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.
As we continue to experience new changes to our situation and look ahead to this summer, I am trying to figure out how to navigate this new territory. Since March 14, I had settled into the shelter in place and we had started to figure out what plan would work for us as a family. Each day brings new questions and not always new answers.
I took some time to reflect today using one of the Bible stories included in the Unraveled devotional resource from A Sanctified Art. Matthew 14:22-33 is a familiar story with Peter when he sinks into the water. Lisle Gwynn Garrity shares this reflection with her artwork.
"What I find in Peter's response is not a challenge or a profession of doubt, but a willingness to step into the swell, like a trust fall into the unknown. Perhaps in seasons when our sense of certainty and security unravels, our desperation is more likely to convert into courage. Is there something about unraveling that makes us a bit less risk-averse, a bit more willing to try what we wouldn't have dared when everything felt predictable and sure?"
Then she offers some helpful questions for us to consider:
What has unraveled and/or is unraveling in this story? Why do you think Peter asks Jesus to order him to walk on water in Matthew 14:28? What is he hoping to accomplish? Do you find yourself acting similarly when you are filled with doubt? During seasons of uncertainty, how do you release anxiety and practice trust?
I am going to take time this week to look for ways that I can be more creative, open and step into the swell.
We have been focusing on prayer during our weekly Solace Zoom meetings this week. A common experience we shared about prayer is that many of us, me included, tend to find ourselves repeating what we pray for when we offer personal prayers. Examples of other well written prayers help to stretch our theological imaginations and see what is hidden right before our very eyes.
Recently, Allison Shearouse shared with us a marvelous prayer resource entitled Pandemic Prayerbook which is edited by Darcy Wiley. We prayed this first prayer in the Pandemic Prayerbook and our eyes were opened and our prayers deepened. Below is that prayer and I hope you will pray it today.
AS I WASH MY HANDS: A Prayer for Faith & Sanity
As I wash my hands, 20 seconds,
I think of the raw, over-sanitized skin
of hospital staff.
Circling soap over knuckles and palms,
I think of the gloved hands
of grocery clerks and restaurant workers.
Cleansing under fingernails and past the wrists,
I think of the aged hands of my grandmothers
in nursing homes that I hope are free of germs.
As I wash my hands, faucet flowing,
I think of the clear air above halted cities,
the clear waters of Venice canals,
how the world looks when we are quiet and grounded,
how sand and mud and toxins settle when we shelter in place.
As I wash my hands,
interlacing my fingers in a prayer,
I think of the work that is paused
or the work that is increased.
Lather, water, clarity,
now your work is more visible
in the world and in me.
You desire clean hearts,
right spirits.
Wash us with water
and your Word.
Present us to yourself a radiant Church,
A model of holy sanity,
as we wash our hands.
Written by Darcy Wiley
Prayer for Today
Join us this Wednesday at noon for our Solace Zoom meeting.
This Sunday's message is called "Finding Peace in a Pandemic." In thinking about peace, I remembered an old preacher story in which a child was at the dinner table with his family. Mom and dad were talking about "peace on earth" when the child decided to dump the peas from his dinner plate on the floor and proudly announce to his parents, "peas on earth!" Now I know it's a pretty silly story, but in searching for it online I came across a children's pop-up book called Peas on Earth. Predictably, it is about two peas discussing what peace or peas on earth might look like. Dogs and cats get along. It even ends with the line, "give peas a chance!"
While that story is geared for children, it does touch on the Biblical word for peace which is shalom. When it comes to "peace" as shalom, it suggests that peace is more than just not bickering on a personal level or going to war on a much larger level. God's peace on earth is about humankind working to get along in the way that God intended in the first place. That's why we talk about "peace-making." It's not just something we feel on the inside, but something we do on the outside.
A while back someone suggested that every time we gather in worship, we should close the service holding hands and singing "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me." While I like the message expressed in that popular song, I have to admit that in our time of social distancing, envisioning us standing in worship and holding hands makes me pause. I wonder if we will all ever feel comfortable doing that again. Who knows? But I hope that happens again in the not-too-distant future.
Until the time that we can gather again and worship together, whether or not we hold hands, I hope you will join us online this Sunday as we hear about the good news of God's peace. We might even learn about how we can each make some peace. That's something that we need and our world needs more of now!
Prayer for Today
God of peace, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me - today. In strong name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray. Amen.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters
-Colossians 3:23
This week, I got to be a part of one of the best projects yet at JCPC. It was intergenerational, it was fun, it was quick, and it served those in need. It started with someone we don't know posting a video on social media - how to make no-sew face masks for healthcare workers. Previously, the youth and I had no way to help make masks - no sewing machines or materials. But I knew the Knit Wits had material and love our youth. In less than a day, they gathered materials, pre-cut squares, and dropped it all off at church for me. My household assembled kits with the material, glue, bags, instructions, and patterns. And between myself, a college student, and youth parent, we delivered them.
On Sunday night, we gathered on Zoom. Both the MS and HS youth logged on, made masks together, and sent them back via church. Start to finish, almost every age group was represented in our project. It was then I heard from another college student that he's returned home to turn his 3D printer into a one-man operation, churning out hundreds of PPE face masks for local use and NY. I told the kids and our college students that they really are my heroes. They all shrugged and had a similar reaction. They were happy to help. Who else was gonna do it?
In one of my favorite action movies, the fourth installment of the Die Hard series, the cop hero of the movie is driving his sidekick to put a stop to the bad guys' plot. This kid calls him a hero and he says he's not one. He says there's just no one else there to do the work, so he's doing it. And the kid, whose life he's saved a dozen times says, "that's what makes you that guy, huh?" Each of our youth and college students is that guy or that gal this week. They saw the need and put their shoulder to the task, no questions asked, all enthusiasm. Grateful to our Knit Wits, parents, and youth. This week, they supported the heroes on our front lines - medical workers. Thanks for your hard work. You are loved.
Prayer for Today
Lord, when there's no one else to do the work, send me. I'm ready. Help me to see the work and to say yes. Amen.
Yesterday I attended my first "Zoom" funeral. The service was for Rena Richardson, a member of another church I had served. Rena was a sweetheart and she exemplified all that was good about being "a southern lady." As a part of the service, friends had been asked to share memories which the pastor presiding over the service read. The pastor then shared some comforting words -- honoring Rena's life and proclaiming the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Now, I know Rena was not perfect, none of us are, but it was not hard for her pastor to say good things about Rena's life.
A few years ago, I was asked by Rob Lawrence, one of our church members, to preside over the funeral service for his mother. She had lived in a town in the mountains of north Georgia, right next to the Tennessee state line. It was to be a graveside service at a beautiful cemetery outside of town where many members of her family had been buried. I arrived about an hour before the service and stopped in town. Across from where I parked my car was a gift shop. It had a wide range of items, but what caught my eye was a display of small signs - the kind you might hang from a doorknob or place on a bookshelf. One sign which had a green and tan background with black stenciled letters said this: "Live your life so that the preacher won't have to lie at your funeral."
Now as far I can remember I have never had to lie at a funeral about the life of the person who has died. On a few rare occasions I chose to leave out some things that were true, but I have not had to lie. Actually, one of the blessings of being a pastor and walking with a family who has lost a loved one is hearing stories about the life of the person who has died. It is a real privilege to listen and share those remembrances with others later at the service. So, may we all "practice righteousness" and live our lives in ways that honor God!
Prayer for Today
Thank you, God, for the gift of life. Thank you for those whose lives have meant so much to each one of us. Bless those of us who mourn when we lose a loved one. Help us to remember the hope we have in Christ and, as Paul reminds us, that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus - not even death! Amen.
In any other year, this time of year from spring break to the end of May tends to be filled with special events each week. Maybe it's tests at school, school celebrations, preparing gifts for Moms, wrapping up a sports season, or preparing for graduation. That is not this year and for that I experience both sorrow and peace.
For me change is hard to acclimate to, but I am taking time to acknowledge all of the emotions and hardships these changes bring to my family and so many of you. Two years ago around this time, we were celebrating the arrival of my nephew, Mark. New life brings a sense of peace and gratitude to many.
I remember this familiar passage from Psalm 139: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! -Psalm 139:13-14
As we move a little slower into a different season, we may be overwhelmed by all the changes that we are acclimating to and need a moment to stop and appreciate the intricate work that happens when God creates a human being. Each finger and toe, mouth and nose are so small and precious when we are born. All of our organs that work together to help us to take each breath, are a real gift. I would invite you to look around at those people that are most precious to you and thank God for the blessing of their life. What a wonderfully complex gift it is for us to experience life here on earth!
God knit you together in your mother's womb, each and every intricate detail. Take a moment to find a way to express your gratitude for this amazing gift of life.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Thank you for making us so wonderfully complex. Guide us as we seek to appreciate the gift of life you have blessed us with here on earth. May we glorify you each step on our journey. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
The movie The Free State of Jones tells the US Civil War story of Newton Knight and some Confederate deserters and slaves who aided the Union Army and then resisted slaveholders after the war. Many herald Knight as the hero, but two slaves first saved his life after his desertion. They carried him deep into a secluded swampland and tended a leg wound he suffered while fleeing Confederate forces. If they'd abandoned him, he would have died.
The people of Judah were wounded and desperate, facing enemies and feeling helpless. Israel had been overtaken by Assyria, and Isaiah prophesied that one day they (Judah) would also be overcome by an enemy-Babylonia. Judah needed a God who would help, who would rescue and not forsake them. Imagine, then, the surging hope when the people heard God's assurance: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you" (Isaiah 43:5). Whatever calamity they faced or trouble they would endure, He would be with them. He would "pass through the waters" with them, leading them to safety (v. 2). He would "walk through the fire" with them, helping them through the scorching flames (v. 2).
Throughout Scripture, God promises to be with His people, to care for us, guide us, and never abandon us-whether in life or death. Even when you find yourself in difficult places, God is with you. He'll help you pass through the waters.
Prayer for Today
God, the water is deep, and I don't see how I'm going to make it through. Thank You for promising to be with me and to carry me through! Amen.
A few years ago, Readers Digest published an article entitled, What Good Is a Tree? The article explained that when the roots of trees touch, there is a substance present which reduces competition. In fact, the unknown fungus helps link roots of different trees, even of dissimilar species. A whole forest may be linked together. If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, and a third to sunlight, the trees have the means to share with one another.
Today we live in a world in which genuine unity seems to be fading fast. It seems like we are being torn apart. In William Butler Yeats' poem, The Second Coming, we find his description of the world which almost seems prophetic: "Things fall apart; The center cannot hold." Like pieces of a flywheel which is spinning too fast, the centrifugal forces of our world seem to be ripping apart whatever fragile unity there is.
A Gallup poll reported that some 70% of Americans believe that most churches and synagogues today are not effective in helping people find meaning in life. Gallup goes on to list six "needs" of Americans:
The need to believe that life is meaningful and has a purpose.
The need for a sense of community and deeper relationships.
The need to be appreciated and respected.
The need to be listened to and heard.
The need to feel that one was growing in the faith.
The need for practical help in developing mature faith.
The second item on that list grabbed my attention: The need for a sense of community and deeper relationships. My sense is that people want and need a sense of community. While "sheltering in place" is very much needed, it also puts limits on our ability to connect with each other. But one day soon, I hope we will not only gather with each other - but that we will appreciate what a gift that connection is. Until then, may we be connected and held together by the Spirit of the Risen Christ!
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, we find our unity as believers in Jesus the Christ. Help us to bring unity and community to our world - especially in these times when we are physically apart. We pray this in the strong name of the Risen Christ. Amen.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."
He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mask and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
-1 Kings 19:9.5-13
"The world is quieter now. You just have to listen. You can hear God speaking." These are the words of a nurse named Anna in a Will Smith film from several years ago after a virus ravaged the world. Smith's character, Dr. Neville cannot hear God's voice. He's experienced too much loss and pain. The tragedy claims his family, his city, his career. And while he's worked hard to find himself a new normal, he's lost his ability to see beauty, to find hope, to hear God speaking.
In the passage above, Elijah is seeking the Lord, enthusiastically, zealously, in fear of his life, as Dr. Neville was seeking a cure, as well as a sense of normalcy, fearing for his life and the survivors. Elijah is so intent on his search he almost misses the Lord. God was not speaking in the big calamities, but I'm the stillness that followed. Some people were quick to assume God was speaking in the pandemic or that God was speaking in the quarantine. Perhaps God was punishing us or testing us. I think it's more likely that God is there in the stillness as we shelter in place. God is appearing in quiet hospital rooms with the sick and dying. God is in the family gatherings for online worship. God is in the backyards that have been empty for the busyness of schedules before now. God is in the kitchens and dens where teachers prepare lessons. God is speaking to us about our hectic and poorly prioritized former lives.
Like Elijah, we don our masks and follow God into the stillness, and we each seem to be learning lessons about ourselves, our families, our society. We are learning that we have the time to pursue better things when we slow down. We are learning school is better left to the creativity of our teachers than the pressure of our testing. Learning that many jobs are better done from homes than offices. Learning that the closeness of worship was the bread of life for our week. Learning that the health and healthcare of our neighbor is deeply entangled in our own health and care and our responsibility that all might share that access. We are learning that because the world is quieter now, God is speaking and we just have to listen. What have you heard in the stillness? How will it change your life and priorities and commitments going forward?
Prayer for Today
Lord, speak. I am listening in the stillness. Help me to see my loved ones and neighbors with new eyes, to live with new direction and purpose and compassion. Amen.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:"
-Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV
In last Sunday's sermon on "truth" - I talked about the importance of telling the truth at the right time. I mentioned the adage, "Timing is Everything." Monday evening, your Session spent a long time discussing when was the right time to reopen our church for worship, given the recent guidelines and decisions on both a national and a state level.
There are two Greek words in our Bible for "time" -- chronos and kairos. Chronos is about minutes and seconds - the things we measure with a watch. Kairos is about timing - as in when is the right time to do something. It is the word we find in scripture when it says something took place "in the fullness of time." It indicates that God's plans were being fulfilled by the timing of the event.
It is not hard to figure out the time (chronos) by looking at our watch or cell phone. But discerning the right timing to do something can be much more complex. Some folks try to "time the market" - hoping to buy and sell stocks for the greatest profit. Trapeze artists must learn the right timing to let go while flying through the air, in order for another person to catch them.
Your Session used its best wisdom, knowledge, and discernment this past Monday evening, in trying to figure out the right time to reopen our church campus for worship and other events. They considered many factors, but their primary concern was for our church members and how to keep them safe in the midst of this pandemic. While everyone is really, really ready for this to be over - your elders were not willing to rush something that was not right - especially for those in our church family of all ages who might be at risk. With that in mind, your Session has decided to wait until May 18, which is the date of our next called Session meeting, to gather more information before making our next decision about when to reopen. So, please continue to bear with us and watch our Online Worship, practice "Church@Home" and fellowship via Zoom until then. Thank you for your prayers and patience!
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, we believe that you are not confined by the limits of time, as we are. You know the right timing for everything. Guide us as we seek your will. In the meantime, bring healing to those who are struggling and strengthen those who care for them. We pray this in the strong name Jesus the Christ. Amen.
