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4/5/2023 0 Comments

An end to exile

Beloved of God,

   I hope you’ll make plans to join us for our Easter celebrations on Sunday. For early birds, there is an ecumenical sunrise service at Overlook Point. It starts at 6:30 and is a great way to spend time celebrating the resurrection with other Christians in our community.
   In our regular service at 9:00 AM we’ll be observing the Lord’s Supper together. I’m always so grateful to come to the Lord’s table having been freshly reminded of His resurrection. It is especially important that we get to hold this ordinance together as a congregation called into existence only by and for the resurrected Christ.

   Our Scripture reading for Sunday comes from Jeremiah 31:1-6. There’s nothing tricky about the passage on the first read. It is the kind of promise you read in so many of the prophets about the end of exile and the restoration of God’s people to their rightful place. That’s how we read it anyway. The hard thing for the people of Judah who came back to their promised land is that for them, it never really felt like exile ended.
   The temple never quite got finished (there was still ongoing construction even in Jesus’ day). God never rushed upon that sanctuary in power as he had upon Solomon’s temple in 1 Kings 8:10-11. The returned exiles changed the power of one foreign ruler for another in succession from Persians, to Greeks, to Romans. Physical exile was over, but the feeling of exile lingered.
   Part of what we celebrate at Easter is the end of exile. All that might have separated God from his people is dealt with in the cross of Christ. Sin, death, and absence; Jesus confronts all of these things fully and finally. Exile is over, for God With Us has come and offers all people rescue from sin and fellowship with God.

Please join me this week in praying for:

Christians around the world as we celebrate Easter.
Our brothers and sisters in Eastern Orthodox traditions as they celebrate Holy Week this week.
Wisdom.
Those among us suffering sickness and injury.
God’s help that we might offer a faithful witness in this Easter season as the Spirit gives us opportunity.
Those who respond to emergencies in our wildlands, on our roadways, in our communities, and even in our homes.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels.
In praise for the change of seasons.
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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3/31/2023 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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1/19/2023 0 Comments

Things to pray about this week

Beloved of God,

There are several things I want to make sure you are thinking about and praying about over the next several weeks.

Our Deacons are using the nomination list offered by the congregation to make a recommendation of folks to serve on our Associate Pastor Search Team. This group will be prayerfully pursuing someone who may sense a call to this church and especially to our youth and families. Be praying for the Deacons, for those who may sit on that committee, and for candidates as they discern a call to WRBC.
At the end of the last year, we established in our bylaws a provision for a personnel committee that will oversee much of the church’s relationship with employees. Be praying about folks who may fill those roles well. If you think someone from among our members is especially gifted for that work, tell them so. We often notice our own gifting and calling more clearly with the help of others.
The good and faithful members of our Worship team do much to lead us week by week. They are capable enough to make it look easy, but I’ve seen firsthand how much work they put into preparing a worthy offering. That work is a little easier to carry with a few more ready hands. I hope you’ll take some time to consider if you might be called to serve with our worship team, or in our audio/visual booth. Stephanie Yeamans or I would be pleased to talk it through with you if you like.

Please join me in praying for:

Those among us who are grieving.
Those among us who are sick or hurt.
Parents and grandparents seeking to wisely love and guide their children.
Children who are trying to be faithful and steadfast as they care for their parents.
Those facing the cold of winter with nowhere to go.
In praise for the good work of folks who take care of streets and roadways to make them safe with little notice or recognition.
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 levels. Pray especially for those taking up that task for the first time.
That God might help us to be attentive and tender-hearted both within the church and with our neighbors.
Each other! (If you’d like to be added to our prayer list, please email [email protected])

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1/5/2023 0 Comments

Do we only see Jesus as man?

Beloved of God,

I hope you are managing the whiplash of jumping back into the rhythms of work and service in this early part of the year. I hope you’ll pray about how you might be called to learn, grow, serve and fellowship in this body through the coming months. The adventure of discipleship continues, and there will be plenty of chances this year to dive in.
Please plan on being punctual this Sunday as we will begin the service with a Baptism. We will take to the waters at 9:00 am and continue worship in the great room immediately after. If you find yourself struggling to be punctual, it will do just fine to be discreet instead.

Our Scripture reading for this week is from Isaiah 42:1-9, hot on the heels of God’s message of comfort to Israel in Isaiah 40. We hear the word of the Lord about His servant, a figure that has usually represented Israel as they struggle along after God. But suddenly here, the image is different. The servant of the Lord seems whole and powerful in a way that is surprising. This is one of those passages where Christians can’t help but notice the presence of Jesus.
There are so many images of power and even judgment in Isaiah, that it is startling to me to find a word full of so much gentle confidence. In fact, justice rises out of this very same gentleness and faithfulness.
Isaiah 42:2   He will not shout or cry out,
       or raise his voice in the streets.
3    A bruised reed he will not break,
       and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
   In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4        he will not falter or be discouraged
   till he establishes justice on earth.

It has always been tempting to look at Jesus and see only a man. We can experience his gentleness and his mercy and forget that such kindness isn’t separate from his power, justice, and divinity. Or we can do something even stranger, we can convince ourselves that God is only present in power, judgment, and punishment. But I love that this passage asks us to see Jesus as both fully man and fully God; to see his gentleness and his justice side by side.
   We talked on Sunday about the mystery of the incarnation, and this Sunday we’ll spend time confronting that mystery from the other side. When we look at Jesus, we see God. We know that’s true. But in passages like this one we have to consider whether God is who we thought Him to be, or if there is even more to know. To walk with God is to spend a lifetime shaping our hearts and desires around one so unlike us that He can be perfectly just and perfectly gentle at the same time.

Please join me this week in praying for:

Those among us who are sick, or recovering from sickness.
Those among us who are traveling.
Students and teachers as they return back to class this week.
Those who are facing danger from the colder weather, and have nowhere to go for help.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels especially those assuming those duties for the first time.
Those who respond to emergencies on our roadways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes.
One another (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).