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.
Worship the Lord with gladness. . . . For the Lord is good and his Love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. - Psalm 100: 2, 4
JCPC will offer three different opportunities for Easter morning worship. Please join us at whichever service fits your comfort level as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. The rebirth of JCPC’s in-person worship on Easter morning utilizing a large tent is symbolic and signals to all who drive by that Christ’s Church is alive and well.
Highlights from the stated monthly meeting
of Session, March 15th, 2021
Special discussion of restarting JCPC outdoor and indoor worship – Based on the Health Committee’s monitoring of the Covid virus metrics of our state and Johns Creek, the Session approved an outside tent Easter Service and its expenses, with the congregation following safe practices of masks and social distancing Session also approved adding an 11:00 a.m. indoor service beginning in May if the virus metrics continue to improve or remain stable. Property, Education, and Worship teams will coordinate planning.
Stewardship - February financials ended with a $4,442 shortfall in giving versus expenses. The special campaign for mission received a good response. First quarter mission funding was approved by Stewardship Ministry Team.
Worship – Plans are to temporarily move the cross to the ball field near the tent so we may return to our tradition of families placing flowers on the cross on Easter morning.
Caring - Meals and More will be highlighted in an upcoming Moment for Mission. Gray has assumed many of Neal’s congregational care responsibilities, in coordination with the Caring Ministry Team and the Stephen Ministers.
Education and Youth - Planning for VBS and the restart of Sunday School continues. Watch for the upcoming Preschool video. There will probably be two youth summer retreats this year including Montreat. The Men’s Fall Retreat is scheduled for September 24-26 and the Women’s Fall Retreat is scheduled for November 19-21.
Missions - JCPC volunteers provided 120 meals for the Central Presbyterian’s Men’s Shelter. Discussions continue on use of the 2020 special gift to missions.
Connecting - Visitor information cards will be distributed at Drive-In services as well as at upcoming in-person events.
All Ministry Teams are coordinating plans for indoor worship. Opportunities for other indoor group meetings are under discussion.
Prayer for Today
Father, help me to see You more clearly than any force that opposes me and run to You for true safety and security. Amen.
“All glory, laud and honor to thee, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!”
-Refrain from All Glory, Laud, and Honor
The hymn, All Glory, Laud, and Honor, is a well-known Palm Sunday hymn, and one that we’ll be singing together this coming Sunday online and at the Drive-in service. We sing it on Palm Sunday as we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem. The text to this hymn and the music go back farther than you might think.
The melody is originally a Lutheran hymn, composed in 1613, and was originally a hymn for the dying. The melody had nothing to do with Palm Sunday or the text we now associate with this melody, but Bach used the melody in some of his religious works, including the St John Passion. The text for this hymn was written in 820! It’s old as dirt! The text was composed in Latin specifically for Palm Sunday and it had no less than 39 verses. Can you even imagine a hymn with 39 verses? We’d need a much bigger hymnal if all of our hymns had so many verses!
Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday, which leads us to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. We Presbyterians celebrate both Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem and the start of Holy Week. Without dwelling on the Passion, we go from Hosanna to Hallelujah, but we miss the really important stuff in the middle. We may almost rationalize the crucifixion as something that bad people did – we wouldn’t have been with the crowd. But, I wonder if we act in ways that are more like those shouting for crucifixion than we’d like to admit.
Ghandi is often quoted with saying, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ,” and this is something to ponder as we head into Holy Week. None of us is perfect, but if we’re honest with ourselves, there are parts of our lives where we don’t act very Christ-like. Do we welcome Jesus into our lives with joy only to then turn around and act in a way that is contrary to God’s love? As we approach Passiontide, ponder on what sets you apart from the crowd, and what makes you an accomplice with them.
Prayer for Today
God of Peace, we want to worship you with honor, yet we unknowingly cast you aside. We want to skip over the uncomfortable parts of our existence, and rush to the happy sounds of Easter. But we’re not there yet. Silence our hearts and center our minds on you in the challenging week ahead. Amen.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
-Galatians 5:1
I recently had the opportunity to get a vaccination and was so thankful. Many of my colleagues who work as hospital and hospice chaplains got theirs as a part of their job. While my job often takes me to hospitals and I work with first responders, those activities are not every day for me. However, as I recently got asked to do volunteer chaplaincy with the fire department, they wanted all of us to get vaccinated for our work with other first responders.
My only physical side effect was a sore arm and some fatigue. The side effect I had not anticipated was a new sense of freedom. Freedom from the fear of contracting the virus and playing my part to eradicate the virus and reduce the likelihood it would be contracted by my family and friends. And I began thinking about the many verses in the Epistles that frame Christian freedom as the freedom to serve. Even with a mask and careful practices, could I do more now? Could I begin to volunteer with folks in need? Schedule some future youth events indoor in anticipation of their vaccinations too? Plan summer trips? Mission trips?
Perhaps you’ve recently gotten vaccinated or you’re scheduled. Are you feeling a new sense of freedom? How will you use that freedom? We all miss restaurants and family gatherings, small groups and worship, and those are slowly returning. But, as you begin to fill your schedule, how will you fill it?
I’m reminded of the professor who placed a large glass vase on his desk. He filled it first with large rocks, which he said were the most important things in life - family, friends, work, worship, volunteering. Is it full? Yes, they said. Then marbles - sleep and exercise and good food. Now, is it full? Yes! It’s full now. Then he poured in sand - movies and tv, hobbies, entertainment, etc. Now it’s full. Then he poured in a cup of coffee... there’s always room for coffee with a friend in need. We’ve had a year where we couldn’t do everything. Now we can do more. We have the freedom to choose. Will we fill the time with sand or place our rocks in first? Let’s place a few rocks together and use our new freedom to serve.
Prayer for Today
Lord, as I gain freedom, help me use it to serve those most in need. Amen.
Then he [Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
-- Luke 9:23, NIV
In the church or liturgical year, we call this coming Sunday “Palm” or “Passion” Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week. While Holy Week begins on a positive note, with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and people waving palm branches, we need to remember that later on that week things will not go well for Jesus. His approval rating will drop dramatically. As one person put it, “The cheers will turn to jeers.” In a few short days Jesus will find himself standing before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate with the crowds no longer shouting, “Hosanna!” but, “Crucify him!” Perhaps if we were a part of that crowd shouting, “Crucify him!” we might be doing the same thing because “Everybody’s doing it.” But does that really make it okay – to do something because “Everybody’s doing it”?
There was an article in The New York Times about moral choices some persons have made -- choices that seem to go against their ethical framework. In the article, Stanford professor Dr. Albert Bandura identified eight mechanisms that people use to rationalize immoral behavior. For example, sometimes we say things like, “We were just carrying out orders.” We may even dehumanize the person we are mistreating, or we might “blame the victim by saying, “they were asking for it.”
However, one of the eight mechanisms is what he calls “diffusion of responsibility.” He describes it as “shifting the responsibility for a transgression with others who took part, or who played indirect roles.” In other words, saying, “Everyone was doing it.” It is sometimes how we rationalize being part of a crowd, but does it make it okay simply because everyone is doing it?
Probably one of the hardest things we will ever have to do is to go against the crowd and take a stand for what is right – even if the crowd around us does not. Maybe that is one of the ways we take up our cross daily as followers of Christ. Join us this Sunday as we hear about someone who literally carried the cross of Christ.
Prayer for Today
Thank you, God, for Jesus, who took a stand for us all on the cross in order that we might find new life. Help us to take up the daily crosses and do the right thing, even if it is hard. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
“I call this my Practice of Presence, and I do it every morning for ten minutes,” I responded. “It's helped me live as my true, authentic self – instead of who the world wants or expects me to be.”
-Rachel Macy Stafford
When you consider places where you can be your true, authentic self, where are you? Who are you surrounded by?
What does it look like for you to get to a place where you can tune out expectations or pressures from the world around you?
There were times when Jesus needed to truly be himself and be present. Sometimes that meant separating himself from the crowds. Sometimes that meant going to God in prayer. Sometimes that meant being with just the small group of his closest followers.
As we prepare to move into Holy Week this Sunday and travel the difficult road with Jesus, what can you do to be open to the spaces where you need to disconnect or where can you be your real and best self?
Reach out to those who help you be present in that abs journey together. Take time for connecting with God in ways that bring life to you.
Prayer for Today
Gracious and Loving God, Help us to be open to your guiding hand in these challenging days. May we walk in a way that is pleasing to you. In Christ’s Name, Amen.
On Chicago Day in October 1893, the city’s theaters shut down because the owners figured everyone would be attending the World’s Fair. Over seven hundred thousand people went, but Dwight Moody (1837–1899) wanted to fill a music hall at the other end of Chicago with preaching and teaching. His friend R. A. Torrey (1856–1928) was skeptical that Moody could draw a crowd on the same day as the fair. But by God’s grace, he did. As Torrey later concluded, the crowds came because Moody knew “the one Book that this old world most longs to know—the Bible.” Torrey longed for others to love the Bible as Moody did, reading it regularly with dedication and passion.
God through His Spirit brought people back to Himself at the end of the nineteenth century in Chicago, and He continues to speak today. We can echo the psalmist’s love for God and His Scriptures as he exclaims, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). For the psalmist, God’s messages of grace and truth acted as a light for his path, a lamp for his feet (v. 105).
How can you grow more in love with the Savior and His message? As we immerse ourselves in Scripture, God will increase our devotion to Him and guide us, shining His light along the paths we walk.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, You’ve given me the gift of Scripture. Help me to read it and digest it, that I might serve You faithfully. Amen.
"The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted."
-Matthew 28:16-17 (New American Bible (Revised Edition))
Take note of the scripture above. Does anything look peculiar? Eleven instead of twelve disciples? If there were eleven disciples, this means that Judas Iscariot was out of the picture by this time... they worshiped, but doubted... the DISCIPLES doubted??? Jesus' closest friends?? Doubted Jesus? So this was after the resurrection, after they had seen and spoke with and touched and ate meals with Jesus?
You would think that after all of the miracles and everything else they had witnessed, their faith would be sight by now, and HOW could the disciples (of all people) doubt Jesus? What does this mean for you and me, who have not been first-hand witnesses of the Son of God? Why do we expect ourselves to have no doubt?
I don't remember my infant baptism, but I remember my Lutheran confirmation. I had completed 3 years of weekly classes (think doubIe Sunday School with homework!!). I was fourteen, having a really bad hair day, the stark white robe did nothing for my complexion, and I once had all the pictures to prove it. I publicly renounced the devil, and all his works, and all his ways, and to use non-Lutheran terms, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, even though I'd been saying the words in church ever since I could talk. I also vividly remember later that afternoon when I was alone, after all of the festivities in church and the big family dinner (confirmation was a HUGE deal in my family), I sat in my room looking over all of the gifts, prayer books, crosses, and cards I had received, and I remember thinking... I just got all of this stuff, and people have said all of these things to me... but do I really REALLY believe? And THAT was really weird, because so far, it is the only time in my life I can remember feeling that way.
Well now I feel better, now that I know Jesus' very own disciples doubted too!! And confirmation is just the beginning of a closer walk with God. We can rest knowing that God understands every doubt that we face and gives us grace to talk through those doubts. And when we do, God draws us closer, and we are reminded that we are never alone on this journey.
So join us online or in the parking lot this Confirmation Sunday, reaffirm your faith with the confirmands, bring your doubts with you, and let's worship together!
Prayer for Today
Holy God, we believe!! Help our unbelief!! In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
One of my practices is to look at the “Memories” on Facebook each morning. This is a list of what you shared on that day each year you’ve had your account. I’ve had mine almost two decades now, so there’s a long list each day. Recently, I found one from about a year ago. I posted that our oldest son mused the following on the way home from our group guitar practice... “Being a musician is making lots of mistakes and then learning from them later and doing better next time... Actually, being a human is the same thing basically.”
I shared it and saved it because there was some real wisdom in his observation. Our passage reminds us that we are always striving to do better. And in groups, like a band, we help one another improve in skill and become more harmonious. The more we play together, the better we get, and the more beautiful our music. What a model for Christian life together and friendship. At our best, friction doesn’t result primarily in damage but in becoming sharper, becoming better, mutual benefit.
In Christian community, we must then ask if we are using the time and opportunity we have together to benefit one another and become sharper, wiser, better, or... if we are simply causing friction... or damage. In Lent, we do well to assess ourselves and our relationships and to perhaps adjust our practices, to do better, and to make a more joyful noise as members of the same band. Let’s be good iron. Let’s make mistakes, learn from them, and do better next time.
Prayer for Today
Lord, as iron sharpens iron, help me to sharpen and be sharpened, and to always do better next time. Amen.
Today is Saint Patrick’s Day. Patrick was born sometime in the late fourth century on the coast of England or Scotland. Patrick was captured by Irish pirates at age sixteen and kept as a slave for six years. He spent most of that time out tending his master’s herds. It was outside in the woods and mountains that he learned to pray -- often beginning before dawn. Some days he would pray as many as a hundred prayers when “the spirit was fervent within.” Eventually he escaped, found his family again, and felt a call to the priesthood. When he finished his training, the pope sent him back to Ireland as a missionary. He travelled all over the country founding churches and monasteries. He was perhaps the major influence in sharing the good news of God’s love with the people of Ireland.
Today I want to share some more good news! Our Session voted to add an 11:00 a.m. worship service on Easter Sunday outdoors on our ballfield under a large tent. There will also be the Drive-In service and an Online service that day. Our Session decided that masks and social distancing would be required, as well as reservations through Sign-up Genius so we can have enough chairs set up. We will be sending out this information to everyone later this week, so please reserve your seats as soon as you can so we can accommodate as many as possible.
In addition, our Session decided to add Indoor Worship services at 11:00 a.m. in The Great Hall beginning Sunday, May 2. This, too, will be a socially distanced service with masks. Folks will also need to sign-up for that service to make sure we have enough seating, which will be limited because of the social distancing. The link for those Indoor services will be shared in the coming weeks. We will still have our Drive-In and Online worship services when that begins.
As long as the downward trends being monitored by our Health Task continue, we will have these events. With the outdoor Easter service, bad weather could also affect it. So, keep praying for the present trends to continue and do your part to keep them going down!
Prayer for Today
Thank you, God, for all the factors working together at this time to help us get through this pandemic. May we each do all we can to keep our world safe, not only for us, but for all of those around us. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.” -Luke 17:20-21
This passage was shared with me during our Women’s Retreat a few years ago. Since that time it’s been a reminder to me to be aware of how God’s kingdom is already among us. How do we live each day knowing God is with us and among us? How does that impact how we treat others and ourselves? As a part of that retreat experience, we were invited to write a letter from God to ourselves. I was surprised during the course of this prayer practice by what God had to say to me. It wasn’t a letter of judgement, but rather a letter filled with grace. God invited me to show more grace to myself, and to those around me.
Anytime I try a different type of prayer practice, God has used it to help me grow in my understanding.
We have a unique opportunity to walk a labyrinth this Sunday, March 21, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. outdoors in the West Parking Lot. This prayer experience is an ancient way to connect with God. A walking prayer practice has been a meaningful way for me to set aside all that is running through my mind and pause to really pray without distraction.
I would invite you to come Sunday sometime between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. to see what God might be saying to you during this Lenten season and in this prayer time. As with many things in this season, please plan to wear your mask and be physically distanced from others.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, as we enter into this day, may our lives be sustained through the love of you Our Heavenly Father. May we feel the presence of our Savior walking beside us, and know the power of the Spirit in both our actions and our words. In Christ’s Name, Amen.
