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.
Close your eyes and picture a family dinner. What do you remember from these meals? Is it what you ate, a favorite dish that your mother used to make? A funny mishap on a holiday with one of your siblings or children? Words of wisdom from your dad?
Each of us probably has a memory that we could recount from a family meal together. What an important ritual family meals and table fellowship have on the growth and development of each one of us. For many of you, family meals may have transitioned to as many as three times a day now that we are at home together. For others, this may be a time when you long for the big family meals for holidays and special occasions.
I believe that it's a practice that God calls us to take part in as a church family as well. The disciples and other believers that gathered together in the early church knew the importance of fellowship together around a meal. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." (Acts 2:46-47a)
As we grow in our faith together, spending time in fellowship and conversation around a meal is a valuable experience for each of us to learn from one another. This week on Thursday, we remember the special meal that Jesus had with the disciples in his last days. I would invite you to join me in a Maundy Thursday at home experience with prayers, baking bread (or other baked good) and connecting with God and one another. If you are not with your family or close friends during this time, I would invite you to call them, video chat, or connect in some way even if not in person. Click here for the guide.
I believe that our souls are longing for some time to slow down for a few moments, enjoy some nourishment for our body, and engage in some meaningful conversations.
Prayer for Today
Creator God and Giver to all things, as we gather for this meal, we give thanks that we are again able to gather in this fellowship. May our friendships be strengthened and our lives be broadened. We give thanks for this food. Please bless it to our use and guide us so that we may help others be the best they can be. Amen.
During this time of sheltering in place it is important to keep daily routines. I've been diligent in making sure I practice as many of my old routines such as walking Cowboy and Walker. It brings me great joy to see them happy; especially when they meet up with friends. Here Walker is saying hello to his buddy Winston. It looks like they are dancing with joy! No canine social distancing.
Early Sunday morning I combined my routine of walking with the ritual of worship by watching our JCPC worship on my phone. If you are like me you feel worshipful hearing the uplifting music, inspired by the preaching and moved by the prayers. As I was listening to worship one of my neighbors walked down his driveway so I took out my ear buds to greet him. "Same ole, same ole!" he quipped. Normally I would have responded in a similar fashion but this time was different. "Not for me, I said with a smile, I'm worshipping with my church on-line!" He tilted his head with surprise and then he said something he hadn't said in the 20 years that I've known him. "Okay, will you say a prayer for me?" he asked. "I sure will," I responded and then I prayed for him and his wife. The ritual of worship opened up a new reality in my daily dog walking routine.
This is Holy Week and our worship rituals have been affected by shelter in place. Our Good Friday ritual at JCPC has been to open the sanctuary for prayer. As we shelter in place we will still be observing the sanctity of Good Friday but in a different space because of safety concerns. We will be meeting virtually, on-line, for a Good Friday prayer service beginning at noon. The prayer service will last one hour and you can attend by using Zoom. We will be using the last seven words of Christ with which to structure our prayer time. Relax! You won't be ask to pray out loud and you will be moved! Please join us to pray!
During this our Holy Week, Loving God, may we feel the presence of your Spirit, ask for your merciful forgiveness of our sin and receive the gift of hope that we will persevere through these challenging times through the knowledge that in all things you are working for good. Amen.
"Necessity is the mother of invention." While that may sound like it should be in the Bible, it's not! It's Plato and it comes from his Republic. It is a proverb, and like the book of Proverbs found in our Bible, it conveys some wisdom. With the recent pandemic, the resulting social distancing, and shelter-at-home orders -- I have seen many examples of creative invention simply because it was needed.
I have had first-hand experience with our Online Worship Team and observed our Co-directors of Music Ministries, Christian and Heidi, creating some amazing music for worship. I hope you appreciate all the creativity and planning that goes into the selection of each piece of music. Heidi and Christian choose music not only because it sounds good, but also because it's appropriate for the season of Lent, as well as for the challenging times in which we find ourselves. In addition to music for this upcoming Palm/Passion Sunday, they have created five "Holy Week Musical Meditations" that you will be able to watch and listen to beginning next Monday. You will find them on our "Church at Home" page on the JCPC website.
On Easter Sunday, we will not only hear more excellent, uplifting music -- we will also be celebrating communion or the Lord's Supper as a part of the service. Please plan to have on hand some bread and grape juice or wine (your choice) that morning so that we can celebrate communion together in our homes. I believe that the Spirit of the risen Christ can transcend time and space, uniting us as the body of Christ even though we may be apart . . . at least for a while. I encourage you to pass the word about this and invite others to join us.
I also want to ask you to continue to give generously in support of these new and creative ways we are finding to do God's work in Johns Creek. You can do this online at our jcpcusa.org website or on the church app. Or, you can simply mail a check to the church. We have also just installed a dropbox outside the church front door if you feel better about sharing your gift that way. Thank you for your generous support!
Prayer for Today
We thank you, Creator God, for giving us the ability to be co-creators with you in your world. Show us how to creatively use the gifts we have been given by you to make a difference in the lives of others. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
-Matthew 23:37
(These words aren't carved into the communion table of a small chapel that overlooks Jerusalem - the site where tradition holds that Jesus spoke these words.)
A moment of serenity. If you've ever held an infant - which I'm doing as I write these thoughts - you know it's a struggle. Not for you, but for them. Their tiny bodies are adjusting to this world, one so different from the one which is familiar and safe. In one moment, they need a steady rhythm of burping, and in the next, rocking or bouncing, and then absolute stillness. They need to be fed and then challenged to expel the excess, and then comforted, without end.
And as I hold my own child in this pre-dawn hour in a moment of stillness, I read the news of the world, a world in such turmoil and distress. There's pandemic and paranoia and panic and prayer. The Body is in distress. And God holds us. We flail and cry out. And God holds us. We fight internally and resist care and comfort. And God holds us. We struggle to reach an internal peace. And God holds us.
In the past two weeks, I've held my kiddo and watched news reports. It's been far too easy to worry and fret - someone once told me that worry is a misuse of God's gift of imagination. But then I'd receive a text, an instagram message, a Facebook post, a call, a package, a visit, a meal - the Body at work. And God holding us. This week, meals and visitors arrived. Messages from friends across the country. FaceTime across time zones. A message from the UK, Japan, Afghanistan, Puerto Rico, Mexico, New Zealand. Former youth and friends of youth, pastor friends and distant relatives. And today, a hand knit prayer shawl from a pastor friend's church. And God holds us.
The country and world struggle. The governments flail. The people of media and social media cry out. The Body struggles. And God holds us. Know that. Struggle for peace. But do not forget who holds you. All through the long night.
Prayer for Today
God, hold me. Whisper to me that you are there. Give me strength to be a part of the body and hold others. Amen.
"We are fools for Christ . . ." - 1 Corinthians 4:10a, NIV
Today is April Fool's Day. I have heard that some have chosen to cancel whatever April Fool's Day celebrations were planned because of the pandemic. I can understand that. With the seriousness of all that's going on, it just doesn't seem appropriate for now. Last week a friend of mine emailed that he had watched our first online worship service. Because he doesn't go to our church, it gave him the opportunity to experience our worship service. He talked about how he liked the service. But then he added one suggestion, that perhaps the service needed some humor. I must admit his comment caught me a little off guard. Because of the seriousness of the pandemic -- the loss of life, the spreading sickness, and the loss of jobs -- humor just didn't feel right to me.
Now I certainly believe humor has its place, and sometimes it helps us get through difficult times. On the other hand, I can remember wanting to make a joke when things were very serious, probably because I was uncomfortable with what was going on. Also, I am not sure if humor is really my forte. I've always admired preachers who seemed to have the ability to entertain with the timing of a comedian. Humor can also open us up and laughter can break down barriers. I guess I will just leave that kind of humor to those who do it well.
When Paul says in his letter to the church at Corinth that "we are fools for Christ" -- he is not saying that we are court jesters or clowns. In Paul's day the dominant worldviews were Greek, Roman, and Jewish. Paul was fluent in all three. But from a Greek perspective, the idea of Jesus as the Son of God who comes in the flesh and dies on a cross seemed foolish. But for those of us who are "fools for Christ" -- it is God's true wisdom and the way of life!
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, help us to risk being "fools for Christ" -- even in the face of the world's laughter. And may the love and grace of Jesus the Christ shine through our "foolish" lives. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Now a large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut palm branches off the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds in front of him and behind him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. "Who is this?" they asked. The crowds answered, "It's the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."
-Matthew 21:8-11
On Sunday, we will remember this familiar story of Palm Sunday and joined with those in the story who came from far away to see Jesus. Those who may have experienced Jesus' healing power or those who merely heard of his miracles. Jesus' ministry so captured people's hearts and minds that they traveled far to see him.
When we remember Palm Sunday, we break the practice of examining our lives during Lent and instead we join the gathered community to welcome Jesus into the Holy City.
We are reminded as we shout "Hosanna!" and wave our palm branches, that thousands of years ago, there were common people with uncommon courage who stood together to join "the one who comes in the name of the Lord" [v. 9].
Since we will not be together in person in the Chapel on Sunday, I would like to invite you to join in our Palm Sunday celebration by taking a picture of your family with palm branches. You can gather some from your yard or you can use one of these files (color in or print) to wave in your picture. Email your photo to me (allisons@jcpcusa.org) and you'll receive a slideshow Palm Sunday parade video this weekend.
We are seeing story after story of how ordinary people have come together to accomplish something great. The small group that shows up to volunteer at the food bank week after week. Volunteers who serve as first responders in times of disaster.
Remember these stories and countless others that you have seen or heard so that you might find the courage to march with Jesus to proclaim a word of peace, reconciliation, and hope.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Open our hearts and minds to the messages of this Lent season. Prepare us for Palm Sunday. Help us to see both the joy and the sacrifice that took place. In Christ's Name, Amen.
Yesterday I facilitated Solace, a new type of on-line support we are offering to you so that we can stay connected during this time of social distancing. Each week, I will be leading our on-line support meeting on Wednesdays at noon and Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Please join us!
We talked about what it means to shelter in place and how our lives have been affected. One phenomenon that I found most interesting is how time disoriented many of us have become because we are out of our routines. A television station in Indianapolis posted this picture to help their viewers with their confusion.
Relax! Today is Monday and not Thursday. Has time confusion happened to you?
Amidst the chaos and confusion there is a clarity that our faith can provide. Psalm 46 brings the clarity of God being in our midst during times such as these.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble...Psalm 46:1 A Bible scholar I read says that the root word for refuge here comes from the verb to flee or to take shelter. I can't think of a more appropriate verse for our call to shelter in place. The call with which the Psalmist beckons us in faith is to lessen our fear because we have been called to shelter in place with our God. As Psalm 46 proceeds there are scary moments; the earth gives way, the mountains fall into the heart of the sea with the waters roaring and foaming. How can you not experience fear? In this fear the psalmist offers comfort.
There is a river running through the city; a city where God has taken up residency! The psalmist states: "God is with her, she shall not fall; God will help her at break of day." The Bible scholar notes that the break of day literally means the turning of the face of morning to us; God's face turned to us in our struggles.
Have you noticed how much more you enjoy looking at faces in these days of sheltering in place? Perhaps in them you see the face of God reflected through the ones in who were made in his image.
Our next Solace is Wednesday at noon. Login information is posted on the JCPC Facebook page.
Prayer for Today
As we shelter in place, Most High, help us see you reflected in the faces of others. May our acts of loving kindness bring light into our world's darkness and may the fellowship of the Holy Spirit hold us close; one to another. Amen.
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice.
-Psalm 130: 1-2, NIV
Recently, Jeff Arnold, one of our members, shared this quote with me from Richard Rohr:
Intelligently responding to the Coronavirus demands that we access resources of physical, emotional and spiritual resilience. One practice Christianity has developed to nurture resilience is lamentation. Prayers of lamentation arise in us when we sit and speak out to God and one another-stunned, sad, and silenced by the tragedy and absurdity of human events. . . Without this we do not suffer the necessary pain of this world, the necessary sadness of being human.
Walter Brueggemann, my favorite Scripture teacher, points out that even though about one third of the Psalms are psalms of "lament," these have been the least used by Catholic and Protestant liturgies. We think they make us appear weak, helpless, and vulnerable, or show a lack of faith. So we quickly resort to praise and thanksgiving. We forget that Jesus called weeping a "blessed" state (Matthew 5:5) and that only one book of the Bible is named after an emotion: Jeremiah's book of "Lamentation."
I quoted from Psalm 130 above because it is considered a "lament Psalm." Simply praying the words of a Psalm like this one gives voice to what we may be feeling at times like these. Crying out to God for help is a type of worship, not weakness. I want to encourage you to use this time to pray for those who are hurting - to cry out for God to help us all. And while we as Christians believe the last words are hope and resurrection, our first words may need to be lament - that things are not yet the way they are supposed to be.
Prayer for Today
Out of the depth, Lord, we cry to you. There is too much sickness and death in our world, and it is only increasing. Bring healing. Comfort those who mourn -- and do it soon! We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Also, join us for online worship this Sunday when we look at Psalm 34:1-18. The sermon is about fear and whether God is far away or near.
Also, we plan to celebrate communion together online on Easter Sunday, so remember to buy some bread and grape juice or wine for the celebration!
Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
-Philippians 4:5
My morning routine on quarantine is a little bit of a juggling act. Jessica spends much of her night up and down caring for our new baby, Marshall. So I typically have the morning shift of baby holding and making breakfast for the teenager and getting him started on his online schoolwork. Sometimes, I'm holding Marshall, sometimes he's in a carrier, and now and then he will let me set him down in the mechanical swing. Mostly, he just doesn't want to be on his back. It upsets his tummy. But we think also that after nearly a week in the NICU and almost never being held, he never wants us to put him down. And we don't want to.
This morning was one such morning. I needed to get a breakfast made, so I set him down in the swing. He'd been cuddled against me for an hour already and my shirt was warm. As I laid him in the cold swing, it occurred to me that he would wake soon at the discomfort. So I slipped off my t-shirt and tucked him in with it as a blanket. I've read that both infants and pets do better with separation when they have an article of your clothing that smells like you. I hoped the warmth and smell would calm him. It did.
What he needed was to know I was near. The nearness of God is a comfort to us. It is well and good to know God loves us and sees us. But our greatest comfort comes in God's nearness, in the reminders of God's existence and love and support. As parents and grandparents, as family and friends, we can be that nearness for one another. We train Stephen Ministers and pastors and elders and deacons and teachers and coaches for this too. Remember when you visit or call someone, you are the nearness of God in the flesh.
We have received meals and visits, calls and messages, gifts and cards and even a prayer shawl. We have known God's nearness. We can't wait to share it and pass it on. Be comforted by those who love you and be near to those in need.
Prayer for Today
Lord, let me feel your nearness in the love of those you send to me. And let me be that nearness for all those in need. Amen.
"Worship is the most important thing we do." That saying predates my almost 10 years at JCPC. Last Sunday we began offering Sunday worship online. Worshiping online is different from worshipping on Sundays with the JCPC congregation. I miss all of you! It is not the same without you. I am already looking forward to the time when we can gather again in the same space to worship God. But until then, we will worship together in this virtual space online.
As we all know, these are challenging times. It would do no good to pretend otherwise. When people are facing death, severe illness, the loss of jobs, and an overall disruption of the normal patterns of life -- things are not the way they should be. I pray for all of those who are working hard to bring healing, wholeness, and a return to normalcy. We mourn with those who mourn. We grieve with those who suffer loss.
However, I wonder if there might be something good that emerges in these not-so-good times. As we practice social distancing, and as some in our nation are experiencing lockdown, how might we use this time well? For those of us who were too busy, can we now find time to do some new things that are important?
Psalm 46 begins with these words: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, . . . He [the Lord] says, 'Be still, and know that I am God.'" (Psalm 46:1-2a, 10a, NIV) Many of us now have the time to "Be still" -- whether we like it or not. I want to invite you to make the best of this "Be still" time. Set aside some of this time to pray, to read scripture, and to listen for the still, small voice of God. Resist filling up your time staring at screens every waking minute. Record your thoughts in a journal. And reach out to your neighbor with some caring act -- though you may have to use and learn about some technology to do this.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, we pray for all of those who are hurting. Bring healing and wholeness to their lives. Bring a swift end to this pandemic. Give strength and wisdom to all who are fighting it. And in this time of real loss, help us to find and do what is good. We pray this in the strong name of the Christ. Amen.
