Renewing.NewCastleFPC.org - The First Presbyterian Church (USA)

Thursday, April 18, 2013

As the years go by…. God be with you

While I write on this morning in which my spirit is once again reawakening to the real presence of the One Who is alone steadfast, faithful and true to me and you, I am reminded of the saying, "April showers bring May flowers."

The thought comes to mind that somehow or another the passing of the seasons is meant for us to experience the journey of faith through the passage of time in ways that would bring us closer in our relationship with God. Even when rain showers down upon our lives, though we might not regard it as a blessing at the time, the Lord God almighty is able to turn and uses them for good in our walk with one another in Christ.

The writer of wisdom in Ecclesiastes (3:1) tells us:

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

In all things taking place under the sun, God works for the good of those who love the Lord, who are the called out ones according to God's purpose. (Romans 8:28)

As April showers would bring May flowers in this season of Easter through Pentecost, I also find myself reminiscing of times before when I might recall past celebrations of graduations, commencement exercises and wedding ceremonies at springtime. A renewing perspective of theological reflection and familial experience embraces me in these latter days as I bear witness to my eldest child graduating from college, a daughter's confirmation in faith, the baptism of a precious little one to preside over, a niece and Godchild's move from secondary education toward matriculation in her undergraduate studies, and a friend and relative's anticipated vows of promise together in the covenant of marriage.

It is, for me it seems, amidst the transitions of life and ministry in the Lord that events transpire in a way that can make any sense. Through the ebb and flow of our lives lived for the glory of God in Christ, we are continually transformed by the power and presence of God the Holy Spirit who is ever conforming us to the image of Jesus. (Romans 8:29; 12:2)

As I await the next season of call for the glory of the Lord, and bid one another farewell upon the upcoming transition in ministry at this time and place under the sun, excerpts of lyrics in the song "Sunrise, Sunset" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick echo within my soul.

Is this the little girl I carried?

Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older

When did they?

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly flow the days

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers

Blossoming even as we gaze

What words of wisdom can I give them?

How can I help to ease their way?

Now they must learn from one another

Day by day

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears

The Lord be with you and yours in these seasons under the sun through the passing of the years

In Christ,

Pastor Rex

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Freshly Fallen Spring Snow

As I write this in the first few days of the Lenten equinox, words come to mind at the sight of the ground before me…. oh so slidingly slow for freshly fallen spring snow….

The thought of slipping on by smoothly across the surface from one season of transition to another conjures up images of uncertainty over potential pitfalls along the path forward on the journey in the way of faith. It really is for me in my experience a pilgrimage calling for ever increasing trust in the Lord our God in the face of seemingly impossibly difficult situations. To prayerfully entrust one another on this road of witnessing God's great faithfulness and goodness toward us as children of the Lord is a wonder for us to behold and is precisely what we are called to in these latter days, and unwaveringly so.

As we approach the most holy of holy weeks in our tradition of worship through millennia of Christian practice, particularly from our reformed heritage, I am personally challenged and comforted at the same time by sovereign grace manifested in the passion of the Christ. To reimagine, if we would or could, what Jesus the Holy and Anointed One must have been going through and how Christ the Lord was feeling at the time of the week preceding his crucifixion is in a sense beyond the pale. The myriad onslaught of emotions in moments of utter desperation experienced in the midst of the Christ event must for some have been overly overwhelming.

And yet, even as I continue writing and riding on, the brightly enlightening rays of the sun are shining through whatever grey clouds there may appear to be in the skies of cumulus soaring in the upper stratus above. A so-called silver lining may yet present itself in the process of the enduring pilgrim's progress toward the golden glory of the eternal realms.

The apostle Paul puts it in this way in the letter of love to the saints in Corinth.

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NRSV)

With every trial and tribulation traversed in transition, the traveler whose triumph is totaled in the way, the truth, the resurrection and the life is continually transformed as led by the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Lord our God.

May this be the blessed experience of the holy in our midst who are deeply loved in Christ, always and forever

In God's grace and peace,

Pastor Rex

Thursday, February 21, 2013

If at first you don't succeed…

Whether it's Moses or Matthew, Joshua or John, Solomon or Stephen, Saul or Paul or Peter, Job or James, or Jesus, witnesses of faith in Scripture embody and live out their faithfulness as living examples to and for us of persons who show unto others the way of the Christ. The way of the journey in faith, however, is not always, if ever it seems, straightforward. Its approach or experience in navigating through life's events and various callings are fraught with the challenges and difficulties faced by such leading witnesses along the path of a faith-filled pilgrimage.

In our reading of the scriptural narrative, we find each of these and other leading characters at one point or another facing failure in some form, if at least from a worldly, if not otherwise biblical, perspective. In view of this, a number of typically conventional sayings come to mind. Among these are the following:

"If at first you don't succeed, try and try again." "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results." "God helps those who help themselves."

While on the surface these sayings might seem to make sense on their own, we may upon further examination find them inherently contradictory in contrast with each other and actually nonsensical even within themselves, especially when delving into them more deeply in the light of the Word of God which exposes their folly and fallacy. More and more as I grow in my experience in the journey of faith as a student of God's Word, I find many such common sayings inadequate, if not actually antithetical to the gospel in the biblical account(s).

We who are seeking to be disciples of the way, the truth, the resurrection and the life in Jesus Christ are at times too quick and easy to adopt or become adopted by such insidious ideas in the world surrounding us. If we are blessed, we may discover a deeper awareness of ourselves being so readily acquiescing to the wily ways of this world in which we are called to live, but not be of it.

Rather than giving in, subscribing, surrendering and/or becoming submitted to the so-called wisely popular notions of the world around us, we would do better, beloved, in the way of the Word as the apostle Paul writes in Romans (12:1-2), urging us in view of God's mercy, to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God in a reasonable way through loving acts of service with a worshipful attitude in the Spirit of the Lord. As Paul urges us on:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Other verses from Scripture come to mind as well. "I am the vine, you are the branches… apart from me, you can do nothing." (Jesus in John 15:5) "God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in time of trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

If I were to begin attempting to rewrite, reform and reformulate the more worldly saying(s) listed earlier above in the light of Scripture, it might go something like this:

If at first you don't succeed, don't be afraid to "fail" and "fail again" as you learn along the way, always falling on your knees to pray and pray again and again, keeping on keeping on in the way of faith. Indeed, if at first you don't succeed, read and reread and heed the Word. The definition of insanity is thinking you can succeed in being and/or becoming a faithful witness without or apart from God. God actually helps those who ask God for help!

All the more to and for the glory of God, in this Lenten season, as well as forever and always, toward being and becoming faithful witnesses, may we remain and continue in the Lord,

Pastor Rex

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Revive Lenten Evening Service of Prayer & Praise

SENTENCES OF SCRIPTURE

1 Year A B C

Matt. 4:4

One does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Firm Foundation

PRAYER OF THE DAY

3 Year A B C

God of the covenant,

as the forty days of deluge

swept away the world's corruption

and watered new beginnings of righteousness and life,

so in the saving flood of Baptism

we are washed clean and born again.

Throughout these forty days,

unseal within us the wellspring of your grace,

cleanse our hearts of all that is not holy,

and cause your gift of new life to flourish once again.

Grant this through Jesus Christ our Redeemer,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Holy Love

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

God of mercy,

you sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.

We confess that we have strayed from you

and turned aside from your way.

We are misled by pride,

for we see ourselves pure when we are stained,

and great when we are small.

We have failed in love,

neglected justice,

and ignored your truth.

Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin.

Return us to paths of righteousness

through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Breathe On Us Again

INTERCESSION FOR LENT

Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom.

Hear our intercessions.

For your church around the world,

we ask new life.

For all who carry out ministries in your church,

we ask grace and wisdom.

For people who have accepted spiritual disciplines,

we ask inspired discipleship.

For Christians of every land,

we ask new unity in your name.

For Jews and Muslims and people of other faiths,

we ask your divine blessing.

For those who cannot believe,

we ask your faithful love.

For governors and rulers in every land,

we ask your guidance.

For people who suffer and sorrow,

we ask your healing peace.

After a brief silence, the leader concludes the litany:

Holy God,

your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world

and brought humanity the gift of reconciliation

by the suffering and death he endured.

Teach those who bear his name

to follow the example he gave us.

May our faith, hope, and charity

turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, and death to eternal life;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Reconciliation Song

A TIME FOR TESTIMONY

LITANY FOR LENT

O Christ, Jesus, Jesus

out of your fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

You are our eternal hope;

you are patient and full of mercy;

you are generous to all who call upon you.

Save us, Lord.

O Christ, fountain of life and holiness,

you have taken away our sins.

On the cross you were wounded for our transgressions

and were bruised for our iniquities.

Save us, Lord.

O Christ, obedient unto death,

source of all comfort,

our life and our resurrection,

our peace and reconciliation:

Save us, Lord.

O Christ, Savior of all who trust you,

hope of all who die for you,

and joy of all the saints:

Save us, Lord.

Jesus, Lamb of God,

have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,

have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the world,

grant us peace.

After a brief silence, the leader concludes the litany:

God of love,

as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us,

so may we give ourselves to you,

living according to your holy will.

Keep our feet firmly in the way

where Christ leads us;

make our mouths speak the truth

that Christ teaches us;

fill our bodies with the life

that is Christ within us.

In his holy name we pray. Amen.

Shout to the Lord

OFFERING, BLESSING AND CHARGE

An offering may be received. The minister gives God's blessing to the congregation.

1 Thess. 5:23

Monday, February 11, 2013

Revive! Ash Wednesday Evening Service of Prayer & Praise 2013 February 13

All silently gather. Any procession should be in silence.

CALL TOWORSHIP

Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Ps. 51:1–17

Let us return to the Lord.

God is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in love.

Have mercy on us, O God,

according to your unfailing love.

Wash away our iniquity;

cleanse us from our sins.

The sacrifice acceptable to God

is a humble spirit.

A broken and contrite heart

God will not turn away.

"Even now," declares the Lord,

"return to me with all your heart."

With open hearts

we call upon the name of the Lord.

Let us worship God

Come, Let Us Return

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

After a brief silence, the following prayer may be said:

1 2 Year A B C

Gracious Almighty God, out of your love and mercy you breathed into dust the breath of life, creating us to serve you and neighbors.

You despise nothing you have made and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Call forth our prayers and acts of tenderness, and strengthen us to face our mortality, that we may reach with confidence for your mercy… Create in us new and contrite hearts, that truly repenting of our sins, and acknowledging our brokenness, we may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. [208] Amen.

Turn Our Hearts

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Isa. 58:1–12; Ps. 51:1–17

O Lord, you are gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

You have called us to return to you with all our hearts.

Forgive us, for we have been slow to share with the poor,

but quick to point the finger and pass judgment.

Even when we do not withhold from those in need,

we hope for some reward or recognition

for doing only what we ought to have done.

Hide your face from our sins, O Lord, and blot out all our iniquities.

Do not cast us away from your presence,

and do not take away your Holy Spirit.

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

Create In Me a Clean Heart

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Let us pray.

After a brief silence, the following prayer for illumination may be said:

God our helper, by your Holy Spirit open our minds, that as the scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may be led into your truth and be taught your will, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open the Eyes of My Heart

GOSPEL READING and REFLECTION Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Open Our Eyes

INVITATION TO THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LENTEN DISCIPLINE

The following or similar words may be spoken:

Friends in Christ, every year at the time of the Christian Passover

we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration and to renew our life in the paschal mystery. We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance, and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If ashes are used, the following may be said:

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes.

This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,

and marks the penitence of this community.

The minister continues:

I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent

by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting,

by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.

Let us bow before God, our Creator and Redeemer,

and confess our sin.

The people may kneel or bow down.

Silence is kept for reflection and self-examination.

PSALM 51 Psalm 51:1–17 is sung or said.

Psalm 51:1–17 Tone 7; PH 195, 196; PS 48

R
Change my heart, Oh God, make it ever true, Change my heart, Oh God, may I be like You

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *

in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *

and cleanse me from my sin. R

3 For I know my transgressions, *

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you only have I sinned *

and done what is evil in your sight.

And so you are justified when you speak *

and upright in your judgment.

5 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *

a sinner from my mother's womb. R

6 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *

and will make me understand wisdom secretly.

7 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *

wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.

8 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *

that the body you have broken may rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins *

and blot out all my iniquities. R

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *

and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from your presence *

and take not your holy Spirit from me.

12 Give me the joy of your saving help again *

and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. R

13 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *

and sinners shall return to you.

14 Deliver me from death, O God, *

and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,

O God of my salvation. R

15 Open my lips, O Lord, *

and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

16 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *

but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.

17 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. R

LITANY OF PENITENCE

Let us pray.

Holy and merciful God, we confess to you and to one another,

and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth,

that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength.

We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven.

Have mercy on us, O God.

We have not listened to your call to serve as Christ served us.

We have not been true to the mind of Christ.

We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on us, O God.

We confess to you, O God, all our past unfaithfulness:

The pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in our lives,

we confess to you, O God.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways and our exploitation of other people,

we confess to you, O God.

Our anger at our own frustration

and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,

we confess to you, O God.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts,

and our dishonesty in daily life and work,

we confess to you, O God.

Our negligence in prayer and worship,

and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,

we confess to you, O God.

Accept our repentance, O God, for the wrongs we have done.

For our neglect of human need and suffering

and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

accept our repentance, O God.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors,

and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,

accept our repentance, O God.

For our waste and pollution of your creation

and our lack of concern for those who come after us,

accept our repentance, O God.

Restore us, O God, and let your anger depart from us.

Favorably hear us, O God, for your mercy is great.
[209]

IMPOSITION OF ASHES Change My Heart, Oh God

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. May these ashes be for us a sign of our mortality and penitence, and a reminder that only by your gracious gift are we given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. [210]
Amen.

PRAYER Refiner's Fire

God of compassion, through your Son Jesus Christ you reconciled your people to yourself. Following his example of prayer and fasting, may we obey you with willing hearts and serve one another in holy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[212]
Amen.

OFFERING, BLESSING AND CHARGE

An offering may be received. The minister gives God's blessing to the congregation.

1 Thess. 5:23

May the God of peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.

All quietly depart.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Don't be…. God will….

Eight years ago this week in January, my family and I were moving in to our new home in New Castle, Indiana. It was in the midst of downright frigid, subfreezing (if not subhuman) weather that I remember the movers from New Jersey unloaded the truck while whipping winds walloped anyone exposed to the external elements of that wintry day. And, if being subjected to that kind of "welcoming" environment wasn't enough, it was at the same time necessary to keep the front door open with the crosswind gusts rushing in, especially during the challenge of maneuvering our Steinway grand piano from the cold outside into the not-so-warm house inside.

We were trying hard as we could to help effect our move into the new place expeditiously, but it was all too easy to become overwhelmed by the seeming immensity of the task remaining before us. I marveled then at the tenacity of the workers doing the work of helping relocate a large family of eight in the bleak midwinter of the Midwest.

From the time of the kings of old in ancient Israel, there comes to mind a verse which the Spirit brings for my continued reflection in the Word this month.

"Don't be frightened by the size of the task. Be strong and courageous and get to work for the Lord my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished." 1 Chronicles 28:20 (TLB/NRS)

These were words from King David speaking to his son Solomon who would be the king presiding over the building of the temple in Israel. The plans for the task at hand were vastly enormous! So many grand and intricate details and logistics to comprehend and oversee were to be passed on from one generation to another that the next mighty moments in Israel's worship of the Lord their God would be manifested, embodied in the building of a temple for the majesty and glory of God to be known and witnessed all the more into the future.

This is not unlike what some may be facing in our own day and time of these latter days. Even as the wisdom given from on high to King Solomon came to bear upon the way of building the temple for the Lord God almighty in the ancient days of Israel, the writer in Ephesians (5:16) exhorts anew the reader and hearer of the New Testament to wisely make "the most of the time, because the days are evil."

Beloved, this is indeed no time to minimize our pledge to the gracious and almighty Lord our God, of whom it is said by James (1:5) that to those needing wisdom who ask God, "gives generously to all without finding fault."

The Lord Jehovah Jireh our God is always and for ever our provider. The Lord will provide for everything we need in order to accomplish the task given us in these days. He's at our side until every last detail is completed. Will we act faithfully in a way "worthy of the calling [we] have received" (Ephesians 4:1) by renewing our pledge to Christ and his church? As the Word is proclaimed in Revelation (4:11, 5:12), he is worthy to receive all glory, honor, blessing, and power.

In a loud voice they sang:"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

Courageously yours in Christ,

Pastor Rex