Lenten Devotional 2018

2018 Lenten Devotional BRYN MAWR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

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Introduction Dear Friends, The last verse of the Holy Week hymn, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” begins: What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend...” The text of this hymn was written in the 12th or 13th century, and I think it is one of the most poignant and lovely lines in all of our hymnody. There is something inexpressible about the faith we share which requires we borrow words from others to express our profound gratitude for God’s divine love revealed to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We borrow language from scripture, from hymns, from the liturgy of the church through the centuries, and of course, we borrow words from one another within the church family. This Lenten devotional was written by fellow church members and mission partners who were invited to reflect upon important biblical stories about God’s covenantal relationship with the human family. Providing different perspectives on these pivotal biblical texts gives us all a chance to share language, insight and meaning with one another to enrich our spiritual journey during Lent. The accompanying artwork complements our words with the gift of visual images giving expression beyond language.

Thanks to all the writers and artists who have contributed to this devotional guide, to my colleague, the Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick, for her coordination, and to Anna May Charrington for her editorial work on behalf of the Worship Council.

As we make our way toward the cross and the empty tomb beyond, I invite you to read and reread these Bible stories that guide our corporate pilgrimage this year, and to meditate upon these reflections.

As we use this guide individually, may we together be further nurtured to bow before God with thanksgiving for taking on human form and becoming for us our dearest friend.

Grace and Peace, Agnes W. Norfleet, Pastor

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, February 14 Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon - Psalm 51:1-17 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and done what is evil in your sight, and sinners will return to you. so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass 14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, judgement.

O God of my salvation, 5 Indeed, I was born guilty, and my tongue will sing aloud of your a sinner when my mother conceived me. deliverance.

6 You desire truth in the inward being; 15 O Lord, open my lips, therefore teach me wisdom in my and my mouth will declare your praise. secret heart.

16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be if I were to give a burnt-offering, you clean; would not be pleased. wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; a broken and contrite heart, O God, let the bones that you have crushed you will not despise. rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

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Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon - Psalm 51:1-17

Thursday, February 15 Steadfast love and abundant mercy – do we all immediately know that through these kind gestures, God will express forgiveness?

Born guilty of sin from the moment we were conceived – do we all believe that children in our lives are born with unclean hearts?

Our broken heart is an accepted sacrifice to God – is it truly necessary to feel so broken before seeking out God’s love and compassion?

In Psalm 51, David spends much time asking for God to forgive wrongdoings, knowing fully that forgiveness is readily available if we are prepared to accept it. It goes without saying that when we misstep or make a poor decision in our lives, we tend to hold on to these mistakes, hoping that a prolonged season of guilt will lead to what is sincerely desired – forgiveness. But there is more to forgiveness than simply being forgiven. Forgiveness is something that happens when we need and want it to happen; we are not only forgiven by God, but by ourselves.

The thought, that when we have finally forgiven and been forgiven, we are ready to “declare [God’s] praise,” is a lot to ask when working through a situation where God has not been as present. Is uncertainty not why many of us focus on the mistakes instead of the fact that God will love us and comfort us in whatever struggles we might be facing?

To me, verse six summarizes what this entire psalm is alluding to – truth finds its way into our hearts, and once we accept this truth, we are able to live life knowing that God continues to teach us the truth of accepting forgiveness each and every day of our lives.

Amen.

- Edward Landin, Assistant Director of Music

Today please pray for the Weekday school staff, teachers and students as they grow and learn together each day.

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Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon - Psalm 51:1-17

Friday, February 16 Psalm 51 reminds me of Ash Wednesday. Memories of Ash Wednesday include Bryn Mawr’s evening chapel service through the years. In particular, the words, “remember that you are dust and to dust you will return,” echo. The imposition of ashes in the shape of a cross on my forehead is another powerful remembrance. On Ash Wednesday over the past few years, I have been aware of an intangible spiritual presence nearby. I sensed a call to honor this presence with strengthened and conscious dedication to God. As one result, I committed to certain positive actions during those Lenten seasons. Usually, I fell short of keeping that commitment.

The psalm’s beginning is liberating. The immediate acknowledgment of God’s mercy and my transgressions allows me to temporarily discard my ingrained denial and pretense. I can openly admit that I have sinned against God, acknowledge my need for forgiveness, and ask for forgiveness. The prayer of confession during Sunday worship provides a similar, safe space to declare that I am a transgressor and ask for pardon. I often want the silent time for personal confession, before the pastoral assurance of pardon, to linger. There is a comfort in praying for forgiveness while physically surrounded by the saints of the church.

The psalm reminds me that God has not given up on me, despite my continued transgressing, sporadic penitence, and limited gratitude. God wants me to have a willing spirit and a contrite heart. God offers salvation, through which comes joy. Having received the joy, I am responsible for willingly sharing it. And so I hope for a genuinely contrite heart and a generous, praise-filled voice.

- Anita Iyengar

Today please pray for the members of our Children and Family Ministry Council and their work to create classes, fellowship opportunities and community for all our children and their parents and grandparents.

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Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon - Psalm 51:1-17

Saturday, February 17 David committed terrible sins. He had broken three of the Ten Commandments, and now, in the 51st Psalm, he is pleading with God to take away the pain and suffering he himself had helped create. He was taking the first steps toward repentance. He was coming out of his state of denial regarding his wrongdoing and was asking God for help.

Nathan, through the use of parable, had brought out the spirit of evil, which was hidden in David’s mind. The consequence was terrible mental conflict, which was now tearing apart David. He begged to be cleansed of sin so he could feel joy again. He seemed to want atonement by amnesia, since he could not face the pain he had co-created. David’s heart yearned for God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within us, which we can find through loving our neighbors as ourselves. Our neighbors even include our enemies.

Hell is a place we co-create ourselves - first in imagination and then in reality. We are deluded into believing that accumulating pleasure paves the way to happiness. David clearly wants God to take away the pain resulting from his sinful past, yet he remains attached to the pleasures of his illicit marriage to Bathsheba. Lust and craving for pleasure led him to actions that put him in and kept him in pain which he could only mitigate by watering the seeds of compassion in his own soul.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to avoid watering the seeds of craving that lead to sin and suffering by remembering You and acting with compassion in mind, spirit and body to all of life and the life-sustaining systems on our planet. Please help us to remember we can help overcome any evil and find Your kingdom within us by becoming co-workers in furthering understanding and unconditional love.

- Joel Griska

Today please pray for the members of our Youth Ministry Council as they work together to lead our youth and their families in study, worship, service and fellowship.

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First Sunday in Lent

Sunday, February 18 God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis 9:8-17 8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

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God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis 9:8-17

Monday, February 19 When thinking of a flood, most people would imagine destruction, damage, and maybe even hopelessness. When thinking of God, most disciples would think of all of the divine qualities that God possesses, including everlasting love, celestial knowledge, and transcendent power.

However, in our Christian tradition, many would not associate God’s almighty power with the annihilation and devastation we see in the flood he lets loose on the earth in Genesis. The entirety of the earth was wiped clean, save for Noah, his family, and the animals on his ark. After the flood, though, God promises Noah that there will never again be another flood to destroy the earth and all of mankind, and he sets his rainbow in the sky to mark his promise.

This covenant shows that in the end, God does not seek to use his power to undo humanity or ravage the earth. He promises that nothing in life will be as destructive to humankind as the flood he unleashed at the very beginning, and in doing so, he builds trust between himself and humans. I take God’s covenant with Noah to mean that there will always be hope as long as God’s rainbow is in the sky, because he promised to use his power for the good of mankind, not the demolition of mankind. Thus, while we know that God is all-powerful, we can also trust in him to care for us and protect us under his bow. This is the truth of God’s covenant.

- Cara Guernsey, Youth Elder Class of 2018

Today please pray for our elementary school children, that they may be safe at school and at home, and that they may continue to grow in their faith.

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God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis 9:8-17

Tuesday, February 20 My father-in-law, Dr. James Kitchen II, read to us from Eugene Peterson’s The Message over summer breakfasts in the Poconos. He embodied a spirit of humility spurred by years of being a country doctor caring for infants, the diseased, the maimed, and mildly ill. Some paid their bills with chickens, venison, or the pledge of clearing an impassable trail.

He made a professional covenant as a young physician: Do no harm.

And he made a personal covenant as a spiritual man: Keep the Faith, but don’t keep it to yourself.

Jack Moon, beloved former Clerk of the BMPC Session, would ride his motorcycle one hundred miles to share lunches with Dr. Kitchen. An embrace of respect and affection would lead to conversation about old hymns, new horses, lost loves and, often, raucous laughter. A covenant of faith had been passed down to these gentlemen; they offered the same to the next generation.

• The Presbyterian hymnals given to our fifth graders honor the faith of Jack Moon; signs of God’s Covenant through music.

• Bible readings over breakfast; signs of God’s Covenant through story.

• Bread broken, wine poured; signs of God’s Covenant through hospitality.

• Baptismal water upon an infant’s head; a sign of God’s Covenant of welcome into the colorful family - the violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red – of God. A child of BMPC wrote a song not long ago, “I’m looking for a rainbow in a black and white world….” Could that be one invitation of Lent?

- The Rev. Patricia M.B. Kitchen

Today please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for our Sunday School teachers, giving thanks for their commitment of time and energy as they fulfill the promises we all make at Baptism to teach the faith to our children.

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The Piety That God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6;9:8-17 16-21 God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis

Wednesday, February 21 On the evening of his sister’s wedding in 1882, Scottish Presbyterian Minister George Matheson was struck by what he described as severe mental suffering. Having had incredibly poor vision as a child, at the age of twenty he went completely blind. While tradition holds that his pain that evening stemmed from his own experience with a broken romantic relationship, he never named specifically the pain that he endured that night. In his sorrow, he reflected on the constancy of God’s love, even in the midst of pain returning to the images of God as Love, Light and Joy. O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go was written in one sitting that evening.

Matheson went on to become a renowned preacher in the Scottish Church, even being summoned to preach for Queen Victoria herself.

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be.

O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day may brighter, fairer be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be.

Today please pray for our youngest children at BMPC - infants, preschoolers and Kindergartners as they take their first steps of faith, learn the language of faith and experience their first moments of Christian community.

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God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis 9:8-17

Thursday, February 22

Art by Mary French Noah and the Flood

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The Piety That God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6;9:8-17 16-21 God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis

Friday, February 23 Growing up in Pittsburgh, we were frequent visitors to Kennywood Amusement Park. Typically, one would think that spending a day on rides would make for wonderful memories. But not really. One of the only “rides” that my parents were willing to go on with me - since they were not roller coaster people - was the Noah’s Ark-themed haunted house.

Not really crafted to tell the biblical story of Noah, it was made more for frights with dimly lit animal cages, skeletons in the floor under glass walkways and even a tunnel with moving floors and psychedelic lights.

It made my stomach turn every time. Honestly, the story of Noah and the Flood makes my stomach turn as well some days, when I consider the devastation brought upon humanity. It actually makes more sense as a haunted house than the theme for a children’s Bible story anyway.

How do we find hope and restoration in the sign of the rainbow and the covenant with God? For a long time, I struggled with the particular turn of phrase we read in the story - that God placed a rainbow in the sky so that he would remember never to destroy the world again. Not as a reminder to us, but as a reminder to God. But I am starting to find comfort in that idea - maybe it is a reminder to God, but it is a reminder to us as well of God’s intentionality.

I don’t blame my parents for taking me into that haunted house. In fact, I took my own child in it just a few years ago. They never left me alone in it, my mother’s hand always firmly holding mine, especially during the moments when the only way I could make it through was with my eyes closed. That is the promise, that God will never abandon us through the storms, in the dark, and in the devastating places of our lives.

- The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick, Associate Pastor for Adult Education & Mission

Today please pray for our youth in middle school and high school as they encounter more and more of the world around them, may they have courage, imagination, and love.

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God’s Covenant with Noah - Genesis 9:8-17

Saturday, February 24 Have you ever seen the video of the Double Rainbow Guy? If you haven’t, you can (and should) search for it on YouTube. He weeps. Then he starts laughing through tears. He’s so overcome, he starts asking, “What does it all mean…?”

What does it all mean? This rainbow, this covenant? After all, it must have been a magisterial moment when Noah and all the animals clamor off that stinky ark and see the bow in the sky. It must have been like… laughing through tears.

God’s promise to Noah is simple: “I will remember, and I will not do this again.” Now, there was a covenant before this one with Adam and Eve, in which… well, you know how that turned out. So, God erases the hard drive.

Starts over. Then when God boots up again and sees what was saved, God remembers. God remembers what God made and loved it so much that God declares: never again. It appears to have broken God’s heart. Something in God changed. God changed. God turns in a way that God had never turned before. It is God’s remembering that saves, and it is God’s vow that becomes the prelude to Jesus and the cross and the empty tomb. That’s why this is the first text of Lent. To go to the cross, we have to go back to the very beginning, to the moment when God remembered and turned.

The Hebrew word for what was put in the sky is “bow.” We added the “rain” part. It is the same word for “hunting bow” or “war bow.” God hangs God’s bow in the sky as if retiring it on the mantle and saying, “I will not hunt you with this again. Rather, I am going to come hunting for you with my heart… with forgiveness… with grace… with second chances… with love.” That’s the answer to the double rainbow man’s question. It means the same as the empty tomb, and it feels like laughing through tears.

- The Rev. Allen Brimer, Farm Church, Durham, North Carolina

Today please pray for our Confirmation Students as they spend these days of Lent in their final weeks of classes leading up to their reaffirmation of baptism and becoming adult members of our congregation.

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The Piety That God RewardsSecond - Matthew 6:1-6; Sunday in16-21 Lent

Sunday, February 25 God’s Covenant with Abraham - Genesis 17:1-7; 15 - 16 17When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.

2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

7I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

15God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

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God’s Covenant with Abraham - Genesis 14:1-7; 15-16

Monday, February 26 You’ve seen the photo. It was taken by Thomas Franklin and first appeared on September 12, 2001, on the front page of the The Record (Bergen County, NJ). Officially it is called Firefighters Raising the Flag.

Amidst the devastation of the attacks in New York on September 11th, firefighters were captured on film raising our flag.

I was captured by this image early on and purchased a framed edition that I hung in my classroom. But it wasn’t until a few years later that its meaning fully took hold.

As an English teacher for 7th grade students, the curriculum included reading Greek mythology. The story of Pandora and her legendary box was included in the collection we used. Upon her marriage to Epimetheus, Zeus gave Pandora a jar, or “box,” with instructions never to open it. Along with her great beauty, Pandora was intensely curious, and these instructions were simply too much for her. So she opened it, and all of hell was released: illness, worry, crime, hate, envy, death – and every other bad thing that one can think of. Pandora quickly realized her mistake and closed the lid, but it was too late to contain the evils of the world. But what she did manage to capture was hope. Inspite of all of life’s evils, there is hope.

As a teacher, I always sought to be relevant. As I prepared for the lessons on Pandora, I looked around my classroom for inspiration and saw Franklin’s photo from New York on 9/11. Hope. Amidst the devastation, hope was rising.

And that is this story for Abraham and Sarah. Amidst their sorrow, God brought them hope through their son, Isaac. So many stories in the Bible tell of lives that are filled with sorrow – who some thought should walk away from their faith - but who nevertheless remain committed to God and God to them.

- Tim Bickhart

Today please pray for our Adult Education Council and all those who help to maintain our Library and their work to help us all continue to grow and even be stretched in our faith throughout our entire lives.

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The Piety That God Rewards- -Genesis Matthew 6:1-6;15-16 16-21 God’s Covenant with Abraham 14:1-7;

Tuesday, February 27 This ancient story reveals God, after creating humankind in his image, as the initiator of an abundant covenant with him. God seeks a personal relationship with Abram and Sarai and moves to establish it. As one commentator states, “God picked Abram as the foundation of a new humanity.” It is no minor event but rather a life-changing experience for them. At the time when God approaches them, they are old, childless, and Sarai is barren. They are wanderers seeking a better life. God reaches out to them, offering an agreement that is extraordinary, radical, abundant and transforming. He promises nations of descendants to them and land where they are now aliens. What a deal! Here is how it is transacted: God initiates and commands Abram to walk before him. God then offers his covenant of promise, and Abram responds in reverence and obedience by falling on his face before God. This begins the course of his new life.

Have you made such an agreement with God? Do you experience this abundant relationship in your life? All of us are reluctant to say that our lives are a miracle, but our God of grace has blessed us. Signs can include health, happiness, family, friends, church, purpose, mission, service – you name it! Take a moment and count your blessings. No, do more and search, name and affirm His work in you. Perhaps then you will see it more clearly. Looking back, realize that we belong to a covenant people, and we are promised through Christ much more to come forever.

Prayer: Dear God, let the knowledge that you have done great things for us fill our lives this day. Amen.

- David and Barbie Heaton

Today please pray for all those involved in our Upward Basketball ministry including participants and youth and adult volunteers as they come together to create a space of hospitality and welcome for our greater community.

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God’s Covenant with Abraham - Genesis 14:1-7; 15-16

Wednesday, February 28 Our lives are shaped by the identities the world assigns us; we are rich or poor, black or white, male or female, gay or straight. When we try to escape from our confinement in these boxes, to peek over the edge and tell the world that who we cannot be boiled down to our most obvious characteristics, someone is bound to try to put us back in our place. God doesn’t work like that.

The opening verses of Genesis 17 contain one of the foundational affirmations of God’s covenant with the House of Israel. Before any of God’s promises are realized, Abram and Sarai are renamed as Abraham and Sarah. God’s chosen people are given new identities. Their unique characteristics are not erased, but they are brought under the umbrella of God’s covenant promise. Whoever they are, whoever they have been, they are first and foremost God’s people.

The Lenten journey is about taking a moment to reflect on who we are before God, so that we might find new ways of living into our identity as God’s people. No matter who you are or how you have lived, someone has undoubtedly tried to force you into a box; perhaps you’ve even jumped in on your own. Lent is a season set aside to reflect on what it means to be a child of God’s covenant promise in Jesus Christ. Find new ways to celebrate the things that make you unique. Never forget that before you are anything else, you are a child of God’s covenant promise.

- The Rev. David B. Smith, Interim Director of Youth Ministry

Today please pray for those engaged in the work of Presbyterian Women at BMPC, providing opportunities for service, study and fellowship for all women of our congregation.

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The Piety That God Rewards- -Genesis Matthew 6:1-6;15-16 16-21 God’s Covenant with Abraham 14:1-7;

Art by Patti Hallowell

Thursday, March 1

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God’s Covenant with Abraham - Genesis 14:1-7; 15-16

Friday, March 2 When churchgoers in Sutherland, Texas, were worshipping on Sunday, November 5, evil entered their church and killed mothers, fathers, and children in a mass shooting. My heart hurt for the lives lost, and I am deeply saddened thinking of those individuals and the intensity of their pain. Some in the media insinuated that praying to God must not be of value if the gunman was able to slay the parishioners. It is easy to wonder how these horrific events occur and to doubt that God is with us; however, to me praying to God doesn’t mean we will be protected from bad things or evil but rather prayer connects us with God and provides hope.

In Genesis 17, God makes a covenant with Abraham and Sarah and their descendents, and similarly with baptism, God shows us His commitment to us. In my life when things haven’t always gone according to my expectations, it has been more difficult to feel God’s commitment and wonder why things happen as they do. For the people of Texas or anyone facing illness or tragedy, feeling this way is understandable.

When I listen to scripture or am present for a baptism, I feel the hope of God’s commitment and think about my commitment to our church, community, family, and friends to live as Jesus taught us. Through serving our children when teaching Sunday School, visiting a food bank, or helping a friend through difficult times, I try to fulfill my commitment to God, and, in return, I feel the hope for the future and our world, despite the difficulties and tragedies.

- Linda Hauptfuhrer

Today please pray for our Outreach Committee and the work they are doing to support our mission partners in Greater Philadelphia as they advocate for children and communities.

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The Piety That God Rewards- -Genesis Matthew 6:1-6;15-16 16-21 God’s Covenant with Abraham 14:1-7;

Saturday, March 3 When I read this text from Genesis, the themes of heritage and identity surface in abundance. The promise made between God and Abram and Sarai is so powerful that it demands a name change.

At the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, we hold a vision for our region as a model of healthy, religiously diverse democracy. All people are valued, distinctive traditions are welcomed, and people of diverse backgrounds collaborate to shape a just and compassionate society.

Our signature initiatives touch upon the themes of heritage, tradition, and identity regularly. We believe that interfaith engagement is as much about increasing pride in and ownership of one’s own religious identity as it is about increasing respect and understanding for those who come from different backgrounds or traditions. I recently attended one of our interfaith sessions for teens where a Mennonite student shared the following during the closing circle: “Today I loved watching you all learn about the Mennonite Church, a tradition that I’ve been raised in and only ever experienced from the inside. Seeing your attentiveness - your heads nodding, hearing your questions and reflections – it helped me appreciate something I know I take for granted.”

I imagine this young woman – a descendent of Abraham – brings joy to God who, in my United Church of Christ tradition, is “still speaking.” This Lent, may you experience moments of deep wonder as well as moments of deep appreciation for your own traditions and identity, as well as those of others.

- The Rev. Nicole Diroff, Associate Executive Director Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, Mission Partner through the Outreach Committee and the Eugene C. Bay Fund for Urban Ministry

Today please pray for our Peacemaking Committee and their work to bring awareness around gun violence, mass incarceration and income inequality in our communities and around the world.

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Third Sunday in Lent

Sunday, March 4 God’s Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17 Then God spoke all these words: 2I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13You shall not murder.

14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

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The Piety God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 God’sThat Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17

Monday, March 5 When the Israelites were in the desert after leaving Egypt, they were living in a foreign land with no direction and no laws. All the Israelites had was their pursuit of God as they looked for help during their passage across exiled land. God provided the Israelites with the Ten Commandments.

These commandments were the blueprints on how the Israelites should live their lives, with six of them about how to live with others, “Love thy neighbor,” and four about God, “Love God.” God’s rules were given to us because God loves us. God brought his people out of slavery and is always with his people as they travel to the Promised Land. The Ten Commandments were not a way for the Israelites to earn God’s approval, but rather the Ten Commandments were a way God’s people could live their best lives. This Bible story and covenant between God and the Israelites are very timely to me as a senior. I am about to leave my home, school, and church. These have been a staple in my life up to this point and all I have known. However, in my time of transition, I will have my foundations, the Ten Commandments and my other important values to take with me. Like the Israelites, I will embark on a journey that everyone experiences at one point or another in their life.

I will travel away from home, and I don’t know exactly where I am going, but I always know God is with me – always.

- Cameron McKendrick, Youth Elder Class of 2018

Today, please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for all the volunteers who give their time and energy each week with our BMPC tutoring program. We pray as well for the children and families of the William Dick Elementary School.

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God’s Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17

Tuesday, March 6 The Ten Commandments! What a daunting task to name them – let alone write about them! Because I am blessed with friends who are students of the Bible, I asked for their thoughts.

Alan Lindsay, of the Episcopal Diocese of Philadelphia, reminded me that Jesus, when asked which commandment was greatest, summarized the law as “Love God and your neighbors.” If we follow these words, we WILL be following the commandments.

Katie Hoyt McNabb, in her blog, “Christian Middle,” says: “Too many people associate God with a wagging finger, scolding us for being ‘naughty’ and threatening us with hell if we fail to behave.” She quotes Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, who said, “We’re not punished FOR our sins, but BY them.” I was so struck by those words. To me they say God wants our happiness and has given us the key to achieving it – following the commandments.

Two that stand out in my mind relate to envy and lying. How easy it is to covet what our neighbor has – and how miserable it makes us! But God fills our lives with sufficient “daily bread,” and we need not look to someone else’s possessions to raise our status or make us happier.

Regarding “false witness,” I think that not only am I being asked not to lie or repeat gossip, I am asked to take a charitable view of my neighbor, as I would want her to do of me. My mother used to say that if we only knew the burdens others were carrying, we’d be so much kinder.

I’m going to continue to read the Ten Commandments and place them in context with my own life.

- Linda Walters

Today please pray for our Environmental Justice Committee and their work to educate our community on issues of stewardship, Earth care, and our place as creatures in God’s creation.

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The Piety God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 God’sThat Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17

Wednesday, March 7 “Never make a rule in the middle of a crisis,” my co-teacher whispered to me as I was telling a preschooler why we do not jump off tables. The child was not happy with my intervention and informed me that he often jumps off tables. My co-teacher shook her head and redirected my jumping student to another activity.

I thought the matter was over, but three weeks later, our Wednesday circle time began with my co-teacher asking our class, “What makes church special?” She listened to each answer shared and then asked if she could share one of her reasons. They leaned in to hear her soft voice. “I think church is special, because it is a place where we are safe, and we keep one another safe.” With energy and humor, she showed them all the ways we help keep each other safe. I was waiting for her to talk about jumping off tables, but she paused and whispered, “Do you know what else is special about church?”

“We have different rooms for different work: the Sanctuary is for prayer and worship; the choir room is for practicing our music; our classroom is where we learn and play together; in the gym we can run and jump and shout.”

The class nodded, agreeing with her assessment. For the rest of the year, jumping was typically reserved for the gym. In fact, I listened as my student later reminded his peers, “We jump in the gym, not in the classroom.”

Never make a rule in the middle of a crisis. God saves the people from slavery and cares for them in the desert before God shares the law and establishes the covenant. God waits until they are safe and then invites them to try a different way forward.

Thanks be to God for that invitation. Amen.

- The Rev. Rachel Pedersen, Associate Pastor for Children & Family Ministry

Today please pray for our Hunger Committee as they work to reach out to those in immediate need in our community and Greater Philadelphia and all those who struggle with food insecurity.

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God’s Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17

Photo from George Yerger

Thursday, March 8

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The Piety God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 God’sThat Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17

Friday, March 9 As a child, the creation story, Noah’s ark, and this account, along with the birth of Jesus and the crucifixion, were the important stories of the Bible.

To me, this passage meant two things: a supernatural being descending from the heavens to speak with a chosen and respected intermediary who could teach and guide the regular people; and the delivery of a set of rules that seemed both straightforward and easy to follow, and equally, mysteriously, a true challenge for most humans to abide by. Apparently though, if one could follow them, that would be enough to please God. The way I was raised, I certainly wouldn’t kill anyone, was taught never to steal, and “worship another God?” Like what - a rock? We didn’t curse in my home, Sundays were practically a sabbath [blue laws], all parents were to be respected, and being envious of someone’s property was unacceptable. “Adultery” must have been something for adults to ponder.

Looking back, just as the Old Testament’s directives were a complementary counterpoint to the love expressed by Jesus, the verbal instructions I was given were the mirror image of my parents’ and grandparents’ behavior. A fond memory recalls the living room window at my grandparents’ home, early morning sun streaming in, lighting up a small table sitting between their armchairs, illuminating an open copy of the Bible, along with a metal chain containing the Ten Commandments, each engraved on an individual attachment.

The rules were written in the guidebook, but the purpose of the rules was demonstrated through the loving kindness expressed by my grandparents, who focused on doing what was right, finding joy in simple things, and in connections with others - family, friends, community - brought together in church and in faith through Jesus. All the instruction, reading, and study were about creating love.

- George Yerger

Today please pray for the Worldwide Ministries Committee and all our national and international mission partners who seek to strengthen families, schools, hospitals, churches, and community organizations.

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God’s Covenant with Moses - Exodus 20:1-17

Saturday, March 10 Back when I was regularly teaching Confirmation classes, I always started one of those lessons asking students to brainstorm a list of sins. Now one might think that is a risky activity, especially based on what we come to know and understand about the depths of human sin and depravity as adults in this broken world. But for 8th and 9th graders, their experience of sin in most instances is blessedly shallow.

Almost every year, the top sin they would list was swearing and taking the Lord’s name in vain. Eventually the lesson would help move them to thinking about a much wider variety of ways that we fall short, that we hurt each other and God, or even that we fail to live up to the people that God has called us to be. But I was always fascinated with the consistency to which new groups of students would return to what seemed to me at the time like pretty minor offenses in the midst of the world today.

I came to believe that it had a lot to do with how we talk to children about sin. There is no grey area when it comes to speaking forbidden words. It is an easy sin to police as a parent. It is easy to punish. It is easy to judge.

But how do we teach children to show honor? How do we teach children to not be envious? How do we talk to children about murder and violence in ways that are relative to how they might practice peace in their lives?

How do we tease out the meaning of observing the Sabbath when our schedules make that harder than ever? So we teach them not to swear.

The key is to make sure that as they grow into young people, and as we continue to grow as adults who sin far too much, that we are willing to put in the work, the contemplation, the discipline not just to better understand what is being asked from us in this ancient covenant but that we understand how to keep all of it in our modern world.

- The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick, Associate Pastor for Adult Education & Mission Today please pray for our Refugee Response Team who are preparing to welcome refugees to our community. May their generosity of spirit inspire our attitude of welcome and hospitality.

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The Piety That God RewardsFourth - Matthew 6:1-6; Sunday in16-21 Lent

Sunday, March 11 God’s Covenant with David - 2 Samuel 7:1-16 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” 3Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

4But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 8Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. 15But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

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God’s Covenant with David - 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Monday, March 12 Sitting in a grand house made of cedar, David begins to feel uneasy about the Ark of God being housed in a tent. David decides to build a temple, a house for God. David’s wish is noble, but God has other plans.

God tells David not to build the temple and makes a covenant with him: that his descendants will reign in Israel for all times. Although David is interested in building a physical temple, God is interested in building the House of David, which reigns forever in the fulfillment of Jesus. This covenant is an unconditional promise. David doesn’t have to do anything to earn God’s promise; it is given. Jesus, too, offers us unconditional love and grace. The promises that God makes are fulfilled in their entirety with the birth of Jesus.

This story from the Old Testament speaks to my own life: my goal-oriented “to-do” list that pushes me to do things now, leaving little space for the whispers of God and the slowing of the spirit. My thoughts that I can forge ahead and accomplish things leave little room for God to move. “Let go and let God” can feel so difficult when we grab at the controls and worry about the outcome. Prayers of “thy will be done” are easy to say and require so much faith to live into.

Remembering “God’s got this” is important as I move throughout my life.

I know that the more I lean into him, the more I will be blessed and can try to be a blessing to others. God moves in his own time, the infinite, and I have to trust and exercise faith. I am never alone. I do not need to earn these promises; they are freely given and received. This is the good news; God always fulfills promises.

As I travel through Lent, I try to move more slowly and open myself up to the movement of God. I try to make time to “Let go and let God.” His faithfulness, wisdom and mercy travel with me always.

- Kiki McKendrick, Middleton Center Administrator

Today please pray for our Membership Council and their work to provide welcome, hospitality and community to those who are new to our community of faith.

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The Piety God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6;7:1-17 16-21 God’sThat Covenant with David - 2 Samuel

Tuesday, March 13 From the pasture to the palace. From chasing a flock of sheep to safeguarding an entire nation. That’s basically the imagery the prophet Nathan uses to remind David about the providential faithfulness of the Lord God. Which is all well and good when we’re in the palace reflecting back on our life. But how do we hold onto such hope and faithfulness when we are still in the field, still battling the illness, still working to forgive someone who has deeply hurt us, or still barely keeping our head above water with just enough breath and bread for the day?

This is always the place where the proverbial rubber meets the road.

What does it mean to believe in God’s steadfast love when our lives seem tattered and torn?

I suspect that’s why we as reformed Christians share with our Jewish sisters and brothers in espousing strong covenant language. The theological idea echoing in Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome says that God has covenanted (or promised) to be with us and work for our good, come what may.

Covenant theology is not a contractual agreement where signers stand on equal footing. It is a breathtaking display of risk on God’s part, offering us divine grace and faithfulness with full awareness that we will not always live up to our end of the bargain to be faithful in return.

For me, this is the center that must hold. In moments of loss, heartache, frustration, confusion, or sorrow, I’ve clung to the wild and foolish hope that our broken and messy lives matter to God. And not only that, but that God is at work redeeming and restoring them, whether we are in the pit, the pasture, the palace, or somewhere in between.

- The Rev. Franklyn C. Pottorff, Associate Pastor for Congregational Life & Stewardship

Today please pray for the staff and counselors of the Middleton Center.

We give thanks for their daily acts of compassion and kindness and their vision of wholeness and healing for a world and individuals in need.

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God’s Covenant with David - 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Wednesday, March 14 Even in the midst of challenging events and untenable times, God’s promise of presence, grace, and faithfulness shows up in my life in unmistakable ways. I am also sure it is with great enthusiasm that I, like David, blunder my way into doing things God has no plan or intention for me to do. David’s eagerness, and sometimes ours as well, can land us in places to which we are not called, doing things that God does not want us to do. But we take comfort in knowing that regardless of our circumstance, God moves ahead of us, just as God moved ahead of David. David very clearly stepped into God’s “Yes” for him by saying yes to kingship and kingdom, yes to battle, yes to covenant, and yes to living out his faithfulness as a leader to the people of Israel. Even though we are not queens or kings, we, too, can step into God’s “Yes” for our lives.

This text is a cautionary tale and thankfully reminds us that God is God, and that we are not God. We should not assume that we know and understand God’s agenda, as David and Nathan believed they did, but we can look for opportunities to see God’s movement in our lives. Often, we say “no” to God’s call because we believe we are not prepared, the timing is not good, or we do not have the necessary experience—just look to the Old Testament prophets for their laundry list of excuses.

But here is the beautiful and audacious thing. God wants to know us, God wants us to work with and for God, and God wants us to be faithful. God walks with us, and even ahead of us, to prepare the way. Knowing this, we can confidently step out into God’s “Yes” for our lives.

Prayer: God, you tell us that your thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are your ways our ways. In this season of Lent, grant us an alignment with your will and let us hear your voice calling us into your ‘Yes’ for our lives.

- M. Courtenay Willcox

Today please pray for the Senior Adult Council and their work to care for our older members. We pray for encouragement and joy, for fellowship and friendship in our relationships throughout our congregation.

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The Piety God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6;7:1-17 16-21 God’sThat Covenant with David - 2 Samuel

Thursday, March 15

Nathan Admonishing David by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1650

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God’s Covenant with David - 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Friday, March 16 The story of the covenant between God and David states that “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever” and suggests that Israel would never lack the leadership they needed. It is comforting to know that God will guide us through any and all challenges in life, but I believe praying keeps us focused throughout the day so we don’t lose sight of what God wants for us. I recently read “A Praying Life” by Paul Miller and it taught me to pray for anything and everything every single day. Miller calls this “continuous prayer,” and this new way of praying has completely changed my life and has shown me that I cannot tackle any situation without the help of the Spirit of Jesus. It has put me in touch with my own poverty of spirit which has shown me that slipping into prayer anytime helps me cling to God. Whether I am praying for a safe drive home from the office or for the teachers at my sons’ schools to have energy and patience – I lean on God which draws me closer to God. God has promised to never abandon us and to always love us. And He calls us to recite His name whenever life becomes overwhelming. Abba, Abba, Abba – Father, Father, Father. Such a simple prayer and such a powerful way to refocus during the day.

-Tricia MacKay

Today please pray for the elected leaders of our congregation our Elders, Deacons and Trustees. We ask God to give them wisdom and counsel, imagination and vision, and a sense of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all of their work.

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The Piety God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6;7:1-17 16-21 God’sThat Covenant with David - 2 Samuel

Saturday, March 17 Many of us experience moments that we take for granted each day: ordering a latte from a barista, depositing money with the bank teller, or handing one of your vulnerable neighbors a couple bills on your way to the office. These interactions all seem innocuous enough, right?

These people are fulfilling their social roles. But who are they when they are not simply standing as the gatekeeper to your latte, your checking account, or your guilty conscience? All of these relationships are transactional and are based upon unspoken social contracts.

When we put aside someone’s personhood, we declare a transactional relationship. In every meal and in every moment at 315 South Broad Street, we proclaim that each person bears God’s image. We declare that God is transformational, and we practice this belief, one dignifying act at a time.

David has to change his assumptions about his social contract with God. David says that he will build God a house, and he believes that this is what God wants. God has helped him achieve all of this success, and now it his David’s turn to pay it forward. And God promises to keep David and his ancestors on the throne, even when David sins. Yahweh has no hidden agenda or conditions for this covenant.

When God makes promises to David in this passage, these promises also matter to us. It matters that we follow a transformative God – a God reaching down into our midst, changing the way we understand grace. For it is grace that keeps us looking one another in the eye – whether it is our barista, our bank teller, or our vulnerable neighbor. Stop trying to impress God by promising to repay God for the grace in your life. Take that grace with you and share it with someone else who needs it – someone you might pass by or take for granted each day.

- The Rev. Michele Ward, Broad Street Ministry, Mission Partner through the Outreach and Hunger Committees and the Eugene C. Bay Fund for Urban Ministry

Today please pray for the members of our Property, Technology and Communications Committees in their work to care for and tend the daily work of the church, caring for the legacy to which we have been entrusted, and helping us to share our ministry with the community.

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Fifth Sunday in Lent

Sunday, March 18 God’s Covenant with Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34 31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

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TheGod’s Piety Covenant That God with Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Monday, March 19 Listen, Learn, Love, Forgive, Serve.

I hear them all in this passage – these wonderful words are often difficult to do.

The passage talks about God’s love and the intimate relationship each individual can have with him. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” It encourages me to take time, planned or unplanned, to sit quietly, actively listen and reflect on God’s word. It’s easy for me to listen or read news, social media, or talk with friends and family and be discouraged by my community and the world and fear the future.

Sometimes I need to pray or listen for His word so it becomes a natural habit to hear and implement.

“I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more” comforts and reminds me that God forgives everyone. No one is perfect or more righteous than another. We all will be forgiven and deserve help, respect and dignity. We are all part of the same God’s loving community.

Finally, the passage encourages me to join together, without judgment, and help and serve my community. It may be making casseroles with a familiar BMPC community or reaching out to serve lunch at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia or helping other worldwide communities.

Listening, serving and working together with different communities has brought me joy and really opened my eyes to so many wonderful caring, loving people. It can be painful to “see” these inequities, and I have mixed feelings during my drive back home to the Main Line. However, I truly believe, that “the days are surely coming,” and God’s forgiveness and abiding love and covenant will encourage me and our communities to listen, learn, love, forgive, serve and do God’s work.

- Sandie Nicholson

Today please pray for our Ushers, parking lot attendants, and Helping Hands Volunteers as they provide welcome and hospitality for the community every Sunday morning.

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God’s Covenant with Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Tuesday, March 20 “The days are surely coming!”

These words reassured the people of Israel living in exile and brought comfort and hope to a people in despair. In every age, every life, we are tempted to despair. We all need words of hope and consolation.

God will establish a new covenant. When we feel separated from God, these are words of hope. God will be our God, and we will be God’s people. Just like before. Only this time, God’s laws will not be written on tablets of stone; they nestle in our hearts. Right relationship won’t be a matter of legislation; it will be a matter of love. We will live it, from the inside out.

How does the law get in? How does Christ come to live in our hearts?

An old Hasidic tale tells us. The pupil asks the rebbe, “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts?’ Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts?” He answers, “It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks, and the words fall in.”

Or as Leonard Cohen says, “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

On Easter Sunday, the tomb cracked open, and Jesus rose from the dead. This is the central paradigm of our faith. Experiences of death and brokenness serve as portals for our transformation. This year, if your heart is breaking, let it break open rather than apart. Remember these words of consolation: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. The lost and last brought home from exile. The dead and despairing restored to life. God will live among us, and we will be God’s people. Together at last.

- The Rev. Mary Steege, Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care & Senior Adults

Today please pray for all those in our community who are home bound.

Help up to reach out to them in love and fellowship that they may be reminded of their vital role in our community.

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TheGod’s Piety Covenant That God with Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Wednesday, March 21 As a Christian, I believe in a God of love, grace and forgiveness revealed through Jesus Christ. The book of Jeremiah, however, shows us a complex God who loved His chosen people, but also was angry and vengeful because they didn’t obey His laws. Although this image is troubling, I find hope in the new covenant, which shows that God is persistent, truly wants to be in relationship with us, and is willing to forgive our sins.

This new covenant is striking in the context of history and all of Jeremiah’s prophesies. It was a time of divisive turmoil, corruption and external threats to Judah. God had created, cared for and granted many gifts to His people and demonstrated His love through earlier covenants.

But for generations the people and their leaders had lost sight of His preeminence, worshiped other gods, disregarded His laws, and failed to genuinely repent. They did not honor their part in these bilateral contracts.

Through Jeremiah, God foretold the disastrous consequences of their behavior—the loss of Jerusalem and subjugation of its people—but also eventual reunification and a new beginning for the Hebrews.

So much in this ancient text reflects our world today: inequity and inequality among people, conflicts among nations, greed and corruption among power holders, and our continued inability to live according to God’s will. However, God always gives us hope for a new beginning. With the new covenant, He changed the contracts of laws and punishments and gave each of us the ability to search our own hearts to know Him and His will. Even in times of despair or feeling lost, we can trust that God is there, knows us, will always seek to be in relationship with us, and will forgive us for our sins and shortcomings.

- Pam Haynes Walsh

Today please pray for the ministry of the Main Line Adult Day Center.

We pray for its staff as they provide care and companionship for their clients.

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God’s Covenant with Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Art by Larry Arney

Thursday, March 22

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TheGod’s Piety Covenant That God with Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Friday, March 23 There were four siblings in my family, three girls and a brother who was killed in Vietnam. My sister, Barbara, developed diabetes in her twenties.

My family got to see up close the disastrous consequences of diabetes not well managed. We saw Barbara experience kidney failure, develop blindness, and have both legs amputated. We also saw the emotional toll those physical losses had on her psyche. For years I was angry with my sister. I felt she was complicit with the disease that was destroying her body. I believe she could have prevented some of her physical losses, or at least delayed the downward spiral of her health if she had made a more robust effort at following her doctor’s advice.

It was heartbreaking to see the diabetes chip away at her body. I never told my sister or anyone else about the deep-seated anger that took up residence in my heart. I understand the Jeremiah passage to say that when we arrive on the planet, God will enable us to experience God’s grace and live before God in faith and obedience. I believe that be true.

During the years of my sister’s decline, I was an active member of a congregation. I read scripture, prayed, attended worship, Bible study, retreats, and participated in my congregation’s ministry of compassion. No one told me to give up the anger, because no one knew about my anger.

I received no therapy, sought no pastoral counseling, and experienced no Archimedean eureka moment. My anger was known only to me and God. I never consciously worked on getting rid of my anger toward my sister. Over a period of years, I became less judgmental and more compassionate in my attitude toward others in general. One day my anger towards Barbara was gone. I am a recipient of the grace promised in Jeremiah.

- Glenda Hodges, Urban Suburban Book Group

Today please pray for our Sanctuary Choir. We give thanks for their dedicated work to lead us in worship each Sunday through voice and song.

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God’s Covenant with Israel - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Saturday, March 24 When we began after school programming at Beacon in 2011, we quickly realized we needed to be more trauma-informed in our practices.

Practices we instituted included opening and closing rituals. Our opening ritual, repeated every session, involved going over the “community agreement,” a document that was co-created and signed by all participants and volunteers.

When we decided to offer our first baptism class to those wishing to be baptized, one of the kiddos from the after-school program, Sarah, then age nine, was a part of the class. In trying to explain statements of faith and formative texts of the Bible such as the Ten Commandments, we realized that our community agreement was essentially a paraphrase of various parts of this scripture. When the class participants were asked to write their own statements of faith, the resulting statement was far simpler than the Apostle’s Creed but somehow fully summarized the heart of the gospel.

When God tells the Israelites that God will “write it on their hearts,” I think of Sarah, who did not grow up in a faith tradition, but who had so internalized the community agreement and the essential story of Jesus that when she wrote her faith statement, it truly came from her heart. God had been moving in her life since before she was born. Witnessing her discovery of that and the expression of faith from the heart were true joys.

Even though Sarah is now twelve, her colorful faith statement and the other faith statements created in that season still hang in our sanctuary space as a reminder of the simplicity of faith and the unique ways God speaks to us through children.

- The Rev. Rebecca Blake, Beacon Presbyterian Church, Mission Partner through the Peacemaking and Environmental Justice Committees and the Eugene C. Bay Fund for Urban Ministry

Today please pray for our Children’s Choir, our Youth Chorale, and Youth Bell Choir. We give thanks for their spirit and their joy.

We pray that their voices will continue to grow strong.

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The Piety That God Rewards - Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21 Palm Sunday

Sunday, March 25 God’s New Covenant of Love - 1 John 4:7-21 7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.

21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

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God’s New Covenant of Love - 1 John 4:7-21

Monday, March 26 This spectacularly complex passage presents a kind of variation on the familiar 1 Corinthians 13 passage, so beloved by brides and grooms. At first reading, our response might be, “Well, of course! God loves us… all we have to do is love God and everything will work out.” But, not so fast!

This passage is much more than Celine Dion’s song, “Maybe I don’t know that much, but I know this much is true, I was blessed because I was loved by you.” This is agape love, not eros (passionate or romantic love) or philos (love for a family member). In the original Greek, agape – love for the unworthy stranger – appears 43 times in this passage. John is talking about the kind of love God shows to sinners who don’t love God. This is the kind of love that’s difficult to comprehend, especially in an era where the word “love” often gets equal billing with words like “fear” or “hate,” words that also appear in this passage. How does one love the sinner who doesn’t love God or who doesn’t behave in a way that reflects the spirit of God flowing freely through all people? How does one love the person who claims to love God, yet treats others abysmally? How do we love someone who, to be honest, really rubs us the wrong way?

John suggests six pathways: 1) Because God IS love (4:7-8) 2) Because God loves us (4:9-11) 3) Because we demonstrate God’s love to us to the world (4:12) 4) Because we understand that love (4:13-16) 5) Because love counters fear (4:17-18) 6) Because we love God. (4:19-21) Over the coming days, focus on one of these pathways each day. See if your perspective about loving even the “unlovable” doesn’t improve.

- Jeffrey Brillhart, Director of Music and Fine Arts

Today please pray for the members of the BMPC Foundation Board.

We give thanks for their work to be good stewards of the gifts to which they have been entrusted, given to further the ministry of our congregation today and into the future.

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The Piety That God Rewardsof - Matthew 6:1-6;4:7-21 16-21 God’s New Covenant Love - 1 John

Tuesday, March 27 This familiar text is both comforting and challenging: comforting, because it reminds us that Jesus’ life and death demonstrate God’s unconditional love for us; challenging, because “since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.” I believe that, besides the “ought,” there is also a “can.” In other words, awareness of and trust in God’s unconditional love makes it possible for us to give compassion and love to others, even if their actions may have hurt us. Perhaps this is because, as John says, “Perfect love casts out fear.”

The cross itself, with its intersection of horizontal and vertical planes, is for me a symbol of this mystery of love that connects us to God and to each other. The horizontal represents our earthly nature and common humanity.

(It can also be seen as outstretched arms ready to embrace). The vertical represents the Spirit within us, our glimpse of the divine. John describes this mystery of connection to God through our love for each other: “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” For me, the cross represents this intersection of our earthly and spiritual natures. We experience it as both challenge and grace, as we seek to live more out of the awareness of God’s love, even within our earthly nature and circumstances.

Although the approach of Good Friday is a time of sadness, this text reminds us that it is also a time to remember God’s unconditional love, that this love calls and frees us to love one another, and that in so doing, we abide in God and he in us.

- Patricia Danzon, Certified Spiritual Director

Today please pray for our Stewardship and Nominating Committees.

We give thanks for their work to remind us as individuals and as a congregation of the work to which we have all been called: to give of ourselves to God through our time, talents and treasures.

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God’s New Covenant of Love - 1 John 4:7-21

Wednesday, March 28 Love is an interesting notion to ponder during Holy Week. I often read from this passage at weddings, but in the context of Holy Week, the line that strikes me as interesting, when we recall Jesus’ painful pilgrimage through Jerusalem to the cross, is verse 12: No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

No one has ever seen God… but we affirm we see God face to face in the person of Jesus Christ. We look at the life of Jesus, born in Bethlehem and unfolding down the dusty roads of Galilee where he touched, healed, ate and prayed among the people. No one has ever seen God… and yet, we believe that we have seen God in Jesus.

Perhaps what we cannot see is the fullness of God, and that’s what 1John is pointing to. We can catch glimpses of God in Jesus, but we cannot see the fullness of God’s love. We can even bear witness to God’s love in the love we exhibit. But catching a glimpse is not exactly seeing the fullness, any more than a day in a life can capture the lifetime. The breadth, depth and height of God’s love surpasses our full grasp. That must be what No one has ever seen God means.

What we do see during Holy Week is a creative God who turns the world’s expectations on their head, a powerful God who humbles himself, a compassionate God who enters human suffering so that we will never be alone in ours, and a forgiving God whose forgiveness knows no bounds. All those godly attributes, creativity, humility, compassion and forgiveness, are ours to share so that when people go looking for God, we might catch of glimpse of God in one another.

- The Rev. Agnes W. Norfleet, Pastor

Today please pray for our Worship, Music and Fine Arts Council and their work to provide meaningful worship and help bring glory to God through art and music. We give thanks for their creativity and imagination.

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The Piety That God Rewardsof - Matthew 6:1-6;4:7-21 16-21 God’s New Covenant Love - 1 John

Art by Valerie Craig

Thursday, March 29

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God’s New Covenant of Love - 1 John 4:7-21

Good Friday, March 30 Love has presented itself in so many forms over my lifetime. In the beginning of marriage, love is easy, but it is also sometimes very difficult.

It is in those difficult times my faith has helped me recognize that quietly supporting and lifting up others has shown me the greatest love.

Being authentic and recognizing that everyone has a path to follow and just quietly being present and allowing them to go through their own process is love. I don’t believe God didn’t want us to feel pain. Pain can be the touchstone to great growth and love for oneself and others.

The greatest love for me is my children. Last Christmas I remember putting together the manger with my three and five year olds. And then came the questions...who was Jesus and what did he do? I have always believed in giving children the most honest answers. Jesus was God’s son; he was born to show us love. I asked them, “How much do Daddy and I love them?” “So much.” “Yes,” I said, “God loves all people so much he gave us his son. And Jesus came and loved everyone, especially the people who nobody seemed to love. And some people didn’t believe and were scared, and they killed him. But even though he died, he forgave these people.”

My five year old naturally asked me, “Who were the bad guys?” The answer was simple. “Nobody was the bad guy. Sometimes people don’t understand or are scared. But even as Jesus died, he loved us, forgave those who hurt him, and would always be there to help us through our most difficult times.” I watched their reaction and looked at the innocent and beautiful faces of my little ones who accepted that answer, and at that moment, love suddenly felt easy.

- Amy Briddell

Today please pray for our Personnel Committee and their work to manage and care for our entire staff.

We give thanks for their good counsel and fare for the BMPC staff.

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The Piety That God Rewardsof - Matthew 6:1-6;4:7-21 16-21 God’s New Covenant Love - 1 John

Saturday, March 31 After serving for almost six years as the Campus Minister of the Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yes, Penn offers an exceptional education and many of the students go on to do incredibly impressive things with their lives.

This is in part fueled by an often aggressively competitive environment in which students feel that they can never measure up to their peers. Suffice it to say that how I often experience the students’ take on Penn culture does not look remotely like the message of “love one another” that is offered to us in 1 John.

At the Christian Association, we work to create a space and community in which students can come together, make new friends, learn about one another and how to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We have a community that is diverse in many ways, which the students say is rare at Penn. One of the ways we create this community, which also served a central role in Jesus’ life and ministry and seems to me to be so vital to loving one another, is breaking bread together. This is something we do every week at the CA, now more than once each week!

Asking busy students to stop for an hour, sit down and engage in just talking to one another can sometimes be a major request, but it can be transformative. Conversations go from mundane to humorous to poignant, and it doesn’t matter if the menu is extravagant or simple. What matters is being together, sharing stories and life. Lent is often a time of simplifying.

Maybe some of what we need in the hectic, fast-paced world is to return to the basics of sharing a meal together, and through this, coming to love one another.

- The Rev. Megan LeCluyse, Campus Minister, The Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania, Mission Partner through the Outreach Committee

Today please pray for the staff of BMPC, and the varied work they do from administration to pastoral care, from caring for our facilities to caring for our souls. We give thanks for all the work that takes place each week both seen and unseen that helps us to be engaged in the work of the church every day.

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Enrich Your Experience of Lent and Easter Ash Wednesday Wednesday, February 14 • 5:30 p.m. Family Service in the Chapel with Imposition of Ashes.

The Rev. Rachel Pedersen preaching.

• 6:00-7:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Dinner served in Congregational Hall.

Cost: $8/adults, $5/students and children.

• 7:30 p.m. Service in the Chapel with Imposition of Ashes.

The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet preaching.

Wednesday Vesper Worship Wednesdays, February 21 and 28, March 7 - 21 Gather in the Chapel at 7:00 p.m. for a simple service of music, prayer, scripture and silence led by the pastors.

Sunday Lenten Study Handel’s Messiah: Sun., Feb. 25-March 18, 11:15 a.m., Congregational Hall. Through careful reading of the scripture and a reflection on Handel’s musical interpretation of the text, we will walk through the season of Lent together. As we examine the pieces that make up what are considered the Easter portions of the Messiah, we will be joined by our Chancel Choir section leaders who will sing each piece for us. Presented by the Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick and Jeffrey Brillhart, Director of Music and Fine Arts.

Labyrinth Throughout Lent, the small labyrinth is open in the Chapel, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays after worship. The March monthly walk on the large labyrinth is on Tuesday, March 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Congregational Hall.

During Holy Week, the large labyrinth may be walked in the gym on Thursday, March 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday, March 30 from 8:00 a.m. to noon with the option to walk the Stations of the Cross.

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Concert Sun., March 18: Choir Concert: Bach Choir of Bethlehem, 4:00 p.m., Sanctuary. BMPC is pleased to host the Bach Choir of Bethlehem for their spring concert. Two festive tours-de-force for choir and brass by William Walton and John Rutter are combined with J.S. Bach’s Cantata 118 O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht (O Jesus Christ, light of my life), and Morten Lauridsen’s earliest choral cycle, the Mid-Winter Songs on poetry

by Robert Graves. Details and ticket information can be found at www.bach.org.

Holy Week Services Palm Sunday, March 25

• 8:00 a.m. Worship with Communion, Chapel • 10:00 a.m. Worship with Children’s Palm Procession, Sanctuary • 11:00 a.m., Breakfast, Congregational Hall, Egg Hunt, Gymnasium

Maundy Thursday, March 29 • • • •

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Labyrinth Walk, Gym 5:30 p.m. Family Service with Communion, Chapel 6:00 p.m. Simple Supper in Congregational Hall. Freewill offering.

7:30 p.m. Worship with Communion, Sanctuary. The Rev. Franklyn C. Pottorff preaching; music led by the Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers.

Good Friday, March 30 • 8:00 a.m. - noon. Labyrinth Walk, Gym • 12:00 noon. Worship led by BMPC Youth, Sanctuary • 7:30 p.m. Tenebrae Service: The Sanctuary Choir presents Dale Wood’s “Service of Darkness,” Sanctuary. The Rev. Dr. Agnes Norfleet preaching.

Easter Sunday, April 1 • 6:30 a.m. Sunrise Service on the Front Lawn. The Rev. Rachel Pedersen preaching.

• 7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast, Ed. Bldg. Lobby • 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m. Worship with Choir and Easter Brass in the Sanctuary. The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet preaching.

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BRYN MAWR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 | 610-525-2821 | www.bmpc.org