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Day 9 (March 18, 2011)

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Lenten Meditations 2012

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Downtown Holy Week Services

During Holy Week, churches in the downtown area will hold a mid-day service and lunch. Except on Friday, services begin at noon with lunch following. The suggested donation for lunch is $5.

Monday, April 2: First Baptist - Noon

Tuesday, April 3: First Presbyterian - Noon

Wednesday, April 4: Central Christian - Noon

Thursday, April 5: Maundy Thursday evening services at various churches

Friday, April 6: St. Paul’s Episcopal - 11:30 a.m. lunch, Noon worship service

Day 9 (March 18, 2011)

Psalms 40, 51, 54, 95; Deut. 10: 12-22; Heb. 4: 11-16; John 3: 22-36

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. (Psalm 40: 1-2)

What a visual pair of sentences! There have been times in my life where I felt that I sunk low in the mud; melancholic, too much happening for me to pull myself up. During these times I turned even more to God and prayed for His assistance. After a time of believing, hoping, and praying, a way out was found. Life got better. It was as if I was placed on "solid ground" again. Believing in God gave me hope that I would stand strong with Him again despite my troubles.

Further on in Psalm 40, we see that the Psalmist writes of the wondrous plans God has for everyone. It speaks of the importance of the obedience to God's words and recommends that we tell everyone about His ways.

Verse 11: "Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me." The line is appropriate also. I have a firm belief in God and His ways and although I sometimes feel left behind I know that He will come again to my aid.

Verse 17: "As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in His thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay."

To sum up, the psalmist suggests that no matter what troubles or difficulties we face, we should feel secure in the knowledge that we will survive with the Lord's help.

Posted on Fri, March 18, 2011 by Lenten Meditations filed under

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2012 Lenten Series

Our Lenten observances this year include daily Morning and Evening Prayer and Stations of the Cross. I encourage you to deepen your Lenten experience by participating in these worship services as you are able. The heart of our Lenten observance is the teaching series on Wednesday evenings. This year's series is entitled "Finishing Well."

This year's series focuses on the questions: What does it mean to finish well? What steps must we take to prepare for our deaths? These are important questions for Christians to ponder -- both young and old.

The first two weeks (February 29 and March 7) will be led by Dr. Cynthia Crysdale, Professor of Christian Ethics and Theology at the School of Theology at The University of the South in Sewanee. Dr. Crysdale will teach us about the theological underpinnings of Finishing Well.

Week three (March 14) will be led by Jim Dooley, Director of Concord Baptist Senior Adult Program and founder and director of Senior Connections. Mr. Dooley will give us an overview of caregiving for our loved ones and a program he is developing entitled "It's about Time."

Week four (March 21) will feature two of our bright young attorneys, Theodore Goodman and Jeremy Cothern, who will lead us through the legal essentials of finishing well.

Fr. Polk and Fr. Colin will finish up in week five (March 28) as we plan our own funeral services.

The series will begin on Wednesday, February 29 and run for five consecutive Wednesday evenings. A soup supper will be served beginning at 5:30 pm. There is a small charge for supper. A brief liturgy begins at 6:15 p.m. in St. Andrew's Chapel followed by the teaching series. We will be finished no later than 7:15 p.m. Child care is available.

While we often put off or resist thinking about our mortality, Lent is an appropriate time to learn, both theologically and practically, how to "Finish Well."