Pastor’s Corner

A Prayer a Day: Good morning, Lord. My greetings you each morning  reminds me that I am the arbitrator of my life. I decide, when I open my eyes and have had enough coffee to wake up, what kind of day it is and will be. I may look outside to see if the sun is shining, and check the sky to see if it is clear blue with white, puffy, clouds or gray, bleak, with dark thunder clouds on the horizon. The evaluation is mine and each individual person’s. Not only do we evaluate, we set the criteria for the evaluation. Often times I am positively or negatively affected by how things look. Although, I suspect this  is a very ordinary fact of human nature to be affected by appearances, it’s not encouraged by Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we know that repeatedly in scripture, we read that we walk by faith not by sight. So, one way that we can deal with our natural tendency to evaluate the day or any situation, by how it looks, is to look inward before we look outward. Then we can develop a strong inner well of affirmations to shape our seeing, thinking, and behavior. For example, Romans 12:2 reads,”Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-God’s good, pleasing,and perfect will.” Many things happen in the course of every life. Everyday is not sunny for anyone. What we need is to look inward, not outward; when we look inward we do not see the sun at all, we see the Son. You, Holy God, have sent your Holy Spirit to dwell within us. When we remember that you, Lord, live in our hearts,  every morning, afternoon, and evening are good, regardless of external circumstances. During this pandemic we have a once in a hundred year opportunity, to draw closer to you, Lord. We have the precious gift of time to read, study, pray, and think. We have time to call an old friend, a neighbor, a fellow church member, or a family member. We are the maker of this day! Let us declare it good and move forward to put our faith in action. Come Holy Spirit and help us stand on faith: amen.

A Prayer a Day: Good morning again, Lord, and thank you for another day to love you, our people, and to enjoy our lives. Celebrating life is important, those special days like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baptisms, and funerals, allow us to enjoy life, mark special events, and to be close to families and friends. Everything is different now with quarantines and physical distancing mandates. Phone calls, sending cards, smiling and waving from a distance, are how we now say I love you. It is only your presence, Lord, that gives us the right attitude to navigate this situation. When we feel fearful, we remind ourselves of the 365 times in scripture, that we are told to “Fear not!” When we are grumpy and out of sorts, we remind ourselves of Proverbs 15:13, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of heart crushes the spirit.” Lord, we count  on you to fill us with your kindness, mercy, love, compassion, and humor. We know you have a sense of humor, because when we look around, beginning with ourselves, we see irony and wit in all your creation. Today, Heavenly Father, I am going to try to emulate you by treating everyone with patience and good cheer. Everyone needs good cheer, more than ever, during the challenge of this pandemic. Come Holy Spirit and make us more  like Jesus in whose name we pray: amen.

A Prayer a Day: Good morning, Lord. This morning I saw that in New York at 7:00 P.M. each evening thousands of quarantined people are opening their windows or stepping outside onto their balconies or sidewalks to chap, whistle, and yell thanks to the doctors, nurses, medical support staff, and first responders working to save the lives of Coronavirus victims. Since I saw that news clip, I have been thinking of 1 John 3:18, “Let us not love with words and tongue, but with actions and in truth.” It’s another way to say, “Talk is cheap,” or “It’s easier said than done.” The kind of love spoken about in 1 John is agape love: it is love that seeks the best for another without expecting a return. This kind of love mirrors the love Jesus had for humanity, that took him to Calvary’s cross. The real basis for this kind of divine love is an identification with the loved one. We know Jesus identified with us; he left the heavenly realm to be incarnated as a baby, so he could grow and learn what it means to be a human being. This kind of selfless, sacrificing love should be celebrated. The sacrificial love of the medical professionals should also be celebrated. Lord, please help those serving in the medical field, across our country and the whole world, to have the strength to continue to serve as long as the infected continue to stream into the hospitals.Holy God, help us to support those under pressure with prayer. Today, Lord, we count on you, to inspire every person in authority to be filled with your wisdom to make decisions for your glory, and the good health and safety of our nation. Come Holy Spirit and make it so: amen.