Pleasant Street United Methodist Church

Lenten Devotion for March 16

2012-03-16T08:25:00.001-04:00

Wake Me
by Susan Daron

Wake me up God, from the dreamless sleep of complacency.
Wake me from the fitful slumber of worry and despair.

Wake me from the sleepwalking of needless gathering and greed.
Wake me from the nightmares of prejudice, hatred and fear.

Wake me to the daybreak of your Resurrection morning.
Wake me to the dawning of new life in You.
Wake me to the sunshine warmth of service and caring.
Wake me to a blessed day of purposeful living.

And after the sunset, let me find at last a peaceful slumber in Your Love.
Amen

Lenten Devotion for March 15

2012-03-15T08:39:00.000-04:00

Feasting and Fasting in Lent
by William Arthur Ward

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ indwelling them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal Truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

Lenten Devotion for March 14

2012-03-14T05:00:00.002-04:00

Destroy Our Wisdom
by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Holy God, Outrageous Mystery, help us!
You who establish the earth and yet make it tremble,
grant us stability— and shake us up for the sake of love.
You who give your commandments,
make us obey— and replace all obedience with compassion.
You for whom we build our temples—
tear them down until only mercy remains.
We who think we know, who think we have enough to offer,
come before you with nothing,
and you receive us with grace.
O Holy One, foolishly crucified, powerless among us,
destroy our wisdom and knowledge and power,
with all their hidden faults,
that we may die with Christ,
and be raised up to new life
in the grace of your Spirit alone.
Amen.

Looking Toward Sunday

2012-03-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

March 18, 2012 - Fourth Sunday in Lent

“Choices”

We continue our Lenten worship and sermon series, "Ready for a Change". (If you've missed any of the sermons, you can listen to the podcast here.) Our scripture reading for the day will be Luke 14:15-24, the Parable of the Great Banquet. Remember the story? People were invited to a fabulous feast. But when the host sent word that the meal was ready, the guests were all were too busy with other things.

Our theme for the day is "Choices". With so many choices about where to focus our time and attention, we need the wisdom to choose that which brings us into communion with God. How do you discern the changes needed in your life that will bring you into a closer relationship with God? Will you respond to the invitation to abundant life?

Lenten Devotion for March 13

2012-03-13T07:39:00.000-04:00

Loss is Indeed Our Gain

by Walter Brueggemann

The pushing and shoving in the world is endless.
We are pushed and shoved.
And we do our share of pushing and shoving
in our great anxiety.
And in the middle of that
you have set down your beloved suffering son
who was like a sheep led to slaughter
who opened not his mouth.
We seem not able,
so we ask you to create space in our life
where we may ponder his suffering
and your summons for us to suffer with him,
suspecting that suffering is the only way to newness.
So we pray for your church in these Lenten days,
when we are driven to denial –
not to notice the suffering,
not to engage it,
not to acknowledge it.
So be that way of truth among us
that we should not deceive ourselves
That we shall see that loss is indeed our gain.
We give you thanks for that mystery from which we live.
Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 12

2012-03-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

Lenten Thoughts from Wishful Thinking

by Frederick Buechner

In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year's income to some holy use. For Christians to observe the forty days of Lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year's days. After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus. During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves.

If you had to bet everything you have on whether there is a God or whether there isn't, which side would get your money and why?

When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?

If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be in twenty-five words or less?

Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo? Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?

Is there any person in the world, or any cause, that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?

To hear yourself try to answer questions like these is to begin to hear something not only of who you are but of both what you are becoming and what you are failing to become. It can be a pretty depressing business all in all, but if sackcloth and ashes are at the start of it, something like Easter may be at the end.

Lenten Devotion for March 11

2012-03-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

A Prayer for Lent

by Karl Streeter

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence even when we are too busy looking for You and fail to rest in Your presence. Help us let go of our desires, hopes and sometimes-unquestionable expectations. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in your presence even when we are more comfortable with the past or more eager to escape to an unfulfilled and imagined future. Help us let go of our fondness to fix, control, or even explain the beauty and ugliness of life. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence even when we close our hearts and minds to Your unfailing love and strength. Help us let go of our fears, anxiety, and obsessive need to protect our soul from the unknown and sometimes frighten realities of life. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence that we may fully embrace life in all its goodness and darkness with all of our heart, soul and mind. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence that we not only touch, taste, feel, and hear Your presence but we become agents of Your presence to others. For You are with us always.

O God of Love, Courage, Hope and Peace, we trust in Your presence that we may be the arms so You can hug, ears so You can listen, tear ducts so You can cry, mouth so You can laugh and may we rest in Your presence so we can be presence with each other. For You are with us always.

Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 10

2012-03-10T07:26:00.000-05:00

To Keep a True Lent

by Robert Herrick, 1648

Is this a fast, to keep

The larder lean?

And clean

From fat of veals and sheep?

Is it to quit the dish

Of flesh, yet still

To fill

The platter high with fish?¹

Is it to fast an hour,

Or ragg’d go,

Or show

A down-cast look and sour?

No: ’tis a Fast to dole

Thy sheaf of wheat

And meat

Unto the hungry soul.

It is to fast from strife

And old debate,

And hate;

To circumcise thy life.²

To show a heart grief-rent;

To starve thy sin,

Not bin;³

And that’s to keep thy Lent.

¹ “flesh” – many Christians fast from meat on Fridays during Lent, but still eat fish

² Circumcision is a biblical metaphor for spiritual conversion

³ “bin” – container for storing food.

Lenten Devotion for March 9

2012-03-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

A Prayer for Lent
by Kathleen Stone

Like busy, busy bees
My mind and heart and womb are busy and without release.
I do not know what to do
Or who to see
Or what I want
Or what to do
Or when to do it
I only know everything seems in a beehive. Busy.
The season of reflection, depth, sorrow and suffering is all around me.
And I dwell in this other place.
What must I do and why?
Hold me and focus my hungers, O God of eternity.
Tell me of what you want from me.
Hold me like you’ve never held another before or maybe like you hold each of us every day, every minute, every second.
Without demand and with full understanding which leaves no room for such nonsense.
I know I have everything I need.
I know I do not want.

I only need to know how to live such a gift.

My Lord and my God, teach me your ways.

Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 8

2012-03-08T07:16:00.002-05:00

A Prayer for Lent

by Henri Nouwen

The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.

I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.

I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are not times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.

Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me. Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 7

2012-03-07T06:13:00.000-05:00

Revise Our Taking

by Walter Brueggemann

You, you giver!

You have given light and life to the world;

You have given freedom from Pharaoh to your people Israel;

You have given your only Son for the sake of the world;

You have given yourself to us;

You have given and forgiven,

and you remember our sins no more.

And we, in response, are takers:

We take eagerly what you give us;

we take from our neighbors near at hand as is acceptable;

we take from our unseen neighbors greedily and acquisitively;

we take from our weak neighbors thoughtlessly;

we take all that we can lay our hands on.

It dawns on us that our taking does not match your giving.

In this Lenten season revise our taking,

that it may be grateful and disciplined

even as you give in ways generous and overwhelming.

Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 6

2012-03-06T07:44:00.001-05:00

Lenten Poem

by Ann Weems

Lent is a time to take time to let the power
of our faith story take hold of us,
a time to let the events get up
and walk around in us,
a time to intensify our living unto Christ,
a time to hover over the thoughts of our hearts,
a time to place our feet in the streets of
Jerusalem or to talk along the see and
listen to his Word,
a time to touch his robe
and feel the healing surge through us,
a time to ponder and a time to wonder….
Lent is a time to allow
a fresh new taste of God!
Perhaps we’re afraid to have time to think,
for thoughts come unbidden.
Perhaps we’re afraid to face our future
knowing our past.
Give us courage, O God,
to hear your Word
and to read our living into it.
Give us the trust to know we’re forgiven
and give us the faith
to take up our lives and walk.

Lenten Devotion for March 5

2012-03-05T08:20:00.000-05:00

Perfect Practice

by Melody Harrison Hanson

Practicing Lent
sounds slick.

My gift,
heart-full-of-pride.
My rituals,
my restriction,
my sacrifice.

Then I stretch, throwing
out my arms,
open handed.

Look up,
give up.
Let go,
let up.

Incarnate,
the One who comes
have me.
I let go,
practicing Lent.

Lenten Devotion for March 4

2012-03-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

Come and Stay at My House Today
by Joyce Rupp

Jesus, this Lent I am yearning to wear a Zacchaeus heart.
I am wanting to hear you call my name just as you did his.
I am anxious to know that you are inviting yourself to my home.
I am humbled, amazed, excited, and astounded, just as he was.

But that is where the desire to wear a Zacchaeus heart stops,
because I know what happens when you visit someone’s house.
Conversations occur. Choices are presented. Changes happen.
That’s because you look for more than dust when you come to visit
and you talk about things more vital than the weather.
You move into the heart’s dimension. You gaze deeply.
You don’t just dwell. You interact. You activate.
You dwell so lovingly that the truth cannot be resisted.

This Lent help me to welcome you and yearn for your love.
Give me a Zacchaeus heart that turns around and sees the truth.
I need the gaze of your love to remind me of my truest self.
I, too, need the strong call to make amends and start anew.
Hurry, Jesus, come and stay at my house today.

Lenten Devotion for March 3

2012-03-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

You Are With Me

by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Holy One,

Light of my shadows and Way of my wandering,

you are the desert in whom I find myself;

you are the presence in whom, in solitude, I am not alone.

Walk with me into the wilderness of my sin.

Expose what is hidden that I need to see;

receive what is broken, that it may be healed;

forgive what is hurtful,

and bless what returns me to life.

By your grace may I find in my shadows your glorious image,

and in my broken heart your crucified Christ.

For you are my only power, my only security,

and the source of my truest self.

Gracious and Loving One,

I walk through a valley of shadows and death:

you are with me, and I trust you. Amen.

Lenten Devotion for March 2

2012-03-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

Alone
by Maya Angelou

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I’ll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
‘Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Lenten Devotion for March 1

2012-03-01T08:06:00.000-05:00

The way of the cross

by John Harvey

Jesus,

as we start once again

to follow you

on the way of the cross,

we are apprehensive.

For we are not sure

of ourselves.

On our journey

we have often been afraid,

often sought the safe options,

often fudged the sharp solution.

On our journey

we have often tried to hide

our real selves

from others,

from ourselves

and from you.

We, who dare to say

we are following you,

know how faltering are our footsteps,

how delicate our discipleships,

how feeble our faith.

Yet still you call us

by name

and invite us into your company

and onto your road.

So give us the courage

and the commitment we need:

help us to look out for one another on the road;

show us how we may share the duty

and the joy

of discipleship,

knowing that, in the end,

it is you who have blazed the trail,

you who accompany us all the way,

you who will meet us on the road,

and say our name. Amen

Lenten Devotion for February 29

2012-02-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

Lead Us on Our Journey

by Ruth Harvey

God, our God,

you have called us to be a people

on the move;

traveling light,

dying to live,

ready to lose ourselves for the sake of the world.

You have called us to be a people

with a purpose;

traveling without a map,

traveling to where we are led,

sustained by your Spirit,

committed to the gospel for the hope of the world.

You have called us, your people,

to be the church.

But we are a church with problems:

too strong for the weak,

too staid for the young,

too respectable for the poor,

too divided for mission,

too obsessed with our own lives to think of the lives of others,

too unsure of our message to speak to the world.

Move us on our journey

from where we are to where you want us to go.

Open our eyes on the way

to the people of different cultures, continents and countries,

who can bring color to our lives.

Take us on our journey

from where we are to what you want us to be;

so that we become a community

where all are welcomed and no one is excluded,

all are valued and no one is made to feel inadequate,

all are forgiven and no one is ashamed to belong,

all are encouraged and no one is too hurt to come among us.

Lead us on our journey

from who we are to who you want us to be;

so that patience is built into us,

kindness is assumed in us,

gentleness is part of us,

compassion flows from us,

truth is second nature to us,

and the commitment of love is part of us.

Let us go gladly on the journey towards Easter –

the journey towards death and resurrection.

Let us journey in the peace and power of the Spirit.

Lenten Devotion for February 28

2012-02-27T20:56:00.001-05:00

Prayer of One Who Feels Lost
by Joyce Rupp

Dear God,
why do I keep fighting you off?
One part of me wants you desparately,
another part of me unknowingly
pushes you back and runs away.

What is there in me that
so contradicts my desire for you?
These transition days, these passage ways,
are calling me to let go of old securities,
to give myself over into your hands.

Like Jesus who struggled with the pain
I, too, fight the “let it all be done.”
Loneliness, lostness, non-belonging,
all these hurts strike out at me,
leaving me pained with this present goodbye.

I want to be more but I fight the growing.
I want to be new but I hang unto the old.
I want to live but I won’t face the dying.
I want to be whole but cannot bear
to gather up the pieces into one.

Is it that I refuse to be out of control,
to let the tears take their humbling journey,
to allow my spirit to feel its depression,
to stay with the insecurity of “no home”?

Now is the time. You call to me,
begging me to let you have my life,
inviting me to taste the darkness
so I can be filled with the light,
allowing me to lose my direction
so that I will find my way home to you.

Lenten Devotion for February 27

2012-02-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

The Fast I Choose

Thoughts on fasting and justice from the Prophet Isaiah (58:3-12)

“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

Lenten Devotion for February 26

2012-02-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

A Lenten Prayer

by Augustine of Hippo

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Guard me, O Holy Spirit, that I myself may always be holy.

Lenten Devotion for February 25

2012-02-25T07:57:00.000-05:00

Lent Reflection

by Shane Claiborne

In a world filled with clutter, noise and hustle, Lent is a good excuse to step back and rethink how we think and live. In a world of instant gratification, it's a chance to practice delayed gratification -- to fast -- so that we can truly appreciate the blessings we have. In a world where virtual friends are replacing real ones, it is an invitation to turn off TV and computer screens so we can spend time with real people again.

It's an opportunity to give up something that is sucking the life out of us so that we can be filled with God, with life, with love again.

Lenten Devotion for February 24

2012-02-24T08:40:00.000-05:00

A Prayer for Lent

Henri J. M. Nouwen

How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die--with you, through you, and in you--and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess.... I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen.

Lenten Devotion for February 23

2012-02-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

To the Ocean

by Ed Happ

There was a stream
next to the house
where I spent half my childhood;
I was forever pulling leaves and limbs
from it
so the water that had backed up
behind the impromptu dam
could flow anew—
there was something about water
moving freely by
that called to my tending
as if downstream
was a place to go
without impediment.
When I can’t pray
I think about the wall of branches
that one by one needs to be pulled out
of the way;
And when I do pray,
I’m sailing to the ocean on the last golden leaf

Lenten Devotion for Ash Wednesday

2012-02-23T15:44:00.000-05:00

"Lent 2001"

by Joyce Rupp

The cosmos dreams in me

while I wait in stillness,

ready to lean a little further

into the heart of the Holy.

I, a little blip of life,

a wisp of unassuming love,

a quickly passing breeze,

come once more into Lent.

No need to sign me

with the black bleeding ash

of palms, fried and baked.

I know my humus place.

This Lent I will sail

on the graced wings of desire,

yearning to go deeper

to the place where

I am one in the One.

Oh, may I go there soon,

in the same breath

that takes me to the stars

when the cosmos dreams in me.

Christmas Day Devotion

2011-12-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

The Work of Christmas

by Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

Advent Devotion for December 24

2011-12-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve
by Christina Rossetti

Christmas has a darkness,
Brighter than the blazing noon,
Christmas has a chillness
Warmer than the heat of June,
Christmas has a beauty
Lovelier than the world can show:
For Christmas brings us Jesus,
Brought for us so low.

Earth strike up your music,
Birds that sing and bells that ring;
Heaven has answering music
For all angels soon to sing:
Earth put on your whitest
Bridal robe of spotless snow:
For Christmas brings us Jesus,
Brought for us so low.

Advent Devotion for December 23

2011-12-23T16:50:00.000-05:00

The Disarming Child
by Charlie Lowell

Helpless and human
Diety in the dirt,
Spirit married with flesh
We couldn’t make it to you,
But you come to us.

You always come to us.
In our stubbornness and desire,
Entitlement and shame
Remind us that we need you,
Merge your untamed Spirit with our flesh.

We try to forget those
Years of wandering.
Shackles and masters,
An eternity of doubting
And still, you come to us.

A divine intrusion
Through our scheming and chaos-
Coats of armor, angels and armies.
Do some wrecking here,
And gently come to us.

Disturb us this day
Through sorrow and through dancing,
The bliss of joy and sting of death
Past hands that would threaten and tear,
You come to us extravagantly.

From your manger lowly,
Mighty and mysterious
You come to us, Seed of Heaven
Spirit wed with flesh,
These broken hearts to mend.

Advent Devotion for December 22

2011-12-22T07:48:00.000-05:00

First Coming
by Madeleine L’Engle

He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Advent Devotion for December 21

2011-12-21T08:09:00.000-05:00

The Winter Is Cold, Is Cold
by Madeleine L’Engle

The winter is cold, is cold.
All’s spent in keeping warm.
Has joy been frozen, too?
I blow upon my hands
Stiff from the biting wind.
My heart beats slow, beats slow.
What has become of joy?

If joy’s gone from my heart
Then it is closed to You
Who made it, gave it life.
If I protect myself
I’m hiding, Lord, from you.
How we defend ourselves
In ancient suits of mail!

Protected from the sword,
Shrinking from the wound,
We look for happiness,
Small, safety-seeking, dulled,
Selfish, exclusive, in-turned.
Elusive, evasive, peace comes
Only when it’s not sought.

Help me forget the cold
That grips the grasping world.
Let me stretch out my hands
To purifying fire,
Clutching fingers uncurled.
Look! Here is the melting joy.
My heart beats once again.

Advent Devotion for December 20

2011-12-20T07:24:00.000-05:00

A Prayer from the Iona Community

Eternal God, in the long ago days when the earth was above the clouds, and disease was caused by demons, your son was born to lighten all our darknesses.

We now, after the enlightenment, are in bondage to different limitations. We doubt what we cannot prove; we ignore what we cannot see, and finding little room for faith, we must confess, we suspect angels and disbelieve good news.

We admit ourselves to be both infected and affected by the spirit of our times. Behind talk of world peace, we hear the machinery of war; beneath talk of global equity we detect the posturing of the powerful; beside talk of your church being renewed, we recognize the bondage to failed patterns of the past. Rather than embrace the light, we become fascinated by darkness, and must confess, we suspect angels and disbelieve good news.

Ah, God, who will save us? Our cynicism is the fruit of our experience, not the key to the future. Our suspiciousness helps us to smell the rat, never to recognize the dove. Our perfect analysis may describe the mountain, but is helpless to move it. It is with little pride we must confess, we suspect angels and disbelieve good news.

As Christmas approaches, give us a share of that divine naiveté enjoyed by Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, and unnamed country folk, who encountered angels and believed the Good News and recognized Christ among them. Amen

Advent Devotion for December 19

2011-12-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

The Risk of Birth (Christmas, 1973)
by Madeleine L’Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war & hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honor & truth were trampled by scorn-
Yet here did the Savior make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn-
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

Advent Devotion for December 18

2011-12-18T14:57:00.000-05:00

Magnificat

by Thomas John Carlisle

If Mary had sung her song of songs
with our accustomed
unmangificence
and dearth of urgency
all the commitment
all the charm
and all the challenge
and anticipation
would have been completely dissipated.

O sing anew
anew
anew
the simple song
which magnifies
rejoices
dares to vision
the fall of kings
the exaltation of the small
unviolent, trusting and faith-full
servants
of the spectacularly
creative God.

Advent Devotion for December 17

2011-12-17T09:19:00.000-05:00

Today's devotion is an audio file found at the Clayfire Curator blog. It is a reading of a powerful poem by Ted Lyddon Hatten entitled "Knowing on a Silent Night". Click here to listen.

Advent Devotion for December 16

2011-12-16T06:44:00.000-05:00

Mary's Song
by Luci Shaw

Blue homespun and the bend of my breast
keep warm this small hot naked star
fallen to my arms. (Rest …
you who have had so far to come.)
Now nearness satisfies
the body of God sweetly. Quiet he lies
whose vigor hurled a universe. He sleeps
whose eyelids have not closed before.
His breath (so slight it seems
no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps
to sprout a world. Charmed by doves' voices,
the whisper of straw, he dreams,
hearing no music from his other spheres.
Breath, mouth, ears, eyes
he is curtailed who overflowed all skies,
all years. Older than eternity, now he
is new. Now native to earth as I am, nailed
to my poor planet, caught
that I might be free, blind in my womb
to know my darkness ended,
brought to this birth for me to be new-born,
and for him to see me mended
I must see him torn.

Advent Devotion for December 15

2011-12-15T07:32:00.000-05:00

(For a wonderful interpretation of Simone Martini's "Annunciation" - the larger 14th century painting from which the illustration above was taken - go to to this link.)

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

(Luke 1:46-55)

Divine Surprise

by Wallace E. Chappell

When the smooth talking

stranger (Read angel)

greeted her, too flowery

“Hail, O favored one,

the Lord is with you!”

Mary knew enough

to be suspicious.

The Bible says she wondered,

“What sort of greeting

this might be.”

I’ll bet she wondered.

Who wants such

unexpected and disturbing surprises?

Even God’s?

There’s fear, anxiety, and

something apprehensively alarming

in such an awesome unknown gift.

Do I want

new life in me?

By God’s design?

Wary we would also be.

But that fine lass

burst forth in song

of liberation:

My soul magnifies the Lord…

putting down the mighty

from their thrones.

and exalting those

of low degree;

The Lord has filled the hungry

with good things,

and the rich

are sent empty away!

That’s what this

Little Surprise (Read baby Jesus)

will bring.

Some gift. Yes. Yes!

SOME GIFT!

Advent Devotion for December 14

2011-12-14T17:11:00.000-05:00

God of the Watching Ones

(a prayer from the Iona Community)

God of the watching ones,

the waiting ones,

the slow and suffering ones,

the angels in heaven,

the child in the womb,

give us your benediction,

your good word for our souls

that we might rest and rise

in the kindness of your company. Amen.

Advent Devotion for December 13

2011-12-13T06:58:00.000-05:00

To Christ before His Coming

by J. Stephen Lang

I heard that on some dark Judean plain
You’d be a helpless child, an innocent
With no more power and might than day-old kittens.
It seems most inappropriate, Lord of Days,
Crying and gurgling—ah, unless, perhaps,
Even from birth you aim to show your strength.
Yes, yes, like heroes in the Greeks’ old tales,
You’ll strangle serpents from the cradle’s edge
And rock the very earth on which you step.

No? Why then, forgive my false assumption.
Do as you will. Be born in circumstances
Obscure and crude. It is, I guess, a wise
Decision –you will take them by surprise
In this first coming, as your second will.

Advent Devotion for December 12

2011-12-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

Advent Blessing

by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Mary understands what it’s like for you,
with God inside you, swelling with life.

Mountains bow to your courage;
valleys stand up in honor of your humility.

Your longest nights
will enfold miracles.

The darkness will reveal the star
the light has hidden.

Angel choirs in their swirling robes
will sing glory to your world. Yes, yours.

Heaven is gift-wrapped
in the most ordinary paper.

Your waiting is faith;
your longing is holy.

Someone on the edge will prepare a way
into your life for your Redeemer.

Your Savior longs with longing deeper than yours
to be with you, even in this ragged winter.

May you listen and hear Gabriel,
look into the rough manger of this world and see God.

Advent Devotion for December 11

2011-12-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

Mary, Nazareth Girl

By Ann Weems

Mary,

Nazareth girl:

What did you know of ethereal beings

with messages from God?

What did you know of men

when you found yourself with child?

What did you know of babies,

you, barely out of childhood yourself?

God-chosen girl:

What did you know of God

that brought you to this stable

blessed among women?

Could it be that you had been ready

waiting

listening

for the footsteps of an angel?

Could it be there are message for us

if we have faith to listen?

Advent Devotion for December 10

2011-12-10T09:26:00.000-05:00

How I fear God’s interruptions!

Like Herod, I feel the pull of Spirit,
not to higher earthly rewards,
but to interrupt my striving for success,
to suspend for a moment my leadership,
to wait for the Word of God to be interpreted.

An invitation is extended:
Come to the birthday party,
put off your crown,
your courtly manners,
the pomp and circumstance of power
and the trappings of leadership.
Come, enjoy the gift of God.

Ah, Herod, if you could pause for just a moment,
put down your superstitious fear of God
and God’s demands and plans,
you, too, might be dazzled by the light.

And how many times have I passed by,
Too busy to look up and see a star
And certainly too important
To leave my job to travel a year
And see what it’s all about.

-- Sandra Herrmann

Advent Devotion for December 9

2011-12-09T09:49:00.000-05:00

Turnaround God

by Robin E. Van Cleef

God has a way of turning things around,

calling green shoot from dead stump,

investing the common with a sense of royalty

sending the spirit,

fists crammed with love and justice,

wisdom and might,

to transform lives.

Come, turnaround God,

touch my divided self,

drawing together the polarities:

leopard and lamb

lion and calf

subject to the implicit child within.

Advent Devotion for December 8

2011-12-08T04:39:00.000-05:00

Holy One,

prepare your way in me.

Give me faith, like the stable,

to know your presence within me.

Give me courage, like Mary,

to let your life overwhelm mine.

Give me strength, like Joseph,

to protect what is holy, tender and growing.

Give me patience, like the shepherds,

to be still and listen.

Give me humility, like the magi,

to kneel before your presence.

Give me trust, like the child,

to let myself be borne into a new world.

Give me joy, like the angels,

to bring good news to the poor.

Give me love, like the manger

to hold Christ within.

Holy One,

prepare your way in me.

By Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Advent Devotion for December 7

2011-12-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

Coming Home for Christmas

G. K. Chesterton

To an open house in the evening

Home shall men come.

To an older place than Eden

And a taller town than Rome.

To the end of the way of the wandering star.

To the things that cannot be and that are.

To the place where God was homeless

And all men are at home.

Advent Devotion for December 6

2011-12-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

The Irrational Season

Madeline L'Engle

This is the irrational season

When love blooms bright and wild.

Had Mary been filled with reason,

There’d have been no room for the child.

Advent Devotion for December 5

2011-12-05T08:33:00.000-05:00

The Coming of God
by Ann Weems

Our God is the One who comes to us
in a burning bush,
in an angel's song,
in a newborn child.
Our God is the One who cannot be found
locked in the church,
not even in the sanctuary.
Our God will be where God will be
with no constraints,
no predictability.
Our God lives where our God lives,
and destruction has no power
and even death cannot stop
the living.
Our God will be born where God will be born,
but there is no place to look for the One who comes to us.
When God is ready
God will come
even to a godforsaken place
like a stable in Bethlehem.
Watch...
for you know not when
God comes.
Watch, that you might be found
whenever
wherever
God comes.

Advent Devotion for December 4

2011-12-04T06:52:00.000-05:00

Waiting

by Kathy Clark-Dickens,

All my life I have waited:
waited for the project to be completed,
waited for supper to be ready,
waited for the doctor to see me.
I have waited at the traffic light,
waited for the right relationship,
waited to grow up.
I have waited alone or waited with friends.
I have waited anxiously.
I have waited expectantly.
Some waits have brought joy.
Other waits have brought bad news.
Some waits have been “worth waiting for.”

Now it is Advent, and I am waiting again.
This time I am waiting in the darkness of my soul—
ravaged by sorrow, anger, and fear.
But I do not despair in the waiting,
for I remember the way light looks and feels.
The memories of silent nights with starlit skies are with me,
and I am bathed in the warmth of love’s light.
And so I hope—for Messiah to come.

Voices sing, “Prepare him room.”
I know now waiting cannot be passive.
There is something to do, but where?
I have no inn or stable, but in my heart,
I can make room.
Move over despair.
Make room for Truth, for Life, for Love.
Make room for the Prince of Peace.

Advent Devotion for December 3

2011-12-03T07:25:00.000-05:00

Advent Longing

by Larry J. Peacock

In the darkness of the season,
in the silence of Mary’s womb,
new life waits and grows.
Hope is shaped in hidden places,
on the edges, in the depths
far from the blinding lights
and deafening sounds of consumer frenzy.

In the darkness and silence of my own life,
I wait,
Iistening for the whisper of angel wings,
longing for a genuine experience of mystery,
hoping for a rekindling of joy
and the establishment of peace.

I lean into the darkness
and silence.
Expectant.

Advent Devotion for December 2

2011-12-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

Into The Darkest Hour

by Madeleine L’Engle

It was a time like this,
War & tumult of war,
a horror in the air.
Hungry yawned the abyss-
and yet there came the star
and the child most wonderfully there.

It was time like this
of fear & lust for power,
license & greed and blight-
and yet the Prince of bliss
came into the darkest hour
in quiet & silent light.

And in a time like this
how celebrate his birth
when all things fall apart?
Ah! Wonderful it is
with no room on the earth
the stable is our heart.

Advent Devotion for December 1

2011-12-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

In Search of Our Kneeling Places

by Ann Weems

In each heart lies a Bethlehem,

an inn where we must ultimately answer

whether there is room or not.

When we are Bethlehem-bound

we experience our own advent in his.

When we are Bethlehem-bound

we can no longer look the other way

conveniently not seeing stars,

not hearing angel voices.

We can no longer excuse ourselves by busily

tending our sheep or our kingdoms.

This Advent let's go to Bethlehem

and see this thing that the Lord has made known to us.

In the midst of shopping sprees

let's ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts.

Through the tinsel

let's look for the gold of the Christmas Star.

In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos

let's listen for the brush of angels' wings.

This Advent, let's go to Bethlehem

and find our kneeling places.

Advent Devotion for November 30

2011-11-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

God of December darkness and Christmas light, … Deepen my longing, heighten my expectation, and make pregnant my hope. I know that within my heart is a Bethlehem: a place where light shines with tender memories. A place where angelic voices sing loud and clear. A place of wonder and awe, delight and calm. … God of December darkness and Christmas light, journey with me during these days so that I may know and prize my Bethlehem moments. Amen.

(Larry James Peacock, Openings)

Advent Devotion for November 29

2011-11-29T08:28:00.000-05:00

We give out love in boxes
Wrapped, tied, tagged.
But the first Christmas gift
was a love that needed no adornment
or disguise;
a love
that wrapped itself
around out tired hearts forever.

(Kari Hill, Alive Now! Nov/Dec 1984

Advent Devotion for November 28

2011-11-28T21:01:00.000-05:00

Waiting in Hope

Wait in hope, hope in God, believing that we already possess what we hope for. In this season of sacred quiet amidst profane noise; of sacred, patient calmness amidst profane frantic rushing; of sacred contemplation amidst profane activity; of sacred fasting amidst profane feasting— we who have been baptized into new life experience ourselves as strangers in a strange land. We find ourselves drawn away from the tinsel and and carols of our profane world into the sanctuary of sacred time and space, where we might learn what it means to wait for the coming of what has already come. (John Westerhoff III, A Pilgrim People)

Advent Devotion for November 27

2011-11-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of Advent. It is a season of expectant waiting for the coming of Christ - of preparing our hearts to once again receive the gift of Jesus. Between now and Christmas we will be replacing our usual Facebook "Moment for Reflection" feature with a daily Advent devotion. We hope that these prayers, poems, and short meditations will help focus your spiritual preparations for Christmas and serve as a quiet oasis in the busyness of this season.

We Wait in Advent

"Waiting is the most trying of godly endeavors because it brings a halt to our own individual nature. Ours is to lunge forth with predetermined notions and solutions. Faith in waiting sits still and expects the fulfillment of God’s promises. One promise is that if we sit still, we shall know." (Donell Crosby, Alive Now! Nov/Dec 1986)

Preparing for Sunday: Christ the King

2011-11-16T09:19:00.004-05:00

This Sunday marks the close of the Christian liturgical year and is traditionally observed as "Christ the King" or "Reign of Christ" Sunday. The Revised Common Lectionary assigns these readings for the day:

Ezekiel 34:11–16, 20–24
Psalm 100
Ephesians 1:15–23
Matthew 25:31–46

This Sunday we'll be using the readings from Ezekiel and Ephesians. We'll be taking a look at the proclamation that is considered the first creed of the Church: "Jesus is Lord". The question you're invited to ponder in preparation for worship this week is, "What does it mean to you to proclaim that Jesus is Lord?"

See you on Sunday.

I Thought You Were Jesus

2011-11-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

One night a man was walking down the street when he was suddenly attacked by a group of thugs. He was beaten, dragged into an alley and left for dead. As he was lying bleeding on the ground, he looked up into the dim amber light in the alley and saw the face of another looking at him. He felt the touch of someone's hands lifting his shoulder. At that moment, he lost consciousness.

In the hospital, when he regained consciousness, he remembered the face in the alley and asked, "Is the one who helped me here? I want to speak to him." "Yes," the nurse answered, "He is here and has been waiting to see you." When the man walked into the room, the one who was injured said, "I want to thank you for helping me in the alley this evening and I want to tell you something. When I looked up into that dim light and saw your face, I thought you were Jesus." The man smiled and said, "When I heard your voice calling for help, I thought you were Jesus."

Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 25:45)

Honoring the Saints on the Balcony

2011-11-01T18:16:00.001-04:00

Today is All Saints' Day - a day for remembering and celebrating "all the saints who from their labors rest". Presbyterian preacher John Buchanan uses a metaphor for the communion of saints that he says “ought to be told at least once a year.” The image originated with renowned preacher, author, and seminary professor Carlyle Marney (1917-1978). Buchanan writes:

Marney used to say that your personhood, your personality, persona, is like a house, and it’s a fairly elaborate and complex structure. Some are fancy. Some are sophisticated. Some are simple and functional. Some are ostentatious. Some are modest. Each has a number of rooms: a formal parlor for greeting guests, a family room, bedroom, kitchen. Marney said each of us has in the structure of our persona a basement where the plumbing is [located] and the trash is stored. NO need to spend your life down there, Marney used to say. Everybody has a basement. Come on up into the sunshine. Sometimes we act as if the plumbing and trash bin are all there is to us, Marney observed.

And if you come upstairs and step outside onto the lawn and look up, you will see that the house that is you has a spacious, gracious balcony. There are people up there on your balcony.

Marney was a Southerner, so his balcony was white wrought iron with wicker rocking chairs. There are people in the rocking chairs on your balcony sipping iced tea or bourbon, depending on whether you are a Baptist or Presbyterian, Marney used to say. The people on your balcony are the strong, positive influences in your life. Your heroes and heroines. Your models and mentors. Your parents are probably up there ... your grandparents. There are some folk up there you never met but they influenced and helped shape you and there are some really big names up there: people whose lives inspired you from afar and called deeper faith out of you and courage and stamina and love and discipline.
The people on your balcony are your saints. The way to observe All Saints’ Day is to walk out onto your lawn, look up and greet them. Call the roll. Name them. Wave to them. Your saints – your dear ones – the great ones and small ones: your mother and father maybe, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, your old coach, your piano teacher.*

The folks on our life’s “balcony” are our mentors, models, prophets, teachers, witnesses – our saints. They're the faithful who went before us, and in whose footsteps we tread. On this All Saint’s Day may we remember them all with gratitude. And may the example of their lives inspire us to be mentors, models, prophets, teachers, witnesses – to be saints – for those who follow us.

Putting God to the Test

2011-10-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. (Malachi 3:10)

This may be one of the Bible's most misused texts. If you've ever watched televangelists preaching the "prosperity gospel" you know what I mean. Hopefully we can all agree that this is not a promise that God will make us rich if we give 10% of our income to the church. Yet, could there be an important message in these ancient words for 21st century Christians? Join us on Sunday as we explore that question - and the challenge to "test God".

MT25 Wrap-Up

2011-10-11T21:35:00.001-04:00

This Sunday is the final week of PSUMC's MT25 Project and our youth will be planning and leading worship. We have an amazing group of young people who have a passion for serving others. They'll be sharing their experiences with UM Army last June, where they worked with other youth to touch the lives of folks in Pennsylvania. Come and hear their stories about encountering the presence of Christ in "the least of these" as they worked on service projects in the community.

Wrestling with the Text

2011-10-02T22:05:00.000-04:00

This month we're studying the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) as part of our MT25 program. It's a very challenging passage that most people would rather not deal with (including folks who count themselves among the "sheep"). Small groups of people have been gathering on Wednesday evening or Sunday morning to reflect on the parable and discuss what it means and what it might have to say to our 21st century lives. The conversations have been candid and people have shared their struggle to be faithful to the expectations of the parable. It can be encouraging to hear that others share your struggle and it builds a sense of camaraderie. As C.S. Lewis said, "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one."

Looking toward Sunday

2011-10-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

This Sunday we continue our exploration of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats as part of our MT25 program. Ponder this: The "sheep" and the "goats" both respond with surprise that Jesus was present in the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. They both repeat the very same question ("Lord, when was it that we saw you..."). The difference between the righteous sheep and the unrighteous goats is in their motivation for helping (or not helping). The goats would have served "the least of these" also, had known they would earn points for it. The sheep simply did the right thing out of compassion, with no expectation of reward.

Read the parable here.