May 19, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith
Luke 9:28-43 - The Transfiguration of Jesus

This week’s meditation is all about imagining the unimagined, or seeing a possibility in the midst of impossible circumstances. It could be that some who will read this posting may be in the midst of some difficult situations that seem impossible to fix. It could be that others may be reading this and remembering events or situations that were transformed by the love of God through the love of others in ways they could have never imagined.

Whatever your situation today; Health, finances, emotional well-being, relationships wounded, along with a myriad of other examples, please know that God is in the midst of it all and is calling for you to hear his voice speaking peace and direction. It could be that God is calling for you and I to be the action of love that another desperately needs right now. Our text from the Gospel of Luke tells of the moment when Jesus took three disciples with him up on the mountain to pray. You see, there was much about to happen and Jesus knew the best way to prepare was to pray first and work later. And so, Peter, John and James who are already exhausted from the events that happened prior to this telling, have their eyes opened by an amazing glory moment when Jesus was transfigured with a brilliance no one had ever seen before. His face and clothing were changed in such a way that it must have been a glimpse of what heaven will hold for his believers. They also witnessed Moses and Elijah, who had long since been dead, actually talking with Jesus about his impending departure from the earth, and then a voice is heard: “This is my son, my Chosen; Listen to him” (vs.35).

What a way to be roused from sleepiness!

I sense this text holds within it a calling for believers today to be roused as well, not to deprive us from needed rest, but to see the possibility of life being lived in a new way, even a heavenly way. The text then goes on to say that the disciples came down from this mountain top experience and said nothing to anyone about this encounter (vs. 36). Then, the next day Jesus was begged by a man to heal his son from a demon that caused severe seizures and self harm. It seems the man asked a disciple to heal the boy, but he could not, but Jesus could. After the boy was healed Jesus “gave him back to his father”. I love that phrase “gave him back”; it helps me see the love of Jesus to heal, restore and return a loved one back to their family to live and love others.

Heidi Neumark puts it this way: “But living high up in the rarefied air isn’t the point of transfiguration…[It was] never meant as a private experience of spirituality removed from the public square. It was a vision to carry us down, a glimpse of unimagined possibility at ground level” (quoted from Heidi’s book; Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx – From Feasting on the Word year C, Vol 1. Advent through Transfiguration).

AMEN!

May 12, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith 


A garden is a wonderful thing. A garden gives us a reason to get in touch with creation, to feel the soil, to experience the weeding out of the bad and tilling in the good. Yes, a garden can be a very good thing. But what if the garden poses resistance; weeds grow faster than produce, bugs infest what is growing, rain doesn’t come and plants wither, and all you see is work, work, work. I am not a professional gardener. Ok, maybe a few tomato plants in pots on the patio, but, to tend rows of cabbage, zucchini, spinach and squash, well now, that is a different type of gardening. And yet, we are attempting to do this very thing this year.

Many of you know me personally and understand that the last thing I needed was one more thing to do on my “To Do” list, and yet, with the provocation, or shall I say the “daring” of a family member, my husband and I have taken the challenge. Please pray we stayed married through it all (we just celebrated 35 years in April) Here’s where scripture helps me through even things like this: “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12-11).

To keep the context of this verse; Hosea was a prophet sent by God to an unfaithful people who sought to please themselves and even sacrificed to false gods, the least of which was to give of their crops to these pagan deities. Now, before you get lost in this and shut me off, PLEASE HEAR THIS! The Bible speaks throughout all time and eternity. Remember, we are talking about people, and yes, you and I are people who tend to get lost in the pattern of this world to seek for ourselves, to comfort ourselves, to build up ourselves, when all the time the God who created all human beings is calling all human beings to seek him first, and when we do, he shows the way.

You see, we were meant to be “seed bearers” for the world around us. Many of you do just that. At this posting, I have dear ones in my life who are grieving great loss and yet, reach out and love others. I know of isolated individuals who give all they can to love and care for others even if they can’t be with them. I have been encouraged and cared for in simple and profound ways when I felt like giving up on the work God has for me to do. I will close this meditation with an inspiring word from “Miss Maple” from the book; Miss Maples Seeds written by Eliza Wheeler: “Take care my little ones, for the world is big and you are small. But never forget…even the grandest of trees once had to grow up from the smallest of seeds.”

What seeds can you plant today?

Ankle deep in soil with you, Edith

May 5, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith 

“Sermon Second Helpings” from Exodus 3 and 33. “Seeing the Face of God”

Reflecting back on Moses and his encounters with God, I like to remember how the relationship started. Moses, a man who once thought himself to be a Royal Egyptian only to discover that he was a poor Hebrew slave, finds himself living a meager yet peaceful life among a people who trusted in the one true God. His first encounter back in Exodus chapter 3 tells us that Moses, though standing in front of a burning bush miracle and hearing the very voice of God, does not shy away, but asks bold questions. The one that strikes me the most is when Moses asks God; “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them?”

I wonder if I am in awe of the same miracle working, mercy sharing, God as Moses was, and yet willing to be honest and open and ask the questions that burn in me. Do you have that kind of relationship with this same God that formed you as well? Later in chapter 33 Moses needs to hear from God again. He has been speaking with God and trying to mediate some kind of reconciliation due to the golden calf party (see Exodus 32 for a refresher). Here in chapter 33:18-20 Moses again is very bold; “Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’” What he wants is to see God face to face, but God has another plan.

Have you ever come to the point that you were so desperate to know for sure that God really exists and that He has not left you or abandoned someone you care very deeply about? Is it ok to be bold in our relationship with God to the point we can demand to see him? I would say yes, and even suggest that God is waiting for his children too long for him in such a personal and profound way. What does God do for Moses in this text and in this context? God informs Moses that no one can see the physical face of God and live (33:20), but he also assures Moses that he will be given the opportunity to dwell in God’s very presence, glory and goodness, if he follows the instructions (33:21-23).

What about here and now? My thought for you today is to consider how God shows his presence, glory and goodness through God’s creation, both in nature and in humanity. When you see someone caring unconditionally for another, you are looking at the face of God. When you put your feelings and agenda aside and care for someone, you become the face of God. The Reverend Rita Hayes puts it this way; “Let’s face it. God reveals goodness in ways we cannot begin to comprehend. Like Moses, we cannot venture into life without the abiding face (presence) of God. And God expects us to look into the faces of others and see a trace of God’s likeness reflected there.” (Christian Living Magazine, Spring 2021 edition Pg. 83)

AMEN!

April 28, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith

This week my husband and I celebrated 35 years of marriage and decided we needed to go out of town, but where? God provided with a phone call from a dear friend of mine who stayed in touch with me since we became friends in 1977. She and her parents invited Mark and I to drive up to their home and spend a couple of days relaxing with them. So, Monday morning we packed a few things and headed out.

For some of you, this may seem trivial, but please keep in mind that not only did the Pandemic keep us from doing these kinds of things, but illness and unexpected surgery really turned our lives upside down for more than just this past year. Needless to say, we were thankful to have the ability to visit out of town and for the good health and the kindness of our congregations to allow for us to have this time. Hence, the delay in posting this Midweek Meditation. Thank you for your patience.

2 Corinthians 4:7-8 (a portion of this past Sunday’s message text) says; “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; confused, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (Emphasis mine).

For me, this past year and often in the past 35 years while making a home with my husband and children and now grandchildren, there have been many times in my work and vocation when I have felt hard pressed, confused, persecuted (in very minimal ways, but still felt), struck down (too many times I heard the words; “No, I won’t help you with that”), and still The Lord lifted me up and lead me to the next step. He does that for all of us, if we will listen. I wasted a lot of time not listening and just sat in my anxiety, disappointment and depressed emotions.

Our text for this meditation inspires me; “You don’t have to stay in that endless, hopeless emotional roller coaster”! Verse 7 talks about the great treasure that has been entrusted to us when we trust in Christ, even though we are weak and fragile like “jars of clay”. The treasure is the Gospel, God’s good news that Jesus Saves and it has been entrusted to us who may be feeling the effects of being hard pressed (or depressed), confused, persecuted, abandoned, or struck down.

A dear friend sent me this thought one day while battling the effects of depression; “When I change around the letters of the word DEPRESSION, I see the words; I PRESSED ON”.

I pray that you will know today how much God loves you, so much so that He desires to lift you out of any situation that threatens to keep you down.

AMEN!

April 21, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith
Ephesians 4:21-24

As I write this and prepare to post it, I want to say that this has been a difficult morning. Not because of illness, or tragedy, or grief of loss, though there is much of that in the world around me that I know affects me even when I am about daily chores. No, the difficulty has come from encounters with very troubled and upset folks who are shocked at the way fellow believers treat them. If you read last week’s meditation, you can see how the Lord prepared me and you for just such a time as this. (see 2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

As I held my head in my hands at my desk and computer, my eyes landed on a little book; Church Signs and the Lord gave me a step back that made me chuckle. This particular church sign reads; “Don’t Let The Worries Of This World Kill You, Let The Church Help.” Wow! You could take that a couple of different ways. I took it as a humbling reminder that the “Church” (meaning all fellowships of Christian believers together) are made up of people and as the Scripture reminds us; “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, hence, we mess up often, even if we don’t recognize it.

God knows and loves us enough to encourage us to keep looking to Him daily (and even moment by moment) to seek His way in His Word and then “the Church” can be: “made new in the attitude of our minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph.4:23-24)

May the Lord bless you and keep you close to Him as you seek Him in His Word and my you sense His protection from all that would threaten the Unity of the bond we share in Him.

April 14, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith

That’s what I used to say to the checkbook when I was new at financial management, not only my personal finances but for the USAF Chaplain Fund for the chapel to which I was assigned in my early 20’s. Boy, am I glad I worked with experienced Airmen who could guide me through the process of managing the funds for such a large organization. Today I am thankful for all the help available to my husband and I as we navigate financial stability in a very unstable world. More than that, I am very thankful for those faithful to the Lord who guide us as we continue to live for Christ in an unstable environment where even fellow Christians participate in disunity at a time when we need to exemplify unity in the love of Christ and in God’s word.

Here’s the take-away for today:
“So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God we're making his appeal through us.

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: "Be reconciled to God. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-21-emphasis, mine.) “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, and they’ll know we are Christians by our love”.

AMEN!

April 7, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith

“Happy New You!” If you found new life through the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, what we know to be Easter, then you know what I’m talking about. If not, don’t stop reading, keep going, there is an encouragement for all of us in the following meditation.

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away and look, new things have arrived” (2 Corinthians 5:17 CEV)

The ‘If” here simply means you and I get to choose. It puts that ball of decision in our personal court, not for anyone else to force or dictate, I like that.

The “anyone” means, and let me quote from Pastor Bob Gardner from the Adult Bible Series for this Spring, Vol. 29, No. ;, [the word] ‘anyone’ opens up God’s plan of salvation to all who sincerely call upon the name of the Lord. Redemption is freely offered to Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female. This inclusive and all-encompassing love reveals the nature of a supreme God whose will is that none be lost.”

Please be encouraged that God loves “all ya’ll” and “Ere Body” . He loves us so much that He does not force his affection on us, but allows for us to choose, and even if we choose not to love Him, He still loves us.

Why not reflect on that a bit this week and look and see what difference that makes, not only in our day-to-day living, but in others around us that we encounter and encourage.

“Happy New You!”

April 1, 2021
Midweek study with Pastor Edith

Did you know that Jesus turns our Hosanna’s into Hallelujah’s on the day of his resurrection?
Did you know that when we cry out to God “Help me now!” it is a joy to Him and yet comes with an opportunity to take the next step toward the help we ask for?

You see, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday, He rode in on the colt of a donkey, a symbol of a King arriving in peace, and when he arrived the crowd cried out, many in a demanding voice, “Hosanna!” which means “Save Us”.

I can’t help thinking that many in the crowd who knew of the healings and the miracle of food for the 5 thousand, and even the event of bringing Lazarus back from the dead were not so much praising Jesus for his goodness as they were demanding of him what they wanted – “Save us Now!”

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 23:5)

Why do we tend to look for the “right now” answer, when what is in the “right now” may be a dead end road?

Jesus told his followers what was going to happen according to God’s plan, they then, and we now, turn a deaf ear and only want what we want, when we want it. It may be a very unselfish cry for “help now!” for a dear friend that is suffering so much. It might be a deep rooted whisper “stop this now!” for a virus or continuance of abuse. None of these escapes God’s awareness and yet we cry out. Perhaps the answer is to look up. Look up to the cross and look up at the heavens. He uses it all to draw us closer to him. It often hurts and feels unfair, but Jesus did not go to the cross because it was fair, He did it for you because He loves you.

The great news is; “He is Risen indeed!”.

Celebrate this Easter with a new boldness and willingness to trust Him, even when it hurts. He hurts alongside with you!