows. Remembering what those years were like in my own life, I wonder about Jesus, facing all the challenges of adolescence and becoming an adult. He had to have handled it better than I did—the words “he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” are enough to tell me that. Those hidden years were spent learning, gaining self-knowledge and understanding, till he felt called to go to Jordan, to begin his ministry and his journey to the cross.
The story of Jesus and his temptation in the desert shows clearly that Jesus knows who he is, has turned his life toward God, and is determined to follow God’s plan from now on. This is our decision too, and every year during Lent we are asked to renew it: to turn our lives toward our Lord, and pray for his strength and purpose to guide us on our journey. The last verse is a good prayer for Lent, or any time we want to open our hearts to God.
Prayer
“Come Holy Spirit, aid us to keep the vows we make;
this very day invade us and every bondage break.
Come give our lives direction, the gift we covet most:
to share the Resurrection that leads to Pentecost.”
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Weekly Prayer – February 22, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of February 22, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
As we bow in prayer together tonight, O God, we cannot help but call you Scooper of Dust. That doesn’t quite sound so holy, but yet, that is how you are described in one of our Sacred Stories. You are the Creator, the Scooper of Dust! You scooped up dust in your hands and then breathed into it and here we are. Your people. Your creation. From dust we came, to dust we shall return.
On this Ash Wednesday, some of us are more aware than others of the dust to which we will return. Some have tired bodies, sick bodies, broken bodies, and death does not elicit fear but peace of mind. Others believe they will live forever or, at least, death is a long way off. No need to be concerned about that! It seems odd to be reminded of death in the middle of week, but here we are on Ash Wednesday. Perhaps we heard from a minister today, “from dust you came, to dust you shall return.” A black smudge on our forehead to show the world we are aware of mortality. But also, aware of forgiveness. Aware of reconciliation. We know about the death of Jesus who brings us life.
O Scooper of Dust, only one who loves the earth and the gardens would scoop dust. Someone not as careful and thoughtful would claw or grab at dust. You scoop us up so many times.
As we prepare for a restful evening, prepare our hearts for the second Day of Lent. We will have rubbed off the smudge by morning, but may we always be marked by your love and grace and scooping. Whatever discipline we have made a point to observe this Lent, may it remind us that we are yours, we came from you and we will return to you. And in the meantime, we are with you.
In that confidence and contentment, we offer prayers for our church friends and family ….
We pray for…
We continue to pray for…
We continue to pray for…
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Depending on the Divine
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023 — Evening
By Rev. Tim Best, Senior Associate Pastor
Depending on the Divine
Read Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Lent has always been a time for me to reflect upon my great need for God. I admit this has largely been a philosophical or emotional exercise. Don’t get me wrong, the “need” I have felt has been real, but has always seemed like a need that not everyone had to know about. I liked that. I like being able to honestly tell folks “I need and depend upon God” without having to tell them how exactly. I am more private than I often let on; I share all sorts of things, all types of facts about my life. But it is hard for me to share my needs or fears.
In recent months I have had obvious and public needs. I have been unable to drive and have had other limitations due to a vision condition that, at least as I write this, persists. Our lectionary readings for Ash Wednesday all contain this theme of need for God. Much of the emphasis is on need for repentance and renewal, but we can understand the call to be an invitation to recognize our dependance upon God. As we begin this Lenten season may we all honestly evaluate our needs and open ourselves to how God is seeking to care for us.
Prayer
Lord, may you renew us this lent that we may always know our need for you and trust in your grace. Amen
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023 — Morning
By Donald Rickels
Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Ash Wednesday is a time to begin reflection on life. It is almost like a New year. What would you like to get rid of this season of Lent? Guilt? Sorrow? Regrets? A burden? This wonderful service is a time of reflection to think about things and release them. It truly is an important time for all who are followers of Christ to begin their Easter journey.
Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite services. A mark on the forehead seals you to the fact that you have reflected and chosen a path to release the things that so easily consume us and take us away from being a Light to the world. Begin your Easter journey in reflection and with confidence that there can be change in your world.
Prayer
Be with us through this season, Lord, and all our earthly days, that when the final Easter dawns, we join in heaven’s praise. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Weekly Prayer – February 15, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of February 15, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
Today’s lectionary reading from the Psalms is from Psalm 119:10 -16 …
119 10 With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.
14 I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
O Lord who hears our every heartbeat, you know that we come to you longing for a pure heart. But the Psalmist promises you the WHOLE heart. You know our hearts, O God, and you see how we have divided them in sections. There is only a portion for you. We love you with the part of our heart that adores creation and loves our family. We love you with the part of our heart that experiences joy.
You know our hearts, O Lord … and yet, you welcome us into your sanctuary of prayer. We humbly bring our broken hearts, our bitter hearts, our tired hearts, our apathetic hearts; we bring them all. The heartache, the heartbreak, and the heartsick.
So, we pray again with the Psalmist: we seek you with our whole heart! May our hearts be a place where we treasure your word and make room for your spirit. May we trust in our hearts that you know the brokenness we have stored there and are anxious to heal and to make new.
Having spent time meditating on your love for us and your openness to us, we can truly say now that our whole hearts are before you. We bring you the joy and the hope, the thanksgiving and the concerns, the regret and the looking ahead. Thank you for seeking after us with YOUR whole heart, O Lover of Our Souls.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray …
We pray for…
We give thanks for…
We continue to pray for…
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Weekly Prayer – February 8, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of February 8, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
Over eleven thousand dead …
We close our eyes to pray about the world but we cannot even fathom eleven-thousand people.
But you know, O Lord; you know each one. Thankful for your tenderheartedness, we look at the map, find Syria and Turkey, touch the outline of the borders and pray. Praying reminds us you are the creator of all.
We pray for rescue workers, for children who are now orphans, for parents looking for children. We pray for those who are in charge of clearing the debris, for the agencies trying to get relief to the people. We pray for those who are thirsty to find water. For those who are inconsolable to find some rest. For those who are in shock to find something to hold on to.
We hold on to the miracle stories … a baby born under the rubble and taken to medical personnel … a teenage boy slowly pulled out from between two slabs of concrete … the sound of a voice after hours of drilling through debris. There is life! There is hope! There is light!
These miracles do not diminish the devastation but they offer hope. A baby’s cry calls up compassion from people around the world. The determination of a few rescue workers crouched for hours inspires us to persevere.
Over eleven-thousand dead and the count will go higher. We cannot begin to count that many people, O Lord. But, we can count one. Then two. Then one more.
Help us to see the people in our own community, O God. There are many who feel like they are being buried by social earthquakes. Safety nets and agencies that once offered help are crumbling. Transgender teens, adults with HIV, neighbors with addictions … may we see them and hear them calling out for help. Help us take the time to see one. Then one more. Then two. Our children. Our nephews and nieces. Our neighbors. Your children.
We thank you that you have created us in such a way that we hurt when others hurt; that we can imagine what it is like to be someone else. You have made us in your image, O God. A disaster on the other side of the world can shake us loose from our fears and prejudices and prompt us truly to pray for one another. We pray for those who feel trapped and for those who feel forgotten – here, there, and everywhere. May we crouch down in prayer; may we persevere in prayer. Perhaps, being empowered by prayer we can offer hope, light, life!
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for…
We continue to pray for…
We offer prayers of Thanksgiving for…
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
February Update
YouthSunday Schedule:
Worship – 8:30AM & 11:00AM
Sunday school – 9:45-10:45AM
NightLife – 5:00-7:00PM ($5 dinner)
Lent at Church Street
NightLife – During Lent, we are meditating on the senses and using them to draw us back to our faith on a daily basis. One of Church Street’s clergy will join us each week to share how
Palm Sunday – April 2 (Youth Lenten Worship Night during NightLife)
Maundy Thursday – April 6
Good Friday – April 7
Easter – April 9
Senior Info
It’s hard to believe it is already time to be looking toward graduation for our graduating seniors! What a joy it is to see you learn and grow. You should have already received this email via mail & email, but reminders that deadlines are coming up! Mark your calendars and be sure to submit your information. Let Jenny know if you have any questions!
Sunday, March 24 – Senior Info Due
Sunday, April 2 – Scholarship Application Due
Tuesday, May 2 – Senior Banquet
Sunday, May 14 – Senior Sunday
Senior Info
Scholarship Application
High School Prayer Breakfast
This year, we are rotating locations of our High School Prayer Breakfast. Hopefully, this will allow more students to participate! Here is this month’s schedule:
Parent Sign-Ups
Meal Sign-Ups: Each Sunday, we serve our students breakfast and lunch. We ask families to volunteer to help make these meals happen! The sign-ups are below. If every family signs up for one breakfast and one dinner each, we will have nearly every week covered!
Breakfast Sign-Up
Dinner Sign-Up
Have you viewed our page on Church Street’s website? Check it out!
Jenny Cross, Youth Director
jcross@churchstreetumc.org
(865) 524-0287
Weekly Prayer – February 1, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of February 1, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
There are only twenty-eight days this month! The cold air gives us a tiny bit of panic as we draw our arms in and shield ourselves against any wind. As we come to the end of this first day of the second month, may we put our anxiety in your hands. Instead of drawing in, may we open up. Would having a February 30th or 31st really make a difference in our lives? As we come to the close of the day, O Lord, forgive us for feeling harried or spent or depleted. You have given us the time of this day. You have called each day, “good.” Lord who loves us as much mid-week as you did on Sunday, make us to feel your grace this evening.
You are our Keeper, not our scorekeeper. Help us to look back over our day and see it through your eyes. May we see the gifts of food, of work, or interactions with others. We thank you for the gift of our ability to do the things we wanted to do or the gift of someone to help us get those things done. Lord, forgive us when we come to the end of the day and evaluate its worth by what we have ‘gotten done.’
We have been in your presence. You have been with us this day. Knowing your presence brings us meaning and now we can rest as the world grows dark. Forgive us for thinking that today’s worth was dependent on us. This is the day, you made, O Lord. Let us look back on it and give thanks.
Now that we have taken a deep breath and renewed our spirits in your presence, we are able to think of others. Even when thinking about illness, despair, economic strain, addiction, and other situations that weigh us down, taking time to pray brings us a strength. As we let your Holy Spirit wander around in our hearts and minds, we know that same spirit is moving in the folks for whom we are praying. Your same spirit is touching those who are praying and those who have shared concerns.
And so we join as a community of faith and pray for others ….
We pray for …
We give thanks for …
We continue to pray for …
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.