On Reading the Psalms

Grace Church Family,

During this time of high anxiety and fear I am finding the daily practice of reading a psalm a day very enriching. I follow Dr. MarkWhiting on Twitter and he also has an excellent blog here:  https://psaltermark.com  Mark is Anglican OT scholar, a "psalm addict," and encourages this practice of reading a psalm a day and when you reach Psalm 150 going back and starting over again. I love it.

In last week's sermon I mentioned an email conversation I had with our own Susan Garrett about the psalms. Last week I sent out a prayer that was adapted from Psalm 94. I loved it. Susan replied back that while there are many good written prayers being shared today on social media there is nothing quite like the Psalms. She is so, so right.

The wonder of the Psalms is that they speak God's Word to us, especially in times where everything seems to be shaking. They inspire trust and faith and adoration of the living God. They also speak for us. The Psalmist's words become our words. We can pray the psalm ourselves.

Today I read Psalm 32. This verse jumped off the page: "You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7 NRSV). I could not help but think of Corrie ten Boom as I read this. This passage was a life verse for her. (I've been reading a biography about her lately and so she's been on my mind). If you have not read her book,  The Hiding Place, let me encourage you to do so. It is a classic, one of those books to read every few years. The Lord is our hiding place. He is my hiding place.

Or consider this from Psalm 32: "Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the guilt of my sin" (verse 5, NRSV). God is our hiding place and the one who forgives us! Two promises to hold on to each and every day.

I read the Psalms from the same Bible each day. I find that helpful. My leather NRSV Bible I usually keep in the study at church. I have hardbacks at home that are identical to it so that helps me to remember where things are on certain pages. I also use the RSV, NIV, and the KJV when it comes to reading the Psalms. BibleGateway.com is another resource I use if I am away from my hard copies. I have it on all my computers, iPad, and iPhone. I use it each day.

So, start today with Psalm 1. If you begin and miss a day or two pick up where you left off. Listen for God to speak to you. See Christ in the Psalms. Let the words become your prayer.

Blessed reading!

In the fellowship of our Lord,

Clay+

The Feast of Annunciation

From Luke 1:26-38 Revised Standard Version (RSV):

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 

³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” ³⁵ And the angel said to her, 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; 

therefore the child to be born will be called holy, 

the Son of God. 

³⁶ And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.


By now you know my love for Christmas. I really do love it. The carols, smells, food, time with family, giving and opening gifts, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," special meals, candlelight communion, and so, so much more all say to me that God has come to us in the Holy Child. Christmas begins in March on the 25th which is, of course, today, The Feast of the Annunciation.

We're used to hearing the passage above from Luke during Advent, but it is the Gospel Lesson for today. Imagine the shock and the surprise it was for Mary. She is so open to God, much more than many of us. She receives Gabriel's message, but still has her questions. Without a doubt in my mind she knows this will not be easy, but again, she is open and willing to serve the Lord. 

Gabriel reassures her with these words: "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37 RSV). 

What seemed impossible, even improbable, is possible  with God.  This is not the first time we've heard a promise like that. Centuries before this God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would become parents. This was many years after they had received their Medicare cards. They're told this: "Is anything too hard for
the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14 RSV).

We're living in a time filled with much fear. None of us are free of fear of some kind right now. We have our questions. Some are saying we should simply go on with life as normal and are, for example, continuing to hold church services. That is not faith, it is presumption. It is not believing in the God of the impossible it is believing in belief or faith itself apart from trusting in the God revealed to us in Jesus.

Look at Mary. She had to wait and see how God's promise to her would be fulfilled. She had to tell Joseph. They had to travel to Bethlehem. It took months to see how something that seemed so impossible would be worked out in their lives and then throughout her life she saw how God fulfilled these promises in Jesus.

And so we wait in faith. We know the God of the impossible is at work right now. That is one reason we pray for healing and for those who lead us and for those on the front lines of attacking the virus. Right now things seem impossible. But with the eyes of faith we know the God of the impossible is at work. Like Mary we trust and wait.

Grace + peace,
Clay+

Photo above of a fresco: The Annunciation of Mary, located in St Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv Ukraine, c 1037-1044.

Living in Plague Times by Philip Yancey

Here is a blog post recommended by Pastor Clay. It's by author and journalist, Philip Yancey with some perspective and Biblical references for today's pandemic. The post includes some good links for good and accurate information on Covid-19, and perspective on how to cope and handle these times. Please check it out.

Living in Plague Times by Philip Yancey

A Spark of Faith and a Resurrection Tree

Many moons ago, we moved into a new home in Pasadena MD, and one of the first things we did was plant a little flowering cherry tree in the corner of our front yard. For a year or two it thrived, and then very suddenly it started wilting. Then, one by one, its branches started dying off, victims of a borer infestation. We treated the tree, but to no avail, and in the fall we cut the poor dead tree down to the ground with plans to replace it in the Spring. I was going to dig it up right then, but deep down neither of us wanted to give up on it quite yet so we let it rest.

Winter passed, and we went out in the yard the following Spring resigned to the fact that we were finally going to have to dig it up. But, Lo and behold, there were tiny sprouts coming out of that dead stump, so we decided to let it go and see what it would do. That "dead" tree grew like gangbusters. Each successive Spring after that our reborn tree grew larger and larger, and always seemed to reach its full bloom right around Easter. In a 2012 conversation with Hank Simon, our pastor at the time, we all started referring to it as our Resurrection Tree, and Pastor Hank even based a sermon on it.

Nearly thirty years later, that tree still stands in our old front yard. If we'd given up, if we'd lost hope, it never would have achieved it's true potential. The photo below was taken in April of 2012 during Easter week. As you can see, with Marci standing under it to show its scale, it's huge and it's glorious. Since those first tiny sprouts showed up out of that stump, it's been a symbol of the power of hope for us, and a reminder that even a tiny spark of faith can yield breathtaking results.

God Bless and stay well,
Dan and Marci Beard

The Body of Christ and the Virus

"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."  Corinthians 12:27 NRSV

On the way to the church (I'm at the office for a bit this afternoon, but still keeping my distance) it occurred to me how much I've missed everyone this week. Since I started treatments I've had several times that I've had to practice an early form of "social distancing." Most of it was simply staying home because all those medicines had knocked me down and out. Now with my immune system down, too, I've been watching where I go and how I interact with others. Elbow bumps, not handshakes, for example. Then the virus came and all of us went home. It's a strange time.

And yet Paul says we are the body of Christ. Whether we are gathered together each week or out and about or at home: we are Christ's body. Notice he does not say someone else is. No it is us, you, all of us. As he says, "we are individually members of it." Paul says this right after insisting that each member of the body is vitally important for the health of the body. One part of the body is an important as any other part of the body (I Corinthians 12:14-26). We need each other for the body of Christ to function where we are in ministry together.

So that is one reason why Christians have gathered to worship, serve, eat, share, pray, give, sing, listen, care, study, and a host of other things together as one body. We need each other and in a time of being "distant" from one another we need others even more. So how do we do this?

Social media is helpful. Sending an email is, too. I'm using it a lot more this week to stay in touch with you. Calling is another way. After my treatments next week I can't say how much I'll be able to be in touch. We'll see how it goes.But there is no replacement for real human interaction that is face-to-face. But for now this and other means of keeping in touch will have to do.

I hope you have accepted Bishop Lewis' invitation to pray each day at noon. If that is or was not a good time for you, pray any time for all those who are dealing with the virus and for healing and a cure. I pray for those who lead us each day, for those on the front lines like physicians, PAs, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, nurses, CNAs, all those who are support staff, work in medical or hospital offices, police, fire and rescue, and so many others. Our son works in a grocery store in New Bern, NC. He says they have been so, so busy. He's the person behind the counter who checks out your groceries. Thank people like him for being there. And again, I think of Dr. Tony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, two scientists and physicians with the NIH who are hard at work for all of us. 

In the fellowship of our Lord,

Clay+

Bishop Sharma Lewis: Pray at Noon Every Day

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV) Prayer is essential to sustain our faith and Jesus Christ modeled a life of prayer.

I would like to thank several of you that have suggested a corporate prayer time for the Virginia Annual Conference. I am very blessed to lead an annual conference that believes in the power of the petitioned prayer!

Please join me at 12 noon every day and pray the printed prayer below. Let us invoke the power of the Great Physician to do a mighty work in eradicating this disease all over the world.

Peace and Blessings,

Bishop Sharma D. Lewis

Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

We thank you for your blessings, past, present and future. You are our rock and the source of our hope in all things and at all times. As Jehovah Jireh, our provider God, we ask you this day to stretch out your mighty hand and eradicate from the face of the earth forever this virus called COVID-19 (coronavirus) that is spreading rapidly from continent to continent. We also pray that you, Jehovah Rapha, our healing God, would place your hand upon all of those who have been stricken by this virus and restore them to full health. Be with those who have lost loved ones and are grieving. Protect all who are caring for those with this virus and keep them from contracting it themselves. Calm our fears and provide us with your peace that surpasses all understanding. Strengthen us with the joy of the Lord and help us to hold firmly to the hope that only you can provide. Unify us that we, the Virginia Annual Conference, may be able to experience anew the promise of your presence in and through the unity of our faith, hope and trust in you in the days ahead and forever. We offer this prayer in the mighty name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. AMEN.

God is at Work

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. Psalm 121:5-6 (RSV)

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (RSV)

I just preached on Psalm 121 a few Sundays ago. I wonder if the Lord was getting me and all of us ready for what we're going through right now? I know since October I've been praying this psalm and turning its words over and over again in my heart and mind. Hear this again: the Lord is our, your keeper. Pray this alongside Psalm 23 where we say, "The Lord is my shepherd." The Lord shepherds us and keeps us. God is our protector and guardian. Trust him and trust his word. Let me be so bold as to suggest that you spend some time reading and praying Psalm 121. I really believe it is a word for us right now and that the Lord was preparing me and you for this time we are facing. Plus what we were already going through in our own lives.

Paul says God is at work for good in "everything." Even in a time of fear? Yes. Even when people are sick? Yes. It takes faith and trust to see this and at times we only get a glimmer. But if we train ourselves to see where God is at work, even when it seems he is absent, we just might see his mighty, yet gentle hand.

Just think of all the people working to bring healing to those who have the new virus. I read a wonderful interview of Francis Collins who leads the NIH. Did you know Collins is a Christian and a scientist? He went to UVA  and UNC! Yes, that's possible! He's a deeply Christian man who is just one of the people at work to bring a good solution to this new virus. And there are so many others: physicians, nurses, therapists, paramedics, EMTs, scientists, volunteers, helpers of many, many kinds. Through these people God is at work.

Continue to pray. Don't stop. It's tempting to do so with so much bad news. God works through our prayers. Yes, even our prayers. Keep in touch with friends and neighbors. Check on the elderly and the lonely. Listen. Send a card or an email or a text. Share this or the other emails I've sent. Stay connected. Put yourself in the position to be one of the ways God is at work in this crisis.

Don't hesitate to contact me for prayer or questions or other things. You can email, text, or call me. Yes, I'm having a CT tomorrow and treatments next week, but I still want to hear from you if you need me. I will do what I'm able and permitted to do given what the treatments have done to my immune system. But I can still pray and listen.

As I said yesterday we are improvising right now. We've never been through anything like this. God will see us through. God is at work. Jesus is with us; he is God with us. In Jesus God is for us not against us. Nothing at all can separate us from God's love. Nothing!

Clay+

Here is a online article about prayer you might find helpful.

Here is a recent interview with Dr Francis Collins with Focus on the Family.

Rev Clay Knick is the Pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Middletown, Virginia.