Welcome to the JCPC Daily Reflections Blog. Reflections are daily devotionals authored by JCPC pastors, staff and members and provide insight, guidance and comfort to help you make it through each day. If you’d like to receive Reflections each day via email, provide your email address.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
-Matthew 25: 31-32
We did it! We've made it to the end of the year. This Sunday marks both the final Sunday in the liturgical calendar and Christ the King Sunday, also known as The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This celebration of Christ as King is relatively modern and was started by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as a reaction to the denial of Christ's authority among European governments of the time. The term "messiah" and "Christ" themselves are royal titles, meaning, "anointed one", or alternately, "anointed king". We end the liturgical year in this way to prepare us for Advent, where we await the coming of the Christ child, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
When we think of kings, we probably think of golden crowns, luxurious palaces, and militaristic achievements. But we know Jesus didn't come as this kind of worldly king, but instead came to humbly serve the least of these. This passage in Matthew goes on to say that the "sheep" are those that will inherit the kingdom, while the "goats" are sent to eternal fire. It's interesting because, as you'll hear Sunday, modern sheepherders tend to prefer goats over sheep, because, well, sheep are dumb and kind of smelly! Isn't it ironic then that Jesus refers to the righteous as stinky sheep and not goats? This makes me think of how Jesus was always calling the Pharisees out, even though they appeared to be holier than others on the surface.
As we celebrate Christ's sovereignty over the universe this Sunday, take some time to reflect on the ways in which you are living your own life. Are you living as Christ taught us by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned? There are so many people in need in the world, that it can seem overwhelming to serve. But our Cosmic Christ guides us to serve. Let us continue to serve those in need as the sheep of our Shepherd King.
Prayer for Today
Sovereign God, we are like scattered sheep, divided by political biases and personal convictions. We turn away from you, Gentle Shepherd, and seek comfort in lonely pastures. Guide us to pastures of understanding, acceptance, and service, and open our eyes to your authority. Amen.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me,
is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. -John 10:27-30
Once again, we had a really meaningful annual blessing of the animals. This year, we gathered in cars in the parking lot and shared a liturgy thanking God for our pets and service animals. We also prayed for those animal friends we have lost in the last year. For so many of us, our creatures are a part of family life at home. When we gather on Sundays, that is our faith family. After the service, the youth gathered to talk about animals in scripture. God made animals first and then Adam to care for them. It's only after the creation story that God makes more people so Adam isn't lonely, but God calls the creation good before there are people everywhere.
We find animals depicted prominently in the Psalms and in Proverbs, in Job and Jonah, the minor and major prophets, and the ways God and angels are described throughout the Old Testament. Jesus begins the Gospels by being born among animals in a manger and visited by shepherds. His ministry is kicked off by the Spirit descending like a dove at his baptism. Jesus advises his disciples to be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves, to be obedient sheep and not wandering goats or like broods of vipers. And Jesus weeps over Jerusalem in his final week, longing to gather his people like a mother hen. And animals are important in Revelation and the prophetic visions of the peaceful kingdom where animals live in peace and a child leads us all.
Reading and discussing the many Biblical examples of animals, including the dogs that tend to Lazarus' wounds, it feels appropriate to have a service each year that honors them. I asked the youth what lessons animals teach us. They talked about friendship and unconditional love, the way pets love them no matter how bad a day they have. They talked about learning to care for someone who depends on them like a younger sibling, a child one day might, or an aging relative. And they talked about how loyal and obedient they are. Lastly, they mentioned how pets don't tend to live as long as us and we experience loss and grief, preparing us for those parts of life when we lose people we love. Animals have gifted our youth a maturity and spirit of readiness for what God calls them to next. The service provides an opportunity to acknowledge the gift God gives us in animals, both the joys and sorrows.
Last year, after our service, one family reached out to me with sad news. The small dog they brought was much older than I knew and had been ill. She passed away that night. The family said it was like she was waiting to be blessed. That story stuck with me all year. They didn't attend this year's blessing, but I know why. They were on the road out of state to pick up a new little dog. One of the youth said, "I hope they'll be here next year!" I imagine they will be. I hope you will be too, whether you have a pet or not.
Prayer for Today
Lord, make me a student of your creation so I may better follow you as one of your sheep. Amen.
For many years since we moved here, we have participated in Salvation Army Angels. This year I am grateful that with all that is different, this tradition is a constant. I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude when I opened the online sign up for this year and found that so many names were already claimed.
Each year I gain a renewed perspective as we begin the holiday season by Christmas shopping for this child first. When I consider this ritual, I am reminded of this passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Even though we will not have a chance to see this little boy open his gifts on Christmas, we have sent a Gospel message to him through our actions.
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
(2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
God speaks through us to others. God is still speaking if we are open to listen. There are messages to be heard, comfort to be received, strength to be gained, and hope to be given. There are mysteries that God wants to reveal to us. God speaks with a quiet and simple word. God who reigns is still speaking. Be still today, and listen.
May you find ways to be still and listen, so that you can share the message of Christ written on your heart.
Prayer for Today
Speak, O Lord. Create a stillness in me, that I may hear and understand your voice. Amen.
For many years since we moved here, we have participated in Salvation Army Angels. This year I am grateful that with all that is different, this tradition is a constant. I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude when I opened the online sign up for this year and found that so many names were already claimed.
Each year I gain a renewed perspective as we begin the holiday season by Christmas shopping for this child first. When I consider this ritual, I am reminded of this passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Even though we will not have a chance to see this little boy open his gifts on Christmas, we have sent a Gospel message to him through our actions.
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
(2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
God speaks through us to others. God is still speaking if we are open to listen. There are messages to be heard, comfort to be received, strength to be gained, and hope to be given. There are mysteries that God wants to reveal to us. God speaks with a quiet and simple word. God who reigns is still speaking. Be still today, and listen.
May you find ways to be still and listen, so that you can share the message of Christ written on your heart.
Prayer for Today
Speak, O Lord. Create a stillness in me, that I may hear and understand your voice. Amen.
In the chaos of fleeing his home during the California wildfires of 2018, Gabe, a high school senior, missed the state-qualifying cross-country race for which he'd been training. Missing this meet meant he wouldn't have the chance to compete at the state meet-the culminating event of his four-year running career. In light of the circumstances, the state athletics board gave Gabe another chance: he'd have to run a qualifying time by himself, on a rival high school's track, in "street shoes" because his running shoes were in the charred rubble of his home. When he showed up to "race," Gabe was surprised by his competitors who'd come to supply him with proper shoes and to run alongside him to ensure he kept the pace necessary to be entered in the state meet.
Gabe's opponents had no obligation to help him. They could have given into their natural desires to look out for themselves (Galatians 5:13); doing so might have improved their own odds of winning. But Paul urges us to display the fruit of the Spirit in our lives-to "serve one another humbly in love" and to demonstrate "kindness" and "goodness" (vv. 13, 22). When we lean on the Spirit to help us not act on our natural instincts, we're better able to love those around us.
Prayer for Today
Dear God, my natural desire is to look out for myself. Help me to serve others out of love for You. Amen.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
-1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. -Matthew 5:8 NIV
This Sunday's text focuses on encouraging one another in the faith. Paul's letter to the church in Thessalonica includes words that admonish the church members to build one another up. We should all be doing the same for one another, especially during these crazy times! Some people are really (and I mean REALLY) good at this... it's like they have a gift... but maybe it's more of a focused mindset on giving encouragement to others.
I don't know about you, but I often find myself so concerned about my own problems and to-do lists, that I fail to send an encouraging word to someone who might need it. (Here's a secret: Everyone needs it!) Perhaps if we were more intentional about sharing encouragement, we would all be less consumed by our own worries.
And we all need to take our own inventory of how we treat others. Maybe we've been unkind to other brothers and sisters in Christ (or family members) with opposing political views (or pandemic theories). Maybe we've been unkind to others unintentionally while trying to effect change or champion a cause. Maybe we can stop and think before we speak... maybe this could all be turned around with a word and a spirit of encouragement. Yes, sometimes the pot needs to be stirred. But when it's already boiling over, maybe we need to change our minds, turn down the source of heat, and decide how to be peacemakers, for we are all children of God.
The words of this Sunday's anthem are from the very famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (better known as the patron saint of Italy, animals, and the natural environment).
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
And where there's doubt, true faith in you.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there's sadness, ever joy.
O, Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.
Come worship with us this Sunday, either online or in the parking lot, and be encouraged!! (And bring your pets for the Blessing of the Animals this Sunday night at 6 p.m. in the East parking lot!)
Prayer for Today
Jesus, Prince of Peace, calm my heart, and open my eyes and hands to someone who needs encouragement today. Give me the words that will build them up and strengthen them. In Your holy name, I pray. Amen.
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
-Isaiah 11:6-9
Our scriptures are an amazing gift because they resemble a library more than a single book. Some books are letters, some are history, some are poetry, some prophecy, and others are legal statutes. But one thing present in many, if not most, of these books is animals. Animals are sometimes sustenance and sacrifice, sometimes a metaphorical reference for the appearance of humans, and sometimes an example of how we are to behave. Jesus is quite fond of animal references. He says we are to be good sheep who follow his voice, and not to be goats. He says we must be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves, but not a brood of vipers.
There are those who argue about whether or not animals have souls, and some who argue if pets are really family members. I think both arguments happen when we forget how important animals seem to be God and to God's son. Even in creation, God spends several days creating animals and only part of a day on humans. We are created on the same day as cattle and creatures that crawl on the earth, not even something cool like a stingray or snow leopard. And God calls all those creations good. And when God describes the new and perfect kingdom, we see in this text, it's not as one with people living peacefully as an example to all creatures, but as God's animals abandoning their role as predator and prey to simply live in harmony. It's a reminder that God has put God's law and love into creation all around us. We can learn from the loyalty of our dogs, the playfulness of our cats, the joy of our birds, the beauty of our fish, the obedience of our horses, and the generosity and affection of all our pets.
This Sunday, we will recognize the special gift that our animals are to us. Whether you have a service animal, a therapy companion, a comfort creature, or good old family pet, they are a part of your family, and therefore our extended family of faith. We will take a moment to remember faithful friends we've lost this year, give gratitude for our amazing animals who make our days brighter, and bless those animals and their families for the year ahead. I hope to see you there this Sunday evening for our annual Blessing of the Animals.
Prayer for Today
Lord, make me a noticer of the special gift and example you give us in the creatures you put in our lives, both great and small. Amen.
Today is Veterans Day. I came across these five prayers for veterans by Bob Hostetler. I invite you to pray them for our veterans today:
1) To Feel Honored
"God, please let every veteran of our nation's armed forces feel truly and appropriately honored by the attention and appreciation of their fellow citizens. Let no one feel forgotten or neglected. Let every man and woman, young or old, feel the deep and enduring gratitude of our nation and its inhabitants."
2) To Be Understood
"Father God, You know that it can be difficult for a person who has returned from battle or stressful military service to reintegrate into 'normal' everyday life. You know that veterans can feel isolated and alone even in the midst of their friends and families because there are few around who understand their experience. So I ask You to place in the path of our veterans those who do understand (or strive to), that they may feel less alone. Remind them often that while their fellow human beings may never fully comprehend, You see, You know and You identify with them in everything."
3) To Be Healed
"Lord, You know how deep a warrior's wounds go. You know the loss that many of our veterans in body and soul. You know the memories that haunt them and the scars that many of them continue to carry. Please bring healing to those veterans who still hurt. Please grant patience and wisdom to those around them who cannot understand but can sometimes help the healing process. Please apply both natural and supernatural medicine to their wounds."
4) To Be Rewarded
"Father, please turn your gaze to those men and women who in their military service have sacrificed time, comfort, strength, ambition, health and prosperity for the peace and safety of family and friends and others they've never even known. Please reward them a hundredfold for all their sacrifice and service. Bless them far beyond all their expectations. Reward them richly for all they have given."
5) To Know You
"Almighty God, You know every veteran by name. You know their deeds, their hard work, and their perseverance. You know their needs, both material and spiritual. Please draw each one closer to you and grant them all the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7), the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts (Colossians 3:15), and 'joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand' forevermore (Psalm 16:11)."
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Open our eyes to the ways you are guiding us, lighting our path and caring for us each day. Help us to put our trust in you. In Christ's Name, Amen.
What does control mean for you? If you were to tell someone, "I have things under control", what would that look like? I often find myself trying to have a plan for everything. By planning ahead, things go more smoothly, right? Sometimes I can get so wrapped up in this mindset that I forget to leave some space to look and listen for the ways that God is at work.
Take a moment to consider these words from the gospel of Matthew, "Look at the birds in the air. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them." (Matthew 6:26)
When you take a look around at God's creation and notice the ways that God takes care of things, it's amazing to see each and every detail. God has been reminding me of how we are cared for in many ways this fall. We have been enjoying Saturday adventures to explore God's creation. In the midst of a recent local move, we have seen God take care of us through our community opening up their basements, laundry rooms and dinner tables as we were transitioning.
This view of Brasstown Bald was one of those reminders on a hike about a month ago.
Max Lucado challenged me with some questions as I was taking some time to consider this passage of scripture.
"If God is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think it is remotely possible that God is able to guide your life? If God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that he is mighty enough to light your path? If God cares enough about the planet Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is there an outside chance that God cares enough about you to meet your needs?"
Enter into this day, trying to let God be in control. Notice the ways that God is taking care of you in each moment. I am grateful for the family, friends and community that share in this journey with us. Who will you invite to join you?
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Open our eyes to the ways you are guiding us, lighting our path and caring for us each day. Help us to put our trust in you. In Christ's Name, Amen.
When two of my grandchildren tried out for the musical Alice in Wonderland Jr., their hearts were set on getting leading roles. Maggie wanted to be young Alice, and Katie thought Mathilda would be a good role. But they were chosen to be flowers. Not exactly a ticket to Broadway.
Yet my daughter said the girls were "excited for their friends who got the [leading roles]. Their joy seemed greater cheering for their friends and sharing in their excitement."
What a picture of how our interactions with each other in the body of Christ should look! Every local church has what might be considered key roles. But it also needs the flowers-the ones who do vital but not-so-high-profile work. If others get roles we desire, may we choose to encourage them even as we passionately fulfill the roles God has given us.
In fact, helping and encouraging others is a way to show love for Him. Hebrews 6:10 says, "[God] will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people." And no gift from His hand is unimportant: "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace" (1 Peter 4:10).
Imagine a church of encouragers diligently using their God-given gifts to His honor (Hebrews 6:10). That makes for joy!
Prayer for Today
Sovereign God, help me not to focus on the roles of other, but to serve You in the sacred calling You've given me. Enable me to help others by a word of encouragement for what they do for You. Amen.
