The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
— Psalm 27
Resource Archive: Newsletter Archives
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— Psalm 27 Resource Archive: Newsletter Archives |
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Who would benefit from this issue? Pastors, church staff, congregational lay leaders, Christian education directors, and any member of the congregation.
Read: Mark 10:32-34
Every year during the forty days of Lent (reminding us of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness), we are invited to join Jesus and his followers on the journey to Jerusalem. In many ways, our observance of Lent is the same as that long-ago journey, with the same purpose. We are invited to leave our safe places and to meet our own constant temptation to forget our need for God. Lent is not just a period of waiting or enduring the last dark days of winter. It is an opportunity to open ourselves to God's love for us. However, Lent doesn't always work that way. Those who followed Jesus to Jerusalem were "amazed and afraid," whereas we are often simply tired of the long winter and are waiting for Easter and spring. As church leaders, we may be overwhelmed with the increase in activities that often accompany the Lenten season. We may simply be focusing on providing exceptional and inspiring Easter worship services. We may be dreading the "long haul" of Holy Week or planning our post-Easter break. Yet we are invited on a journey that forever changed the world and continues to do so today. The life, teachings, and unconditional love of Jesus are still amazing. It is still frightening to follow him to the cross. We can be amazed and afraid as we respond to the Lenten invitation to experience God's love anew. Copyright © 2008 James Kasperson
Sometimes the worst
does happen. God seems to fail us and we're left exposed, having no answers
for a hurting, hungry crowd. We feel responsible, too: We spoke of promises
and miracles, of hope and steadfast assurance. People believed us. And
God seems to have let us down. This passage in John gives us a glimpse of one possible reason these bad things happen: Some miracles must be done in community. The promises of faith, hope and love draw people in, widening a small prayer circle into a vast audience of expectant souls. God must not have been content to give Lazarus a second earthly life: He wanted instead to give everyone who knew Lazarus a deep, eternal life. The miracle wasn’t just that Lazarus breathed again, the miracle was that God breathed new life into so many people. Verse 45 tells us, "Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him." God, help people to hear me, but believe you. Copyright © 2008 Ginger Garrett
Isn't it exciting to know that God can use ordinary people like you and me to accomplish his purposes? Look at how many times he chose unqualified individuals in the Bible and equipped them to fulfill his plans. Consider Moses, Joshua, Rehab, Esther, and David, to name a few. And isn't it wonderful that God still does that today, for those who are willing to step out in faith? I never thought that I'd be writing poems for publication. When God called me at the age of fifty, I felt unqualified as a poet. I had only written one poem in grammar school and a few jingles. Growing up, I loved the Lord, yet I thought of him as distant. But at fifty, when I learned that he wanted to have a personal relationship with me, I committed my life to him. It was then that my love for the Lord began to flow on paper in poems and eventually devotions. Today, twenty-four years later, I continue to give God the glory for my published pieces, since it is he who equipped me for my writing ministry. Lent is a good time for reflection--a time to recall where we were when God first called us; a time to review all that he has done for us and through us since then. Let's always remember that we are who we are because of Christ. Our ministry is the result of our relationship with him. Let us boast in him and not ourselves for all that we have accomplished. Lord, remind us to use our gifts to glorify you and bless others. Amen. Copyright © 2008 Frances Gregory Pasch
Recently I found myself journeying from Pennsylvania to Mississippi to serve with Mennonite Disaster Service, helping to rebuild houses for Katrina victims. I was somewhat nervous about the trip for two reasons. The first was my dread of flying. The second was my apprehension about living, eating, and working with strangers for the next week. A freelance writer by profession, I spend most of my days alone. So this trip was a huge leap out of my comfort zone. But, I soon found myself flying high above the earth, occasionally glancing out the window at the clouds beyond the wings of the plane. Desperate for solace, I relaxed my white-knuckled grip on the arms of my airplane seat and reached for my Bible to review the Scripture Sue had assigned for this devotional. I read: "Your mercy, O LORD, is in the HEAVENS; Your faithfulness reaches to the CLOUDS...The children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your WINGS." (Psalm 36:5, 7 NKJV). Suddenly God was right there beside me, within me, surrounding me with his peace. All I had to do to was relax, open up his word, allow it to enter my heart, and TRUST HIM. He always knows where I am and what I need. Take a moment right now to reach out to God. He knows where you are and what you need. Simply trust him to protect, uplift, and replenish you during this busy Lenten season. And you’ll soon find yourself with wings, flying high above the clouds of this world and straight into his heavenly, all-encompassing arms. Copyright © 2008 Donna K. Maltese
As I write this, we are in the season of Advent, awaiting the birth of the Christ-child. Now, as you read this, we are in the season of Lent, waiting the Lord God's final act of forgiveness to his fallen creation--the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Truth be told, we are waiting in all seasons for God. We wait for him to come to us as individuals, speaking a little louder than a still small voice so that we might hear him better. Our congregations wait for God to come, to stir up the Spirit and lead them on to bigger and better things in his name. This nation waits for him to bring equality to all who live here. The world God created waits for him to come, that there would truly be peace on this earth with goodwill toward all people. But until that day when these things are accomplished, we wait. We are able to wait because his Word gives us hope. God tells us so himself: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) Lord, thank you for your Word that allows us to hope even as we wait for you. Amen. Copyright © 2004 Lynne McMullan Allebach
What fun, when during a wedding reception the bride and groom feed each other a piece of cake, an act symbolizing the willingness of each to serve the other. In parts of northern India someone celebrating a birthday will, in like fashion, serve each guest a piece of cake. In the upper room, Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover and also a wedding--the wedding of God's son with his bride, the Church. How appropriate that the combined ceremoies included an example of serving as Jesus humbly washed his disciples' feet. Let us consider what the disciples experienced in that upper room. They certainly watched as Jesus went from one disciple to the next, giving each individual his undivided attention as he cleansed their feet. Surely each felt his very personal touch as Jesus showed that he cared for them by humbly serving them, one-by-one. Today the Lord's personal touch extends to each one in the Body of Christ, including you. God will, in a very personal way, wash away the dirt of the world from you and express his love to you. Yes, the celebration is about Jesus, but in it we need to remember that Jesus chooses to serve us in his love. During this Lenten season, let Jesus give you his undivided, personal attention, as Peter finally allowed him to do. He will do more than just feed you a piece of wedding or birthday cake. He will bless you as an individual and help you to bless others all the more. I open my heart and life to you Lord to receive cleansing and blessings. Thank you, Lord, for caring about individuals. Copyright © 2007 Daniel F. Varnell
As a church leader, I often feel as if my to-do list and schedule weigh me down. My goal each day is to get through my schedule and cross off as many things on my list as humanly possible. Yet I get frustrated because the process of accomplishing tasks on that list invariably leads to new items to add to it. When I call someone that I need to talk to, I can be sure that our conversation will generate additional items that will need to be accomplished. Or if I begin to research a new project, I'll still need to follow it through to completion. It seems that "doing" always leads to more "doing." Think about it, was there ever a time when you completed everything you needed to do? Probably not. Ministry can seem like housework. There are always more clothes and dishes to wash and more dirt to vacuum. However, Paul tells us that "being" is more important than "doing." In fact, Paul struggles with whether he prefers to be in the flesh and in service to Christ, or to be with Christ through his own death. Because Paul realizes that whether he lives or dies, both his ultimate fate and the building of God's Kingdom rest solely on Jesus' death and resurrection. As busy leaders, we need to spend more time focusing on our spiritual growth and relationship with Christ than worrying about our to-do lists. If we approach life and ministry from this perspective, we'll be stronger spiritual leaders. These last days of Lent offer an opportunity to take time to be with Christ, in spite of the extra worship services and children's Easter program that need to be planned. It's not our running or doing or frustrations that define who we are. Paul says it all: "Living is Christ." Lord Jesus, may my relationship with you be the most important thing in my life. Copyright © 2008 Susan M. Lang
A - Recent RevWriter Sightings:
B - What's New?
C - Still Available:
Financial Contributions Welcomed Due to the addition of new charges at my e-zine delivery system, this year it will cost me over $400 to produce and manage The RevWriter Resource. Writers of devotions and main articles have always been, and will continue to be, paid. In the past, this has come out of my personal writing income, but as this ministry continues to grow, the cost to me will also continue to increase. In the effort to maintain the ministry provided through the publication of The RevWriter Resource without requiring a subscriber's fee, I am now welcoming contributions from subscribers.
Most importantly, I appreciate your prayers as this ministry continues to grow during its sixth year in publication. Blessings, Sue
About the author: RevWriter, Rev. Susan M. Lang, is an interim pastor and writer, residing in Pennsylvania. She is also the author of the Augsburg Fortress Congregational LEADER Series book entitled, OUR COMMUNITY: Dealing with Conflict in Our Congregation. Revwriter Susan M.
Lang http://www.revwriter.com & http://www.suelang.com
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