Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A How do you say thank you to someone who saved your life? The sense of gratitude is as deep as it can be. Without their help and intervention, the course of your life would never be the same. When I was a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, my internship was in The Upper Room building. I worked at the General Board of Discipleship, Division on Worship. One afternoon in The Upper Room Chapel, my supervisor collapsed from a stroke. She could not speak or move. She was terrified. Someone had the sense to dial 911, and soon a paramedic was on the scene. He looked her in the eyes. He spoke to her in gentle tones. He assessed her needs and got her swiftly to the hospital. She recovered fully, not long afterward. And then she set out on a mission to find out who the paramedic was who saved her life. All she could remember was his eyes. She needed to say thank you. It was imperative to her that he knew the role he played during a terrifying moment. Psalm 116 feels like discovering God was that paramedic who saved your life. How can I ever thank you enough? You have saved me. I will remember and honor you forever. Has God lifted you when you have fallen? Has God saved your life and put you on a new path? Give God all the praise. I remember when David Letterman came back on the air after his open-heart surgery. He called the entire medical team out and thanked them individually. Their skills and knowledge breathed into him new life. He would forever be grateful. I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. Take some time in prayer today. Give God thanks and praise for watching over your life. Peace, Dean Attachments area Preview YouTube video David Letterman - 1st Show After Heart Surgery David Letterman - 1st Show After Heart Surgery
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Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Genesis 21:1-7 tells of the birth of Isaac. If you ever doubt that the seemingly impossible is possible with God, just read the story of Genesis. The God who creates all things out of the shapeless void brings a future and a hope through the unlikely birth of a child. His name is Isaac. Abraham and Sarah must have smiled when they gave him that name. It means, "He laughs." Life is hard right now. Perhaps you can find a few minutes to laugh. Find something absurd. Think of a few dad jokes. Read the funnies. Laugh, or help someone else laugh today. Here's a joke: An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps. "Where would you like to sit?" he asked. "The front row, please," she said. "You really don't want to do that," the usher said. "The pastor is really boring." "Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired. "No," he said. "I'm the pastor's mother," "Do you know who I am?" he asked. "No," she said. "Good." You can find other bad jokes here on the Prairie Home Companion Joke Show. I don't vouch for them, and I don't offer excuses or ignore any inappropriate actions by the host. It does make me laugh, and God knows sometimes I need that. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
John 14:25-26 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you." This Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is teaching us and reminding us of the love of Jesus every day. The world is changing. We have an opportunity to be a part of significant new possibilities as we affirm that Black Lives Matter. We are on the cusp of a new day as we work toward reducing violence and increasing justice. How will it come to be? The Advocate, the Holy Spirit is at work in our breathing, our praying, and our working. Take a look at this video about the Holy Spirit. Allow yourself to imagine what the Spirit is up to these days. Does it give you hope? Does it inspire you to work for change? If you would like to continue this kind of study, The Bible Project has a Church At Home study. Here is last week's study on the Holy Spirit. I will send to you and others who are wanting to learn in this time apart a new study each Saturday. You can study alone or reach out for discussion. Let me know if you would like to join this online study going forward. You can unsubscribe at any time. Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A I just read that the time we have spent at home to protect ourselves and others saved approximately 60 million people from being infected with the coronavirus. I imagine we will have to continue to be careful for a long time. Thank you for doing your part to take this virus seriously. It is an act of Christian compassion to save the lives of others. You have probably learned a lot about yourself in this time apart. Maybe you now know that you are amazing at doing a puzzle. Or, that you would rather sit quietly in prayer than watch television. 1 Corinthians reminds us that we all have our gifts that together build up the Body of Christ. "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." It seems like if there is going to be transformative change to address issues of racism and violence, it is going to take everyone's gifts. It will take each person's expression of the Spirit for the common good. As Eugene Peterson puts it, imagine what can happen when all of these gifts work together: wise counsel, clear understanding, simple trust, healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues. You be you. And help to bring about justice and healing. I invite you to take THIS Spiritual Gifts Inventory. Maybe you have taken it in the past. I wonder if your gifts have changed over time? I hope you will find a way to use your Spiritual gifts to respond to the suffering of the oppressed and live into the love of Jesus. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A My dog's name is Megan. She is a beautiful Golden Retriever. Megan came to live here after a friend from college found out she was marrying someone who was allergic to dogs. I am not sure how old Megan is, but she is definitely long in the tooth. She has trouble standing up and sitting down. She doesn't hear much anymore. She sleeps most of the day and night. But, when Megan sees the face of her friend Ty Tanis, she becomes almost like a puppy again. Her tail gives away her joy. She moves faster than I thought possible. She smiles. Megan has worn a path at our fence as she walks back and forth, back and forth 100 times hoping that Ty will bring her over to his house. There she can be with her friends Wrigley and Bear, Lindy and Kirgin, and Ty. There is a line in Psalm 29 that says, "The voice of the Lord makes Lebanon skip like a calf." When Megan sees Ty and the Tanis family, even though she is an old, greying dog, she skips like a calf. She knows that she is loved by them, unconditionally. She knows she is safe in their presence. She looks forward to being with them. Does the thought of God make you skip like a calf? Do you break out in a grin knowing that God has a home that is safe and warm and welcoming for you? Do you feel like a child again when you think about the way God loves you unconditionally? Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name, worship the Lord in holy splendor. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
The Psalm turns our hearts to God again and again. ”How majestic is your name on all the earth!” When we go to God in prayer, we can lose all pretense. We can be honest about our fears. We can be open with our questions. We can trust in God’s grace. Prayer is that safe place for us to go, especially when very little feels safe. The King James Version poetically declares, ”Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” I saw a video of 6-year-old Gianna Floyd. Gianna is George Floyd’s daughter. She was sitting up high on a man’s shoulders. The man wore a hat that simply said FAITH. A week before her father had been killed on a Minneapolis street. Now she looked at the thousands who gathered, praying silently and collectively for 8 minutes, peaceful witnesses as far as the eye could see. With arms outstretched, she said with wonder, pride, and love, ”My Daddy changed the world.” Out of the mouths of babes. The Rev. Bill Johnson and I have invited you to pray today. Join the 104 congregations in the Midwest District, the 1,400 people who received the email invite, and all who find it on Facebook in prayer. Sit with God for two hours. Allow God to speak to your heart. Petition God on Gianna’s behalf that real change can come to make this a less divided, more just world. Please see the invitation below. Peace, Dean https://mailchi.mp/michiganumc/midwest-district-june-5-prayer-vigil?e=7eb298fc60 Dear Midwest District, We invite you to enter into prayer in the way of your choosing from Noon until 2 pm Friday, June 5, 2020. Issues of racism and violence are out in the open and on the streets around the country. The Holy Spirit gives breath to the declaration that Black Lives Matter. Despite the threats of violence, the calls for justice continue. God is at work. Erin Hawkins, the General Secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on Religion and Race, encourages the church to "Move Toward the Pain." Now is the time for prayer. We pray for justice, accountability, and a transformation of our society through policies and practice. We pray for every person of color who feels threatened and unsafe. We pray for an end to the destruction of lives, as well as to the destruction of property. We pray to be open to the ways we need to change. You may spend time in silence or ringing the church bell. You might connect with others through Zoom and pray together. Perhaps it would be a reflective prayer time of reading or writing. May God turn our prayers into action. Reflect on the words of Bishop Woodie White in his 1996 General Conference Benediction: And now, May the Lord torment you. May the Lord keep before you the faces of the hungry, the lonely, the rejected and the despised. May the Lord afflict you with pain for the hurt, the wounded, the oppressed, the abused, the victims of violence. May God grace you with agony, a burning thirst for justice and righteousness. May the Lord give you courage, and strength, and compassion to make ours a better world, to make your community a better community, to make your church a better church. And may you do your best to make it so, and after you have done your best, may the Lord grant you Peace. Amen. Pray for peace. Work for justice. Rev. Bill Johnson Rev. Dean N. Prentiss Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Suffering. It is difficult to get through this life without suffering. Anguish, disappointment, and grief seem to visit us at points along our life journey. The Book of Job (rhymes with lobe) is an exploration of the reason for suffering. Job is the source of the question, "why do bad things happen to good people?" 1 Timothy seeks to remind followers of Christ that they will suffer for the Gospel and that through the good news, the world will be changed. We follow a Savior who knew the epitome of suffering. Jesus was beaten, spit upon, whipped, and crucified. Church tradition holds that the apostles were martyred (see below). Of course, suffering is not sought out. But it exemplifies the ways sin is entrenched in our world and how difficult it is to make fundamental changes. Perhaps that is what we are experiencing in these days. Racism does not go away easily. Society does not evolve without pain and loss. Perhaps through the hurt, there is hope. The Good News of the Kingdom of God will continue to impact the world. But there will be sacrifices and there will be suffering. As followers of Christ, maybe we should not be surprised when we are bruised for his higher purpose. The Suffering and Death of the Apostles According to the Church Tradition (Warning, Not Pleasant):
Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
I enjoy these daily lectionary readings and sharing a short reflection. My hope in all the ways I pastor is not to be the last word but to initiate avenues for dialogue. After reading what I offer, I pray that each of you will continue the conversation with God, with others, and in your own heart. I am blessed to have such a way to share. I am humbled that many of you have woven this spiritual discipline into our time in the wilderness. Sometimes I will read the lectionary texts the night before and allow them to visit me in my dreams. Always I read them in the morning. And then I write whatever comes to mind, a free-form flow of consciousness and prayer. Finally, I send it to you and Facebook and Twitter, post it on our website, and trust that God will infuse it with love and grace. Yesterday was a difficult day. It disturbed me as I perceived the president using things that are sacred as political messages when there are so many people crying out through pain for justice. I try hard to be considerate and mindful of the variety of beliefs and life experiences in our faith community. I try to be careful with what I say and how I say it. But yesterday I was upset. And one of you wrote to let me know that made you upset. And it dawned on me that the last thing I need to do is to divide God's people. We are being pitted against one another relentlessly these days. Partisanship runs deep right now, and we are encouraged to distrust the other. I don't want to play that game. I don't want to contribute toward pulling us apart from our shared baptism in Christ. We are one body, and we need each other now more than ever. I apologize for the things that I say which might be hurtful or offensive. I will focus even harder on speaking love to you, the people I love. As a descendant of Eldad and Medad, I will still prophesy and trust in God's Spirit. And as a follower of Christ, I will endeavor that from my heart will flow rivers of living water. These are stressful and turbulent times. I trust that God will help us find our way. Let us pray for Peace. Let us work for Justice. Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
What a time this is in our nation and our life. Protests fill the streets. The demands are for justice, accountability, an end to racial discrimination and violence, and recognition in policy and practice that black lives matter. Peaceful protests are seeking a fundamental change in how we treat one another. This outpouring of people seeking a better world can remold and remake us if we let it. Sadly, peaceful marches are shoved out of the way with images of fires, destruction, police brutality, looting, and people who seek to provoke more violence. With blasts echoing through the streets of our nation's capital, the president threatened additional violence. He then stood in front of St. John's Church holding up a Bible, perhaps unaware of the liberation found in the Word. Are you feeling angry? Scared? Frustrated? May the Spirit of God help us in our weakness. When our hearts are overwhelmed, may the Spirit intercede with sighs too deep for words. And may God, who knows our prayers, lead us into a more just and equitable future. Pray for peace and work for justice, Dean |
REv. Dean N. PrentissI am blessed to be the Pastor at Wesley Park UMC. Find Daily Lectionary Readings Here. Archives
February 2021
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