Prayerscapesfor

Lent

Presented by the Order of MinistryChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia

2015

Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18Read Joel 2.1-2, 12-17

From Rev. Thaddaeus B. Allen, Regional MinisterGod calls us to return with “all your heart,” and to “Return to the

Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” The good news, Brothers and Sisters, is that we are being called together afresh this Lent. Lent can be a very powerful time of renewal for the faithful. A solemn assembly of God’s very own (infants, youth and those who have the Gift of Years) is called into being. Thus holy Lent is a time of great gathering of Christ’s Church.

The body of Christ is being consecrated again in the great anticipation of God’s grace and forgiveness. We are not just being called into a private time of reflection and examination, although this is never to be underestimated; but we must be mindful that the community of the baptized is being called collectively to turn to God and to avail ourselves of all that God wants us to have and to experience.

Even in the midst of a world that too often times makes no sense, our God calls us home to grace, mercy, halted anger, and abundant steadfast love. Together we are called towards God in these important and life giving holy days. Let us go together.

May we return to you, dear God, with loving and trusting hearts. May we be made one, and share this gift with your world.

Thursday, Feb. 19Read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

From Rev. David Chafin, Deputy Regional MinisterAlmsgiving (charitable giving), prayer, and fasting are the three

“classic” disciplines of Lent, and indeed, of the Christian way of living. Each of these can pose a challenge for many of us. But the greatest challenge, it seems, lies in the summary statement of Jesus in this clipping from his “Sermon on the Mount:” how the placement of what we treasure can easily tell the tale of the condition of our hearts.

I’ve often bristled at those who excuse what may be extraordinarily bad behavior or poor choices with “but their hearts are in the right place” (or in my slightly southern upbringing “…bless their heart”). Very often the reality of those mis-steps in life really do expose just how much our hearts can find themselves in quite the wrong places.

Yet the reminder is there for us from the Savior – that our investment of energies, our placement of trust, our “deposits” of charity, prayer, fasting – have a self-revealing quality. We are to place our ultimate trust only in “heaven,” that is, in God alone. There, our confidence finds fulfillment and we can rest in the assurance that our hearts really are in the right place. Any other use of even these long-honored acts of devotion are ultimately only fooling ourselves.

By your grace, O God,help us to place our trust in you alone,and learn to rest in your sure provision.

Friday, Feb. 20Read Genesis 9:8-17

From Valerie Parsons, Co-PastorIsland Christian Church, Wheeling

This scripture speaks of God’s covenant with Noah, the promise that God would never again destroy all flesh with a flood. The sign of this covenant was a rainbow in the clouds. My family and I, and my husband’s family before us, have lived on Wheeling Island for most of the last century. Wheeling Island is an actual island in the Ohio River and those that live here experience floods on a regular basis. We also experience all kinds of weather as well as quick changes in weather. One of my favorite stories of “Island weather” happened when the girls were still small. It was during Lent that year and one day I realized it was raining in the backyard and at the same time snowing out front! Awed, I checked to be sure and that’s when I saw the sun come out. We had sunshine and snow and rain simultaneously! I stepped out onto the porch for a better look and saw this huge, vivid rainbow over it all. The weather of our lives may change quickly and often, but God never does. Because unlike a contract based in legalism, God’s covenant is sourced in infinite Love.

God of Love, as we journey through Lent in all kinds of weather,

keep our hearts and minds fixed on you. Amen.

Saturday, Feb. 21Read 1 Peter 3:18-22

From Rev. Lynn White, PastorMannington: First Christian Church,

Shinnston: Charles Street Christian Church, and Worthington: Worthington Christian Church

In my second year as a graduate student on the campus of Phillips University Graduate Seminary, we heard the sound of a pistol shot in the hallowed halls of the Marshall Building. To our surprise, it was indeed a pistol shot from a starter pistol that a fellow seminarian had used to make a dramatic presentation for his senior sermon. The use of the pistol was to illustrate how out of place he felt sometimes as a future minister.

Since then, I have often wondered how many people feel the same way in the life of the church. This seems sad to me since our faith has taught us just how much our God loves us. This text reminds us that Christ came “to save the righteous and the unrighteous.” And more importantly, that salvation is timeless and eternal. Whether it was for those going back to Noah, or even those who are lost now. God’s love is omnipresent – meaning then, now, and future. His salvation can be received, if we will accept the grace God extends.

The church needs to accept and proclaim that. In the Lenten season, never forget that God’s grace is only as far away as prayer. May Christ be with you in this season, and beyond.

Help us to accept your gracious love, O God,and extend your invitation to others. Amen.

First Sunday in Lent, Feb. 22Read Mark 1:9-15

From Rev. Richard Howard, PastorFirst Christian Church, Morgantown

Let’s concentrate on the words of verse 15 for this meditation: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” The Rev. David Ewart, UCC minister in

Vancouver, Canada, comments on his blog, www.holytextures.com, that “believe in the good news” is better translated as “trust into the good news.” It is not an opinion that Jesus seeks from us, but rather a “radical, total, unqualified basing of one's life on his [i.e., Jesus’] good news.” It is a “discover-the-meaning-by-living-into his good news - even to the point of risking being killed for it.” This “trusting into” isn’t an intellectual exercise. And it can’t happen without repentance.

To repent isn’t a call to feel guilty about your ol’ bad self. Rather, to repent is to seek to be transformed, to realign one’s life with “new principles, new beliefs, new understandings, new insights, new objectives, new goals.” Repentance is given by Mark as the first sign of our transformation because our present lives will not live up to his expectations. New life requires the embracing of a new reality. As we make the Lenten journey, may we “live into the good news” and experience the joy of transformation.

O Lord, walk with us on our Lenten journey. Open our souls to the possibility of transformation,

that your joy may be complete in us. Amen.

Monday, Feb. 23Read Psalm 25:1-10

From Prayerscapes 2012, by Rev. Daniel Harry, PastorCommunity Christian Church, Beech Bottom

Fuhgeddaboudit! According to the urban dictionary, this word means, among other things, to “forget about it.” In the season of Lent, Christians try to prepare for the coming of Easter by seeking forgiveness for past sins and resolving to live more righteously.

Psalm 25 is a reminder that the people of God have always tried to do this. The Psalmist is asking God to forget about past sins and transgressions and to be judged according to God’s steadfast love. This is more than forgiveness; it is a complete wiping of any history of the events of the past. Love, as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13, “keeps no record of wrongs.” This is what we want from God.

The Psalmist also asks, “teach me your paths.” This Lent we should practice God’s love toward others. More than forgiving, we must completely forget past wrongs.

Guide us toward your divine forgiveness, O God. Amen.

Tuesday, Feb. 24Read Romans 5.12-19

Guided Meditation from Prayerscapes 2011by Rev. David Chafin, Deputy Regional Minister

You, O God, are the Giver of life. Search my heart.[Pause to consider the ways in which God has given freely to you.]

As I have been gifted by you, help me to grow in gratitude.[How has your life expressed gratitude for God’s gracious gifts?]

Teach me the value of turning away from selfish pursuits,and of sharing your gifts with others.

[Consider ways in which you can enjoy the freedom from sinwhich faith brings to all believers,

and cultivate an awareness of othersand their hungers for freedom, so that you can share with them

the good news of God’s gracious gifts in Jesus Christ.]

O God, receive this day which I offer to you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday, Feb. 25Read Psalm 32

From Rev. Donald Snyder, PastorFirst Christian Church, Beckley

Unlike many of the quite personal poems found in the Psalter, Psalm 32 does not provide the setting in which David uttered it. Nevertheless, three themes become apparent as the king’s words unfold. Sin is real. No matter how much humanity desires to ignore sin or overlook its power, David makes it quite clear that our transgressions are before us. Moreover, God is the only one who can remove this dividing barrier of sin, and the human components of this process are repentance and confession.

While we may not view suffering as the consequence (the fallacy Job’s three friends accepted), confession is more than merely informing

God of one’s sin (He already knows our sins); it is also a turning away from these transgressions to God. This genuine transformation (a turning around to God) allows God’s unfailing providential care, as understood within the context of covenant-relationship, will surround the one who directs their way toward the divine will. The great example of Jesus is His willingness to submit to the Father’s will, whether at His baptism or in Gethsemane, as the means by which we are restored to what is lost by sin: life in the presence of God forever.

O God, may your transforming Spiritbring me to a new turning toward your perfect will. Amen.

Thursday, Feb. 26Read Genesis 17:1-7, 15-17

From Rev. X. Rae Browning, PastorFirst Christian Church, Cumberland, MD

The gist of this text is the hope for a future. This we learn in these words of God to Abraham, telling him to place himself in the care of God the Almighty.

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Cumberland – often imagined as a declining, powerless congregation on the verge of ending – stands to become one which will be serving our Lord through the future. Great concern has hovered over the heads of leaders past and present for what might become of our congregation. We may not have fallen prostrate laughing as Abraham had, struggling to believe the promise of a son and future for generations to come, but holding to our faith as they did, we are creating a Legacy of love and missional outreach that will be perpetuated through the Christian Church Foundation. Cumberland is becoming a “forever church” -- not a building, but a fellowship of faithfulness that will outlive our people.

God is faithful, and will guide us in this life and for generations to come. Yes our numbers are small, but our hearts are big, and we continue to grow in faith every day if we listen and hear, believe and act as Abraham and Sarah did when they were enlisted to receive the covenant and believe in the promises of God. For us, this all comes about through the example of the Living Christ, who continues to walk this earth through all who hold true to faith and serve God by caring for all God’s children.

When things may look bleak, go to the Word and listen to God speaking. God is Almighty, and mighty things he has done and is doing still.

Help us, O God, to trust in youas we look from an amazing past

toward a promised glorious future in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Friday, Feb. 27Read Psalm 22:23-31

From Rev. Wesley Howsare, PastorFirst Christian Church, Moundsville

Our scripture passage falls between the first part of Psalm 22, one of the psalms of suffering, and the famous 23rd Psalm, a psalm of the Shepherd’s care. This second part of Psalm 22 gives praise to the Lord and gives assurances that He will keep His promises, one of which is to care for the needy.

So from a Lenten time and Messianic perspective, we have the suffering and death of the sinless One, the praise and worship of the One who overcomes death and suffering, followed in the 23rd Psalm by the way in which the One, the Great Shepherd, cares for His sheep.

Passion Week can be such a roller coaster of emotions for us. At Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, we weep and are sorrowful for what Our Lord endured before and on the cross—even though we know it was part of the salvation plan for us, part of the way the Shepherd demonstrated His love for His sheep. But then, on Easter Sunday, we rejoice, worship, and praise Him for conquering sin and death, and because He did, we can! We praise Him because He cares for us, and continues to watch over us!

Lord, we praise you, we worship you,and we thank you for your shepherding care. Amen.

Saturday, Feb. 28Read Romans 4:13-25

From Rev. Dr. Larry Grimes, Director of Church RelationsBethany College

Listen to ourselves Christians—We’ve gone to court for Moses:Ten Commandments in the Court House!Charlton Heston in Technicolor and Cinemascope

We have done duty as adherents, as advocates, of the law.We have brought the wrath.

But what have we done for Abraham?Where is the story of the promise and the faithfulness?—God’s promise, God’s faithfulness—Where is grace playing in 3-D and surround-sound?When did we march to carve “steadfast love and mercy” in stone And set them in the Square A proclamation of life to the dead?

When do we shout against cynicism and despair?Against barrenness, against darkness, against the shadow of death?—When do we hope against hope and proclaimthe truth, the fact, of those things which do not exist:a child in Sarah’s barren womb; Jesus raised from the tomb,our bodies raised incorruptible, the Kingdom come on earth,the God come down from heaven, the Light that is not overcome?

Now children of promise, children of faithfulness—even now!

Ever-faithful One, free us from our fearsand lead us to your future. Amen.

Second Sunday in Lent, Mar. 1Read Mark 8:31-38

From Rev. Kenneth Hardway, PastorFirst Christian Church, Wheeling

and Associate Regional Minister for Youth and Young Adults “Is this reasonable?” many use as the question to determine God’s

will. This isn’t a bad question! God gave us minds to use! Yet this text rebukes the supreme authority of reason—rebuke is the key word—for Peter rebukes Jesus based on his own logic and reason of the role of the Messiah in salvation. Jesus shares rebuking in return.

There is very little in the realm of logic and reason that would lead us to Jesus’ claim upon discipleship. God will suffer? We need to take up our cross? Those who lose their life for the sake of the gospel will save it??

Yet in the light of faith—truly a gift from the realm of God, not human logic—what is it that God gives? God gives life. God gives life in creation, and God gives life in salvation. God’s very own life, in Christ, is given. Lost, so as to be found. Given, so others may have life. What could we possibly give in return? Life. For the sake of the gospel. For the sake of all that is holy and right and good. We give our lives, and in so we find life anew, abundant; never lost, and eternal.

You gave your life, and continue to give life in return.May we, too, give our lives for the sake of your gospel for the world.

Amen.

Monday, Mar. 2Read Psalm 62

From Rev. Jayne Chafin, PastorFirst Christian Church, Ravenswood

I spend a great deal of my time alone – well unless you include the dog and two cats. And it’s seldom in silence. I have always had the TV or radio on “for company.” Some kind of noise around, maybe, in some way, to keep me engaged with the world around me. I don’t know.

Most of us are uncomfortable with silence, it seems, at least in the day-to-day, no matter what the reason for it is. Like those moments in a busy restaurant when suddenly the noise level drops and you feel like you’re shouting across the table, often inducing nervous laughter, the feeling that everyone’s looking at you, listening in on your conversation. In leading moments of prayer, I was taught to listen during the silence and when the “rustling” starts, then you go on with the rest of the prayer. Don’t want people getting uncomfortable.

Here the Psalmist reminds us that there is much more to silence than just enduring it. God is in the silence! And I am reminded that my hope, my salvation, is from God. I will not be shaken, for God is with me. God is still speaking to us. And maybe God speaks once, but attuned ears may hear it twice – or even more, because power does indeed belong to God. Maybe once in awhile we need to step back and let God’s love and power envelop us. Enjoy the silence.

Speak to me now, O God, while I wait for you in silence. Amen.

Tuesday, Mar. 3Read Romans 1.1-15

From Rev. Daniel Harry, PastorCommunity Christian Church, Beech Bottom

The season of Lent is often thought of as a time for introspection and contemplation. Many think the journey through Lent is a strictly personal one. The scripture for today contains two verses that should mitigate such thinking. In verse 12, Paul writes, “…that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” While it may be possible to strengthen one’s faith in isolation, it is much easier in community. One’s faith is strengthened both by the encouragement of others and by the act of encouraging others. The guardian angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life” caused George to jump in the river to save him thus preventing George’s suicide.

Our faith is bolstered when we help others through a crisis. However, it is not just individuals who need to look outward in this season. In verse 14, Paul reminds us the obligation to increase faith extends to the whole world. In Lent, the community of faith should find strength in helping other communities spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. As each community touches another, a greater community is formed and it is strengthened by providing succor to all who are under trial.

Help us, O God, to see the wider picture,to find you in finding the other. Amen.

Wednesday, Mar. 4Read Psalm 95

From Rev. Janice Hill, PastorFirst Christian Church, Parkersburg

This beautiful call to worship reminds us how awesome our God is and worthy of our praise! Oh that we would have that view every time we meet!

And then there’s verse 7b, “O that today you would listen to his voice!” Isn’t that what we need? To stop and listen to God! So many of our (my) problems are self-induced, because we harden our hearts and do things our way.

I have found that my daily decisions make up my life. Daily I have to decide to do what I have committed to do – to trust and follow God who is faithful and deserves praise and honor. Worship helps me in that task – reminding me who God is; and it’s not me!

Holy One, forgive me when I allow my pride to interfere with what I know is best. Amen.

Thursday, Mar. 5Read Exodus 20:1-17

From Rev. Dr. Gregory WidenerHuntington

I have to freely admit that when I think of Lent, the Ten Commandments do not often come to mind—in fact they never come to mind! Rules are not popular in this anti-authoritarian culture today, and as Christians, we are proud of the fact that our faith is not simply a set of rules that we must obey. We claim that Christianity is fundamentally a relationship with God through Jesus of Nazareth, so for us, relationships matter far more than laws—even the laws of God.

But should not the Lenten season be a time of repentance, when we seek to surrender our lives to God in new and fresh ways? As we seek to strengthen and improve our lives with Christ, should we not be concerned with what God desires of us, particularly during this special time of year? Are not rules just a way of defining the dynamics of relationships and without God’s rules, laws, and precepts life would be chaos?

Most of us have heard correctly that the first half of the Ten Commandments concerns our relationship with God, and the second half of the list proscribes our relationships with other human beings. These commandments are far more than just a list of rules, they are a proscription for holy living. If followed, these commandments will produce God’s holy Shalom in the world, and if that is not a good thing during the season of Lent, I do not know what is!

O God, help us to live solely for you, with all our mind, heart, and strength. Amen.

Friday, Mar. 6Read Psalm 19

From Douglas McDaniel, PastorFirst Christian Church, Bluefield

When asked what I’ll be giving up during the Lenten Season, my answer has become the same with each passing year: “I’ll be giving up

self.” It seems to me that too much effort is exhausted on, the big M. E. Well, that’s my answer. I can’t speak for you, but I can say that when I begin fasting from self and filling up on God’s word, something very special happens. It’s as if my senses are renewed and my focus, well it comes into focus. The Psalmist certainly seemed to have a clear view of who God is, and that is my desire as well. I hope you’ll make it yours.

Thomas O. Chisholm would pen these words in 1897, and I hope that you will consider it your prayer.

Oh! To be like Thee, blessed Redeemer, This is my constant longing and prayer;Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.Oh! To be like Thee, oh! To be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness; Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Saturday, Mar. 7Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

From Rev. Judy BennettBridgeport, OH

If memory serves me correctly, I was about 10 years old the year that the days leading up to Easter Sunday began to take on significance for me. Looking back I can imagine that the minister and one of the creative members of my home church had combined their inspirations to create a series of messages and worship displays that I can still picture vividly over sixty years later. A few weeks before Easter - behind a thick layer of transparent mesh - a huge cross appeared front and center in the sanctuary. Each Sunday following, the transparency would become clearer with additional symbols being added until Easter Sunday when the mesh was gone and the cross was beautifully adorned and surrounded with fragrant flowers of spring. The messages that accompanied the changing scene were all centered on the cross and what it meant to our lives.

Often along the way on our spiritual journey, we lose our focus as we struggle to navigate our faith and our relationships with each other. Out of focus, we lose the clarity of vision and wisdom necessary to proclaim the message of the cross which is the power of God. Today and in the days ahead as we move ever closer to the cross, may our

faith be rekindled and strengthened so that we who are being saved may draw on the everlasting power of God that belongs to each of us.

God of grace and mercy, as we move ever closer to the cross of Calvary, bless us with eyes that see clearly,

and help us to boldly claim the power of the cross that is ours for the claiming. Amen.

Third Sunday in Lent, Mar. 8Read John 2:13-22

From Rev. Kevin Bowers, PastorFirst Christian Church, Weirton

We are called this Lenten Season to examine our lives. As I read this scripture I think about Jesus overturning the tables which the people were sitting at and counting on. I must look into my life. I can find many things that I find myself “sitting at and counting on” which are not spiritually healthy. There are areas of my life that need to have those tables overturned, so that Jesus might enter and have a greater and stronger presence. Far too often, I find what needs to be overturned is the baggage I carry. I carry hurts, problems, discouragements, and resentments from years past. It’s difficult to live in the present when I’m carrying all those other years. They need to go, so I can live a richer, fuller life. I’m reminded of two monks who were walking down a path. They found a woman on the other side of the creek who needed to cross. One of the monks, who wasn’t supposed to touch a woman, went over and carried her to the other side. As the two monks walked on their way, the second monk kept harassing the monk who helped, stating what a fool he was for touching the woman and how he would have to go through a purification process again. He kept repeating it over and over again. Finally the first monk said: “I let go of her three miles ago. You’re still carrying her with you.” This Lent, let’s let go of the baggage of the past. It’s difficult to live today with our life full of problems of the past.

For the sake of your desire for me, O God,help me to release my yesterdays and receive your tomorrows. Amen.

Monday, Mar. 9Read Psalm 77

From Rev. David Chafin, Deputy Regional MinisterWhile I’m always grateful to look back on how God has always seen

me through hard times, it’s not so pretty when I’m in the midst of them. Israel was called to frequently repeat the stories of God’s glorious acts of deliverance, and Jewish tradition continues to do so, even today. The Psalmist was enduring some very hard times, but the lament of his suffering calls to mind the wonderful ways in which God has done great things for the faithful.

As Christians often call to mind the joys of God’s deliverance – every Sunday, in fact, at the holy Table – we are reminded, even in the midst of our suffering, that God has always seen us through, journeying with us even through the stormiest seas. When hard times come, and we’re tempted to spend Sunday morning in the quiet of our homes, it would do us well to be reminded that there is no better way for us to call to mind those stories of God’s victory and presence in the midst of our storms, and to receive the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus, than to hear the words offered by the one who would face the darkest night of all: “This is my body given for you.”

As you have given yourself for us, Lord Jesus,open our eyes to a new awareness of your saving presence

in the here and now of our sufferings. Amen.

Tuesday, Mar. 10Read John 7.37-52

From Rev. Jacque Parlato, Assoc. PastorMadison Avenue Christian Church, Huntington

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional.

Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nation…”

(The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Christmas Sermon, 1967)Today’s Gospel reading reminds us of centuries of rivalry, debate and

separation over our beliefs. It is also a reminder of ways in which even the slightest differences can result in division rather than unity as believers in Christ.

If we are people of faith, yet define sin as that which separates us from God, let us strive to make peace with our differences and rejoice in our faith that binds us to one another and to God through Christ.

As we journey toward the cross during this Lenten season, may we be intentional in our relationships with all of God’s children, welcoming those who are different, yet thirsty for live-giving water. Let our loyalties rest in the hope of the living water that leads us into faith and truth.

Living God, during this Lenten season, fill us with a desire to be refreshed and renewed

by your life-giving water through your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.Wednesday, Mar. 11Read Psalm 23

From Rev. Rodney Hubbs, PastorFirst Christian Church, McMechen

What does the word, "friend," mean to you? According to Webster, the word friend means someone you know well and you cherish. My interpretation of a friend is someone who knows you and still loves you. As we read the 23rd Psalm, does it not describe a friend? He gives us rest, He gives us water, He leads us in paths of righteousness for His namesake. He is with me even in the Valley of Death. He cares for me in front of my enemies. Are those not the attributes of a true friend? He died for the sins that I have committed. This Lenten season, perhaps, if we took all this into consideration and passed on His love to others, I am sure it would please him. He set an example for us in this Psalm of what a friend should be willing to do for others. In answer to my initial question, “friend” means Jesus, to me.

God, help each of us to become a friend tosomeone during this Lenten season. Amen

Thursday, Mar. 12Read Numbers 21:4-9

From Rev. William Pollack, PastorFirst Christian Church, Princeton

How does God get our attention? Though we may not like it, or even understand His purpose in them; He sometimes sends tests to try our faithfulness to Him. So we see in our text today, that because of the

impatience and rebellion of the people, God sends fiery serpents into the camp of Israel and many died as a result. He had their attention! Coming to Moses they pleaded for relief. Moses went to the Lord and was instructed to make a standard with a bronze serpent. When the people bitten would turn their eyes to the bronze serpent, they would be healed.

It is no different for our day. Bitten, we can find healing too. From a cross, Jesus offers words which invite all who are traveling in the midst of a wilderness to find a place of healing and relief. During this Lenten season, let us give our attention to the cross and find our help in time of need. He calls for us to look and be healed.

Heavenly Father, for Your gift of a cross we thank You. Refresh us in these days of Lent

and we will follow You wherever You lead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, Mar. 13Read Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

From Rev. Dr. Larry Grimes, Director of Church RelationsBethany College

Church, this lent we must repent. We have dumped the law upon the people. “Thou shall not,” does not save.It prevents the wounds, but it does not heal the slashwhich will come to all flesh:sickness, distress, destruction.Iniquities inhere in the marrow.All flesh is corruptible, all flesh corrupt.

Then comes the balm of the LordWho is good, whose steadfast loveendures forever and ever, Hallelujah!And let’s hear an “Amen!” church.A “so be it!” from the redeemed.

A “so be it!” from the healed.A “Hallelujah, Amen!” for the wondrous works God has wrought.Name them. Proclaim them. Tell them to the children. Ring them, sing them, songs of joy.In deeds of thanksgiving make them known.

So be it, Lord! We will praise you for your wondrous works! Amen.

Saturday, Mar. 14Read Ephesians 2:1-10

From Rev. Dr. Victor Hunter, PastorFirst Christian Church, New Martinsville

“God, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised up with Christ Jesus.” God is the first word and focus of our Lenten reflections. It is before the life-giving God that we stand, not some mirror of self-introspection. The three devotions of Lent point to this.

Prayer: reminding us of our relationship with God. Fasting: reminding us to give up in order to “lighten-up.” Almsgiving: reminding us to “give away.”

Why? So that we can live life-alive in Christ. We “pray up” to focus on our life before God.

We “give up” and “give away” in order to make room for the authentic life of the spirit. Lent’s focus on simplicity is to help us “lighten up” in order to “live it up.”

“For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

Howard Thurman provides this wisdom: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive!”

Enlighten us, O God, to the way of life,as we unburden ourselves from all which keeps us

from truly living. Amen.

Fourth Sunday in Lent, Mar. 15Read John 3:14-21

From Rev. Sarah WebbWheeling

This text is the cherished prized in the middle of unfamiliar bookends. “For God so loved the world ….” We could say it in our sleep. We know it so well it is almost cliché. Even then, the security of it holds something in place deep within us.

What strikes me about this passage is how little I remember about the verses that precede and follow the heart of it. The reference to Moses lifting up a bronze serpent in the wilderness casts us back to the Israelites who were full of complaints and misery and lack of trust. (See Numbers 21.) The other bookend brings us to judgment, and light and darkness.

Today’s reading falls on this fourth Sunday of Lent, just five days before the Spring Equinox. Our season of darkness is turning toward the light. Darkness can be a powerful metaphor for the unawakened parts of ourselves: the unknown aspects which have been too daunting for us to face full on, but which hold vital life force. Here is where the cherished prize anchors us. Our security in God’s love for us - the absolute knowing that God so loves us and gives us life through Christ - gives us the courage to allow ourselves to be deeply and fully human. Can we embrace both the darkness and lightness we carry within us? Can we look upon our human struggles with compassion and loving kindness? A wholeness waits in that acceptance.

From your enormous love, O God, may we learn to love ourselves. Amen.

Monday, Mar. 16Read Psalm 89.1-18

From Valerie Parsons, Co-PastorIsland Christian Church, Wheeling

Author John O’Donahue in his work stressed that many Christians have lost the elemental aspect of their faith, and instead treat spirituality as psychology.

We spend most of our time in our heads and lose out on a vital part of the life of faith, joy. This Psalm, as so many of them do, speaks poetically of the wonders of the heavens and the earth, the splendor of the sea. But we get overscheduled, overloaded, tired and we lose our

joy and find ourselves feeling like we’re just going through the motions of life. Without our heart in it, everything becomes a chore. If we’ve lost our joy, we’ve lost God as our center. One of the easiest ways for me to regain God as the center of life is to experience the elements: earth, air, fire, water. I try to walk every day. Just the sight of a cardinal resting on a still bare branch, fluffy clouds moving across a brilliant blue sky, the wind against my face, or the sight of sunlight shimmering on the river refreshes and enlivens my spirit. All of creation sings of God’s glory and so does my heart.

God of all creation, as we make the journey to the cross and ultimately, Easter,

keep us centered in You, that we may rejoice in it all. Amen.

Tuesday, Mar. 17Read John 6.16-27

From Prayerscapes 2011, by Rev. Dr. Larry GrimesDirector of Church Relations, Bethany College

I am terrifiedmy family storms around melightning bolts from my tongue

It is evening, dark, and my life has beenrowing, rowing, rowing—back ached and arched.Bent from the metaphorical miles of rowing, rowing . . .

I am terrified at my doing, the lightning,my tongue, the storm, the evening, the dark.

How did I hear it above the storm? Did I hear it?

“It is I.”

In the hearing, if I heard it, there was no more rowing,no more storm or dark or sea. In the hearing, if I heard it …

“It is I.”

Lord we meet you in storms. We meet your in night-terrors.

And you greet us and say, “It is I.”You land us safely, and then you feed us the food that does not perish--

the food of eternal life. Praised be your name! Amen.

Wednesday, Mar. 18Read Psalm 130

From Rev. Delma ParrisLost Creek

So many of the Psalms are written “out of the depths”, i.e., out of the writer’s authentic self. When I think of my own prayer life and my own attempts at talking to God, I realize that they are often from the surface. I pray what I think God wants to hear, or I am in a hurry and pray some generic prayer.

Lent always calls me to look at my depths, to bring to God my authentic self, and to lift up my most heart-felt joys, gratitude, fears, guilt, and whatever else may be real to me. No pretense. No fluff. Just the real stuff.

Dear Lord, as the Psalmist had patience to trust and to wait on you may we pour out our heart to you,

assured that you will hear our prayer and embrace us in your grace and mercy. Amen

Thursday, Mar. 19Read Jeremiah 31:31-34

From Rev. Dr. Steven Jumper, PastorFirst Christian Church, Cameron

In these 4 verses, Jeremiah writes about how God was going to establish a New Covenant with Israel and Judah. This covenant was going to be different than the one God established with Moses at the top of Mount Saini which was referred to as the Mosaic covenant. The Mosaic covenant was important in pointing out the pathway that believers should walk. God never designed the Mosaic covenant as a means to obtain salvation. The problem with the Mosaic covenant was not in God’s provision, but in Israel’s response. The Israelites had continually broken the covenant. Time and again priests and prophets called God’s people to repent, but what little change of heart they experienced was soon abandoned. A godly king by the name of Josiah

destroyed all the idols that were in the land. But not long after king Josiah died, the people turned to the worship of idols and therefore the hearts of the people were unchanged. Only God can change the hearts of people: thus a New Covenant was needed.

The New Covenant was established by the atoning death of Jesus Christ and would be available to anyone who “would confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead would be saved. (Romans 10: 9)

Lord, thank you for the New Covenant and for salvation through Jesus Christ. Amen

Friday, Mar. 20Read Psalm 51:1-12

From Prayerscapes 2009, by Rev. Dr. Larry Grimes Director of Church Relations, Bethany College

Ready or not, here I come!

Before you do, hide your face from my sinsReady or not, here I come!Before you do, blot out all my iniquities.Ready or not, here I come!Before you do, blot out my transgressions.Ready or not, here I come!Before you do, scrub me clean, wash me whiteReady or not, here I come!Before you do, meet me with your steadfast loveReady or not here I comeBefore you do, greet me with your mighty mercyReady or not here I come!As you do, let me sing with joy and gladnessReady or not here I come!As you do, let my crushed bones rejoice

Ready or not here I come!Amen.

Saturday, Mar. 21Read Hebrews 5:5-10

From Rev. Scott Thayer, PastorBethany Memorial Church and Chaplain of Bethany College

“Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;crown him! crown him! Prophet and Priest and King!”

These words, taken from Fanny Crosby’s beloved hymn, “Praise Him! Praise Him!” (CH #93) are ones that we have probably sung many times in worship services. We have no trouble thinking of Christ as Prophet and King, but sometimes that word “Priest” sticks in our Protestant throats. We don’t usually think of Jesus as a Priest. But the book of Hebrews gently leads us into the inner sanctuary of God where the living Christ serves as High Priest for all of us. He knows all about our ignorance, our waywardness, our weakness and our sin. But despite our many liabilities, Jesus remains steadfast, lovingly offering the sacrifice of himself on our behalf.

We need Jesus as Prophet and King, no doubt. But maybe we need him as Priest most of all, faithfully making reconciliation possible between a deeply flawed humanity and an absolutely holy God.

O God, we thank you for Christ our faithful High Priest, who forever lives to make intercession for us! Amen.

Fifth Sunday in Lent, Mar. 22Read John 12:20-33

From Rev. Jayne Chafin, PastorFirst Christian Church, Ravenswood

I always feel like I’m missing something when I read this part of John’s Gospel. Some Greeks want to see Jesus. They don’t say why, just that they want to see Jesus. They tell Phillip, Phillip tells Andrew and together Phillip and Andrew tell Jesus. Seems like a lot of fuss and worry over “somebody’s at the door and would like to see you.” Did the message get twisted, like in the old game telephone? And Jesus’ response is to launch into this speech that leads to him telling them what kind of death he would have.

Some days that’s how it feels. I want to “see” Jesus. I want to be able to hear him speak to me about what I want to hear, what I think I

need to hear. And then something (or someone) gets in the way (at least in my mind) and the response I get is not what I was expecting or hoping for.

Jesus, I don’t want to hear about your death. I don’t want to hear about how difficult this is going to be. I don’t want to lose my life. I’m here to learn about all the great things you have done and how I can do them, too. But you know me so well. You know the depths of my heart and you know that deep down I really want to hear your thundering voice so that I know I’m on the right path, following you the way I should. Maybe I need to drop my expectations and desires and “needs” and open my ears and heart to what you are saying to me.

Speak to me anew, O Christ, even today, even now. Amen.

Monday, Mar. 23Read Isaiah 50.4-9a

Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (12th C.); translated by James W. Alexander (1830); Public Domain

O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down, now scornfully surrounded with thorns, your only crown. O sacred head, what glory and blessing you have known! Yet, though despised and gory, I claim you as my own.

My Lord, what you did suffer was all for sinner's gain; mine, mine was the transgression, but yours the deadly pain. So here I kneel, my Savior, for I deserve your place; look on me with thy favor and save me by your grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank you, dearest Friend,

for this, your dying sorrow, your pity without end? Lord, make me yours forever, a loyal servant true, and let me never, never outlive my love to you.

Tuesday, Mar. 24Read John 9.1-17

From Mark Mayer, Co-PastorIsland Christian Church, Wheeling

“Now, keep your eyes closed as I remove this patch. It’s going to be bright, but tell me what you see,” said the doctor, five days after getting hit in the eye with a baseball. I was playing in center-field when, “Crack!” The highest fly ball I had ever seen, came like a rocket to the outfield. As I settled under the ball, I don’t know if it was someone on the third-base line whistling at the sight of the ball, or if it was the sound of the ball making re-entry into earth’s atmosphere as it came down towards me. I raised my glove, and the ball skimmed off the top of the webbing of my glove and smacked me on the outside corner of my left eye. I spent two days in the hospital, waiting for the swelling to go down and the headache to go away. When I opened my eye, everything was blurry, but soon came into focus. I was going to be all right. No baseball for another week, but eventually I would be all right.

Even though I had not been “blind from birth” like the man in this Gospel reading, when my sight was returned, I was thankful to God for the gift that I had been given. And, I was thankful for the faith that carried me through that anxious time. The blind man had faith, and sight was given to him. What gifts are you “blind” to in your life? Let go…and let God. Have some “blind faith!”

Open my eyes to all that you have given – even those gifts which have escaped my notice. Amen.

Wednesday, Mar. 25Read Psalm 118.1-2, 19-29

From Rev. Judy BennettBridgeport, OH

How wonderfully exciting! So very personal! You are MY God! God of the universe, God of all creation, God of the sun, the moon, the stars, God of the air that I breathe and every breath that I take, God of everything one can imagine: You are mine! And I will give you thanks.

Just reading this Psalm of love and praise makes me smile. If I ponder it long enough, I begin to feel the joy well up within me – true joy – that joy that is so much more than just happiness, that joy that no adverse circumstance or individual can steal from me. And as wise men came bearing gifts to the Christ Child in Bethlehem, what gift can I in my wisdom bring as my tribute of praise to God, now that my Lenten journey with the Christ nears Jerusalem? Is there a sacrifice or a penance that I can personally offer in order to extol my God? No. The greatest gift of thanks that I can give is to live joyfully, knowing that the journey from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and beyond is because of love – my God’s love for me – for I am His, and He is mine. Praise God!

O God, I sing your praise and give you thanks for your goodness and the blessings of life, light and love

with which you shower me daily. Amen.

Thursday, Mar. 26Read Psalm 42

From Tom Chafin, PastorFirst Christian Church, St. Albans

Although the writer of this moving psalm is not named, most believe David to be its author. If so, he probably wrote it during a strained family relationship with his third son (Absalom) when David was separated from his people, his throne and his wealth. During that time, he endured the oppression of his enemies and rumors that God had forsaken him.

This psalm depicts the struggle we often experience between pessimism and optimism as we vacillate between doubt and faith, despair and hope, looking at our circumstances and then looking at God.

The psalmist still referred to God as his “rock.” God was his solid strength and defense. Even though he felt that he had been forgotten, he knew that such could not possibly be the case. Even as he felt the painful mocking and sarcastic words of his adversaries, he continued to hope in God. He continued to believe that God would change the

expression of his face to gladness. The psalmist did not lose hope or faith during his struggles.

We should not forget that God never forsakes nor forgets us evenif life's circumstances overwhelm us. Remember that God is near, and nothing can separate us from His presence or concern.

In life, in death, in life beyond death, you are with us, O God,and we shall praise you now and always. Amen.

Friday, Mar. 27Read Psalm 31.9-16

From Rev. Earl ShawMinister of the Word for the Region

In Joan Stott’s writing “The Timeless Psalms”, she describes a bleak picture of the man of whom she writes, claiming him to be in a state of personal lament due to the state of his immediate personal affairs. He appears to be seriously ill or possibly even close to death and he is telling God how he really feels physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In the midst of his talking with God, he cries out, “Lord, be for me a great rock of safety.” This is a man who has faithfully lived his life in God’s “own circle of unfailing love.” And, as he prayed he cried out “God, Save Me,” through all his angst and despair until, at last, he is able to let go.

The Psalmist’s prayer benefits each of us just as it was to benefit our Lord and Savior as He was led to the cross. Do we, too, not also try to understand and explain the “Faithfulness of God?” A God whose love is unfaltering, unwavering, unyielding, and unquestioning. A God who reaches out and enters in both at the same time. A God whose love for all creation is second to no other.

The Psalmist’s prayer does not end with him. It is a prayer for all people of all time, regardless of their fears, reservations, age, or ailments to yet be able to cling to God, saying, I Love You, I Trust You, my future is in your hands.

O God, release me from my anxieties and bring me into a new-found place free of doubt and worry. “Make Your face shine upon Your

servant; Save me for Your mercies sake.” Amen.

Saturday, Mar. 28Read Philippians 2.5-11

From Rev. Darrell PierceClarksburg, WV

This scripture contains a summary of Jesus’ existence from before the beginning of time until after the end of time. Before time, Jesus was with God and equal to God. There could not be a more honored place, could there? From this high position he voluntarily humbled himself by two great steps downward. He became a human with human problems, weaknesses, and temptations. Then he voluntarily accepted death on the cross, including the curse God himself had pronounced on one “hung on a tree.” No other person in history has taken upon himself the sins of all people. No person in all of history has so humbled himself or been so humbled. But when time is no more, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess his Lordship. And so by humbling himself, he enabled God to glorify him even above the place he held before creation. Lent calls for us to voluntarily and intentionally humble ourselves. We are called to forget honor and glory as we seek the humbleness of Jesus in his incarnation. As Jesus’ example shows us, humbling ourselves enables God to lift us up, perhaps higher than we have ever been before.

Dear Jesus, help us to be your true disciples by following you in humbleness as we try to follow you in all things. Amen.

Palm/Passion Sunday, Mar. 29Read Mark 14:1-11

From Rev. Kevin Snow, PastorCentral Christian Church, Huntington

and Associate Regional Minister for Youth and Young Adults Agitation is important in life. An agitator helps our dirty laundry

become clean. Agitation keeps a room cool in the summer or warm during the winter. A ceiling fan does this good work, moving stagnant, still air up or down. Agitation keeps us from becoming too comfortable, it prevents our relationships from becoming predictable, and it guards our passions from complacency.

Agitation is also an important part of our faith. Our primary images of Jesus are comforting: savior, redeemer, teacher, healer, friend, etc. However, sometimes Jesus words force us to think differently. Occasionally, Jesus says things I would rather he didn’t. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” or “…from now on do not sin again.” In Matthew, Jesus calls a Canaanite woman a dog. Today’s words are equally difficult: “You always have the poor with you…you will not always have me.”

It is easy to avoid the agitation Holy Week offers. To miss the shouts of “Hosanna!” changing to “Crucify him!” To move from palm waving parades to the triumph of an empty tomb without the pain of crucifixion and the despair of death. A woman anoints Jesus, forcing the group to encounter tough realities and hear difficult words. Are we open to the same?

O God, open our hearts and minds to agitation, challenging words, and uncomfortable circumstances,

that our faith will be deepened, our wisdom expanded, and our horizons broadened. Amen.

Holy Monday, Mar. 30Read Isaiah 42.1-9

From Prayerscapes 2011, by Rev. William Pollack, Pastor First Christian Church, Princeton

The words of the Prophet should be music in our ears. We are told of the coming Servant who will make the world a better place by bringing justice, light and a newness of life for the people. We should rejoice at this news as we find ourselves in the midst of a world that often reflects the opposite of God’s plan. We also long for a new direction, light for the journey and seek the justice for our lives. Just let us not forget that, while we search, we are called to be the same for those who walk in darkness. This Lenten season, may we be the very things we are seeking to a world that is sought for by our Lord.

O God, may we rejoice in your call to live a servant life in the world. As you supply us with all we need, may we offer the same blessings

to others whom you send our way. Amen.

Holy Tuesday, Mar. 31Read Psalm 71:1-12

From the hymns of Rev. David Chafin, Deputy Regional Minister

When all the world forsakes and flees, O Lord, stay nearby.As we lift to you our pleas, Savior hear our cry.Let no evil overtake us; Jesus, now do not forsake us.In your image, Lord, remake us. To your flock stay nearby.

Behold with mercy gathered here the lambs of your arms.Turn not away, but calm our fears, shelter us from harm,That we may for those in need be the fountain and the seed,and by our love may gently lead the wond’ring ones home to you.

Holy Wednesday, Apr. 1Read Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

From Rev. William FlewellingProctor

In the midst of the week called Holy, the week remembering the passion of Jesus from the so-called triumphal entry into Jerusalem to crucifixion on Friday and the numb Sabbath day before Easter arrives, we pause on Psalm 116 this Wednesday. This turning day finds us, in a historical fashion, wondering what is going on. We thought we knew last Sunday – but then a growing sense of disappointment has filled the week, for all we thought we knew is proving to be a mistake. Sorting things out in the midst of confusion rarely proves successful; we miss too many hints and misjudge the ones we do, sort of, notice. We are posed in this faith-relationship with God on a day in the midst of uncertainty.

Of course, the Psalm goes on to identify what is in mind – lift up the cup of salvation; pay upon our vows; offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving – all in the midst of Jerusalem. But we come here to this question of “what” in an unsettled state. Everything seems out of balance though we are not really in a state to acknowledge that fact: we really want to hold onto the certainties we had in mind when following the donkey into Jerusalem last Sunday. What is it we can render to the Lord? – literally, what shall I return to Yahweh (of) all his benefits upon me? Here, when nothing is going as we thought it ought to go, when all sorts of things feel like they are unraveling though we have been so sure of the real trajectory of the Lord all through our time of following him, what shall we return to the

Lord? Why, it is feeling like we aren’t really sure what it is we have, how we can spell out our benefits that have accrued upon us! Not knowing where we are going, or how we will get there, what might be the sort of falling out of events to resolve this odd day – the third day from the entrance, we don’t know yet – playing history – of the supper tomorrow night, nor the Garden, the whirlwind collapse of our dreams and schemes, our finding our Lord the victim, offered in love for us and for God to wrench free what we don’t know is bound in pride and confusion. We do come knowing that we are in the business of returning in the way of offering our love for him, for God, for God’s unfathomable love. We will learn soon enough what it is we have to offer.

Receive, O God, the offering we are still discovering, the gift of ourselves, our love, our peace, our newly humble graces, our share in

your sublime gift in the love of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Holy Thursday, Apr. 2Read John 13:1-17,31b-35

From Rev. Dr. William B. AllenRegional Minister Emeritus

Our Holy Thursday gospel reading in Year B (this year) is from John – and, as we have come to expect from John, it is quite different from the accounts of the Last Supper that we find in the other three gospels. There is no institution of the Eucharist, no breaking of bread, no sharing of the chalice.

There is, however, the dramatic washing of the disciples’ feet which we do not find in the other gospels and the giving of a new commandment.

We - like the twelve - need to learn and relearn the lesson of the washing of feet. “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” What a dramatic invitation to care for one another in unified submission to Christ!

And then that new commandment (this is where we get the name “Maundy Thursday,” Maundy coming from the same root as command): “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you should love one another.”

And while this is not our usual, upper room take on Holy Thursday, it certainly illuminates the place of the holy supper in our life, an extravagant infusion of mutual love and care.

Lord Jesus Christ, when we gather at your table, empower us to care for one another as you care for us,

to love one another as you love us. Amen.

Good Friday, Apr. 3Read Isaiah 52:13—53:12

From Rev. Kenneth Hardway, PastorFirst Christian Church, Wheeling

and Associate Regional Minister for Youth and Young Adults Today is the day. Dark. Dreadful. Deserted. Alone. Is he afraid?

From where will help come? Why is such a gruesome symbol of torture and death the central symbol of the faith?

Who knew this suffering servant would be Jesus? Kind and loving. Laughing and crying among the people. Bringing healing and wholeness. Why must the world continue to reject the very thing that will save it?

Yet God is on the cross. Christ became on this day the solidarity of God with all whom are lonely, deserted, afraid, and scorned. In Christ, on this day, God is one with all the innocent who are wrongly convicted, and the just who are persecuted. God bore the cross by the iniquitous hands of the powerful and the haughty, and now bears the mark of complete unity with those who are infirmed and afflicted.

Who among us hasn’t felt alone, afraid, scorned and accursed? Who among us hasn’t known the bruises begotten by the rod of unfaithfulness? Who among us hasn’t suffered by the perceived powers of death?

We will hear good news of newness of life resurrected. But today is not that day. Today is the day to examine the cross. What is in the suffering?

Today is the day we choose the cross of Christ. God stands with us in our suffering. We, too, stand with those who suffer. And in this solidarity, I know there is redemption somewhere. Today is not the day. But that day is coming.

Today is the day, O Christ.Where will we meet you? How shall we stand with you?

May we find redemption in it. Amen.

Holy Saturday, Apr. 4Read Mark 15:42-47

From Rev. Dr. W. Darwin CollinsVice-President, Christian Church Foundation

What would life be without those expectant events of life? Births, marriages, holidays, birthdays, new jobs, family visits, retirements…and for Joseph of Arimathea, and us, the coming of God’s kingdom.

These weeks and days of Lent are a time of waiting and expectancy of the celebration of our hope in the resurrection of Jesus, our Christ. We wait expectantly for that celebration and the renewal of our faith that resurrection is a truth, not just for Jesus, but us as well.

Yet, in his expectancy, Joseph gave us an excellent model of how to wait. He did some shopping (the linen), he prepared the grave, he recruited helpers to carry the body, and he made preparations to secure the tomb. The waiting period of expectancy is not idle time, but time of making preparations. Surely we experience that as we prepare to receive either a new child or family visitors and friends.

The whole of the Lenten season is dedicated to a preparation, not solely of our homes and churches for the Easter observance, but for our spirits to be renewed in our hope and expectation of our living Christ. Even on this final day of Lent…may we work to prepare in our expectancy!

Come Lord, Jesus, come! Amen!

Easter Sunday, Apr. 5Read Mark 16:1-8

From Rev. Thaddaeus B. Allen, Regional MinisterLook! Look and see! Our Lord is risen from the dead! “He has been

raised; he is not here.” This is the central message of the Church and a word to be shared with the world. We love and serve the Risen Christ, and all of life is witnessed through this truth and reality.

Look! Look and see! Life abounds and stones of the world’s placement are rolled away in Christ. Easter provides us the means to refocus on the big important things of life. Easter resets our priorities and our focus is only on God and the grace we all share in the

Resurrection. Today we are given the power to roll away unnecessary stones that block us from receiving the abundant life that God provides.

Look! “He has been raised”. Christ is Risen dear ones! Live and rejoice and look and see all that God is doing in your life and in the world!

For life and life eternal we give great thanks. Amen and Amen!

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