Blog Archives

3/31/2023 0 Comments

Holy Week

Beloved of God,

   We are on the cusp of the Easter season and will have a few opportunities you’ll want to be aware of in the coming weeks for worship, fellowship, and service.
   There will be no Sunday School this Sunday, but we will have a potluck brunch during that hour. I hope you’ll plan to bring your favorite breakfast(ish) foods and plan to spend the hour after worship with us. I’m always glad to do breakfast foods as it's about the only meal I can cook with any competency at all. Dishes can be left in the kitchen and little sheets describing your dish and any instructions will be available.
   On Good Friday, April 7th, there will be a service at 6:30 pm for us to remember Jesus’ passion and sacrifice. If you have children, you will want to have them here by 6:15 pm. They will need just a little more time as they engage with Easter through an interactive meditation on the last week of Jesus’ life and ministry.
   If you would like to read Scripture in the Good Friday service, we are still in need of three folks to lead us that evening. You can sign up here or respond via email. It is always helpful to have a variety of voices lead us in the reading of Scripture.

Our Scripture reading this Sunday comes from Psalm 118. It almost has to, because it is the song Matthew tells us the people sang as they escort Jesus into Jerusalem. We tend to read only part of it this time of year, just as we will on Sunday. We read the part that feels like it fits with what Jesus was up to as he entered that city.
   We know that Jesus came to Jerusalem to confront sin and death for the sake of the world. We know he came to lay down his life for us. But that doesn’t seem to be what the crowds in Jerusalem thought he was doing, and if we read this whole Psalm we figure out why.
10    All the nations surrounded me,
       but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
11    They surrounded me on every side,
       but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
12    They swarmed around me like bees,
       but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
       in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

Later next week, we’re going to remember how the crowd turned on Jesus and demanded he be crucified. And if we are surprised it's because we failed to listen to their whole song and take them seriously. This time of year we have to confront who Jesus is and decide again if we’re satisfied with it. If we want him to simply be a wise and noble ancient teacher, we’re going to be disappointed. If we want him to hate all the people we do and subject them to judgment, we’re out of luck. If we want him to be anything besides the one who bore our shame, wickedness, and death so that we can live in him…we’re singing the wrong song.

Please join me this week in praying for:

Christians around the world as we begin Holy Week celebrations. Pray especially for brothers and sisters practicing their faith in places where claiming Jesus publicly is a risk to your safety.
Wisdom.
Those who are grieving, particularly folks in the Covenant Presbyterian community in Nashville, TN.
Our Associate Pastor Search Team.
Those among us who are traveling for Spring Break.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels.
Those who respond to emergencies in our wildlands, on our roadways, in our communities, and even in our homes.
Those who may, grudgingly, step back into a church for the first time in a long time. Pray that God will be close to them in ways they notice.
Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list.)

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

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3/9/2023 0 Comments

What is your manna?

Beloved of God,

If you don’t have lunch plans for Sunday yet, don’t make ‘em! We’d love to have you spend time with your church family this Sunday right after the Sunday school hour (11:45 am) as we potluck together. You'll align with our theme if you can make any Irish cuisine (or St. Patrick-inspired fare), but anything you are willing to share is welcome. Stick around, and eat with us if you can.
Our Wednesday fellowship meals are out the gate and off to a fine start. If you need a night off of dinner prep or want to make that time with your church family a regular part of your week, we’d love to have you. If you have a friend who might be ready to meet some Christian people in a relaxed setting, I hope you’ll bring them along. It’s a great way to meet our church family and to know one another a little better. Next week we’re having tacos, the friendliest food in existence. I hope you’ll feel welcome to join us week by week.

Our Scripture reading for Sunday comes from Exodus 17, a bit of a disappointing moment. The Israelites have come up from the land of Egypt by this point, but they are still learning how to be a people who trust God. God has given them, for the first time, something to bear as a sign of their relationship. This is a brand new thing for them. Before the Israelites bore God’s covenant law, or the ark of the covenant, or the tabernacle trappings, or the presence of priests, God had them carry around something else: manna (Ex 16:34-35).
God has proven faithful and has commanded his people to carry this manna around as a reminder of that faithfulness. But then they run our of water. What we find out in Exoudus 17 is that after all the ways God has proved faithful thus far, Israel doesn’t yet know how to trust him. They can carry that manna everywhere, but if the lesson doesn’t land it won’t matter.
When you find yourself fretting and wondering if God is really faithful, what is your own jar of manna? What is that moment or that sign of God’s faithfulness that you might overlook in your worry? Maybe it is so deep in your story that you don’t even notice it? We all know that the manna rode around in the Ark with the Ten Commandments. But do we realize the manna came first? Take some time to notice places where God has been faithful to you. Do it to be grateful, but also because when things get tough we are supposed to remember those places. God marks our lives with his faithfulness not because he needs reminding of it, but because we do.

Please join me this week in praying for:

Those we know and love who are facing loss or grief.
Family, church folk, and neighbors who are lonely.
Family, church folk, and neighbors who are angry.
Those among us who are carrying worry and care for others who are far away.
In praise for the gift of fellowship with one another.
Wisdom.
Those who respond to emergencies on our roadways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level.
Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).

Your are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

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