Ducks, Dish Soap and Discipleship

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Sunday, February 21, Morning

By Rev. Palmer Cantler

Ducks, Dish Soap and Discipleship

Read Ezekiel 36:25-27a (The Message)

“I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.”

God’s words to the Israelites, proclaimed through the prophet Ezekiel, seemed to be a perfect pairing with today’s item in the Lenten Countdown. Have you ever seen the Dawn commercials where they clean ducks with dish soap? I cannot help but imagine those ducks being held in a strong, but gentle grasp as they are washed clean when reading this text. New life is given in this careful cleaning, and the ducks are free from oil and impurities once again.

Lent provides the perfect time for us to slow down and listen for God’s voice. Maybe we give up a habit that is not life-giving and distracts from the Spirit’s guidance. Or maybe we take on a practice to cultivate a pattern of giving, like the Lenten Countdown. This time of preparation is counter-cultural in that it encourages us to look, not upon our own desires, but where God is leading.

I hope you will take on the practice of giving this Lent and join us in the Lenten Countdown. Over the course of Lent, you will collect 10 items needed by the mission ministries of our church: Beacon of Hope, Sharing Shop, and Soup Kitchen. Through the accompanying prayers and explanations, may this practice of giving fill you with the Spirit of God.

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Talk to Yourself

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Saturday, February 20

By Dr. David Craig, March 22, 2017

Talk to Yourself

Read: John 14:16, 26

Recently I toured a prison on Robben Island, one hour from off the coast of South Africa. I asked the guide, who was a former prisoner there, how he dealt with solitary confinement. He replied, “I talk to myself and think happy thoughts. Away from the monitoring cameras I like to sing and dance.” He implied that these actions got him through each day.

Nelson Mandela spent more than 20 years in that prison for leading a movement to bring equal rights to black people. He would have answered the above question by saying “physical discipline, exercising two times a day and mental discipline to study and pass law degree exams at night.”

Like these men, many of us face a variety of gods each day. As we go through trial and error and grow, we figure out who is good and helpful and who is evil. The talk is much easier if we read the Word, pray and befriend other Christians.

Lent is a time for reflection, to examine our sinful souls, to ask forgiveness and to accept a resurrection for our souls on Easter. Jesus said, “I will send you a helper . . .” to dwell within you. Christians believe that this helper is in fact the Holy Spirit; and through belief in the holy trinity, that God and even Jesus Christ dwells within us.

Hence when we talk to our self, are we not talking to God and Jesus Christ? And when we discipline ourselves to read God’s word we receive strength for each day.

Prayer

Thank you for being present in our lives each day and hearing our problems and concerns. Help us to show more love to you and all those around us. Amen.

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Re-Evaluation of Self

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Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Friday, February 19

By Nina Rice, February 9, 1978

Re-Evaluation of Self

Read: Luke 12:31

      “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

During this time of study and re-evaluation, perhaps it should also be a time of confession. For a good many years, Lent for me meant a time to “give up” something. By that I meant something that I liked or wanted, whether or not it was good for me. It is not easy to admit you are mistaken, or have done something stupid. However, I did change my mind about what Lent really means. It is still a time for “giving up,” but not in the same sense it once was.

First of all, there needs to be a yardstick by which we can judge ourselves. What about the possessions God entrusts to our keeping? Are we returning His share to Him to further His Kingdom on earth? Or, are we keeping it all for ourselves? We are bought by a price – if we remember this, our pocket books will fall in line. Why should it be hard for us to “give up” that which has been loaned to us?

Then, here are our talents or attitudes. Are we willing to “give up” some of our abilities, so we can relate to others by getting involved? If we are not, the result can be a very dull and selfish life. We must be willing to give of ourselves.

Finally, there is time. All other good gifts depend on time for their value. Time is often said to be money but it is more – it is life. Yet, many who would cling desperately to life, think nothing of wasting time.

How can we say all these things are ours to “give up” when we are the mere recipients of all gifts from a merciful and loving Heavenly Father?

Prayer

Our Father, forgive us our erring ways. Help us to look outward, instead of inward, and share our faith with others. In the name of the Risen Lord, even Jesus the Christ. Amen.

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Evening Prayer – February 18

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

February 18, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

You gotta walk that lonesome valley,

You gotta walk it by yourself;

For nobody else can walk it for you.

You gotta walk it by yourself.

(Woodie Guthrie)

Creator of Darkness, this morning we had only begun that long Lenten walk toward Jerusalem when we found ourselves already dreading the journey.  We know you want us to widen our hearts, but we fear there will be too much pain involved. Most days we are pretty comfortable just plugging along, yet you are trying to teach us the ways of humility.  Thread your fingers through ours, we pray, and walk with us until we are brave enough to travel that lonely road of introspection on our own. Keep your candle burning in the distance, though, lest we lose our way again.

Under sunless skies, Lord, we headed for home today, only to find our failures and inadequacies were traveling in the car with us; they entered the front door and are even now occupying the most comfortable seats in the house.  One by one they seem to mock us.  Well, they know it is their season to openly present themselves, so we shouldn’t be surprised. But have mercy, we pray, that as we own each of our defeats and failings, they may not linger too long, but will find the back door and disappear into the mist, never to be seen again.  Their brothers and sisters will also visit, but we will deal with them on other days.

Give us that fresh start tomorrow, we pray, that we may be unencumbered.  And how do we know we are freed from what is past?  We walk by faith and not by sight, as do our friends who offer their thanksgivings and their concerns to the One who is ever faithful:

  • Thanksgiving: A home has sold and loan is absolved
  • A senior living facility is reopening for visitors the 22nd
  • Elder member sends gratitude that he is remembered by the church
  • Thankful for work of Parish Health Team in procuring vaccinations
  • Gratitude: For a clear follow-up cancer scan
  • Family grateful for short vacation
  • Courage for both husband and wife diagnosed with ALS
  • Healing: Brother and wife suffering with Covid
  • Guidance for mother concerning her son’s health
  • Those struggling with recent bereavements
  • Young mother undergoing surgery Friday
  • For one having chemo treatment Friday
  • A solution for member anxious about housing
  • Prayers for our Stephen Ministers
  • Families devastated by shooting deaths in our city
  • God’s help for mother building a stable life for her children
  • Prayers for young sister-in-law undergoing mastectomy Friday
  • God’s guidance for couple who may have to move
  • Tolerance for one in extensive radiation treatment
  • Healing for a young grandson
  • A solution for the gun violence in Knoxville

Guardian of our Souls, enfold us in your arms of mercy this night and may we join all your children who will know the tranquility only you can give. Draw in our individual and collective prayers shared this eve, that your love may be known to each one who longs for closer communion with your Son, the Christ, 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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Lent 101

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and marked the beginning of the season of Lent. But what is Lent? And why do we honor this season?

Lent is the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter Sunday. It is a season of repentance and reflection, of turning toward the Cross and fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Each year during NightLife, we discuss 3 specific ways we can participate in Lent.

1. Giving something up: fasting from something that is a regular part of our life in hopes of reminding ourselves daily of our need to repent and rely on Christ
2. Taking something on: adding something to our daily lives that will deepen our relationship with Jesus through spiritual growth
3. Being mission minded: being focused on seeing our everyday world as a mission field in need of Christ’s love and grace AND challenging ourselves to serve our community with intention

So, how do we choose what to do during this season if we want to participate?  There is no magic formula to choose the “right” thing.  But here are some questions to ask to help us discern what God might be calling us to during Lent.

  • What is distracting me from my relationship with Jesus?
  • Where might I need to grow spiritually?
  • What have I neglected in my life that needs attention?
  • Where do I see need a in my community?
  • How can I invest deeply in my faith?
  • What is a daily practice that would influence my relationship with God?
  • How can I become more aware of the Holy Spirit each day?

Most importantly, let’s pray about what God might be challenging us to do during this season.  And then ask ourselves why?

If I feel lead to give up sweets, why?

If I feel lead to take up a new quiet time practice, why?

If I feel lead to give financial support to a ministry or cause, why?

The answers may seem obvious, but it’s important to pray about the answers, all the same.  Often times in my own life, God has used seemingly simple things to challenge and grow me the most.

Psalm 51 is a beautiful psalm that is especially relevant during Lent.  Verses 10-12 say:

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

This is our hope for the season of Lent – that by giving up or taking on or focusing on serving others, God might create clean and pure hearts within us all.  That His Spirit might renew us and that we might become more aware of His presence. That we might draw near to Jesus and become more like Him each day.

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Confession

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Daily Lenten Devotions from Church Street UMC

Thursday, February 18

By Rev. Tim Best

Confession

Read Daniel 9:1-14

Confession is good for the soul, but it is not easy. The human ability to resist confession is nearly instinctual. Confession is a vulnerable act wherein we name our shortcomings, our needs, and the temptations that endanger our wellbeing. We find ourselves in another season of lent, a season marked from beginning to end with confession and repentance. If we are not careful, Lent can often feel like a burden placed on our shoulders, a season heavy with guilt and finger-wagging shame. I remember the advice I was given when learning to preach: “No matter how difficult the passage, how somber the season, or tragic the event, what we are called to preach is Good News.” Lent is Good News. The passage from Daniel doesn’t place additional shame and suffering onto the people; it names the suffering and offers a way forward.

Lent is a pressure release valve for lives that get disconnected from God and one another. I think of dryer vents. Dryer vents can easily be clogged by lint buildup. Such buildup doesn’t happen at once, it takes time and builds little by little. The danger comes when so much buildup has occurred that the warm air doesn’t vent. Such blockage will easily lead to a fire. Confession is the practice of cleaning out the dirt and blockage in our lives. It is a gift that God empowers us through the Spirit to participate in the work of renewing and restoring our lives and the world. My daily prayer for our congregation this Lent will be that God will continue to guide us to see where we have erred and sinned, and to empower us to change.

Lent, and for that matter confession, are not ends in themselves. Easter, resurrection, and new life in Christ is the end. Easter is not a refusal to accept death, but rather a full acknowledgment of the power of death and a celebration that it is conquered in Christ. Daniel’s words speak to me of the powers at work, then and now, to overwhelm us with death. I confess my participation with those powers, the ways that they sometimes seem to benefit me, just as they do harm to myself and all around me. Daniel also contains good news. God’s ultimate desire is for us to live and flourish, not to suffer and die. Let us confess so that what hinders our joyful obedience to God might be removed and we might fully delight in renewing relationship with God and neighbor.

Prayer

Almighty God, you poured out your Spirit upon Daniel that he might proclaim hope to your people. Fill us with hope in this season of Lent that we might be renewed in our love and service to you. Let us confess our sins with hope that you hear us and with confidence that by your help we may overcome them. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

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Evening Prayer – February 17

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

February 17, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

In your darkness there is no darkness.

With you, O Lord, the deepest night is as clear as the day.

(Taize chant) 

Come, evening, come!  The sky turns to ash and we recall wisdom’s teaching that there is a time for everything, a season for every purpose under the heavens. Your grace has brought us through this long season of Covid travail.  When we were embittered, you taught us tolerance; when we felt isolated, you nudged a friend to call; when we were forlorn, you provided confidence; when our faith was shaken, you widened the hallway of trust; when we languished in illness, you created a powerful remedy.  We are humbled to the core by your faithfulness.  And though   we could never enumerate all your acts of benevolence, we remember these most recent ways you have brought redemption to our door . . . . . . . . .

Lord of the Deepest Night, this season of Lent calls us to admit the unrepented sins that live within us, the ego that is never satisfied, the corrosive trove of guilt stored in our souls, the rugged terrain of our own character.  We are called to grieve the reality of our world that doesn’t live up to your love.  Burn away the inconsistencies of our words, thoughts, and deeds; and empty the residue into your dust bin of nothingness.  May we be bold enough to take on the work of arduous introspection this holy season, that we will be freed from our blindness, and will come to see ourselves with the eyes of truth.

Employing all we have learned this past year, and remembering that you care so earnestly for us, Ever-merciful God, we lay before you our thanksgivings and our appeals:

  • Daughter thankful for church support throughout her mother’s illness and death
  • Member grateful for her Stephen Minister
  • Gratitude: Hospitalized member is improving
  • Appreciation for a new home
  • Grateful for church’s Ash Wednesday observance
  • Member seeking good housing arrangement
  • Guidance for mother concerning her son’s health
  • Prayers that a home may sell quickly
  • Continued prayers for aunt following surgery
  • For one’s white blood count to increase
  • Pray for upholding our Stephen Ministers
  • God’s help for a mother building a stable life for her children
  • Grandson in treatment for lymphoma
  • For strength to keep a holy Lent
  • Grace and guidance for recent widow whose house burned to the ground
  • God’s guidance for couple who may have to move
  • Tolerance for one in extensive radiation treatment
  • Two seeking help in managing depression
  • Healing mercies for mother with leukemia

Holy Hope, as we lay our heads upon your cushion of forgiveness, tuck us in with the promise of renewal. And hear our whispered prayers in the night, that we may become fully reconciled to our neighbors and to you, for you are our hope in this world and in the next.

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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Forgiveness

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Daily Lenten Devotions from Church Street UMC

Wednesday, February 17, Morning

By Nancy Zirkle, March 6, 2019

Forgiveness

Read Psalm 31

As we begin the season of Lent, consider what comes between you and God. Confession causes us to face our actions and thoughts, thereby making it frightening. However, it can also be a bridge to God and bring us closer through forgiveness.

As the scriptures say: “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from every wrong” (I John 1:9). Now is the time to search our hearts and to be fully known by God.

For Christ is not dead now, and never will be again. He comes and goes as He pleases, forgiving and giving new life to everybody who believes in Him. If He wants you (and He does), your sin will not keep Him from loving you or from calling you to be His own. He has already paid the price for your forgiveness with His own life. Trust in Him.

Prayer

God help me to face my own heart; shine your light inside of me. I want to be known by you. Help me, this season of Lent, to let you in.

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Transformation

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Daily Lenten Devotions from Church Street UMC

Wednesday, February 17, Evening

By Rev. Pat Clendenen, Visitation Pastor, March 26, 2017

Transformation

Read Isaiah 58:1-12

The Israelites of Isaiah’s day had a handle on rituals. Sackcloth, ashes, and fasting were something they had mastered. Yet, it never changed their behavior. Amazingly, they wondered why things stayed the same, even pointing out to God their righteousness –“Why do we humble ourselves but you don’t even notice?”

While serving in the Alaska Missionary Conference, I had the opportunity to attend a Walk to Emmaus. We began this 4-day spiritual retreat by meeting with our assigned groups. It didn’t take long to realize that the weekend was going to be difficult. One person’s rigidity and intolerance had already closed the door to any meaningful interactions. As we headed to dinner, the tension was palpable. I found myself trying to find a reason to leave, not wanting to spend the weekend embroiled in these kinds of discussions.

Walking to dinner, our group was quiet. Then I began to pray, and even my prayer surprised me, for I prayed that God would change my attitude, “Open my heart to see that you are also working through this person, that he, too, is one of your children.” It seems we had all spent most of dinner in silence, praying for guidance. When we came back together, we just sat there — no one spoke. Then, the very person who had angered me and others, said: “I guess we’re all afraid to speak!” That broke the ice and set in motion four days of tearing down walls and opening ourselves to profound new understandings.

The transforming power of the Risen Christ had softened our hearts, giving us new eyes to see, new ears to hear.

Prayer

God help me to face my own heart; shine your light inside of me. I want to be known by you. Help me, this season of Lent, to let you in.

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Evening Prayer – February 16

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Prayers for the Church Street Family

February 16, 2021

Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade

Designer of the Filmy Moon, the Evening Wind, and the Quiet Stars, somewhere out there you are watching, you are listening.  And though some may think it foolish, we know you have dreams we may each fulfill in the span of years we are granted. Cloak us in your silent love as darkness descends, that we may again receive your assurance that we are treasured just as we are . . . . . . . . . . Breathe in us, Spirit Wind, as we tarry now in your calming silence . . . . . . . . . .

Upon your Word and promise we have built our faith, though our patterns of behavior reflect otherwise.  We confess that we are a fretful people and are not too good at waiting.  We think we need to do it all ourselves rather than trusting in you.  Unfortunately, our efforts too frequently are botched by our race for hasty solutions.  Why is it that we operate on the assumption that we know best?  Forgive us, Faithful One, and share that patience embedded in your heart with us, your frail flock.  Without it we will doom ourselves to living in that somber room painted in shades of false pride.

As Jesus sought your counsel in aloneness, he also knew you as the God of Community.  He therefore sought the company of the unwashed, the sinner, the frightened, the proud, the weak, the undeserving, and invited all to dine with him.  And as he looked around the table, he found faces just like ours.  To them and to us he offered his comfort and hope.  How blessed we are to have been called into this blessed communal life where you are ever the Accepting Host, where our togetherness discounts none, but uplifts all.

As part of your Church Street community, we bring you our joys this day . . . . . . . . . . and we covet your forgiveness for our missteps . . . . .  . . . . Renew us for your service and hear the prayers of all who rely upon your goodness and mercy:

  • Member thankful depression has improved
  • Prayers appreciated- aunt’s breast surgery successful
  • Member grateful- financial burden being lifted
  • Thanksgiving for volunteers assisting with vaccinations
  • Appreciation to the Parish Health Team for assistance in securing medical help
  • Comfort for member struggling with grave illness
  • Prayers for a good housing arrangement
  • Courage for one diagnosed with ALS
  • For one’s white blood count to increase
  • Grandson in treatment for lymphoma
  • Prayers for healing ill loved one
  • God’s guidance for couple who may have to move
  • Upholding one in radiation treatment
  • Two seeking help in managing depression
  • Cherished mother recovering at home
  • Parent seeks God’s help in creating a stable life for her children

Quiet the bumps in the night, Gentle Keeper, that we, and all whom we love, may rest in peace. And when morning comes, we will remember that yours is the lasting peace that will carry us through every test tomorrow may present.  Receive these, our earnest prayers offered in the name of your 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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