Welcome to the JCPC Daily Reflections Blog. Reflections are daily devotionals authored by JCPC pastors, staff and members and provide insight, guidance and comfort to help you make it through each day. If you’d like to receive Reflections each day via email, provide your email address.
In the 1994 fictional movie Forrest Gump, Forrest becomes famous for running. What began as a jog "to the end of the road" continued for three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours.
Each time he arrived at his destination, he set another one and continued to run, zig-zagging across the United States, until one day when he no longer felt like it. "Feeling like it" was the way his running began. Forrest says, "That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run."
In contrast to Forrest's seemingly whimsical running, the apostle Paul asks his readers to follow his example and "run in such a way as to get the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24). Like disciplined athletes, our running-the way we live our lives-might mean saying no to some of our pleasures. Being willing to forgo our rights might help us reach others with the good news of our rescue from sin and death.
With our hearts and minds trained on the goal of inviting others to run the race alongside us, we are also assured of the ultimate prize-eternal fellowship with God. The victor's crown God bestows will last forever; we win it by running our lives with the aim of making Him known while relying on His strength to do so. What a reason to run!
Prayer for Today
Jesus, help me stay focused on the reason I run: to share about You with those around me. Amen.
During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, "Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you."
But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."
Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God.
Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. God can do anything!"
Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away.
Luke 1:26-38
The value of children and young people is throughout scripture, as present as admonitions to honor and respect one's elders. The Bible is perhaps one of the most historic inter-generational texts we have, unique in its time, ahead of it, perhaps by millennia. My youth have heard me say many times that they are not the future. They are the present. And so must our commitment to them be present too. We show that commitment in giving them positions of leadership and training them, but also by showing up to be with them, even when they fuss and complain and want their independence from us.
Teenagers are learning how to become independent and they often express a wish to be apart from adults. And often, we as parents are all too content to let them have their own space. Mark Yaconneli writes and speaks about how youth remind us of our struggles at their age, our questions, our mistakes. They crash through boundaries and discuss topics that make us uncomfortable. It's hard to be around our own kids in the teen years, much less ones that aren't ours. But that's what heroes of the faith do. I've had many heroes over the years in my faith journey. But none so much as the ones who show up week after week for the often thankless, sometimes discouraging, under appreciated task of being with young people, sacrificing time and rest and their own activities to be with them.
When I think about the young parents God chose for his only son as we approach advent, I think about the young people they were, Mary probably a teenager herself. They needed godly people and couples so they could navigate the biggest responsibility in history. They needed role models so that when Jesus was a teenager, of which we only get one story - a challenging one where he gets left behind exercising his independence, they were ready to be there and help him grow in "wisdom and stature." I wonder who will be with our teens to help them do the same on Sunday nights and trips. As each group of kids graduates, a new set of parents and caring adults from JCPC will need to join us. This Advent, consider your own calling to be with young people for a season. And if an angel or a teenager or a pastor appears and tells you the Lord needs you, respond like the trembling and scared teenager Mary... "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!"
Prayer for Today
Lord, send me to your children, the little ones, the teenagers, the young adults, and adults of all ages. When I feel overwhelmed or under-qualified, send your spirit to guide and encourage and empower me to the important work of being your servant. Amen.
But since you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you -see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
-2 Corinthians 8:7, NIV
One person tells the story of what happened at a concert in November 1995 -- when the violinist Itzhak Perlman performed at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Perlman had polio as a child and walks with crutches. The audience waited patiently as he made his way slowly across the stage to his chair, sat down, put his crutches on the floor, removed the braces from his legs, settled himself in his characteristic pose, one foot tucked back, the other pushed forwards, bent down to pick up his violin, gripped it with his chin, and nodded to the conductor to indicate he was ready. "'Just as he finished the first few bars,' the Houston Chronicle music critic recalls, 'one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do.' It was obvious - he had to put down his violin, replace his braces, pick up the crutches, heave himself to his feet, make his laborious way offstage and either get another violin or restring his crippled instrument. "He didn't. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
Everyone knows it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings . . . . but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. He played with such passion and such power and such purity...You could see him modulating, changing, and recomposing the piece in his head...At one point it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get...sounds from them they had never made before.
"When he finished there was an awed silence, and then the audience rose, as one. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering - doing everything that we could to show him how much we appreciated what he'd done." He smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said, not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone, 'You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music he can still make with what he has left.'
You don't have to be a genius in order to excel, you just have to keep at it. And excelling at the grace of giving is something each one of us can choose to do. As of last Sunday, we have pledges of $679,948 toward our goal of $892,500 (76%). Thank you to those who have made pledges. If you have yet to make one, please help us excel in our generosity.
Prayer for Today
Generous God, help us excel at the grace of giving. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus, who gave it all. Amen.
Where are the places that you have time to reflect?
This past weekend, I spent time at Amicalola Falls on our Women's Retreat. Each year, I enjoy the opportunity to explore the landscape on a hike. While I was hiking on Saturday, I had some time to reflect on things I had heard and read over the past few weeks and consider how that might impact my journey forward.
An author I enjoy, Rachel Macy Stafford, shared in an interview about a study with college athletes. They were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame. Their overwhelming response: "I love to watch you play." Upon reflection, she realized the amazing way this response then connected with her own children.
As I thought more about it, this phrase, "I love to watch you..." can apply to all parts of our relationships. When our first thought may be criticism, instead may we start with affirmation. When our first thought is competition, instead may we start with collaboration. When our first thought is there is not enough, maybe we start with there's more than enough.
As you go into this week, when you encounter loved ones or strangers, notice things that you love first and say them out loud.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Thank you for the gift of love that you show to us and invite us to share. Guide as we notice your love this week. In Christ's Name, Amen.
It was the seventh-grader's first cross-country meet, but she didn't want to run. Although she'd been preparing for the event, she was afraid of doing poorly. Still, she started the race with everyone else. Later, one by one the other runners finished the two-mile course and crossed the finish line-everyone except the reluctant runner. Finally, her mom, who was watching for her daughter to finish, saw a lone figure in the distance. The mother went to the finish line, preparing to comfort a distraught competitor. Instead, when the young runner saw her mom, she exclaimed, "That was awesome!"
What can be awesome about finishing last? Finishing!
The girl had tried something difficult and had accomplished it! Scripture honors hard work and diligence, a concept often learned through sports or music or other things that require perseverance and effort.
Proverbs 12:24 says, "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor." And later we read, "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty" (14:23). These wise principles-not promises-can help us serve God well.
God's plan for us always included work. Even before the fall, Adam was to "work [the Garden] and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15). And any effort we make should be done "with all [our] heart" (Colossians 3:23). Let's work in the strength He gives us-and leave the results to Him.
Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, whatever it is You have asked me to do today-big or small-help me to do it. Amen.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
-1 Corinthians 11:24
It's been said that there are two ways to have enough... acquire more... or want less. For most of us in the U.S. and Johns Creek, especially, it's easy to take an inventory of our resources and blessings and to see we have enough, therefore, freeing us from making mental and physical lists of what we want and need to gain, and focus on what we can be generous enough to share.
Thanksgiving is a much older tradition than our American November tradition (October for our Canadian friends). Long before that, our Jewish ancestors of the faith gathered for the Passover meal. This meal, Christ's last, was and is a meal of thanksgiving and why it remains The Great Thanksgiving meal for us. Like the pilgrims, Jesus' family, and later his disciples, gathered to give thanks that God delivered them from bondage and oppression to a new promised land. They gave thanks that they'd been spared, set free to worship God fully, and they had enough to eat and share a feast together. I imagine this led to similar conversations and traditions that many of us have today... sharing that which we are most thankful, taking a spiritual inventory of all our blessings, thanking God, and reorienting annually to a spirit of thankfulness and generosity.
I think it's wonderful that such a season arrives just prior to a season we prepare to receive. We prepare to receive guests and gifts and the son of God, God's gift of grace. But first, we take inventory, we give thanks, we reorient our hearts to generosity and thankfulness, becoming people of bounty and generosity. I encourage you to make November your season of gratitude and reflection. See how that changes your season of Advent. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.
Prayer for Today
Lord, I give you thanks for my many blessings. Thank you for giving me enough. Help me to see the bounty I have and to be generous with it. Amen.
It dawned on me this week that our worship services recently have a common theme. On our Kirkin' of the Tartans Sunday, we remembered not only our Presbyterian heritage, but those who went as far as to give up their lives as martyrs for our Christian faith. Last week on All Saints' Sunday, we remembered those who had gone before us and were no longer with us - especially those in our church family. Next Monday is Veterans Day. This coming Sunday we will honor our veterans as we remember those who have served this country in the military, so that we might all experience freedom. All three Sundays involve remembering.
Paul is writing to the church at Philippi when he pens these words, "I thank my God every time I remember you." I want to invite us to remember those who have given in some way that has made our lives better or more meaningful. It may include those who proclaimed the faith, even to the point of it costing their lives. It may be someone whose life modeled for you some aspect of the grace of Jesus Christ. Or, it may be someone whom we tend to forget, until we are reminded of the sacrifice that person made for us.
Find time to say a prayer of thanksgiving for those people in your life. And if they are still around - find some way to reach out and tell them thank you in a personal way. I know it will mean something to that person, and it will be good for you.
On another note, each week I plan to update you on how we are doing with our "Season of Generosity" pledges for 2020. As of this past Sunday, we have received pledges of $665,748 toward our goal of $892,500 -- about 75%. Thank you to everyone who has made a pledge for 2020! If you have not had a chance to do this, please join with those who have already pledged and help us make a difference in the lives of others. Pledge cards are in the friendship pads each week, or you can do this at our website or on the church app.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, we give thanks for those who have given to us in some way. May we continue to remember them and what they have done. May we also learn from their example, so that we might live faithfully as followers of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Whenever we read the creation story, I think we often focus on the second part of this sentence, we are made in the image of God. The first part, "let us" first tells us a little more about who God is. Before the creation of the world began God dwelled in perfect, loving harmony as a threefold being: Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is community: one God, three persons.
Since we are made in God's image that's why our longing for community seems so deep within us. It's how we're made.
I was recently reading an article about brain development and why it's important to connect children with a worshiping community of faith. One part of the article really struck me. It said, "Positive feelings are rarely the product of isolation. Many positive emotions (empathy, gratitude, acceptance) actually require others... Communities can experience emotion and feeling together in ways individuals cannot." The article went on to discuss why it's important for children, as their brain is developing, to experience these emotions in community in order for them to know and then understand these emotions.
What are some of the communities that you are a part of? How do your experiences in them help you better understand empathy, gratitude and acceptance?
These types of relationships are at the core of who we are as human beings. I would encourage you to make time to connect with a community this week.
Prayer for Today
Creator God, Thank you for creating in us a longing for community. Guides as we open ourselves up to connecting with others this week. In Christ's Name, Amen.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
-Ephesians 4: 5-6
The Apostle Paul had a way of getting to the point when he was dealing with complex theological issues. Here in his letter to the Ephesians he breaks down what are the essentials of Christian faith.
I was drawn to this type of simplicity this past week because Christmas has intruded on the fall season. The entire reason for the season takes a back seat to commercialism and the ever growing need to push Christian faith to the recesses.
Remember these simple statements of faith:
God is love.
Jesus is Lord.
Love your neighbor.
What more could you want or need?
In the same spirit of simplicity my sister shared the following:
Keep it simple this holiday season my friends!
Prayer for Today
Move toward simple acts of faith and love, Gracious God, so that in the simple moments our lives will be filled with your generous Spirit. Amen.
