Lent Devotional – When The Song Begins

,

Thursday, March 20

By: Kristen Struyk

Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel.

2 Chronicles 29:27

“It is when this surrender of our lives to God is made, and not until then, that the song begins in our hearts. . .and as the burdens grow heavier, the need for self-denial grows greater, the song becomes louder and richer in its melody.” J.R. Miller, When the Song Begins © 1905

I prefer obvious and immediate miracles. The excessive and automatic kind. But there is another kind that requires all we have to give. Lent is a good time to reflect not only on the miracle of resurrection after death but also on the miracle of life-giving surrender on this side of eternity.

My struggle with surrender started when I was 14 years old. I had ankle surgery after a sports injury and developed a disorder called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). The high intensity of the pain along with its constant chronic nature has made every moment of the last 16 years a fight for joy, and focus, and function. When I was a new high school student, I began to see prayer as submitting my thoughts in pencil–as rough drafts–to God for editing. At one point, I remember praying: “I can’t live like this.” Then, I remember this thought coming back to me marked instead with the words, “You don’t know how to live like this.” God continues to show me how, whenever I am willing to learn. This is when God’s song first began in my life.

In a similar spirit of learning, I think of the famous story of the composer Stravinsky trying to find a violinist who could play a challenging piece he had written. After rehearsal, the best violinist said he had tried but the passage was just too difficult to play. To his surprise, Stravinsky said, “I understand that. What I am after is the sound of someone trying to play it.”

When we are up against the “too difficult” – the incurable illness, the unanswered prayer, or the unacceptable loss – our whole-hearted, imperfect attempts to follow God are always met with God’s forgiving ear and God’s sustaining grasp. We can be thankful, now and always, to serve a God who is as down-to-earth as He is holy. May each of us walk worthy of our calling to love God and each other, and may we sound like someone trying to play the song God has written for us.

 

Prayer

Gracious God, when we don’t know how to move forward, we offer you our obedience and we ask for grace to trust You more. When the pressure of perfection keeps us from living wholeheartedly, remind us that you hear our hearts and redeem all our efforts. Give us the courage to give you our full attention and let Your song begin in each of our hearts today. Amen.

/by

Lent Devotional – Bear One Another’s Burdens

,

Monday, March 17

By: Elaine Eberhart

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

 

I cannot remember a Lent when the fragility of our world seemed so real. I scan the news for signs of hope, and on some days, I come up empty. I wish that I could stay in bed and pull the covers over my head, peeking out only to watch comforting old movies while eating Girl Scout cookies.

There is no shame in retreating. We all need to withdraw occasionally when we are facing difficult times. In those times, we have a family of faith to walk beside us and minister to us in our pain, just as we have walked with others. At a recent church meeting, I heard that caring is one of the hallmarks of Church Street, and as a newer member, I have seen that love in action beginning on the first Sunday I visited.

At any given moment this Lent, some of us will be desolate, needing someone to listen and to sing to us words of assurance to steady us. Some will be strong enough to answer God’s call to service as our church travels the Lenten journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem. And we likely will swap places over these 40 days, some retreating for rest and renewal as others are advancing in hope and love.

 

Prayer:

O Holy One, blessed be the ties that bind us to one another, ties that enable us to live with love and courage as disciples of Jesus. Amen

/by

Lent Devotional – Love in Action

,

Thursday, March 13

By: Laura Still

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people in need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13

 

I’ve never been a fan of winter, and it’s a family joke that my hands and feet turn into icicles in November and don’t thaw out till May. As I’ve gotten older the problem has gotten worse, and I can’t stay warm even with layers of clothing and cups of hot tea. The chill has settled into my bones, and this year has menaced my soul. I’ve had to limit my exposure to the news, as every day some new crisis or disaster pops up to make me feel the world is spiraling closer to the edge of the abyss, and there’s nothing I can do.

The apostle Paul would disagree with that last statement, for the time he lived in wasn’t exactly a garden party. In other parts of his letter, he speaks of the woes of the people of Israel, and his anguish over their troubles. Despite the evil times, he doesn’t instruct the believers to sit and weep. Instead, they are to be active in sharing the love of Christ, to show their hope in eternity by helping those in need and taking care of others. He even tells them to offer food and drink to their enemies if they are hungry or thirsty. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans12:21)

Paul is sure that in the end, love is the fulfillment of God’s promise, and those who continue to perform acts of love in the name of Christ are working to establish God’s kingdom on Earth. It is not easy to continue in times like these, but we don’t get to choose when we live out our time. We can only choose what we do with the time we have. Paul points out that love starts inside us and comes out to the world in service to others.

In this season of Lent, instead of giving up, perhaps we should start giving ourselves, our hands and feet, our minds and bodies, in some new way to serve God and share his love. If Paul is right, this will lead to our salvation, whatever time we live in.

 

Prayer

Dear Lord, let me find the work that you would have me accomplish, and be joyful in serving your kingdom to the end of my days. In Christ name, Amen.

/by

Lent Devotional – Do You Have 15 Minutes?

,

Monday, March 10

By: Rev. Rick Isbell

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6: 6-8

 

All of us have the same amount of time in a day. We use the time we have by the choices we make. Time is spent sleeping, eating, working, going to school, tending to daily tasks and spending time with family and friends. Many of us have said “we don’t have enough time” or “I wish I had more time to do this and that.” In today’s hectic world with so many choices and demands, I ask you and myself, “do you have 15 minutes?”

Can you and I take 15 minutes in our day to do one of our most important tasks? Can we find 15 minutes or more to have conversation with our Creator and God? Prayer is one of the most important disciplines of the Christian faith. Most often we relegate prayer to the time we have left over instead of giving it primary time. Whether it be in the early morning hours or the late hours of the evening, we need to set time aside to have conversation with God. Prayer is not a time to bring our “wish list” to God, but rather to have quiet time to talk and listen to the One who creates, saves and sustains us.

This Lenten season I hope that we will make prayer a priority in our daily routine. Take time to thank God for all God’s blessings in your life; to ask forgiveness for your sins; and to pray for other individuals, situations as well as yourself. And a good way to end our personal prayers is with the prayer Jesus taught us.

 

Prayer

God, help us to find time to have conversation with you and to be open to what You have to say to us. AMEN

/by

Lent Devotional – Ash Wednesday

,

Wednesday, March 5

By: Anthony Wilson

 

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Psalms: 141:3

 

Three years ago, I was searching for something to give up for Lent. I had an attachment to a specific social media platform. I truly viewed it as my “town square”, where I could say whatever I thought. I was particularly vocal in a specific context, and I let my displeasure be known frequently. Often with words that should never come out of the mouth (or the keyboard) of a Christian. I now compare it to “road rage” because it was similar in that I was acting very differently in the context of this social media setting than I would ever act in person. It was consuming my emotions daily.

So, one Ash Wednesday, I chose to give up this social media platform for 40 days.

It was liberating. It was life changing.

After the 40 days, I felt a conviction from God that asked me, as surely as if He were in the room with me, “Do you really need to go back on that social media platform?” This made me realize that it was not something that I could resume. I am far from perfect. Yes, I still say things I should not say in a lot of different settings. But listening to the voice of God in this instance has helped me to grow closer to Him and to be a better witness.

 

Prayer:

O God, continue to convict my heart of things that draw me away from you and dilute my witness as a follower of Christ. Help us all to understand that you are trying to speak to us in every way you can to help us to set a guard over our mouths and our keyboards so that we can be faithful witnesses for the love and grace that you show to all people, no matter who they are. Amen.

/by

Then…

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Sunday, March 31, 2024 – Easter Sunday

By Rev. Catherine Nance

Then…

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand…”

We all know the scripture reading for today – “He is not here. He has risen.” The next line of good news we hear is, ‘He appeared.’ We think of Cleopas and his friend in Luke’s Gospel and Mary Magdalene in John’s Gospel. We could think of these as stand-alone stories; events that happened in the past to someone else. But, we claim that WE are an Easter People. In the Epistle reading for today, Paul reminds us that the appearances keep happening. “Now, I would remind you,” he begins,” of the Good News that I proclaimed to you.” He reminds us that Jesus died, was buried, and raised on the third day. Then, the thens begin. Yes, the THENS. 

THEN he appeared to Cephas, 

THEN to the Twelve, 

THEN to more than five hundred, 

THEN to James, 

THEN to all the apostles. 

In dramatic storytelling style, Paul concludes, “Last of all, he appeared also to me.”

This is where we get to interrupt the story and say, No, Paul; you were not last of all, because THEN he appeared to me!

When we say we are Easter People, we are not simply retelling a story that happened over two-thousand years ago. We believe Resurrection continues to happen and Jesus appears to us! I have seen Jesus in your faces when you speak of your hope. I have seen Jesus in a hospital room. I have seen Jesus when a child served me communion on Christmas Eve. I have seen Jesus when someone offered grace.

THEN, he appeared to me. Where have you seen Jesus? 

Prayer

O God of Resurrection, thank you for being alive in our hearts and in our world today. Help us to see you and THEN, to tell others the Good News! Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by

Surprise

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Saturday, April 30, 2024 – Holy Saturday

By John Eldridge

Surprise

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (NKJV)

I love Springtime; but then I love all the seasons. The earth warms and all the plants and trees begin to come alive again. All different shades of green begin to appear. 

My wife Phyllis and I have, through the years, planted a number of perennial flowers. We love to watch their progress as they shoot up through the mulch, coming out a little more each day until there is a Hosta or a new flower. It’s all a miracle! A miracle that unfolds right before our eyes. 

My Methodist minister father once preached a sermon about the Surprise Lily. The Surprise Lily is called that because there is nothing there until one day the Surprise Lily is suddenly a gorgeous flower. 

Lent is like that. Slowly we begin to “wake up” to the coming of Spring and soon know the joy of the Gospel reining in on us. Also a miracle. Then comes Holy Week and God’s greatest surprise – the Resurrection of Christ. Easter then comes and we celebrate.  

Prayer

Help me, Lord, to see the miracle of Spring, when the world comes alive after a season of sleep. Help me to know and feel that I am a special child of God. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by

God With Us

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Friday, March 29, 2024 – Good Friday

By Rev. Tim Best, Senior Associate Pastor

God With Us

Psalm 22

I was in college when I learned that Jesus’s “cry of dereliction” was from Psalm 22. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that Jesus relied upon scripture to express himself in a moment beyond words. In the midst of suffering Jesus relies upon the wisdom and words of scripture. When we fail to acknowledge that Jesus is invoking scripture, we think he is just invoking raw emotion. Rather, Jesus is interpreting his own experience of suffering through the language of the 22nd Psalm. Any doubts that lingered about Christ’s humanity are dashed upon the hard edge of his cry of anguish. Yet, because he invokes this Psalm, we see that his trust and obedience to the Father remains steadfast. 

In his suffering Jesus shows us the way to encounter our own suffering, and how to seek God in the midst of that suffering. First, Jesus shows us that scripture gives us the words to be honest. It is not faithful to pretend as if our suffering isn’t real, or that it is not truly suffering. Jesus voices a sense of abandonment, calling out “My God, why have you forsaken me?” When we feel abandoned or dejected, we too can cry out to God truthfully. Second, Jesus demonstrates how thoroughly scripture can be a source of vocabulary and language for us. When we do not have words, we can pray through scripture. 

All this week it has been tempting to rush towards the victory of Easter. Yet, their is no victory if there is no Friday. We all experience suffering and pain. In Christ’s own suffering we see a solidarity with our humanity, another lived example of what “God with us” actually means. 

Prayer

O God, You who sent your Son into the world to know and endure our suffering; grant that in the midst of our own suffering we would know you hear our prayers and care about our plight. Prepare our hearts for Easter that we may know the joy of your love in the good times and the bad. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by

Turn Around and Repent

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Thursday, March 28, 2024 – Maundy Thursday

By Dan Kelley

Turn Around and Repent

Read: Psalm 139

In January 1994, a 6.7 earthquake hit the San Fernando Valley of California centered on the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge. There were two major 6.0 aftershocks and hundreds of smaller ones. The quake had the highest ground acceleration measurement ever taken in an urban area.

The quake did major damage in the cities of Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Santa Clarita. It was felt as far away as San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. But most damage was done in Northridge. At between $13 and $50 Billion dollars of damage, it was one of the costliest natural disasters in US History. Fifty-seven people were killed and 9000 injured.

A young student at Cal State Northridge named Carl lived in the Meadows Apartment Complex. When the quake hit Carl’s apartment was destroyed. He was knocked down and trapped in the kitchen. He awoke hours later when he heard sirens blaring nearby. His hope rose. If he could free himself, he could be saved. But the room was full of dust and smoke from nearby fires. He could not see. He struggled from under the fallen cabinets that had pinned him to the floor and crawled to the front door. If he could get through the west facing door to the outside he could be saved. 

But the door frame was jammed and no matter how hard he pounded it would not open. He yelled. He cried but no one heard him. The fear of fire burning him frightened him. The smell of gas caused anxiety. The irrational thought of earthquakes causing a tsunami that might drown him drove him to panic. He smashed on the door again and again but to no avail.

Then he bargained with God. He negotiated what he would do for God if only He would save him. He made promises. He would atone for all his sins. With this hope, he again pushed on the door with all his might. But the door did not move. He cursed God in the dark. Why won’t you save me? He collapsed in exhaustion and despair. He felt totally abandoned.

Early the next morning Carl felt sunlight on his face. In confusion he turned around to see that the eastern wall of his apartment had fallen away and he could walk out to safety. 

The word repent means to turn around. When Carl turned around and opened his eyes he could see the light. He could see the way God had prepared for him to escape those things in his life that had trapped him.

Prayer

Dear Lord and Savior, You have prepared the Way for us with your own blood. Help us to turn away from the traps of the world and see the light of your love. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by

A Time of Introspection

,

Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By David Lineberger

A Time of Introspection

Read: Jeremiah 29:11

“Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”

The first time I remember hearing about Lent I was amazed that there was a religious time to concentrate on belly button dust. Of course, I was 8 years old at the time. Later, I was curious to learn that this was not a celebration like Christmas or Easter, but something very personal and introspective, and that it was different for every person.

Historically, new Christians were baptized and confirmed at Easter. Leading up to that was a period of preparation centering around your relationship with God, how you were living your own life, and how you were sharing God’s love with those less fortunate. Doing these things gave you a renewed perspective of your faith and an appreciation of God’s love.

Today, we use the season of Lent to emphasize these same spiritual ideas. To focus on how important various things are in your life, imagine a blank piece of paper. Imagine there is a circle in the center of the page with your name on it. Now place  things or people that are most important to you nearest the circle in the center. Continue with other less important parts of your life and place them farther from the center, depending on their importance to you. Once this is complete, put God where He belongs in your life, being honest and not where He should be, but is in reality. This mental exercise should give you a picture of your life currently, and how important God is to you. Do you see anything that should change? Does God deserve better?

Now look at the paper and ask yourself how many of the items nearest you reflect selfishness or greed, or harm to yourself or others. Are there items that should move away from you in the center, or items near the edge of the paper that belong nearer the center?

And last, realize how many of your items focus on the needy or those who are desperate for help from those more fortunate. How close are they to the center of the page? How much are you sharing God’s blessings and love with others?

In doing these things, Lent can become a personal celebration of your faith in God and a renewal of what it means to be His disciple. Lent can also be a time of a renewed appreciation of His greatest gift to all of us. What could be better than making our lives all about sharing His love instead of all about ourselves?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive our selfishness and greed, our tendency to exclude you from our lives, and our willingness to look the other way when needs of others cross our path. Help us to see You in others,  and help to show You to others! In the name of your precious Son I pray, Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

/by