Jesus fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me However – not what I want, but what you want ”
– Matthew 26:42
Since coming back from open-heart surgery, people often ask me something along the lines of, “Do you have any new or deep insights as a result of what you went through?” Maybe Maybe not I’m not really sure, to be vulnerable At times I think I do Other times I think, not so much I think I’m still processing; after all, it’s only been 5 months
g with the surgeon and actually having the surgery, I thought a lot about the pain ahead of me It was daunting; at times debilitating. I dreaded it. I understand why Jesus, knowing the pain he was about to go through, prayed to God, “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me” because I prayed the same prayer. Over and over. Many times.
I did have one insight prior to the surgery, though. I’m not sure how deep it is, but I do get emotional when I talk about it. So I thought maybe instead of talking about it, I would write about it because it gives me some insight into Jesus’ prayer the night he was arrested Not new insight and not really deep insight; just insight
Over the years, I have walked with a number of church members through their open-heart surgery journeys. Each of those journeys was unique and different, but each of them did have one common denominator – pain. Lots of it. Every person I have known to go through that surgery experienced a significant amount of pain postsurgery In fact, I knew from conversations with both patients and medical personnel that it is just about the most painful surgery one can have
So I knew what was in my future when the cardiologist said to me, “Mr. Reynolds, you have several significant blockages that can’t be repaired with stents. You are going to need surgery.” Pain – I was in for a significant amount of pain.
A few days before the surgery, however, while praying this prayer, I had a profound realization that brought me great peace I realized that there was going to be pain no matter what, it was just a question of who was going to bear it. By that I mean, I realized that either I could bear the pain of the surgery or my family would bear the pain of my death.
With that stark realization the choice was a no-brainer I would gladly bear that pain so my family wouldn’t have to In fact, bearing that pain was something I was suddenly grateful to be able to do because of my love for them. My suffering would prevent their suffering.
I have always been amazed at Jesus’ ability to finish his prayer with, “However, not what I want, but what you want.” That always seemed like hero stuff to me, the kind of stuff I couldn’t really relate to In that moment, however, I realized why Jesus was able to finish his prayer this way It was because of his deep love for us It was out of his desire to spare us pain and suffering. He gladly suffered pain for a short while so that we wouldn’t have to for eternity.
Grace and peace…
Upcoming Sermon Texts and Topics
As we move from Lent into Holy Week, we are continuing our sermon series on The Life of Jesus. Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection take center stage as he concludes his Kingdom Mission. Following Easter we will look at the 4 post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus.
April 6th
April 13th
April 17th
April 20th
April 27th
Luke 22:63-23:12
Luke 23:13-25, 33-47
Luke 22:7-38
Luke 24:1-12
John 20:19-29
The Life of Jesus: Trial
The Life of Jesus: Crucifixion
The Life of Jesus: The Last Supper
The Life of Jesus: Resurrection
The Life of Jesus: Appears to Disciples
Holy Week Worship Opportunities
April 13
All children and their families will gather in the Narthex prior to the service to receive palms and then parade through the sanctuary during the singing of the 1st hymn
April 17
A joint service of communion with Church of the Savior
April 18 April 20
A noon prayer service based on the passion narrative This will be a joint worship service with 7 other PCUSA congregations
A celebration of the Resurrection with the Flowering of the Cross
Flowering of the Cross
Everyone is invited to take part in our annual “Flowering of the Cross” on Easter Sunday morning! Bring flowers from your yard, garden, the store, or even the side of the road with you to worship. Then on Easter Sunday morning prior to the service, come and place your flowers on the cross as you enter the sanctuary before you take your seat. Following the service (weather permitting), our Fellowship Time will be outside between the sanctuary and the chapel and the Flowered Cross will be placed there for photos.
10:30 a.m.
Maundy Thursday Service
On Thursday, April 17th we will celebrate the sacrament of communion at a service commemorating Maundy Thursday “Maundy” comes from the Latin word maundatum, which means “commandment” It refers to the Last Supper when Jesus, after washing the disciples’ feet, instructs them, “I give you a new commandment As I have done for you, you also should do for one another.” The service will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary and will last approximately an hour. This will be a joint worship service with the Church of the Savior.
Good Friday Service
On Friday, April 18th, we will gather in the sanctuary for a reflective and contemplative prayer service. This will be a joint worship service between 2nd, 4th United, Emmanuel, Erin, Graystone, Lake Forest, Lake Hills, and Shiloh Presbyterian Churches.
Our next 2nd Wednesday Dinner & Program is Wednesday, April 9th beginning at 6:00 p.m. The dinner will be Soccer Taco. Following dinner, Pastor Sarah will lead us through a series of Lenten Prayer Stations.
Palm Sunday Brunch
WE INADVERTENTLY MISSED SOMEONE... HAPPY BIRTHDAY! PLEASE HELP US UPDATE OUR RECORDS SO WE'LL HAVE YOUR SPECIAL DAY ON FILE.
Bill Johnson
IwasborninKnoxville,attendedHolstonHighSchooland UT LastDecemberIwasinvitedtotheChristmasEve serviceatSecondPresbyterianbymybrother-in-law,Joe BealsIII.Itwasanawesomeexperience.ItoldJoeasweleft thatIwantedtocomeback.Ibeganattendingasavisitor andcameeverySunday.JoeencouragedmetojoinSecond Presbyterianandafteracoupleofconversationswith PastorTim,whomIhaveknownforseveralyears,hereI am.
Second Readers will meet at the Buckingham Clubhouse on April 16. We will discuss the book, The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon. Please join us at 11:30 and bring your lunch for what should be a good discussion. All are welcome to join us and if you have any questions, call Margaret Sullivan at 865-363-3967.
There will an Easter Egg Hunt during the Sunday School hour on Easter Sunday morning, April 20th, in the preschool playground areas for our youngest disciples. All families with young children are invited to participate.
Preschool Spring Musical
The Preschool’s Spring Musical will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29th in the sanctuary.
Received reports from the Pre-School and Ministry Teams as information. Approved the replacement of a non-functioning HVAC Chiller Unit in the HVAC System.
Approved the PCUSA Special Offerings for 2025 including One Great Hour of Sharing, Pentecost, Peace and Global Witness and Christmas Joy.
Approved buying 20 stands at $30 each to display the tartans for Kirkin’ of the Tartans on October 19, 2025.
Approved Communion for the first Sunday of each month and Maundy Thursday. Approved the request of the Church of the Savior to use our building for worship and fellowship beginning February 23, 2025.
Welcomed into the congregation Tara and Lila (Charlie) Sturdivant, Charles Bates, Gabrielle Miller and William (Bill) Johnson.
Approved the Finance Committee request for approval of Dale Henley’s request for funds from the Pete Denton Endowment Fund in the amount of $1,000 for use while attending the University of Tennessee.
Approved the GO Team request to use up to $1,000 from the West View designated fund to support two upcoming activities at West View Elementary School. West View Math Night and West View Teacher Appreciation Week,
Approved the GO Team request to use $5,000 from designated and endowment funds to support a $50,000 matching funds grant sponsored by First Presbyterian to provide needed funds to help address an urgent need by Bridge Refugee Services.
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S c o u t R o o m ) 8 : 4 5 p m U k i r k B a s k e t b a l l 10:00 a.m. Presbyterian Women (Fellowship Hall) 6:00 p.m. Worship Team (Barbour Room ) 7:00 pm Scouts (Gym) 8:45 p.m. Ukirk Basketball (Gym)
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7 : 0 0 p m : S c o u t s ( G y m a n d S c o u t s R o o m ) 9 : 0 0 p m : U K i r k B a s k e t b a l l 9:00 a.m. FISH Pantry (Fellowship Hall) 7:00 pm Scouts (Gym) 8:45 p.m. Ukirk Basketball (Gym) 9:00 a.m. FISH Pantry (Fellowship Hall) 5:30 pm: Preschool Musical (Sanctuary) 7:00 pm Scouts (Gym) 8:45 p.m. Ukirk Basketball (Gym) 8:30 am: Friends of TN Babies with Special Needs (Fellowship Hall) 6 p.m. 2nd Wednesday Dinner & Program (Fellowship Hall)
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5 : 0 0 p . m . Y o u n g A d u l t L a d i e s L i f e G r o u p ( Y o u t h )
