March 29, 2020
Hi, friends –
This week, I invite you to say aloud (I know, it seems weird) the bold responses as we participate in this devotion together. What I’m missing so much is that we don’t have the back-and-forth of liturgy that we usually have together. I know it’s weird, but I’m hoping that if we keep our hearts and minds open, responding to our computer (or phone or tablet) screen may help us to continue to feel the presence of God in our midst.
May the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church, we have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbor, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Our scripture today for reflection is Psalm 130. Read these words from the Common English Bible:
“I cry out to you from the depths, Lord – my Lord, listen to my voice!
Let your ears pay close attention to my request for mercy!
If you kept track of sins, Lord – my Lord, who would stand a chance?
But my forgiveness is with you – that’s why you are honored.
I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes, and I wait for God’s promise.
My whole being waits for my Lord – more than the night watch waits for the morning;
Yes, more than the nigh watch waits for morning!
Israel, wait for the Lord!
Because faithful love is with the Lord;
Because great redemption is with our God!
He is the one who will redeem Israel from all its sin.”
This is the word of God for all of God’s people.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
As many of you know, Rev. Jo Biggerstaff is my mentor through my internship with Perkins School of Theology. And if you know Jo, she is kind, thoughtful, grace-filled, but she is also a pusher. In the best sense! Just when you think you’ve answered a question deep enough…she asks a follow up. When you think you’ve covered everything there is to cover, she asks a question that opens a whole new conversation. And, what I have discovered as her intern, is that when I am feeling all kinds of feelings, Jo challenges me to go to the Psalms.
I don’t know about you, but I used to be the kind of person that hated the Psalms. I thought they were touchy, full of emotion that didn’t quite describe what I was feeling or thinking. But, fortunately with Jo’s guidance and some curiosity from God, I have found myself looking through the Psalms more and more.
Especially during this time of pandemic, unknown, fear, and isolation, I have been captivated by the Psalms. Today, the lectionary points us to Psalm 130. The subtitle at the beginning of the Psalm (in my Bible) calls it “a pilgrimage song.” For those of you unfamiliar with this language, a pilgrimage is a journey.
All of us are on a journey – a journey of life, a journey of growing closer to God, and, right now, a journey of getting through this time of pandemic with love, grace, and hope. When I opened my Bible to this Psalm, two sentences stuck out to me.
First, verse 1, “I cry out to you from the depths, Lord – my Lord, listen to my voice!” God, o God, hear my prayers. Hear my cry of loneliness. Hear my hope that this is over soon!
What is it that you need God to hear? What is on your heart and in your mind?
Whatever it may be – from your praise, joy, and hope to your frustration, loneliness, and struggle, God hears your voice. God leans down as if you are whispering in God’s ear and begs you to tell all of your prayers, concerns, joys, and anxieties.
The second part that sticks out to me is verse 5, “I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes and waits for God’s promises.” During this time, where we are all experiencing a different routine than our “normal,” there is one thing that is constant: our relationship with God. God’s love, grace, and protection remains around us when we feel shaken or unsteady.
What do you hope for from God?
Tell your hopes to God. Give them over to God and continue to read scripture, join our Zoom community, worship through live stream, send cards, make telephone calls, and spend time with your family (if you can).
I hope you know that during this time (and all the time), God is listening to you. God is listening to your cries and your praises. God is listening to your hopes and dreams. God is listening to your quietness and frustration.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Thanks be to God!
Amen.
Gratefully,
Anna Bundy
Ministry Intern
This week, I invite you to say aloud (I know, it seems weird) the bold responses as we participate in this devotion together. What I’m missing so much is that we don’t have the back-and-forth of liturgy that we usually have together. I know it’s weird, but I’m hoping that if we keep our hearts and minds open, responding to our computer (or phone or tablet) screen may help us to continue to feel the presence of God in our midst.
May the Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church, we have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbor, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Our scripture today for reflection is Psalm 130. Read these words from the Common English Bible:
“I cry out to you from the depths, Lord – my Lord, listen to my voice!
Let your ears pay close attention to my request for mercy!
If you kept track of sins, Lord – my Lord, who would stand a chance?
But my forgiveness is with you – that’s why you are honored.
I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes, and I wait for God’s promise.
My whole being waits for my Lord – more than the night watch waits for the morning;
Yes, more than the nigh watch waits for morning!
Israel, wait for the Lord!
Because faithful love is with the Lord;
Because great redemption is with our God!
He is the one who will redeem Israel from all its sin.”
This is the word of God for all of God’s people.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
As many of you know, Rev. Jo Biggerstaff is my mentor through my internship with Perkins School of Theology. And if you know Jo, she is kind, thoughtful, grace-filled, but she is also a pusher. In the best sense! Just when you think you’ve answered a question deep enough…she asks a follow up. When you think you’ve covered everything there is to cover, she asks a question that opens a whole new conversation. And, what I have discovered as her intern, is that when I am feeling all kinds of feelings, Jo challenges me to go to the Psalms.
I don’t know about you, but I used to be the kind of person that hated the Psalms. I thought they were touchy, full of emotion that didn’t quite describe what I was feeling or thinking. But, fortunately with Jo’s guidance and some curiosity from God, I have found myself looking through the Psalms more and more.
Especially during this time of pandemic, unknown, fear, and isolation, I have been captivated by the Psalms. Today, the lectionary points us to Psalm 130. The subtitle at the beginning of the Psalm (in my Bible) calls it “a pilgrimage song.” For those of you unfamiliar with this language, a pilgrimage is a journey.
All of us are on a journey – a journey of life, a journey of growing closer to God, and, right now, a journey of getting through this time of pandemic with love, grace, and hope. When I opened my Bible to this Psalm, two sentences stuck out to me.
First, verse 1, “I cry out to you from the depths, Lord – my Lord, listen to my voice!” God, o God, hear my prayers. Hear my cry of loneliness. Hear my hope that this is over soon!
What is it that you need God to hear? What is on your heart and in your mind?
Whatever it may be – from your praise, joy, and hope to your frustration, loneliness, and struggle, God hears your voice. God leans down as if you are whispering in God’s ear and begs you to tell all of your prayers, concerns, joys, and anxieties.
The second part that sticks out to me is verse 5, “I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes and waits for God’s promises.” During this time, where we are all experiencing a different routine than our “normal,” there is one thing that is constant: our relationship with God. God’s love, grace, and protection remains around us when we feel shaken or unsteady.
What do you hope for from God?
Tell your hopes to God. Give them over to God and continue to read scripture, join our Zoom community, worship through live stream, send cards, make telephone calls, and spend time with your family (if you can).
I hope you know that during this time (and all the time), God is listening to you. God is listening to your cries and your praises. God is listening to your hopes and dreams. God is listening to your quietness and frustration.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Thanks be to God!
Amen.
Gratefully,
Anna Bundy
Ministry Intern
March 22, 2020
Hi friends, may the Lord be with you –
What a week. What a week of social distancing and grocery store craziness and gas prices dropping! I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how the heck we should spend this time together. When my thoughts fail, I turn to the lectionary.
Read these words from Ephesians 5:8-14 (CEB):
“You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
This is the word of God for all of God’s people. Thanks be to God.
I don’t know about you, but it’s been pretty easy for me to remember that we are still walking through the season of Lent. We are still at the part of the liturgical calendar where we are encouraged to be intentional about where we are seeking God’s presence. Where do we feel God? Where do we experience God? What draws us closer to God? What makes us feel as though God is further away?
Certainly, a pandemic makes it feel like God is far away. Not simply because of the sickness that is spreading, but also with the media coverage about the pandemic, the lack of supplies at the grocery store, the closures happening left and right.
When’s the last time you thought about Lent? Or, more than that, Easter?
I saw something online the other day that said, “I gave up alcohol for Lent. But I gave up Lent for Coronavirus.” I laughed out loud as I scrolled past it, but the sentiment has bothered me the last few days. It feels true in my own life that “I gave up Lent for Coronavirus.” Almost all of my conversations are about the virus, the symptoms, the grocery run we plan to make, or the distance in my friendships as a result of social distancing.
I have yet to talk about – with others – what it means that we are experiencing a pandemic in the middle of Lent. We’re experiencing isolation, a true wilderness, a true sabbatical and sabbath time…some things that Jesus was also experiencing in his last 40 days on earth.
We have an incredibly unique opportunity in front of us to experience Lent in a way that we have never dreamed of before. For a lot of us, we have quiet and stillness, not because we chose it, but because this is the result of what’s happening in the world.
How are you going to spend this time? Ephesians 5 has a suggestion for us, “Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness.” How many of us spend time tidying up our houses or our kitchens over and over again? What about scrolling through Facebook, text messages, and other social media? Or even mindlessly watching TV and movies to fill our time?
What, during this time, is fruitful? And what is not?
While we’re totally outside of any normalcy possible at this point, I encourage you to think about what your days should look like in order to be fruitful, well rested, and balanced.
During this time, I have had to create a schedule for myself (yep, just like parents are doing for their school aged kids! It’s pretty comical.) I’ve had to intentionally set time to be without my phone, TV, or computer. I’ve already blown through 4 books! I can’t tell you the last time I’ve done that!
I’m growing in rest, in being more comfortable in quiet, and knowing that my passion for friendship is a gift.
But I’m still missing that community piece…That is why we’ve created 3 different options.
First, we will be holding Sunday School from 9:30 am – 10:30 am on Sundays. We will study Matt Rawle’s Les Mis study until Easter and then move forward. We gathered on Zoom last Sunday and had a blast talking with sharing reflections with each other.
Second, we are creating a group called “Virtually Wesley.” A group dedicated to fellowship, reflection, and conversation around accountability questions that John Wesley would ask of his class groups. We will have two times for you to join: 1 pm and 7 pm. We will gather on Zoom and it will be our least structured option of online community.
Third, Rev. Jo Biggerstaff will lead a Bible study on Thursdays at two different times: 1 pm and 7 pm. We will dig into scripture and talk about its relevance, especially in what we’re experiencing right now. All through Zoom.
What an incredible time that we live in…being able to meet virtually through an online application. Fortunately, for us in this time of COVID-19 and Lent, we are given some options on how to continue to live as children of light. I encourage you to continue to prepare your hearts as Easter is right around the corner!
Please, please, please – don’t give up Lent for Coronavirus.
Sit down and read Scripture.
Worship online with Lovers Lane or other churches.
Join our online Zoom community.
Write a friend.
Call a family member.
Grow in the light, because “light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth.”
Let us pray:
Good and gracious God, we confess that we have been inundated with information about the virus, and for the most part we have enjoyed it. But God, we come to you this morning, ready to start fresh. Ready to stop giving up Lent for the Coronavirus. Transform us through the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to continue to look for you in our daily lives. Give us the motivation to live as children of light – to produce goodness and justice and truth. Thank you for your love, your abounding grace, and your constant presence. Amen.
Gratefully,
Anna Bundy
Ministry Intern
What a week. What a week of social distancing and grocery store craziness and gas prices dropping! I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how the heck we should spend this time together. When my thoughts fail, I turn to the lectionary.
Read these words from Ephesians 5:8-14 (CEB):
“You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
This is the word of God for all of God’s people. Thanks be to God.
I don’t know about you, but it’s been pretty easy for me to remember that we are still walking through the season of Lent. We are still at the part of the liturgical calendar where we are encouraged to be intentional about where we are seeking God’s presence. Where do we feel God? Where do we experience God? What draws us closer to God? What makes us feel as though God is further away?
Certainly, a pandemic makes it feel like God is far away. Not simply because of the sickness that is spreading, but also with the media coverage about the pandemic, the lack of supplies at the grocery store, the closures happening left and right.
When’s the last time you thought about Lent? Or, more than that, Easter?
I saw something online the other day that said, “I gave up alcohol for Lent. But I gave up Lent for Coronavirus.” I laughed out loud as I scrolled past it, but the sentiment has bothered me the last few days. It feels true in my own life that “I gave up Lent for Coronavirus.” Almost all of my conversations are about the virus, the symptoms, the grocery run we plan to make, or the distance in my friendships as a result of social distancing.
I have yet to talk about – with others – what it means that we are experiencing a pandemic in the middle of Lent. We’re experiencing isolation, a true wilderness, a true sabbatical and sabbath time…some things that Jesus was also experiencing in his last 40 days on earth.
We have an incredibly unique opportunity in front of us to experience Lent in a way that we have never dreamed of before. For a lot of us, we have quiet and stillness, not because we chose it, but because this is the result of what’s happening in the world.
How are you going to spend this time? Ephesians 5 has a suggestion for us, “Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness.” How many of us spend time tidying up our houses or our kitchens over and over again? What about scrolling through Facebook, text messages, and other social media? Or even mindlessly watching TV and movies to fill our time?
What, during this time, is fruitful? And what is not?
While we’re totally outside of any normalcy possible at this point, I encourage you to think about what your days should look like in order to be fruitful, well rested, and balanced.
During this time, I have had to create a schedule for myself (yep, just like parents are doing for their school aged kids! It’s pretty comical.) I’ve had to intentionally set time to be without my phone, TV, or computer. I’ve already blown through 4 books! I can’t tell you the last time I’ve done that!
I’m growing in rest, in being more comfortable in quiet, and knowing that my passion for friendship is a gift.
But I’m still missing that community piece…That is why we’ve created 3 different options.
First, we will be holding Sunday School from 9:30 am – 10:30 am on Sundays. We will study Matt Rawle’s Les Mis study until Easter and then move forward. We gathered on Zoom last Sunday and had a blast talking with sharing reflections with each other.
Second, we are creating a group called “Virtually Wesley.” A group dedicated to fellowship, reflection, and conversation around accountability questions that John Wesley would ask of his class groups. We will have two times for you to join: 1 pm and 7 pm. We will gather on Zoom and it will be our least structured option of online community.
Third, Rev. Jo Biggerstaff will lead a Bible study on Thursdays at two different times: 1 pm and 7 pm. We will dig into scripture and talk about its relevance, especially in what we’re experiencing right now. All through Zoom.
What an incredible time that we live in…being able to meet virtually through an online application. Fortunately, for us in this time of COVID-19 and Lent, we are given some options on how to continue to live as children of light. I encourage you to continue to prepare your hearts as Easter is right around the corner!
Please, please, please – don’t give up Lent for Coronavirus.
Sit down and read Scripture.
Worship online with Lovers Lane or other churches.
Join our online Zoom community.
Write a friend.
Call a family member.
Grow in the light, because “light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth.”
Let us pray:
Good and gracious God, we confess that we have been inundated with information about the virus, and for the most part we have enjoyed it. But God, we come to you this morning, ready to start fresh. Ready to stop giving up Lent for the Coronavirus. Transform us through the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to continue to look for you in our daily lives. Give us the motivation to live as children of light – to produce goodness and justice and truth. Thank you for your love, your abounding grace, and your constant presence. Amen.
Gratefully,
Anna Bundy
Ministry Intern
March 15, 2020
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Hi, friends –
This is how we will be gathering on Sundays over the next few weeks. I hope you know that I deeply wish we were together, and I am looking forward to the time when we will worship in our sanctuary again. Until then, keep an eye on your emails for updated information and know that you can anticipate emails from me on Sundays! As many of you aware and are feeling panic, fear, or frustration, this pandemic has brought anxiety on us as a society. We are facing unknown and, as you and I both know, humans certainly do not like the unknown – that’s why some of us have such a hard time with faith. To have faith, you have to believe, trust, and know that God is real, true, and loving without a tangible person present in our lives. What I know to be true, in the midst of this chaos and fear, is that God is with us. Do me a favor and listen to the song to the right, “Cherry Blossoms” by Andy Squyres. |
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Towards the end of the song, Andy sings, “Now I’m not going to give into this mortal frustration. And I’m not going to give death any standing ovation. I will lift my soul, God, with no hesitation cause between you and me there is no separation.”
I want to affirm that your fears surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) are real – many of us haven’t seen anything like this in our lifetimes. We do not know what is to come, when the highest spike of infection will be, or when events will stop being cancelled.
However, I want to encourage you to remember your faith, not your fear, is what will keep you looking towards hope. I haven’t read Psalm 77 since the tornados came through in October, but I was reminded of this lamenting Psalm this week.
Verses 1-3 state,
“I cry out loud to God –
out loud to God so God can hear me!
During the day when I’m in trouble I look for my Lord.
At night my hands are still outstretched and don’t grow numb;
my whole being refuses to be comforted.
I remember God and I moan.
I complain and my spirit grows tired.”
The author of this Psalm knew what tired is, what not catching your breath feels like, how fear and the unknown can take up your entire brain space.
But then the author writes verses 11-13,
“But I will remember the Lord’s deeds;
yes, I will remember your wondrous acts from times long past.
I will meditate on all your works;
I will ponder your deeds.
God, your way is holiness!
Who is as great a god as you, God?”
The author balances his fear with his hope in God – the one who loves, nurtures, guides, protects, comforts, and cares for us.
Even at the core of our fear, God is with us. Our fear is real and I believe that the Psalms allow us to express in our faith. A lot of people will say, “The Bible says ‘Do not fear’ 365 times…” And I don’t know about you, but that does not feel particularly helpful these days. There is fear – both individually and communally.
Psalm 77 and “Cherry Blossoms” helps us to remember that there is nothing that separates us from the love of God. God is at work in our lives even in fear and chaos. God shows up in the love of our family members, friends, and neighbors. God is present when we search scriptures, read spiritual growth pieces, and pray. God has been, is, and will be with us through it all.
May you feel the love and presence of God in your life, through whatever you are feeling these days.
Let us pray together:
“A Prayer for a Pandemic” (by Cameron Bellm)
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember the most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who much choose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their school close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
Let us find yet ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
You are loved.
Share that love with others at this time.
Gratefully,
Anna Bundy
Ministry Intern
I want to affirm that your fears surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) are real – many of us haven’t seen anything like this in our lifetimes. We do not know what is to come, when the highest spike of infection will be, or when events will stop being cancelled.
However, I want to encourage you to remember your faith, not your fear, is what will keep you looking towards hope. I haven’t read Psalm 77 since the tornados came through in October, but I was reminded of this lamenting Psalm this week.
Verses 1-3 state,
“I cry out loud to God –
out loud to God so God can hear me!
During the day when I’m in trouble I look for my Lord.
At night my hands are still outstretched and don’t grow numb;
my whole being refuses to be comforted.
I remember God and I moan.
I complain and my spirit grows tired.”
The author of this Psalm knew what tired is, what not catching your breath feels like, how fear and the unknown can take up your entire brain space.
But then the author writes verses 11-13,
“But I will remember the Lord’s deeds;
yes, I will remember your wondrous acts from times long past.
I will meditate on all your works;
I will ponder your deeds.
God, your way is holiness!
Who is as great a god as you, God?”
The author balances his fear with his hope in God – the one who loves, nurtures, guides, protects, comforts, and cares for us.
Even at the core of our fear, God is with us. Our fear is real and I believe that the Psalms allow us to express in our faith. A lot of people will say, “The Bible says ‘Do not fear’ 365 times…” And I don’t know about you, but that does not feel particularly helpful these days. There is fear – both individually and communally.
Psalm 77 and “Cherry Blossoms” helps us to remember that there is nothing that separates us from the love of God. God is at work in our lives even in fear and chaos. God shows up in the love of our family members, friends, and neighbors. God is present when we search scriptures, read spiritual growth pieces, and pray. God has been, is, and will be with us through it all.
May you feel the love and presence of God in your life, through whatever you are feeling these days.
Let us pray together:
“A Prayer for a Pandemic” (by Cameron Bellm)
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember the most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who much choose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their school close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
Let us find yet ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
You are loved.
Share that love with others at this time.
Gratefully,
Anna Bundy
Ministry Intern
