Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Saturday, March 20
By Mrs. Mamie Lee Finger, Jr., February 19, 1978
Life Within You and Me
Read: John 1-17
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. …He came to bear witness to the light,… that all might believe. …And the Word became flesh…full of grace and truth. …From his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.”
With the coming of the movie, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, I went back to Hannah Greene’s original written words. Again, I was moved by the reflective and deep thoughts of this young out-patient from the hospital:
“Over the text of John Stainer’s ‘Seven-Fold Amen’, she looked out into the congregation on
Sunday and wondered if they ever thanked God for the light in their minds, for friends, for cold
and pain responsive to the laws of nature, for enough depth of insight into these laws to have
expectation, again for friends, for the days and nights that follow one another in stately rhythm,
for the sparks that fly upward, for friends . . .
Did they know how beautiful and enviable their lives were? She realized more and more that
her few spare hour pastimes provided too little in which to test and exercise her fragile ‘Yes’
to a newborn reality.”
I began to wonder – do we actually test, or exercise, our sometimes fragile YES to reality, which can be newborn for us each day?
DO WE?
CAN WE?
WILL WE?
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the gifts of our life – for the light in our minds – for friends, for the expectations of living. May we be transmitters of life, agents of Your activity, facilitators of living fully. With Faith and in hope, may we break open and see the world of opportunity that is ours as we ourselves are open. Then, through Grace and Truth and Light, may we lay claim to our greatest potential, Christ within us. Amen.
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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.
He Will Take Your Guilt Away
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, March 21, Evening
By Ann Dooley Parsons, April 12, 1979
He Will Take Your Guilt Away
Read Isaiah 53:4-6
In Isaiah 53, we see a striking description of the suffering Christ. But doesn’t this also depict humanity in its sin? Look at the words — sorrows, griefs, transgressions, iniquities and lastly: “All we like sheep have gone astray.”
This adds up to one fact: each of us has a flaw, a blemish or several. Think of yourself or those you know and love – your friends, your relatives or your immediate family. There is something imperfect about each one of us. We aren’t willing to do our share, we lose our tempers, we’re selfish, we gossip, we’re too easy or not easy enough, we’re greedy. We too have fallen short – we too have turned to our own ways – we too have gone astray.
These flaws we have create guilt feelings and because of guilt we lose our peace of mind. Somehow the joy gets rendered out of life because of these flaws.
Is there any hope? Isaiah 53 tells us there is all the hope in the world. Truly we have gone astray, but remember that there is the Lamb of God who has not. Jesus Christ has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He Will Take Away Our Guilt.
Once again read Isaiah 53 and notice the plural. ALL have gone astray and ALL have been forgiven. But don’t be misled by the plural. Each one of us must believe, each one of us must accept to receive the blessed healing.
In the words of a beautiful and familiar hymn …
Prayer
Come ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish, Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel; Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish, Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal. Amen.
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O Death, Where is Thy Sting?
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Sunday, March 21, Morning
By Betty Craig, April 14, 1976
O Death, Where is Thy Sting?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
Many individuals make tremendous impacts upon our lives. Often it is not until their death that we, through reminiscence, begin to fully realize what they meant to us and others through the types of lives they lived — their beliefs, dedication and commitments.
During the years 1957-62, Robert H. Hamill served as pastor of Wesley Foundation at the University of Wisconsin. We knew Bob, and his beliefs, dedication and commitment affected our lives. From the University of Wisconsin, Bob went on to serve as Dean of the Chapel of Boston University School of Theology. His writing, preaching and teaching affected many individuals. His death in February 1975 caused us to reflect upon the impact of his life. Although Bob surely will be missed by many, he will, more importantly, be remembered with joy by many. He was a man of compassion and vision; he lived his Christian beliefs with zeal and intensity. With thanksgiving he will be remembered in death as in life, as Bob himself said, “the demand of death is that I turn from the past to the future, and decide all over again what my life is all about. Death intensifies my living and sends me back to all that is basic and elemental, and I find it good, very good.” And Bob’s life was very, very good.
The days of Lent cause us to focus on another very, very good life — that of Jesus Christ — a son given for the sins of the world. A man who neither asked for, nor needed, any worldly goods; one who believed in turning from the past to the future; one who knew what his life was all about; a life shared with others.
What a tribute to have said of one’s life: “It was very, very good!”.
Prayer
We are thankful for your Son and for the many individuals who affect our lives daily. Open our eyes that we may see them as you do. Open our lives that we may turn from the past to the future and thereby determine what our lives are all about. Amen and Amen.
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Life Within You and Me
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Saturday, March 20
By Mrs. Mamie Lee Finger, Jr., February 19, 1978
Life Within You and Me
Read: John 1-17
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. …He came to bear witness to the light,… that all might believe. …And the Word became flesh…full of grace and truth. …From his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.”
With the coming of the movie, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, I went back to Hannah Greene’s original written words. Again, I was moved by the reflective and deep thoughts of this young out-patient from the hospital:
“Over the text of John Stainer’s ‘Seven-Fold Amen’, she looked out into the congregation on
Sunday and wondered if they ever thanked God for the light in their minds, for friends, for cold
and pain responsive to the laws of nature, for enough depth of insight into these laws to have
expectation, again for friends, for the days and nights that follow one another in stately rhythm,
for the sparks that fly upward, for friends . . .
Did they know how beautiful and enviable their lives were? She realized more and more that
her few spare hour pastimes provided too little in which to test and exercise her fragile ‘Yes’
to a newborn reality.”
I began to wonder – do we actually test, or exercise, our sometimes fragile YES to reality, which can be newborn for us each day?
DO WE?
CAN WE?
WILL WE?
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the gifts of our life – for the light in our minds – for friends, for the expectations of living. May we be transmitters of life, agents of Your activity, facilitators of living fully. With Faith and in hope, may we break open and see the world of opportunity that is ours as we ourselves are open. Then, through Grace and Truth and Light, may we lay claim to our greatest potential, Christ within us. Amen.
Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.
There is Life!
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Friday, March 19
By Rev. Eldon A. Moore, February, 1981
There is Life!
Read: Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
It will be our hope for a better tomorrow that will keep us going today. Our faith is one of hope. In the New Testament world, God in Christ gave hope to a world which had no hope, and in today’s world we still have this same hope.
Ours is a faith that tells us no man need despair, for God is good and merciful, and active in the affairs of each of us. We don’t always have to accept situations as they are. We can help create circumstances and not merely adjust to them. Creativity is a God-given capacity. Man creates his own hopes, but God fulfills them. God is working his purposes in each of us. He will change us, discipline us, save us from futility. His steadfast love endures. Such an attitude of hope will not fail us. It is like a true compass to guide us.
Not too many days ago, while I was raking long fallen leaves in our backyard on a cold dismal day, and pondering the troubles of the world-what should appear from under the decaying leaves, but a tender green fern to remind me that no one should give in to despair or hopelessness.
There is life! There is light! There is hope! Yea, wait for the Lord!
Prayer
Dear God, help us to find new meaning in our faith as we put our trust and our hope in Thee. We praise Thee that Lent is a time that renews the vision of our life in Christ, our hope, and our joy. Amen.
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Evening Prayer – March 18
prayer for todayBINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 18, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
We gaze upward, O God, as did all the ancient ones, pondering your movement and mystery. The heavens have preached a silent sermon of benevolence all day and the night winds are whispering grace. There is glory in the intricate weaving of the undulating clouds and power in the galaxies beyond our imagination. No words can capture your essence, Mighty Creator; we can only stare in astonishment and kneel in awe.
Accept our praise this evening, Mysterious One, for all the ways in which you have blessed us in these hours just passed: . . . . . . . . . . We must confess we have put ourselves first again, so we come seeking pardon for the ways we have erred and fallen short of our best intentions: . . . . . . . . . . Even after all this time, Blessed Redeemer, we still have trouble identifying our own stumbling blocks. In your mercy, remove all those inner barriers that hold us back from becoming the disciples you desire for your kingdom. And though we may have blithely passed them by today, we pray tomorrow will bring us other chances to become Jesus for those disillusioned ones you send our way.
Beloved Parent, we wonder how you attend to so many children calling your name. Maybe it’s not for us to know, but whenever we cry out, we feel you recognize our individual voices. Accept the gratitude from your children at Church Street who have been touched by your readiness to draw close. Soothe the brows of the hurting ones this night with your hand of healing, we pray, and bend low as we again share the secret longings of our own hearts:
In returning and rest, Lord, may we know the security of our salvation. Hold us this night, and all whom we love, in your peaceful womb of grace, where we hear only the reassuring heartbeat of your Loving Son, who taught us to pray:
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.
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Senior Spotlight: Mary Kate Holladay
Featured, YouthOne of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. And this year, we’re a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog. Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!
Meet Mary Kate Holladay!
The Loss of Power
lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Thursday, March 18
By Carl M. Bennett, March 17, 1979
The Loss of Power
Read: 1 Chronicles 29:12
On a recent winter morning, I drove to the campus of one of our Holston Conference Colleges where I am Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In mid-afternoon of the day before my visit, the entire area experienced a cold rain which was accompanied by freezing wind. The combination of these two forces of nature caused trees and their limbs to be covered with thick layers of ice.
When I reached the campus, the weight of the ice had already caused many tree limbs to break and fall to the ground. Trees that had not broken were leaning toward the ground. An Executive Committee Meeting was just getting ready to start in the library when all of the lights in the building went out. A tree limb broke at that moment, fell across the electric wires leading to the library and pulled the wires loose from the source of the electric power.
The power for our lives comes from God. The strength for our bodies comes from God. So long as we hold God’s hand we can receive the power to do great things, bring honor to our families and our associates and ourselves. Riches, whatever we conceive them to be, are possible through God’s powerful hand.
At times, when we have experiences that are difficult, unpleasant and unrewarding, we may feel that everything is against us. At such times we may have doubts not only about ourselves but about our connection with God. We may feel a loss of power.
When these things happen we need only stop and reassure ourselves that nothing can separate us from the love of God. All we need to do is reach out in prayer in order to find that God’s hand, with his strength and power, is always within reach. Then we will know that the connection has not been broken.
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the strengths in our lives. We pray that we may never forget that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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Evening Prayer – March 17
prayer for todayBINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 17, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
Daylight lengthens and trails of today’s clouds have not yet yielded to dusk. Their filmy luster forms a fine pillow for the crusty mountain tops. Settle us down, too, Lord, as we set aside our daily tasks; and let us keep company with the soothing silence and your love that never fades. There were times this day when our energy waned, when we doubted ourselves, and when our fears almost got the best of us, especially when . . . . . . . . . . And then somehow, not of our own volition, our fears melted and situations turned in our favor. Again, it was your intervening grace that moved before us, gently unraveling all the testy obstacles that bound us. We now bow in reverent silence, offering our praise. . . . . . . . .
Steadfast Friend, you called us to be your disciples and we pledged to follow wherever you chose to lead us. In our joyful acceptance, we thought we could easily leave our doubts and insecurities, our prejudices and pride, our bitterness and grudges behind us. Little did we know they would be cropping up to mock us at every corner. Self-denial and humility, it appears, have joined forces to become a lifetime struggle. You assure us that you are in the struggle with us, Lord, and that you are pleased with the small progress we have made in learning to live as Jesus. Maybe, when our steps are completely unreliable, you won’t even mind carrying us the rest of the way to the kingdom.
We do rejoice that your patience never grows thin and that we might ever express our daily cares to you, no matter how massive or inconsequential they may seem. You, O Merciful One, are always ready to receive our petitions and handle them with reverence; so we lay our gratitude at your feet and also our personal pleas, that you might mold them to bring glory to your name:
We lie down as privileged people, Silent Keeper, for you have forgiven us and have received our earnest prayers. Blanket us, we pray, and all whom we love, with your stole of reconciliation, that even our dreams are in accord with your own.
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.
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Jesus is God’s Child
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Wednesday, March 17
By John Scott, February 13, 1978
Jesus is God’s Child
Read: John 14:6-7
Our Church School Class of Fifth Graders recently studied how God reveals Himself in Jesus. The previous Sunday, Lila Boehms had suggested that the children bring a baby picture of themselves and everyone brought one, including the teachers.
The class enjoyed guessing which picture belonged to whom. They noticed how a child often resembled a parent or a brother or sister. We discussed how children also can resemble a parent by facial expressions, gestures and in the way they express themselves. One can tell a lot about a parent from observing their child.
Likewise, we can tell a lot about God by studying about Jesus. Jesus is God’s child – Jesus “takes after” God.
Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my father as well.”
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father, may your plan for our lives be revealed to us through the early life of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Evening Prayer – March 16
prayer for todayBINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 16, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
Cloud of Promise, thank you for the promise of evening showers that soften the parched earth, moistening roots and dry seeds with your life-giving water. We confess that there are times when our souls are as dry as the hard-packed soil in last year’s garden and times when we find our dreams have turned to dust. We long to be as vibrant as we once were, but life has a way of beating us down, narrowing our options. As you formed streams in the desert for the people of old, meet us here in the shriveled valleys of our lives. Sweep up the grit of our disappointments and dashed hopes; and whatever shows possibility, sprinkle with your water of renewal, that it might thrive again.
Forgive us when we seek the easier way, when we ask for lighter loads, for we know Jesus himself walked the road of great despair. For those situations which cannot be altered, O Empowering One, help us to bear them with grace and patience, as did he, knowing pain is part of life’s journey. For certain, we are an anxious people, desiring quick fixes and instant results; so help us find value in our waiting. And in time, perhaps even when we are looking the other way, we will find ourselves immersed in your ocean of mercy.
Meanwhile, we recognize the ways you are already upholding your people, and especially offer our prayers of thanksgiving for the personal ways you touched this day with your goodness: . . . . . . . . . . And these prayers from our church family we also lift up to your keeping:
We leave these prayers of our hearts with you, O Lord of the Night, certain that you count them as sacred offerings. And knowing that you will be tending each with compassion, we will sleep in peace and gratitude. Watch over us, and all who are closest to our hearts, we pray, that we may be as refreshed as the psalmist whom you led to still waters:
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.
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