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.
I was reading an editorial which brought up the importance of being "civil" in our public dialogue -- especially with those with whom we disagree. Senator Ben Sasse has written about this in his book called Them -- as in "us and them." Sasse suggests that we have entered into a new time in our country in which we not only view those who disagree with us as wrong, but as those who are evil and need to be destroyed. He says that in the past, while we may have disagreed passionately with others, we still tended to view them as fellow citizens who may be wrong, but who still had a right, not only to their opinions, but to simply exist. Sasse wants us to focus more on what we have in common than what divides us and "them."
As Christians, we should hold two truths in tension. The first is that all human beings are made in the image of God. Last Sunday we looked at the book of Genesis and at the garden of Eden story soon after God had created the world and all that was within it -- including Adam and Eve. And God said that it was all "good."
The second thing we need to hold on to is that we are all sinners saved by grace. The season of Lent invites us to reflect on the meaning of our sin and how we have fallen short of the mark. We always reflect on our sinfulness in the context of grace, forgiveness, and the new life that began on the first Easter with the resurrection of Jesus. That gives us the courage and a framework to view our sin. However, the goal is not simply to feel bad about ourselves, but to be honest with ourselves, so that we might open ourselves up to God's amazing grace.
Today, I want to invite all of us to remember that while it may be easy to see the sinfulness in others, especially in those with whom we may disagree -- we also need to remember that all persons, even those with whom we may disagree passionately, are made in the image of God.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, help us to remember that every human being is made in your image. Help us also to remember that all of us are sinners who need your amazing, saving grace. Help us to be civil with one another - especially with those with whom we disagree. Help us to be peacemakers this day. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have started to notice the longer days beginning to creep in, the cool mornings and warm afternoons. Spending time outdoors watching the signs of spring is one of my favorite parts of March. I am looking forward to enjoying this change over the next month or so. It's easy to fall in love with God's creation this time of year when the weather is mild and we begin to see lots of new life. I enjoy the changes that occur and the time to reflect on how God continues to work in us.
I try to be open and ready for things to change and embrace new challenges. I also get a little bit impatient with the time it takes for warmer weather and blooms to emerge. So how do I cope with these changes? How do I appreciate God's creation when I'm just ready for warmer weather to be here? This morning I put on my rain jacket and rain boots, and hiked the hills in my neighborhood in the rain with our dog. What do you do to cope with change? God has blessed us with the changes in seasons and the colors in creation.
As we begin to transition into spring, I want to invite you to take a moment to think about creation and its blessings. One of my favorite poems to read at the change of seasons is by James Weldon Johnson:
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"
And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"
Prayer for Today
God our Creator, you made the great lights in our sky: the sun to rule in the day, and the moon and the stars in the night all because your great love lasts forever. Our sun and moon and the stars that you call by name all give you praise, because they do what they were created to do. Lead me, to reflect the light of Christ your Son and so live fully as, in your love, you created me to do. Amen.
As the novel coronavirus has captured the headlines in recent weeks, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and fear of the unknown have raised anxiety and caused widespread apprehension. Financial markets have wobbled and people of Asian descent in this country and around the world have been unfairly targeted. This virus has exposed the vulnerability and fragility of the global community.
As we all struggle with the horrific impact of the deadly virus that has infected so many people in China and now in a number of other countries, we cannot but call upon our God for help and healing.
Please join me in crying out for relief from this plague.
We pray for healing for those who are infected, in China and in all the places where the virus has spread.
We pray for all who already have lost loved ones to the illness and those who will yet suffer such loss.
We pray for doctors, nurses and aides providing medical care, for insight in their caring, and for their health and well-being.
We pray for wisdom for the medical and scientific experts who are desperately seeking ways to control the spread of the virus.
We pray for public officials who must make the hard decisions about the quarantining of those who may have been exposed to the virus; and we pray for all those for whom those decisions feel like unjust imprisonment.
We lift up the Christian church in China and our partners throughout the region as they seek to bring Christ's healing presence and peace.
We pray for God to keep us alert to the threats posed by such a worldwide crisis, remembering the millions of God's children who live in places where the availability of medical care is meager or nonexistent.
May God open our hearts, our financial resources, and our political will, so that the vision of a better future can become a reality for all of God's children.
Prayer for Today
In the Providence of the God who created us, in the Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ who redeems us, and in the Power of the Holy Spirit through whom God's will is done. AMEN.
Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) led an unsuccessful expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914. When his ship, aptly named Endurance, became trapped in heavy ice in the Weddell Sea, it became an endurance race just to survive. With no means of communicating with the rest of the world, Shackleton and his crew used lifeboats to make the journey to the nearest shore-Elephant Island. While most of the crew stayed behind on the island, Shackleton and five crewmen spent two weeks traveling 800 miles across the ocean to South Georgia to get help for those left behind. The "failed" expedition became a victorious entry in the history books when all of Shackleton's men survived, thanks to their courage and endurance.
The apostle Paul knew what it meant to endure. During a stormy sea voyage to Rome to face trial for his belief in Jesus, Paul learned from an angel of God that the ship would sink. But the apostle kept the men aboard encouraged, thanks to God's promise that all would survive, despite the loss of the ship (Acts 27:23-24).
When disaster strikes, we tend to want God to immediately make everything better. But God gives us the faith to endure and grow. As Paul wrote to the Romans, "Suffering produces endurance" (Romans 5:3 ESV). Knowing that, we can encourage each other to keep trusting God in hard times.
Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, I need Your help to keep going, even when it's tough. Amen.
In January 1943, warm Chinook winds hit Spearfish, South Dakota, quickly raising the temperatures from -4° to 45°F (-20° to 7°C). That drastic weather change-a swing of 49 degrees-took place in just two minutes. The widest temperature change recorded in the USA over a twenty-four-hour period is an incredible 103 degrees! On January 15, 1972, Loma, Montana, saw the temperature jump from −54° to 49°F (-48° to 9°C).
Sudden change, however, is not simply a weather phenomenon. It's sometimes the very nature of life. James reminds us, "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow" (4:13-14). An unexpected loss. A surprise diagnosis. A financial reversal. Sudden changes.
Life is a journey with many unpredictable elements. This is precisely why James warns us to turn from "arrogant schemes" (v. 16) that do not take the Almighty into account. As he advised us, "You ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that' " (v. 15). The events of our lives may be uncertain, but one thing is sure: through all of life's unexpected moments, our God will never leave us. He's our one constant throughout life.
Prayer for Today
Father, forgive me for the times I worry over things I couldn't anticipate or can't control, and help me to find my rest in You. Amen.
This coming Ash Wednesday I will be preaching a sermon entitled, Peaks and Pits. What is reflected in the title is that life and faith have both peak experiences and experiences that are the pits. Take this week in the liturgical life of Christians. On Sunday we celebrated what is known as Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday. Jesus ascended a high mountain with James and John where he was transfigured right before their very eyes. The gospel of Matthew says that "his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as the light." Certainly this was a peak experience for James and John.
A couple of days from now we will be worshipping together on what we call Ash Wednesday. Rather than faces shining like the sun, we will be placing the sign of the cross on your foreheads with ashes. This is the pits or as Ecclesiastes reminds us "All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust they return." Peaks and pits; so our lives of faith are lived.
By now you have heard that our 10th annual Prayer Vigil will be held this coming Friday and Saturday. We are inviting you to walk the journey of Lent through prayer. I believe that the Psalms provide us with a road map for the journey of prayer as we traverse the peaks and pits of our lives.
One way to think about praying The Psalms is to think that we travel through them. One Psalm leads to the next; 6 travels to 7 and then to 8; 22 travels to 23. There is an ascending, then descending, then ascending quality that appears when you read The Psalms in a progression so to speak. We travel through the psalms and perhaps they travel through us; up and down then up again as we travel this path of life.
Vincent Van Gogh's picture of the peasant's shoes reminds me of the journey the psalmist in each of us will travel on our journey of faith; a journey well worth praying.
Prayer for Today
Merciful God, travel with us on the paths of our lives. Lift us up, we pray, when we are in the pits and fill our souls with awe and wonder so that we sing your praises when we are at our peaks. Then may the echoes of our praise descend to our pits to remind us that you are here with us. Amen.
Some years after the tragic loss of their first spouses, Robbie and Sabrina fell in love, married, and combined their two families. They built a new home and named it Havilah (a Hebrew word meaning "writhing in pain" and "to bring forth"). It signifies the making of something beautiful through pain. The couple says they didn't build the home to forget their past but "to bring life from the ashes, to celebrate hope." For them, "it is a place of belonging, a place to celebrate life and where we all cling to the promise of a future."
That's a beautiful picture of our life in Jesus. He pulls our lives from the ashes and becomes for us a place of belonging. When we receive Him, He makes His home in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17). God adopts us into His family through Jesus so that we belong to Him (1:5-6). Although we'll go through painful times, He can use even those to bring good purposes in our lives.
Daily we have opportunity to grow in our understanding of God as we enjoy His love and celebrate what He's given us. In Him, there's a fullness to life that we couldn't have without Him (3:19). And we have the promise that this relationship will last forever. Jesus is our place of belonging, our reason to celebrate life, and our hope now and forever.
Prayer for Today
I'm grateful that I belong to You, Jesus. Thank You for a life of hope for now and forever. Amen.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-I Thessalonians 5:18
"Oh no!" I moaned, clearly broken-hearted for this kid we were discussing. "Oh no, no, my friend," Pastor Rafael assured me, "It was good. I tell you."
We took this amazing trip up to Beech Mountain last weekend to ski and snowboard. Half the group was from JCPC and half from Casa Brasil, our nested Portuguese congregation we host weekly in the Youth Garage. Rafael, their pastor, and I were checking in about our first day on the slopes. Some of JCPC youth were taking lessons that day and most of his kids. There are limited instructors available and while one group got in before lunch, one was delayed till 2:30. In my mind, that was sad and the kid was missing half a day. I immediately empathized. But I empathized from a place of privilege, a place of expectation.
Pastor Rafael challenged me. He told the youth, no! We are so blessed to be here. Blessed to be on a mountain, to have snow, to have snow gear rented and borrowed, on a trip others helped to pay for so we would have this experience and fun. We were blessed even to be here. We should feel fortunate and happy. "Gratitude," he said to me. He reframed it so beautifully and naturally. He was right. When I'm at my worst, I stand in lift lines and bemoan that they move slow and the runs are much shorter compared to out West. I complain about people struggling to navigate the chairlifts or how many hours I spend tying and buckling boots for kids, keeping up with winter layers. However, at my best, I'm grateful for the time outdoors and away from screens and noise. I'm grateful to watch my kids try new things and stick with it and find joy in one another and in making new friends with newcomers and our Brazilian group.
As we celebrated communion together on Sunday morning, I was full of gratitude, re-oriented from my expectations of entitlement. Rafael's wife, also an ordained pastor from Venezuela delivered the prayer in Spanish. How blessed am I to have studied and been taught enough to understand her? Rafael broke the bread and blessed it in Portuguese. How blessed am I to still have more to learn and to live in a place where I do know the language so well? And then I poured the cup and blessed it in English. How blessed am I to have a job and a calling to serve young people of all backgrounds who come through my doors?
If you're searching for Lenten practices, things to incorporate in your life or give up, consider giving up entitlement and embracing thankfulness, a reframing of every disappointment into an exercise in gratitude. I'll be joining you. Thank you. Gracias. Obrigado.
Prayer for Today
Lord, help me be a person who takes moments of disappointment to count my blessings. Amen.
So, what do you do when you can't sleep at night? From time to time, I find myself awake in the middle of the night. When I cannot get back to sleep, I have a few things I try. Sometimes I will recite some verses from scripture I've memorized such as Psalm 23 or Psalm 121. Other times I will pray The Lord's Prayer. Those familiar words seem to have a calming effect on me. But sometimes I am still awake.
A few nights ago, I was still awake after trying these. I remembered reading in my daily devotions about the importance of gratitude. So, I decided to go all the way back to the beginning of my life and start remembering the things for which I was thankful. As I remembered each one, I prayed a prayer of Thanksgiving to God. Going through my whole life took a while -- maybe an hour or more. I may have even drifted off to sleep as I was praying. However, when I had finished, I experienced a sense of peace.
Last night, I found myself again awake. I went to my normal routine of scripture and prayers, but I was still awake -- so I went Plan B. I got up and went into another room, sat by the fireplace, and began reading the Bible. I had picked up Eugene Peterson's translation of the Bible -- The Message. I decided to start reading Paul's letter to the church at Rome. Paul's letter to the church at Rome is his longest -- sixteen chapters. I don't know how long it took, but I ended up reading all of Paul's letter to the Romans. I can't remember if I've actually done that before. By the time I finished, I was not only ready to climb back into bed and doze off, I felt like I had been given an unexpected gift. It seemed like the words of scripture were inside of me -- like seeds planted to grow and mature in time. Sometimes it pays not to be able to sleep!
Prayer for Today
Thank you, God, for the wonderful words of life found in the Bible. May your Word be planted in our souls and grow to maturity, so that they guide us to live fully the lives you give each one of us. In the strong name of Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen.
The new year has moved quickly for us. At the start of the new year, I know I often have ambitions for things I'd like to accomplish, new practices I'd like to take on, or things I'd like to do differently. As I begin to transition from February to March, I am reflecting on what has happened in 2020 so far and looking ahead to what's ahead and some questions I'm asking myself:
Do you feel that each day is overscheduled? Have you ever had to collect your scattered self so that you could make an important decision? Do you ever lay awake at night thinking about all you have to do? Do you ever ask why your life is so full?
I also asked myself these questions this past summer as I spent some time at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico on a pilgrimage and retreat. Simplicity may sound like an oasis in the desert during this time of year. I would like to invite you to join me this summer as we pilgrimage to Ghost Ranch Presbyterian Retreat Center in the high desert of New Mexico.
We have several options for spiritual renewal and retreat the week of June 14-19 available to us. Jamie Traylor and I are going to share more with you this Sunday during the announcements and will be available afterwards to answer any questions. There are experiences for all ages and stages in life.
Living simply is not about deciding to get your life under control but about giving control of your life to God.
I think that in times like these, God calls us to assess our situation and take some time to retreat for a few hours, a day or a weekend to reflect and prepare for all that the busy seasons of the year require. I would invite you to reflect on when Jesus talks about wealth and worries in Matthew 6, his message is simple: seek God, trust God, and receive God.
In the midst of all of the busyness, how can we focus our lives on seeking God, trusting God and receiving God?
How might these responses effect the way we enter into this day or then next busy season of our lives?
Here is just a glimpse of what an oasis in the desert can look like at Ghost Ranch:
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, may we who have plenty live simply. Guide us so that we will seek you, trust you and receive you each day.
In Christ's Name, Amen.
