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.
Fasting from Fear
Featured, lentLent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, March 5, 2023 — Evening
By Sarah Elliott
Fasting from Fear
Read: Psalm 27:13-14
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the
living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
In a recent study performed by Penn State*, 91.4% of worry predictions among the cohort of participants with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) did not come true.
While many of us don’t have GAD, how much of our worry is unwarranted? How does excessive worry take away from our faith in God? David had faith. In the face of his enemies, he was always confident that the Lord would be victorious. Did he worry? Absolutely. In Psalm 3, David displays his fear for the many of his foes. However, he had faith God would deliver him. He waited for the Lord and was victorious. He could have ran and hid when he was afraid, but he had faith. How was his faith so strong?
Why are we fearful? Are we not promised a bright future by God? Like David, we can anticipate victory in the land of the living. God sent his son Jesus who promised to return and take us home to be with him. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” John 1:17. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Can I strengthen my faith by fasting from fear? This Lenten season, when I find myself full of worry of things that might happen, I will replace the word fear with faith. I will have active faith that the Lord will deliver me. Active faith is a conscious effort to retrain my brain from focusing on fear to focusing on faith. The fear is likely not to occur, but if it does, God will walk with me and make me victorious.
Prayer
Most Heavenly Father, replace our fear with faith. Hear our confessions of hope, for we know you will keep your promises. Though our walk in the land of the living is filled with anxiety, grief, and illness, we hold strong to your promise of an eternal walk with you. Guide us with grace and truth in this land of living so our faith can be strengthened and overcome our fears. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Fasting from What to What?
Featured, lentLent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, March 5, 2023 — Morning
By Rev. Rick Isbell
Fasting from What to What?
Read: Matthew 6:17-18
Fasting is normally not a real popular word. When I was growing up I heard that others fasted from meat on Fridays. As I grew and began reading and studying the scriptures, I learned that fasting was more than just a “Friday thing.” The practice of fasting is scriptural and in both Old and New Testaments. Jesus fasted; he gave instructions for fasting; and even the early church practiced fasting. Fasting is part of our Christian DNA.
Most people think about fasting during the season of Lent. We think about something that we can easily give up like chocolate and say we are fasting. The more I learn the more I realize that fasting is more than depriving ourselves of food and drink. Fasting is an act of humbling yourself before God and relying more fully on God’s strength and guidance. Fasting can involve abstaining from physical nourishment; but it can also involve abstaining from things and behaviors that seem to control our lives. If we give up or fast from nourishment, things or behaviors, then what are we to take up in its place?
Lent is a good time to start practice fasting, but don’t stop there. Fasting is not just a Lent thing, it’s a year-long spiritual discipline. Fast from a meal each week and give that money to a food charity. Stop using social media for a certain time period and actually write or call a homebound person. Get away from the iPad or TV for a couple of hours or half a day and volunteer at a local nonprofit. Fasting is denying ourselves so we can take up what God would have us do.
Prayer
God, give me strength and guidance to deny myself this Lent and beyond for the sake of others. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
Summer Newsletter
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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.