Grove Presbyterian Church 2022 Lenten Devotional

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed are those who trust in the LORD,           whose trust is the LORD. They shall be like a tree planted by water,           sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes,           and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious,           and it does not cease to bear fruit.   Trusting is hard, and I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone of that. Yet, the Bible reminds us repeatedly that it’s important to trust God with everything: our lives, ourselves, everything. What stands out about trust here is that Jeremiah doesn’t just tell us that those who trust  in  the Lord are blessed, he stretches it one line further to say that the Lord  is  our trust. Instead of relying on God and having confidence in him, the second line implies that we don’t give trust to Him, but it flows from Him to us.    I struggle with trusting people because it feels like a gargantuan effort on my part. It brings up so many questions. What

  The prophet Habakkuk asked God why evil was so rampant, and why evil people were prevailing against Gods own chosen people - legitimate questions, and familiar ones. Who hasn’t asked God why they’re not doing well when someone no more worthy (maybe less) appears to be thriving? Who hasn’t asked God why things seem messed up and unfair?   What Habakkuk did after he asked his questions seems very important for us today:   …“I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how he’ll answer my complaint.” Habakkuk 2:1 (The Message).   I don’t know if Habakkuk really climbed up the city walls to the lookout tower or if he was speaking metaphorically, but I think he meant he was going to get ready for God’s answer by removing himself from the busyness and activity of everyday life, and put his mind in a place where he could see a bigger picture, and have a clear perspective.   And then he said “I’ll wait…to see what God says”. He didn’t

    Psalm 150: 1-2   Praise the Lord!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!    Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!      There are two kinds of people in this world: those who see the glass as half empty and those who see it as half full.  In my family we joked that my mom didn’t even see a glass.  Hating the dark days of winter, on the first day of summer she’d say, “Well, the days are going to start getting shorter now.”  Always waiting for the other shoe to drop robbed her of joy she might have felt in the present.   I spent many years as a teacher wielding my red pen and finding all the mistakes.  It would be so easy to follow in my mother’s footsteps, focusing on all the things that have gone wrong in my life, all the times I wasn’t perfect, all the sorrows I’ve faced.        Instead, I’ve made a conscious choice to focus on all the ways God has blessed me.  This year I decided that at the end of each day I

  Scripture:   The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt…I will put the law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken.” Jeremiah 31: 31-34 (TEV)   Devotional Thought:   As we approach this Holy Week 2021, I am in awe of how God never gives up on Creation, on us. Time after time God reaches out to God’s wayward people. Adam and Eve had it made and off they strayed. God reached out reordering the plan, so life continues. There is the promise of the rainbow and again Noah’s descendants stray from God. There is the covenant with

Let Israel say: "His love endures forever." Psalms 118:1-2 God’s love endures our fickleness, persists through our unbelief, remains during our rebellion, and continues unendingly. And he does all that without flinching. God’s love for us continues to exist regardless of our feelings, our response to him, or our circumstances.  C.S. Lewis wrote,  “Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”  We can rely on the steadfast love of the Lord. It will never end and there are not many things you can say that about these days. The psalmist who wrote today’s scripture felt like we needed reminded of that such fact.  So, I considered my life, my story — and how God has led, provided, and worked miracles throughout it. With 57 years as a believer, 33 years of wonderful matrimony, two awesome children, and now 3 beautiful grandchildren, this is just part of how my story unfolds, God provided me with loving parents and a Godly home— His love endures forever. He provided

  Psalm 27 1    The LORD is my light and my salvation;           whom shall I fear?      The LORD is the stronghold of my life;           of whom shall I be afraid? 2    When evildoers assail me           to devour my flesh —      my adversaries and foes 5           they shall stumble and fall. 3    Though an army encamp against me,           my heart shall not fear;      though war rise up against me,           yet I will be confident. 4    One thing I asked of the LORD,           that will I seek after:      to live in the house of the LORD           all the days of my life,      to behold the beauty of the LORD,           and to inquire in his temple. 5    For he will hide me in his shelter           in the day of trouble;      he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;           he will set me high on a rock. 6    Now my head is lifted up           above my enemies all around me,      and I will offer in his tent           sacrifices with shouts of joy;      I will sing and ma

“We believe with our daily lives.”  -- Sojourners March 2021, pg. 49   With each day dawning during Lent we know Good Friday is coming.  The image of nails protruding through Jesus’s hands and feet will confront us. I can easily picture a close-up view of bleeding, nailed hands overlapping each other, dirty and wet with sweat. Those same hands that healed and hugged, hammered and lifted a cup He prayed to pass, are limp and bleeding and lifeless on Good Friday. Those same scarred hands that Jesus showed to the disciples after his Resurrection, to prove He was himself, this inescapable image of His hands reminds me that he is no longer fully human. He has ascended and leaves us on earth, His beloved students, with His example of humanness as our playbook. His invitation is to follow him, not only with our hearts and minds, but also with our hands and feet. Sadly we are weak in our following game. Our healthy, strong, un-punctured hands and feet are as Adam’s on the Sistine ceiling, feeb

Jason's last sermon helped explain to us the theory of atonement called Substitutionary atonement.  This understanding of Christ's death reminds us that we are the sinners and the wages of our sin is death.  But Christ paid our price and gives us hope for eternal life.  The following poem by Stephen Lewis reminds me of this.  As you read it, think about the fact that Christ has given us new life for a reason.  We are to be a living sacrifice who acts as his hands and feet.  This world needs Jesus and, though we are sinners, God has deigned to use us.  Let us go on his behalf.  -Laurie Clapper The Shadow of the Cross   I’m standing in the shadow of the cross. Reflecting on what I’ve gained and what I’ve lost. He came to earth to forgive. He suffered and died so I could live. I wish there was another way, So that Christ could live on earth today. Think of all that he could do, If he were here to walk with me and you.   Heal the sick and feed the poor If he could walk right throug

  J eremiah 23: 16-32 16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17They keep saying to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to all who stubbornly follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, ‘No calamity shall come upon you.’ 18 For who has stood in the council of the Lord   so as to see and to hear his word?   Who has given heed to his word so as to proclaim it? 19 Look, the storm of the Lord!   Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest;   it will burst upon the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back   until he has executed and accomplished   the intents of his mind. In the latter days you will understand it clearly. 21 I did not send the prophets,   yet they ran; I did not speak to them,   yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council,   then they would have proclaime

  Scripture:    But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God’s Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants.   John 4:23 (TEV)   Devotional Thought:    My daughter’s responsibilities as Director of Children and Family Ministries includes leading weekly chapel for 2- to 5-year-olds who attend the church’s day school. Within the group are her own children. Home with a sick child, chapel was missed. Or was it? Truett, only 3 years old and the one who was sick, realized it was chapel day and at home insisted his mother set up and lead chapel for him. When she was done, he continued to lead chapel himself several more times. Why he engaged in this worship play we may never know. Was he internalizing it? Was it so meaningful he did not want to leave the presence of God? Did he realize his friends were not receiving chapel since mom was home, so he was reenacting for each of them? Was he simply practicing wors

                                                                                                                                                                Psalms 51: 10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a loyal spirit within me.   Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.   Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey  you. Psalms 51: 10 – 12 Wouldn’t this make a great daily opening to our private prayer?  Here we read and experience the amazing power of David’s self-reflection and remorse.  How freeing it must have been for David to come before his God to confess his sin and ask to be restored to the joy of his salvation!   I am not sure about you, but I remember as a child running to hide when I did something wrong and I knew my parents would be upset.  My favorite place was under my bed.  I would climb under there and hold my breath in the dark so as to not give myself up.  I thought if they could not find m

  Wilderness-what does this word bring to mind for you? According to Merriam-Webster, one of the meanings of wilderness is  “an empty or pathless area or region”. When taken literally, we may imagine the areas around us that are wooded, barren, or otherwise not scarred or inhabited by humans. We could also imagine an area of quiet and solitude even within our homes that is devoid of noise, digital distractions, thoughts of all we have to do, or the many other ways we fill our mind and environment with near-constant stimuli. I find my best reflection and moments of mental “wilderness” occur when I’m outside and away from the barrage. In looking to the Bible and the life of Jesus, we may recall that Jesus has times when his work is done in busy urban settings, while also recalling the times when he’s in natural settings-bodies of water, mountaintops, and wilderness. Some of his most important moments occur outside. The Bible contains many references to Jesus going outside to pray and ref

Probably one of the finest days in my life was watching my son hit his first homerun on Father's day.  It was a perfect day for weekend travel ball spent with new friends on the team. I think he had 1 ball and 2 strikes.  He's usually patient at the plate, but he was talking all week about getting a homerun. High expectations and hopes are good but need to keep them in check. I kept telling him it would come when the plan was right.  CRACK! It was shot, trajectory still lifting mid center field, and fell deep in the woods behind the fence.  Glad the ball was found by kids from the opposite team helping me look.  What an heirloom.   Another great moment I remember was coaching little league watching Luke Wagner crack a shot to deep left field to help us win the game and secure the undefeated season.  He had worked so hard in practice and its true, hard work pays off.  His smile was priceless etched into my memory.  Of course the team age was 6 and 7 but it didn't matter as h

  Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents; one of my favorite things to do at their house was to pore over their collection of books and magazines. I was particularly fascinated by a book from New Tribes Mission by Elizabeth Elliott – “The Savage, My Kinsman”. Elizabeth and her husband Jim, along with four other couples, were missionaries to the Auca Indians in remote Ecuador; they were learning and recording the language, creating a translation of the Bible, and attempting to reach the Indians with the story of Christ. In 1956, Jim Elliott and four other men were speared to death while on a plane trip to make contact with the Auca tribe. The Elliott’s daughter Valerie was only 10 months old. The stark photos in the book captivated me: the raw language of the title, the Aucas’ scanty (none) clothing, piercings, tattoos and large nose, lip, and ear plugs, the horrific two-page photo of where the murder occurred…these things highlighted a terribly tragic story. But h