Word
2025 daily devotions • for the season of lent
Grace and peace to you!
This year’s Lenten Devotional booklet focuses on the writings of the Apostle Paul, as he proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ through his public letters to the new Christian communities around the Mediterranean Sea. In January, our Adult Faith Formation Class began a weekly exploration of Paul’s life and letters, in part as preparation for members of our congregation to go on a “Footsteps of Paul” tour next fall. Most of all, though, our focus as a whole church is to gather around scripture in such a way that we might “reason together” and be “built up” in our common life and faith.
For each of these 47 days of Easter, we invite you to read the selected passage and read what our pastors, staff and congregation members share as a “reflection.” You are also invited to consider what the passage means for you. And pray that God’s Spirit will lead us to receive with wisdom and joy what God is saying to the body of the Church together and to each of its individual members.
This year’s devotional booklet has a couple of special features. One is the cover art by Carol Meeske. Her work is being displayed on our art wall throughout Lent, paired with scriptures that reflect Jesus’ time fasting and praying in the desert. And another feature of this booklet is that on the Sundays we highlight the stories of particular Bibles that are treasured parts of our staff and members’ faith. Consider the Bibles that have made an impact on your life…or those that may be gathering dust on a shelf. Dust them off and enter the world that God would have you encounter there.
Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
There’s something about journeys. I love them. I have always loved travel and trips with other people. Crawling into the “way back” of our family station wagon as a child meant that we were going on an adventure. Some of my fondest memories from youth group were our mission trips and retreats. And I’ve also come to appreciate life as a journey, but also as a series of journeys. Lent is one of those journeys, and a devotional like this compilation is its own journey within a journey. A journey within a journey. Together we embark on this road where the voices from within our congregation will guide our path as they share their stories and experiences. I invite you to start this journey in prayer by thanking God for the stories you’ll read in these pages. Give thanks to God for their stories in advance of even reading them. And each day when you read the devotions, pray for the person who vulnerably chose to share their heart.
On Ash Wednesday we begin the journey by reflecting on our own mortality, which we often equate with our inevitable death. But I also think it is equally important to focus on our lives and the stories our lives will tell when we breathe our last breath and our labor is complete. I hope you’re ready for our journey. Buckle up, grab a snackwe’ve got the road map covered in these entries, and your companions are ready.
Prayer: I give thanks this day for all who are on this journey toward the empty tomb. Guide our paths and help us to live lives of faith that bring glory to you. May we find you in the words of scripture and the stories of our fellows on the journey. And may you be revealed to each of us on our shared journeys. Amen.
JOIN US FOR OUR ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE:
Wednesday, March 5 | 6 pm | Chapel
3 | Rev. Erik Khoobyarian - Senior Pastor
Thursday, March 6, 2025
We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
I recently attended a Presbyterian church service in New York City. At the end of each pew was a pouch with slips of paper and pencils; these were passed down the row and everyone was encouraged to write prayers of need or thanksgiving. As the offering plates were passed, they asked us to put our prayer requests in the plate. At the end of the service, everyone was invited to take a slip of paper and to spend time during the week praying for one of their fellow worshippers.
Upon reflection, I realized how often we come to church seeking connection and comfort. We come with our struggles, our joys, and our hopes—but sometimes we leave feeling like we’ve worshipped alone, even if we’re surrounded by others. This simple act of sharing prayer requests and committing to pray for someone else reminded me that the church is not just a place to worship, but a community where we are called to carry each other’s burdens.
In that moment, I wasn’t just a stranger; I was part of something bigger, something deeply rooted in love and unity. This experience reminded me that church is meant to be a support system, where we lift each other up and hold each other in prayer, no matter how unfamiliar we may be to one another.
Prayer: Lord, guide us into greater community where we can love and support one another. Amen.
Friday, March 7, 2025
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
When I think of my foundation in faith, I am grateful to my father. He would take me and my five sisters to church every Sunday and talk with us about the sermon on the way home. We were always encouraged to find a way to help someone, read the Bible or demonstrate an act of kindness during our week.
When my father passed away, I reflected on the last conversation I had with him. He told me in a very calm voice that he thought it was his time to go. I was filled with sadness hearing him say that and wondered how he was calm. I was grieving three weeks later when he passed. Strangely in the midst of grief, a memory of his granddaughter asking him what his favorite word was as she was learning to use a dictionary came to mind. His response was the word “blessing.” After she read the definition out loud, he reminded her that it is important to see them.
As this memory and many more were shared with my family, we all reflected on how his life was a blessing. He shared and practiced his faith daily with us all. Knowing he is with God gave us all a calm feeling. I am blessed knowing his faith in God lives in me.
Prayer: Lord, knit us together with all the saints, that we may gather strength for this journey. Amen.
5 | Michele White - Elder
Saturday, March 8, 2025
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
To be steadfast in our faith during difficult and trying times can be hard, to be loving during a time of persecution and enduring afflictions even harder. When I was sent these verses to consider for our Lenten devotional this year, I immediately thought of an article that was published in, of all places, the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Teva Brender, a resident in Critical Care Medicine, tells the story of ‘The Man Who Lives in the Cardboard Box.’ Dr. Brender saw him frequently as she walked her dog in the park across from her apartment. She did not know his name. One cold misty early morning in October as Dr. Brender looked out her apartment window into the park, she saw a young woman dancing in the park. Her movements and behavior were unsettling. And, she was completely naked. As Dr. Brender watched, she became fearful for the young woman. She called 911. She patted herself on the back for not being a do-nothing bystander. As she continued to watch through the window, she saw that the man who lived in the cardboard box was walking toward the dancing woman, who was now lying in the damp grass. Dr. Brender was initially terrified. But, she then noticed that the man was carrying a sweatshirt and a pair of faded gray sweatpants. Her stomach twisted into a knot. Dr. Brender continued to watch as the man who lived in a cardboard box gently and tenderly dressed the young woman. Dr. Brender thought, the man who lived in the cardboard box almost literally gave the dancing woman the clothes off his back, why didn’t she? Which triggered a different and arguably more difficult question for Dr. Brender: Why didn’t she know the name of the man who lived in the cardboard box? Those persecuted and living with afflictions lie hidden before us in plain sight. May we be steadfast in our faith and may our love for ALL our neighbors continue to grow. Peace and Grace.
Prayer: Lord, fill us with your grace and peace that we might offer it to others, always. Amen.
first sunday in lent
Sunday, March 9, 2025
To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Two historic Bibles are precious to me. My brother Craig and I share a beautifully-illustrated “BIG” Bible (it must weigh 10 pounds!) that was gifted to our German immigrant great-grandparents in 1895. In addition to Old and New Testaments, it has 1895-era maps of the Holy Land, history lessons, full-color works of art and family genealogy pages. Many of our ancestors’ hands have recorded the weddings, births and deaths of our dad’s side of the family. It is fascinating to see, in their distinctive cursive, the history of our family, and know that we continue to share our faith as Presbyterians.
I also treasure the leather-bound King James Bible presented to me in 1960 by Greenhills Presbyterian Church, my childhood church in Cincinnati. It was an annual tradition to bring third-graders into the adult Sunday service to be presented our first ‘grown-up’ Bible in a solemn ceremony. Over 65 years that Bible has traveled the US and the world with me. It’s been a touchstone for faithful inspiration and a source for fact-checking and quotes I’ve used in some of my writing and research. A somewhat frayed, satin bookmark given to me in Sunday School marks the 23rd Psalm. The Ecclesiastes ‘for every season’ passage is another I’ve reflected on throughout my life, particularly remembering The Byrds’ rendition of “Turn, Turn, Turn”, a favorite from my teen years in the 1960s.
Prayer: Holy God, may your holy words be written on the pages of our hearts. Amen.
Joan Fudala - Elder | 8
Monday, March 10, 2025
For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith, as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” ~ Romans 1:16-17
As children, we made mistakes. Sometimes, a lot of mistakes. And, yes, sometimes our mistakes roused our parents’ anger. If we had good and loving parents, nothing was more comforting than when they looked past their anger and disappointment with us, saw our sorrow and sadness, and comforted us. Yes, we still make mistakes. And we still seek comfort even as adults.
We may not have comprehended it all as children, but somehow, we understood that in those moments when our parents chose to comfort us instead of acting on their righteous anger, we gained a genuine sense of trust for our parents. We knew that they had the right to their anger and that we had fallen short. But they chose to comfort us instead and that is the deepest love.
We can trust God because He turns aside His anger with us to comfort us, just like parents. He gives us his trust and love in our darkest moments and we, his children, are forever consoled by God. I find such comfort in this and hope you do too.
Prayer: Shape us, O Lord, according to your holy love. Instruct us and guide by your Word that lives in us. Amen.
9 | Kelly McGinn - Director of Adult Programming
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ~ Romans 5:1-2
As humans, we inherently want to feel like we are in control - of our lives, happiness, money, circumstances and even our children. But when it comes to forgiveness of our sins, that is not something we can achieve on our own. That forgiveness is a gift that we must accept. And ALL that is required of us is to acknowledge and embrace that gift. This simple truth is the beauty of the good news of Jesus.
There is nothing you can do to be right with God besides believe and trust in Him. However, this can seem too “easy” and too “good” to be true sometimes. Becoming a parent really opened my eyes to the fullness found with having faith in Jesus. My unconditional love for my kids helped me better understand God’s unconditional love for his people. We are all bound to make mistakes, again and again. We are all broken. But through faith, we are all given the gift of peace with God through Jesus. And regardless of what we do, nothing can ever change that.
God just wants to know you and to have a relationship with you. And as a parent, that’s all I’ve ever wanted too. To deeply know and love my kids, the good and the bad. I tell them often that nothing they do could ever change my love for them. It’s that simple. That’s what unconditional love is. And we are all graciously given this love through our faith in Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, I pray that today we can all feel the peace we are given through having faith in you. That we all find comfort in knowing there is nothing else we need to do besides believe. And whatever happens beyond that, good or bad, you will use it for good and for your glory. Amen.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
Being baptized into Christ’s death and knowing God’s redemption and grace is a comfort above all others. While I try to be a kind, loving and compassionate Christian, I often miss the mark. Thankfully my bad habits, shortcomings and sins have been covered by Christ and I have received a new life in him. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: On this day, O Lord, may I die to self and rise to new life in you, seeing in my neighbor the reflection of your glory. Amen.
Romans 6:3:4 11 | Sunny Edwards - Nominating Committee Member
Thursday, March 13, 2025
But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the fruit you have leads to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:22-23
I love the spring! Birds singing, flowers blooming, life affirming spring! How great would it be if every day was a springtime day?? I do think we would miss coming home on a chilly night to a warm home, or a fun day at the beach, lake or pool on a hot summer day. What about a crisp fall day when it is transitioning into a cool night and reaching for your favorite sweatshirt? What about the calm of a winter fire in the fireplace on the one or two nights it is chilly enough for a fire in the desert? Still, the renewal of spring does something to my very soul. Many of you may know I practice (and teach) yoga, so I love an outdoor meditation or prayer session with the warm sun on my face, holding space for friends who might need prayer or people in the congregation I might have heard need prayer. Sometimes just enjoying the sounds of nature and being still, connecting to the breath, finding my center and just being for 10-15 minutes in the morning, can be truly life affirming. I remember a few years ago getting off a plane in Maui and saying “this is what heaven smells like”, the salty air, the flowers, that unmistakable Maui scent. It was so intoxicating, especially for someone who grew up in the desert. Sitting in the springtime sun, with a chorus of birds singing, and the scent of springtime blooms, being quiet, and talking to God or Jesus, I am sure that is what heaven FEELS like - what a gift He has given us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant that we may bear fruit in due season, refreshing our souls and others. Amen.
Jones - Deacon | 12
Melissa
Friday, March 14, 2025
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ~ Romans 8:1-2
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know
Be still
Be
BE … My being is most alive in nature. God’s glory is revealed in an unexpected turn on a hike revealing giant ferns under towering pines and a winding path promising more. I twirl around, arms reaching upward thanking God. I am free. I am one with God.
As a child, I often climbed the large shade tree in our backyard on warm summer evenings. From my perch the night air enhanced my senses. I could hear the muffled voices of neighbors winding down their day, crickets chirping in the background, and yard sprinklers clicking their rhythmic song in the night. I could smell the wet grass, the humid night air, and the leaves and bark of the tree. I could see warm light emanating from neighbors’ houses as the world, as far as I knew, settled into quietness. Then Mom, calling me by name, broke the stillness. Bedtime. Years later, a knock on the door broke into the stillness of a dark night in my life. An escape from reality, anger, and uncertainty led me to my brother’s house across the country. Alone in the unsettling darkness one night, I wrestled with God, pleading for release and resolution of my circumstances. I fell asleep only to be awoken by a voice calling me by name. “Joyce, I’m going to knock on the door. When I knock, open the door.” In awe I jolted upright in bed and waited for the knock. I sprang from bed and opened the door. That night I opened the door to Christ’s liberating love. In that moment, I was called by name to follow, trust, love him, and accept his abundant love for me.
Prayer: In the darkest of nights and brightest of days teach us to “Be still and know that you are God.” Amen.
13 | Joyce Claus - Children’s Ministry Volunteer
Saturday, March 15, 2025
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. ~ Romans 8:18-19
Growing up, I remember my parents having a beautiful garden with plants, trees and vegetables on the outskirts of our hometown. One spring, a late winter frost damaged the young growing plants. Some of the most tender plants my parents had nurtured from seeds lay wilted and broken, their leaves blackened by the unexpected cold. For weeks, they carefully tended to what remained, though many suggested they simply should have started over. They watered, pruned, provided shelter and fertilized the seemingly lifeless plants and waited with hope.
“These plants still have life in them,” they told me when I asked why they did it. “They just need time to reveal their strength.”
By late spring, that patience and faith bore fruit. Where damaged stems once lay, new growth had emerged. The garden flourished beyond my expectations, producing a harvest that seemed even more precious because of the waiting.
Like those frost-bitten plants, we too experience seasons of struggle and apparent defeat. But Romans 8:18-19 reminds us that our present difficulties – however painful – are temporary. Just as creation eagerly awaits its renewal, our current trials are merely the prelude to something far more glorious. Our suffering isn’t the end of the story; it’s the preparation for God’s revelation of glory in and through us.
Prayer: Lord, help us maintain steadfast faith during our seasons of waiting, knowing that you are working to reveal your glory in ways we cannot yet imagine. Amen.
Dr. Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler - Director
second sunday in lent
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ~ Romans 8:26-27
My Mother’s Bible
As a youngster, I received my first Bible from my Sunday School class. I was probably about six or seven years old. Over the years, I received additional Bibles from youth groups, friends and family members, and a Bride’s Bible from the pastor who officiated our wedding ceremony. I’ve always viewed our Bibles as private belongings, some with notes in the margin, others with copies of old church bulletins or special photos tucked within the pages. I often saw my mother tape newspaper clippings of births, deaths, and marriage announcements in the back of hers. What I didn’t know was how she noted the chapters that she had read over the years. Twenty years ago this September, my Mom passed away at the age of 85 years old. I miss her every day. Between our visit to the mortuary and our meeting with her pastor, we stopped by her home to pick up a few things we needed. As I gathered items together, I saw her Bible, a gift from my father some 25 years earlier, where it was always sitting on an end table next to her favorite chair. Without thinking, I picked it up. Waiting for our meeting at the church, I opened her Bible and began to page through it. There I found a handmade bookmark, several pages of study notes, and her handwriting on almost every page. Wherever I looked I noticed check marks at the beginning of each chapter, denoting her having read that chapter, most with 2-4 checks and some as many as eight times. I kept looking, jumping from the Old to the New Testament. And without fail, I found those small check marks throughout her entire Bible. Her Bible became her testimony to her pastor as he prepared to preach her funeral service, to friends who shared with me years later that they were inspired by her check marks, and to my husband, who continues to use her Bible today during his personal study time. The binding is broken. We handle it with much care. But the message is as loud and clear as it was when I first stepped into her private time with God. Her testimony comes from Psalm 119:11, I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.
Prayer: Dear God, may we all treasure your word as you have asked us to do. May we preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words. Amen.
Shirley Norris - Director of Communications | 16
Monday, March 17, 2025
No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:37-39
How many things in life provide absolute assurance? You can go through the list of what you think is a sure-thing guarantee but, truth be told, very few things in life are. Well, except that you can guarantee nothing is truly 100% certain. We can’t rely on the stock market or finances–some of us are just one medical crisis away from financial ruin. We can’t rely on our health being perfect forever no matter how well we eat or how often we work out. As much as some of us would like to hope, even our relationships can fail us. Well, this is depressing. Or perhaps this sobering reality pushes us to a necessary truth. That despite the American way of independence, we can freely admit that we are fully dependent on God. While humbling, this truth in turn, also helps us to embrace the good news of the only truly certain thing in life–that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Some of us have experienced death and depths that forced us to embrace this good news. Perhaps others of us have yet to go through such “things to come.” Either way, may we embrace and celebrate this freeing good news that no one nor anything can separate us from God’s love in Jesus. May it sustain us for the journey ahead.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, walk with us on this Emmaus Road. Appear to us in humble community. Amen.
17 | Rev. Leah Quarles - Associate Pastor
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:1-2
This passage is rich with imagery and meaning. Paul startles us with the phrase “a living sacrifice.” Everyone who first heard Paul’s words would have known that a “sacrifice” by its very definition is not alive. It is in the slaying that a “sacrifice” becomes what it is. Paul calls the Roman Christians to reimagine what life is like as something condemned to death, having abandoned all…only to find itself alive and walking around…made alive again by a gracious act of God. Paul is saying, “Live your life so completely dedicated to God’s way that your every breath and deed, every interaction with others you have in this world, is an act of worship. And in doing this, you live a transformed existence.” And don’t put on airs when you live this way. Paul says in I Corinthians 13 that you could present your “body to be burned [as a sacrifice], but if you don’t have love, your sacrificial living comes to nothing.” Love is what is good and acceptable and perfect…through God’s grace.
Prayer: Make us alive in Christ each new day, that we might live your love in the world. Amen.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose.
1 Corinthians 1:19
It is in our human nature to look at someone and be jealous or think that others’ lives are perfect, but in reality, we never truly know what others are going through. When I attended Kairos, my views on how to perceive others changed. I go to a Catholic school, and we do a retreat called Kairos. Over a couple of days, we heard various speeches that opened our minds and souls to Christ. While on the retreat the leaders gave personal statements that shared their struggles and lessons. On the bus ride up not many people knew each other, and we stayed with their friends, but by the end, we were all knit together and had the same purpose of loving God and his creations. I saw God when others were speaking and putting their trust in me to understand and not judge. There are many times we are quick to judge and think someone’s life is perfect, but in reality, everyone has something they are going through whether you can see it or not. Knowing that others are always going through something makes us all have something in common. This knowledge should push us closer together, instead of tearing us apart. We should all push each other not towards divisions, but towards the ultimate goal of Christ.
Prayer: Lord, keep us ever mindful of the neighbors we meet in you. Amen.
19 | Brooke Davis - Youth Deacon
Thursday, March 20, 2025
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:2-5
Recently I learned the hard way that anxiety can produce serious medical concerns. Blood pressure can catapult into the dangerous zone. Perhaps Paul’s blood pressure was spiking as he thought about the church in Corinth. He says he was in weakness, fear and trembling. He traveled to Corinth to talk about Jesus. He wanted the people to understand that his words came from GOD not the human mind. That the Spirit was in him but not of him. That the power of GOD surpasses everything else. In simpler terms, he seems to be saying “Look, it’s not me ... it’s the all powerful GOD.” He tells them to rely on the power of GOD rather than human beings. I wonder why during times of anxiety we may forget to keep faith with God the Almighty? Perhaps it is because we are only human with short attention spans and even shorter patience in times of trouble.
We forget to pray. We forget to let go and let God. We forget that in times of deep and scary uncertainty there is always our faithful and powerful GOD. We can turn our anxiety and uncertainty over to him and be assured that he is there.
Prayer: Almighty Lord, meet us in our weakness and lend us your strength. Amen.
Roselyn
O’Connell - Elder | 20
Friday, March 21, 2025
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? ~ 1 Corinthians 3:16
I am amazed and in awe as I think of the great blessing of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who inspires us to do great things and saturates us with power for all our day’s work. The Spirit stays in close communion with us, never leaving us or forsaking us, dwelling inside our hearts.
Just think about it - if you and I are believers in Jesus Christ, we are the home of the Holy Spirit of God! We should meditate and pray on this truth over and over until it becomes a reality in our lives.
If we do, we will never be helpless, hopeless, or powerless, for the Spirit promises to be with us to speak to us, strengthen us, and empower us forever. We will never be without a friend or without direction, for God, through the Spirit, promises to lead us and go with us in everything we do.
Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, and lead us on this earthly, desert journey. Amen.
21 | Kelly McGinn - Director of Adult Programming
Saturday, March 22, 2025
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ~ 1 Corinthians 11:23-24
These beautiful words are part of the meaningful ritual which we still practice today. A practice that reminds us that Jesus is our bread of life. As we break bread, as his body, we remember the fullness Christ gives us by following him. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) I think about Christians all over the world who gather at an open table to practice this spiritual event of Communion being filled with the Holy Spirit. My husband and I have had the good fortune to live and travel abroad. So, when I think of taking the “bread of life” as part of the sacraments, of gathering in communion, I think of how Jesus would have performed this ceremony in places beyond our country.
In Kenya, the bread of life is ugali, in Asia it is rice, in Mexico it is tortilla, and in the Middle East it is pita. I believe that our universal Savior would say, come to my table, ALL are welcome for “I am the ugali, or the rice, or the tortilla, of life.” These words are Christ’s offer for fulfillment, for satisfaction, for a promise for spiritual survival in His name.
All of God’s people have a need for this fulfillment, no matter what the physical sustenance is that we hold in our hands. This “bread” provides a path forward; it gives each of us a sense of fullness that helps us to live abundantly, to live eternally, in the love and acceptance of Christ.
So, may we remember how big Christ’s table is, how universal is His offering and know that together we are fulfilled by the bread of life, broken for us.
Prayer: Christ, be Bread of Life for us, that we may sustain the neighbors we have in you. Amen.
third sunday in lent
Sunday, March 23, 2025
In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:25-26
In 4th grade, my church, then a Methodist church, gave me my first Bible, the King James version. I loved that one. I really do honor the ‘Thee and Thou’ used in reference to God as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I am also one who wants it always capitalized when referring to Our LORD.
However, my second Bible, the one that is the most dilapidated, was given to me by the Presbyterian Church at my confirmation at age 12. It is the Revised Standard Version, and on the cover, it states: HOLY BIBLE and under that it states: WITH HELPS. It surely has helped me for half of my life! My confirmation Bible (with helps) has been my companion through countless Bible study classes throughout my teenage years and all the way through my forties.
I’m almost 79 now and my eyes don’t do as well with that teeny tiny font size of yesteryear! Thus, in my fifties, I added multiple and various translations for my studying and prayer time, all in a font size that I can read more readily.
For me, coming back even just to hold this old Bible keeps me grounded in my faith. It reminds me that I have always yearned for God Almighty and that his Word has kept me attuned to The Way, The Way of the LORD.
I am ever so grateful for the Holy Scriptures. Its instructions have never failed me. I trust in the Word of God.
Prayer: Lord, we are ever so grateful for the way your Living Word comes to us. Thank you. Amen.
Diane
Wenger - Choir Member | 24
Monday, March 24, 2025
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:27-28
Parts of the Church
What part of the church are you? A helper or a doer, one who speaks out or one who silently prays? Paul is telling us that we are all expected to contribute. He is giving us ways to have a meaningful relationship in our community. Sometimes God sends us specific assignments and if we are “listening,” we can respond- even though we may not recognize that we have that specific gift. While I do not “speak in tongues,” I have a friend who does. She has prayed so deeply for me at times that the words come out differently- a foreign language, a secret message? Often she doesn’t know exactly what those words mean (interpretation) but in the moment there is transformation. I believe it comes directly from God and we are both blessed by it.
Paul says (or more accurately asks) in verse 29 -“Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing?” I believe that as children of the great Creator, we are able to do amazing things. We can teach, we can work miracles for others and we all have the power to provide healing to our fellow humans. Lean into that power this Lenten season. Lean into the gifts you know you have and test out a few gifts God might have also given you. See what happens to the Church and the World if you do!
Prayer: Lord, guide us to our own place of leadership, for the building up of our community. Amen.
25 | Joanne McDowell - Pinnacle Member
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
These four verses on love written by Paul in a letter to the church in Corinth are some of the most recognizable in the New Testament, used in wedding vows and decorative wall art. How can we read them anew and differently this Lenten season? That was my reflection for this daily devotional. Read them again - and fully absorb how God has loved us with the ultimate gift - his earthly form - his Son, Jesus. What are the new and fresh ways we can love those people in our life that are the most challenging. Erase for a moment the collection of these verses commandeered for commercialized romance. And see them as a call to love the most difficult and hard situations. Work and home relationships - family - neighbors - adversaries - maybe even yourself. Do you love yourself unconditionally? Paul’s words here follow a “yes this - not that” format to call out our flawed human love that is impure in its natural state. If we can comprehend and fathom the depths of God’s love for us - so enveloping in its vast reach - and manifested in the life and death of Jesus during our calendar holiday of Easterthen we commit ourselves to living closer to God’s plan through love. Undeserving as we may be of his love - so too might those seem who are in most need of our love in our daily lives.
Prayer: Teach me, Lord, to love those who are the hardest to love today and every day. Amen.
Jones - Deacon |
Laurie
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Look, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
I remember my fascination with butterflies when I was a small child. I remember the day I discovered a chrysalis (not knowing it was called that way back then!) hanging from a branch in our garden. I asked my mother what it was, and after she explained I checked it daily, wondering how anything beautiful could emerge from what looked like a lifeless shell. I remember my parents trying to explain metamorphosis, but my five-or-so-year-old mind couldn’t grasp how a caterpillar could become something entirely new. It sounded like pure magic to me!
Then one day, I found an empty broken shell. I was fortunate to find the butterfly still nearby, its wings slowly unfurling in the sun. I remember feeling a sense of wonder I’ve never felt before.
This transformation, which is still a mystery for scientists, reminds me of Paul’s words about our own future transformation. Just as a caterpillar can’t comprehend its destiny as a butterfly, we can barely grasp what awaits us. Our current bodies, subject to illness, aging, and death, are promised to be transformed into something magnificently imperishable.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the promise of everlasting life. Help us to live with hope, knowing that our current limitations are temporary, and that you have prepared something far more glorious for us. Amen.
27 | Dr. Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler - Director of Ministries in Music & Arts / Organist
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Some things can only be understood once you go through them personally. We can try our best to listen and empathize with what we hear. We can compare them to similar situations in our own lives, but it isn’t until we go through it ourselves, we gain a deeper understanding. When you learn to fly, you start with ground school first to understand aviation concepts – but it isn’t until you’re in the pilot’s seat, pulling back on the yoke, and watching the ground get further away, you don’t understand what it’s really like to fly. How many pre-teens have told you how to drive? Or who described “the best cookie” ever but you never got to taste it?
The same goes for struggles and grief - we don’t understand until we go through it ourselves. In the same way, we understand more deeply God’s ability to console us during affliction - even when it makes no sense why you feel comforted outside of God’s presence. But once we’ve experienced a “peace that surpasses all understanding” and the comfort that comes in the form of a meal, or a text to check in, we now count ourselves in the group of those ‘who know.’ Of those who know what someone might need because you’ve gone through it too. So, you thank God for bringing you through the waters and the fires safely and you seek to be God’s consoling presence for those who need it next.
Prayer: Connect us, O Lord, with those who need a word of encouragement, that we might share life-giving words with them. Amen.
Rev. Leah Quarles - Associate Pastor | 28
Friday, March 28, 2025
For it is the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6
When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. Big deal, right? So are many people. But this fear of the dark carried on from childhood into my teen years. I had a very vivid imagination, and I read a lot of horror fiction. I was even pretty terrified by the Book of Revelation and movies that dealt with the Apocalypse. I remember as a 16-year-old, talking to my youth group leader at summer camp about my fear of the dark. The group leader, who was a Methodist minister, wisely asked, “Have you ever read Psalm 139? There’s a line that goes like this, ‘If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and night wraps itself around me,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.’ Darkness and light are the same to God. What do you have to fear?”
The theme of light has been important to me since then, especially the image of Christ shining like a light in the dark.
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians help me to see Christ’s face shining in my own personal moments of darkness.
Prayer: O Christ, be my light. Amen.
29 | Rev. Dr. Mike Hegeman - Associate Pastor
Saturday, March 29, 2025
For we know that, if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:1
I went through confirmation a few years ago, and I spent those nine months learning, trialing, and growing. I was learning about who God was, what the Bible was, and where I was in my faith journey. After confirmation, I thought I knew everything about who I was and my whole relationship with God, but that all changed when I started high school. I started to grow more and more tired and less involved with my relationship with God and the Bible. Church started to feel like something I had to wake up for each Sunday, not something I wanted to wake up for. Once I realized what was happening, it broke me. I trust God with everything, and knowing that I sabotaged my relationship with him inspired me to change. Going on the mission trip to Florida in the summer helped me see God in a new light. I was able to work for others and see God shine through me and my friends around me. We would do nightly scripture readings, and I learned more and more with each scripture. I feel as if my relationship with God had to struggle to eventually thrive. We have our ups and downs here on earth, but once we leave and join in eternal life in heaven, our relationship with God will never struggle or fail.
Prayer: Lord, keep me ever growing on this journey of faith. Amen.
fourth sunday in lent
Sunday, March 30, 2025
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
As you can imagine, pastors have lots of Bibles. We have heavy study Bibles with historical background material, comments, maps and charts. Pocket-size Bibles for hospital visits and the graveside. Bibles in Hebrew and in ancient Greek. Which Bible stands out? It’s hard to say.
I suppose it’s the Harper Collins NRSV Study Bible we used in seminary. It’s covered in notes and highlighter and has hand drawn timelines from classmates taped to the inside of the front cover–which is no longer bound to the rest of the Bible. I use this at Bible study and when preparing for sermons. There are two more though that I hold on to.
My Spanish-English Bible I bought while a missionary in the Dominican Republic. It’s worn just the same. I tried my best to translate as I learned Spanish from those around me. It’s the Reina Valera - basically a King James, so it was a struggle to make my way through the Spanish my Dominican friends barely ever used - except for some reason, when they read the Bible.
The last is my first. It sits on my bedside table. I received it as a child from my church. It has a soft picture of Jesus holding a lamb on the cover and my name in gold. I once began a futile attempt of copying the Bible word for word. I got as far as the first account of creation before I decided the Bible was already written down - I didn’t need to duplicate efforts.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many ways your words of life have come to us. Keep it coming! Amen.
Rev. Leah Quarles - Associate Pastor | 32
Monday, March 31, 2025
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
At first glance, it sounds like Paul is preaching a “prosperity gospel” here to the Corinthians.
In our own times, the Prosperity Gospel has these characteristics: God wanting believers to be wealthy, healthy, and happy; poverty and sickness being curses that can be broken through faith in Jesus; believers claiming wealth and health as part of their divine inheritance; God manifesting himself to the faithful in miraculous ways.
I guess that I don’t really disagree with any of these…except that illness is a curse. I do have trouble though when someone says, “The only way you know that you have been blessed by God is if you are healthy and wealthy.” Paul reminds us most of all that our gratitude comes out of knowing that the God who loves us is the source of everything in our lives. We are to find reason to give thanks to God in all circumstances and to share abundantly with others. Poverty consciousness and any sense of lack only separate us from God and our neighbors. Genuine sharing comes out of the deep love from God’s abundant well-spring of LOVE. Whether we see ourselves as “rich” or “poor,” “sick” or well, we are God’s beloved, and our actions are to reflect this.
Prayer: Lord Christ, be my path to God, and help me be thankful for all that comes my way on this journey. Amen.
33 | Rev. Dr. Mike Hegeman - Associate Pastor
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
On a cold November morning in 2013, I got out of bed at 6 am as per my usual routine. Seconds after putting weight on my right leg, I fell to the floor in excruciating pain. Weeks later, an MRI would reveal a herniated disc aggravating my sciatic nerve, causing extreme lower back and leg pain.
As a teacher, I was constantly planning and reviewing the calendar; looking ahead to the next week, month, semester, and year regularly. In the seconds it took me to fall to the floor that November morning, my calendar was yanked from my hands, and I was thrust into the present moment.
Just getting from place to place now required so much energy and planning. (I dreaded getting in and out of the car.) As 2014 began, I was no match for the pain. I had to let go and simply do the next thing. It was in this letting go that I learned an important lesson. Any planning ahead is only successful when we are clearly aligned with God in the present moment and willing to pivot as we hear the Holy Spirit’s voice day to day. When I was temporarily forced to stop looking ahead so much, I heard God’s voice in ways I hadn’t heard it before.
God’s love and grace are a mighty river. We can align with that river and experience strength and joy, or paddle upstream and find out just how weak we are.
Prayer: May these forty days give us the space we need to hear anew your voice, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, and to align with that love and grace. Amen
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
This verse was part of my life from early childhood. It is marked as important in my grandmother’s Bible. (The ragged King James Bible I bring to church sometimes.)
My maternal grandmother was my early faith model and teacher. She taught me that God loved me, knew me before I was born, and had a plan for my life. Her own faith was always present in her interactions with me and everyone she greeted.
Her smile and hugs and blessings were always available without judgment or harsh words. She took the bus to the Mission two days a week to help feed the homeless/hungry and help sew quilts so those sleeping on the streets would “know God cares.” Lent with Gram was billed as a time to refocus on prayer. We routinely prayed before meals (sometimes, even after) and always sang ‘Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep’ at night. This tradition was part of my life, my children’s lives, and for years my children and their children sang it every night. It’s also been the closing at family funerals.
I have fond memories of “overnights at Gram’s” with Grammie in a nightshirt and a flannel night bonnet over her long braid. We would get on our knees at bedside and pray for every family member by name, the neighbors, the mayor, the governor, the president and world leaders. The importance of prayer instilled by Gram continues in my life still. When the prayer group began here at Pinnacle some years ago, I knew I was in the right place. I’m there every week possible. I have a designated “prayer chair” at home and sit every morning, with my cup of coffee, to pray. For years I worked at giving up something I loved to eat (the fasting part of Lent), but my love of chocolate... There’s always next year...
Prayer: Lord, may I find a “Prayer Chair” everywhere I go, and connect me to all others who pray “Thy Kingdom Come.” Amen.
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:19-20 35 | Marsha Zandbergen - Deacon
Thursday, April 3, 2025
As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ~ Galatians 3:27-28
This concept of being clothed in Christ is intriguing. Clothing is at times a self-identity, as in wearing a formal suit for an important professional presentation, and at other times it is self-comforting, as in wearing a thick, soft hand-knit wool sweater for warmth on a cold, wet night. Clothes sometimes divide people and other times bring them together. What does it mean to clothe ourselves with Christ? Does it mean we are wearing our values on our sleeves? Are we approachable, warm, curious, and comforting or are we judgmental, superior, suspicious, or afraid? If we can put values on, can we also take them off? Are they permanently tattooed on our skin or are they worn for situational effect or impact?
But Paul’s words are reminding us that it is not just about ourselves, it’s about others. We should be seeing their values, their hopes and fears, dreams and dragons, for we are all one community in Christ. How others choose to present themselves is not for us to judge but to be welcoming, inquisitive, caring.
Prayer: Keep our eyes open, Lord, to how others show up clothed in you, that we see your light in each one. Amen.
Friday, April 4, 2025
For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ~ Galatians 5:14
It was about five in the evening of January 15, 2019, as I stood at Fran’s bedside to tell her I was going to prepare our dinner, when I asked her how she was doing. Her hospice nurse had just left with plans to return tomorrow. While Fran looked comfortable as the concentrator in the next room pumped life-giving oxygen through a tube into her cannula, I asked if she was anxious or in pain as hospice had left me medication to address both. She said, “No, I’m fine.” I asked if she wanted to move to her chair before dinner to watch TV. She said, “No I’ll just close my eyes for a minute and rest.” I went to the kitchen to start dinner. As she lay there, we were on a path of just over four years dealing with a lung disease her pulmonologist had told us was incurable. Five years earlier, we had successfully worked through a breast cancer crisis together, as we had other challenges in the 60 years we had been together. Earlier that week she had seen her Stephen Minister whose visits had always been a comfort for her. I also had a Stephen Minister, a retired physician, who had also helped me understand the disease and treatments Fran was receiving. About 20 minutes later, I returned to the bedroom to tell Fran dinner would be ready soon. She didn’t respond to my voice, and I was shocked when I realized she had passed away peacefully in the short time I was gone. I immediately made calls to Pastor Kelsey, to hospice and then to my son to break the news. They all came to my side in minutes. Later, as I managed the sadness and pain of my loss, I also joined Pinnacle’s Grief Support Group where each member of the group shared their pain as we worked through the stages of grief. I’ve never been one that felt like I heard God speak to me, but I know that we are taught to love one another. My experience that day and the weeks that followed told me I did not need to hear God’s voice for comfort as our Stephen Ministers, hospice, our pastor, my family, and our Grief Support Group surrounded me with love the whole time I journeyed through this crisis.
Prayer: Lord, be with us through it all, through the celebrations and the crises. Be steadfast in your love, O God of our salvation. Amen.
37 | Mel Steele - Stephen Ministry Coordinator
Saturday, April 5, 2025
If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2
If the Apostle Paul could find “complete joy” in the unity of the Philippian Christians, how much more so would God rejoice in our being of the same mind and love.
But what would it take to be “of the same mind” with people in the church who hold such diverse understandings of: politics, economics, and societal norms, let alone religion and faith? It feels to me like I would have to compromise something of myself, some of my cherished beliefs, what I hold most dear, just to sit next to someone in the pew who voted differently from me.
Then I imagine Jesus, sitting with “sinners and tax collectors,” and at times even Pharisees, and he ate with them. He didn’t compromise himself or his mission to do this; in fact, it was part of his mission to do this. He didn’t form a community of the like-minded. He gathered with those who were willing to listen. He gathered those who were willing to follow and to have as their common ground the calling to “love one another.”
Prayer: Lord, give us one mind on what matters most: loving one another in your name. Amen.
fifth sunday in lent
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ~ Philippians 4:8
I used to think that the phrase “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” came from the Bible. It doesn’t. Not even the phrase “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” comes from the Bible. The latter is a paraphrase of Proverbs 16:27, which reads, “Scoundrels concoct evil, and their speech is like a scorching fire.” I guess, anytime I’m in “idle” mode mentally, I could potentially end up “concocting evil,” but what I find more true is that I spend a lot of time worrying. That’s what my idle mind does.
This scripture encourages us all to stay away from unproductive mental idleness and to think about “whatever is true, and honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy.” I find it isn’t easy to train my mind to stay focused on what is good in this world, but I hear this text as a calling to shift from worry to trusting praise.
My first Bible was an RSV translation I received at the end of the fifth grade from the Carter Memorial United Methodist Church in Needham, MA. When I pull that one off the shelf, it is full of little pieces of paper with “love notes” stuck between the pages. These love notes are scriptures that “leapt off the page” and I wanted to remember.
Prayer: Lord God, keep my mind “stayed on you.” Amen.
Rev. Dr. Mike Hegeman - Associate Pastor | 40
Monday, April 7, 2025
God destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ~ Ephesians 1:5-6
My children led me to Pinnacle… Eighteen years ago I was looking for a preschool for my son, Christopher. I wanted a preschool that was rooted in play, and would be engaging and fun. (I kind of wanted a preschool that reminded me of my own nursery school days). Research brought me to Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool, and we were lucky enough to secure a spot. Immediately, I felt the love and the warmth of the Pinnacle community. There was a sense of peace each time I entered the campus, and I felt that I was a part of the whole church community. My son Timothy attended PPP a few years later, and then my daughter Julia came through. When Julia was in the second half of her Jackrabbit (final) year, I felt so sad to be leaving my Pinnacle community. So, we decided to attend Pinnacle Presbyterian Church to keep the connection going. Pinnacle was a big change from our tiny previous church, but walking into the sanctuary felt like coming home - I knew that this was the place we were supposed to be. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Pinnacle Family.
Prayer: Thank you for the plans you have for me and for my family and our church. Thank you for seeing each of us as beloved. Amen.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. ~ Ephesians 2:4-6
My family of origin was non-religious. We focused on worldly things, like education, pursuit of a career, and human relationships. God was not a part of my life. Indeed, I rejected the very notion of God. And life seemed great. I became a successful trial lawyer, married my sweetheart, Dawn, and we had two wonderful kids. I thought I was a good person: I strove for honesty in my dealings, and tried to be a good husband, father, and friend. This may not sound like a life that was “dead through trespasses and sins.” I wasn’t doing anything “wrong.” John Calvin describes “sin” as a turning away from God. It’s not just doing bad things, but a prioritizing of one’s own desires and will over God’s. And that was me. God , however, reached out to me with great mercy and love. My success at work came at the cost of working 60-hour weeks. Dawn stayed home with our two toddlers. One day, she hit the wall and announced that she needed a long weekend to herself. I cleared my calendar, and Dawn sort of danced out the door Friday morning. I had fun playing with the kids that day, until I lost patience with their squabbling and crying jags. By midday Saturday, I needed a break. None of our babysitters were available. Then I remembered a sandwich board sign outside a local church. Its words seemed heavenly: “free childcare during worship.” The next morning, I deposited the kids in the church’s childcare room. I felt guilty – I was essentially using the church for free childcare – but as I sat in that worship service, I felt a profound sense of peace. I felt community, and purpose, and a sense of something holy. It felt like “home.” That moment brought a profound shift in my life. Haltingly at first, I learned to open myself to a relationship with God. God raised me up and gave me new life. With a sandwich-board sign!
Question for reflection: Have you ever experienced a moment where God was granting you new life?
Prayer: God, use earthly means to open me up to the heavenly! Amen.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2
My first thoughts around this scripture recall the words to a familiar hymn:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.
There is a welcome simplicity in these words and the mindset of being a child of God, of loving God and his ways unquestioningly, and in recognizing that Jesus is God incarnate, and ourselves, the direct beneficiaries of his sacrifice. Jesus was a healer, a liberator of those persecuted for their income, color, creed, or station in life or place of origin, a wise teacher who challenges others through both wit and compassion, an example of someone who treated everyone equally, an example of what we should strive to be. During Lent it is Jesus’ humanity that speaks to me the most. His suffering is a reminder to me that in my darkest passages, Jesus understands my suffering and grieves with me. During the last week of his life, he felt the sting of betrayal by a friend, of denial by a friend, and loneliness when his friends fell asleep on him in the Garden of Gethsemane when he had implored their protection. He was also honest in his relationship with God the Father, when he named the fear and dread of what was coming in the Garden of Gethsemane. He experienced physical anguish and literal heaviness of the cross with heartache. He withstood mockery, overexposure, and vulnerability in front of his enemies, heartbreak to leave behind those he loved, pain in seeing those around him also suffer, and the inevitable loss of his youth and life. It is his honesty and acceptance that helps me navigate through the challenging moments of my life. I have comfort knowing that my Jesus understands and loves me through it.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, walk with us as we seek to walk with you. Amen.
43 | Renee Schenck - Deacon
Thursday, April 10, 2025
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:11-14
When I read these verses, I thought of all the wonderful, dear people in my life who are going through very difficult times. I especially think of friends and family who are sick or taking care of loved ones who are sick. It seems like we hear weekly of someone else we know who received bad news.
Then I look at the hope and positive attitudes that get them through each day. In verse 11, Paul says to be strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power; that power that helps us to endure all this world gives us. I know looking to Jesus and our heavenly Father for help to be able to endure their illnesses has helped all of them. I am blessed to know these people who are so strong in their faith in God.
Prayer: Lord, give us one mind on what matters most: loving one another in your name. Amen.
Sheaffer
Friday, April 11, 2025
But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. ~ Colossians 3:8-10
A wise teacher once told me: there is only one choice to make in this life, and we are faced with it multiple times a day, every day of our lives. It is the choice between love and fear. She said, “Anything that is not of love, arises ultimately out of fear.” This includes: anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language. So does the instinct to lie.
Do you know what the most often stated commandment in the Bible is? It is “Do not fear” or “Be not afraid.” We’re also told that “Perfect love casts out all fear.” It’s hard to love perfectly. I fail at it every day in small and big ways. But we have been clothed with Christ, who is our new self. And thanks be to God that that new self is being renewed every day…to conform to the image of our Creator.
Prayer: Deliver us, O Lord, from the trials and tribulations of our fears, that we may walk in the newness of Life. Amen.
| Rev. Dr. Mike Hegeman - Associate Pastor
Saturday, April 12, 2025
I thank my God always when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the partnership of your faith may become effective as you comprehend all the good that we share in Christ. ~ Philemon 1:4-6
Whenever I get in trouble, my dad tells me that I only have two jobs in our family: to listen and obey. But I almost never listen to him. I want to go and do things my way because I often don’t like what he wants me to do. When I start to feel this way, I stop and realize that he is much older and wiser than me. Remembering this fact helps me make a better decision. It also makes me appreciate having someone who loves me enough to help me become better.
Sometimes, I think we are stubborn children who do not listen to what God is telling us to do. In Philemon 1:4-6, God tells us to go out and share his word to other people, not just the people in our community, but the people that maybe don’t know about him. We often don’t listen or obey. Most likely, the reason why we don’t is because we are afraid of being laughed at or rejected. But God tells us to go out and share our community anyway, especially when we might be rejected. We should listen and obey God for two reasons. First, if we never share God’s word, our community of believers never grows. Second, if we never risk the possibility of rejection, we don’t follow his directions, which means we aren’t doing our job as Christians. We can go out and sing carols, or invite people to church, and do anything that you can think of. So how can you share our community today?
Prayer: Lord, teach us to “listen and obey” and to act lovingly in all ways. Amen.
Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025
Have nothing to do with profane and foolish tales. Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. ~ 1 Timothy 14:7-9
As a hospice chaplain, my current Bible serves as an invaluable companion, guiding me through the profound and delicate journeys of those I serve. This Bible, purchased shortly after the publication of the New Revised Standard Version in 1989, features incredibly thin pages, making it compact and easy to carry during my 25-30 hospice visits per week. Each day, it becomes a source of solace and strength, grounding me in providing comfort, compassion, and hope to patients and their families facing the end of life. Its blue leather cover is cracked and worn, protected with packing tape. A binder clip serves to hold other inspirational readings I sometimes find helpful.
The Psalms, rich in poetic expressions of human emotion, resonate deeply with individuals confronting their final days. Psalm 23, with its assurance that “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me,” offers comfort to patients grappling with fear and uncertainty. This verse often brings a sense of peace and reassurance, allowing them to feel accompanied on their end-of-life journey.
Jesus’ teachings on love and compassion are central to my interactions. The commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” guides me to demonstrate empathy, kindness, and understanding to everyone I encounter. The story of the Good Samaritan inspires me to offer selfless care to those in need, reminding me of the importance of humility and compassion in all my actions.
The Bible’s messages of hope and eternal life provide comfort during the most challenging moments. Jesus’ message in John 14, “I go to prepare a place for you, and where I go, you will go, too,” bring solace and hope for what lies beyond this life, offering a vision of assurance, peace and comfort.
Prayer: Open the pages of our hearts, Lord, as we open the pages of our Bibles, that we might become walking reflections of your Word!
Monday, April 14, 2025
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David - that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. ~ 2 Timothy 2:8-10
Paul is writing to Timothy with encouragement to be faithful. Paul is in prison but he continues to proclaim the good news of the Gospel. From Paul’s words we can feel his encouragement for us to do the same, even as we endure hardships. Paul was a caregiver of the faithful, sharing the love of God at all times. I have been called to be a caregiver many times in my life. I have experienced tough situations where my care has been needed for months upon months. In those difficult times, I had moments when I doubted I had the stamina to continue, but the foundation of my faith carried me through. I was then and continue to be sustained by the knowledge of God’s salvation through his gift of Jesus. Through the good news of Jesus’ resurrection we know that we have hope for a new day, we have a friend who walks beside us, and we should pay attention and tell others about God’s extraordinary love. Look for the evidence of the good news message in your life and hold on to the secure knowledge of God’s abiding love. Then go tell about it!!
Prayer: Lord, sustain us in our living and our giving, that we may see the fruit of your Spirit in all we seek to do. Amen.
49 | Janis Fitch - Elder
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - he cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
This scripture reminds me to live each day rooted in my identity in Christ, trusting that he will give me the strength to endure any struggles I face. In a world that feels more divided than ever - politically, socially, and spiritually - it challenges me to remain respectful and tolerant. However, this scripture calls me to act just as Christ would. When faced with intolerance or disrespect, I am called to respond with patience and grace rather than reacting in anger. Even when others fail to show kindness, I can find peace in the fact God’s faithfulness will forever be with me. By keeping my focus on Christ, I can reflect his love in all I do, no matter the circumstances.
Prayer: God, may I always be a reflection of your love in the world. Amen.
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:11-13
I was reflecting on something I heard recently in our adult Sunday School, “The only thing that matters is faith energized through love.” (Galatians 5:6) I was also thinking about Pastor Leah’s sermon on “How we walk.”
We live in a unique and extraordinary time, an in-between time. Jesus Christ came and lived fully human among us; he taught, he was condemned, crucified and resurrected. Through God’s grace and at the cost of his Son, our sins are forgiven and salvation given. That’s all happened, and that’s a lot!
At the other end is the ‘not yet happened’ or ‘yet to come.’ Yet to come is the return of our God and Savior Jesus Christ and the completion of his new and glorious kingdom.
Here and now or the in-between time we have an opportunity to practice all the lessons that Jesus taught, the words the Bible speaks to us and the prophets preached. And that’s a lot! How do we do that? We practice.
We practice living out a faith that celebrates the knowledge of God’s love for us. A love so deep that he gave his only son. A love so big that he wants to spend an eternity with us. We practice living out the call to be the body of Christ, to be his hands and feet here on earth. We practice living out acts of faith by loving our God and all his children. We practice living in faith energized through love. We practice.
Prayer: Teach us, Lord, to practice a faith imbued with Love! Amen.
51 | Pat Malpiedi - Pinnacle Member
Maundy Thursday | April 17, 2025
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:6
This passage prompts questions. Such as, what does this passage mean in itself? How does this small part of God’s message inform me about God’s purpose? What strikes me as important and relevant to my experience, maybe to anyone’s experience?
What strikes me is the word, helpless. In Greek, it means, “weak,” but it can also mean, “having insufficient resources.” At what point in your life have you experienced feeling “helpless,” a time when you had “insufficient resources” to overcome what was troubling you? Recently, I met a middle-aged man who had been denied a lifesaving lung transplant that left him confused and disheartened, but he displayed such “inner resources” of confidence and faith that I advocated to the medical team to review his case. They did and are working with him to provide resources that will help him live longer, but without a lung transplant.
The truth is this: none of us has “sufficient resources” of health or wealth to overcome death on our own. The paradox is this: that Jesus died so that we might have “God’s resources” and the Spirit as an Advocate so that we supply what resources others need for all aspects of living. What we do with God’s resources matters and shows our love for God and neighbors. “My grace is sufficient for you, for Christ’s power is made complete in (our) insufficient resources.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Prayer: Give us this day our daily bread, and all else necessary to sustain the life you have given us. Amen.
JOIN US FOR OUR MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE:
Thursday, April 17 | 7 pm | Chapel
Bob Claus - Hospital Chaplain | 52
Good Friday | April 18, 2025
Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:7-8
To me, this passage is kind of confusing. It says that people wouldn’t die for a righteous man. It also says that maybe some people would die for a good man. What I can’t figure out is why anyone would choose to die for a regular person. If you give up your life for a righteous or good man, you would just die. That’s it. No more.
If Jesus asked for our life, at least you would get to go to heaven to be with him. But God doesn’t ask us to die for him. Instead he chose to die for us. I think that’s kind of amazing. He didn’t have to die for us, and he didn’t really get anything out of it.
People still don’t trust Jesus even though he died for us. Some of them even say bad things about him. But I trust him. I know that he is God’s Son. I know that when I die I get to go to heaven. And I know that I don’t deserve his love. Because he loves me, I also get to feel joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. It’s a pretty good deal, if you ask me.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for giving everything of yourself so that we might know the fullness of life here and now…and forever. Amen.
JOIN US GOOD FRIDAY: Friday, April 18 | 7 pm | Sanctuary
Pinnacle Concert Series presents: Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Requiem”
53 | Gwendolyn Jensen - Member of Pinnacle Kids
Holy Saturday | April 19, 2025
A few weeks ago, I played a basketball game against a team of boys. When one of the boys got a rebound, I stood in front of him, so that he couldn’t dribble up the court. He didn’t like how close I was standing to him and intentionally elbowed me in the face. He hit me so hard that my nose started bleeding, and I had to leave the game. My sister Lia saw what happened and decided to take revenge. When it was time for her to guard him, she pushed her arm into his ribs and blocked him from where he wanted to go. He started whining to the referee because he felt she was being too mean. That made everyone on our team even more angry. By the end of the game, we had won. Because he was so mean, we wanted to rub it in his face. But that’s not what God wanted us to do. So, we focused our celebration on what one another had accomplished. For me, my sister defending me was the thing to celebrate most. If God took revenge every time we did something wrong, we would have a pretty awful life. Rather than give us what we deserve, God forgives our sins and asks us to do the same for others. So, the next time someone does something mean or elbows you in the face, try to remember what God tells us to do.
Prayer: Lord, you ask us to forgive and not take revenge. Help us, because this is hard. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ~ Romans 5:10-11 Zadie Jensen
Easter Sunday | April 20, 2025
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 6:5-11
We began our journey on Ash Wednesday, recognizing the intimate relationship between the stories of our lives that in many ways seem to culminate upon our death. We might wonder how those stories will be captured; how will others remember us? What would we choose to share about our lives if we wrote an old-fashioned tombstone epitaph (can you summarize your life in a few pithy sentences to be etched into stone?) or our own obituary?
Our lives in Christ, though, on Easter, become more than a collection of the highs and lows of our earthly existence. And what this profoundly means is that all of who we are is made new in the lifegiving death and resurrection of Jesus.
I’ll be honest… I struggle with this! I struggle with comprehending what it means for my identity to be so thoroughly defined by the God of the universe that everything else falls away. Initially, I struggled with this because as a child I liked the things that I held onto as defining memy skills, my accomplishments. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I struggle, also, with the reality of my sinful nature and the ways that I fall short, way short, of the objective set before me to love others.
55 | Rev. Erik Khoobyarian - Senior Pastor
The promise of Easter, though, is not that my identity disappears. Rather, the good news is that your stories, each of our stories, are a beautiful part of the mosaic of God’s creation. Your stories matter, and your stories are not only redeemed in Christ, but you, and I, and each one of us are grafted into the great cloud of witnesses who, together, now and forever, will be alive in Christ! Perhaps that’s what I’d like on my tombstone … “Alive in Christ!”
Prayer: I give thanks for this Lenten journey and pray for all who were on it with me. I pray for our journey from here as Easter people, continuing to learn what it means to be made new in you. Help me to consider myself dead to sin and alive in you. Amen.
Easter at Pinnacle
Sunday, Apr. 20
6 am | Sunrise service | Trinity Terrace 8 (with communion) & 10 am | Sanctuary 11:15 am | Easter Egg Hunt | the Green
The cover art for this devotional, “Grandfather Saguaro,” was provided courtesy of photographer/artist Carla Meeske. You can view other photos from her collection on the Sanctuary Art Wall throughout Lent. www.milkynight.com
